Last updated on August 2nd, 2021 at 02:14 pm
A healthy and simple creamy zucchini soup with only 3 ingredients!
This vegan soup recipe is an awesome way to use up fresh garden zucchini. It's simple, clean and naturally gluten-free. With only a handful of ingredients, you can have this vegan zucchini soup on the table in 30-minutes.
Recipe Summary
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook time
25 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Difficulty
Easy. This is pretty much fool-proof.
This recipe was originally posted October 8, 2020 and updated with images, instructions and serving suggestions on Thursday 15 July, 2021.
I live on soup, not on fine words.
Moliere
Fun fact; I spend most of my days chasing my own butt. I am not what you would call an organised person so recipes like this cream of zucchini soup have saved my vegan bacon many times.
Like every adult walking the earth, my life is messy. Blessed, but messy. Beautiful, but messy. Bountiful, but oh-there's-a-hole-in-my-dog's-poop-bag messy.
Soups help me navigate my beautifully messy life. Whether its pumpkin lentil soup with ginger, a comforting bowl of vegan chicken noodle soup or a hearty vegan mushroom soup, soups are simple, quick and soothing.
On the days I've worn my pants inside out and forgotten to pack my kid's lunch, I need easy. This vegan creamy zucchini soup could not be easier.
Why We Love This Soup
This vegan zucchini soup is:
- Deliciously creamy,
- Naturally gluten-free - we use cashews to thicken this zucchini soup rather than flour
- Vegan! No cream, no butter, just plants
- Kid-friendly - little tummies will love this soup's clean, simple flavour
- Ready in less time that it takes to get a pizza delivered and
- Has only 3 ingredients!
What You'll Need | Ingredients
To make the simplest creamy zucchini soup, you'll need three ingredients Yup, just three.
Cashews, vegetable stock and zucchini. That's it.
I also season with salt and pepper to taste (I am not counting them as ingredients because...well, they're salt and pepper) and occasionally add a dollop of vegan butter but the base is - cashews, stock, zucchini.
Cashews: creamy and delicious cashews bring this soup come together. You are going to need raw cashews and and there is no real substitution. I've tried blanched almonds and it just wasn't creamy or smooth.
Zucchini: I developed this recipe because our builder gave me a bag of the biggest zucchini I've ever seen. As zucchini gets older and bigger it gets more bitter - that's why this recipe calls for you to peel the skin. However, for this best zucchinis look for small, firm zucchini with blemish-free green skin. You can keep unwashed zucchini in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a container or produce bag.
How To Make The Creamiest Zucchini Soup Ever
This super creamy zucchini soup is literally child's play if you let your child play with hot pans in the kitchen. In 3 steps you'll have this gorgeous vegan soup on the table.
Step 1: Peel and chop your zucchini.
Step 2: Throw all the ingredients in to a large pot over medium heat and cook until the cashews are tender, around 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 3: Remove from the heat, allow the soup to cool slightly before blending it until smooth and silky.
Serving Suggestions
Top with fresh greens and crunchy seeds or simply serve with crusty bread - this creamy zucchini soup works both hot or cold. Whatever floats your boat.
I usually serve it plain with salt and pepper but these toppers take it to the next level.
- Vegan parmesan
- Crunchy sourdough croutons
- A swirl of infused olive oil - I've served with olive combined with a spoon of basil pesto
- Roast salted chickpeas
- A dollop of spiced yoghurt - try a hint of curry powder
Recipe FAQs
Yes and no. Sorry, it's not a straight forward answer. I created this recipe when our builder gave me a bunch of zucchinis from his garden. They were huge and the skins were tough so I peeled them. If you can get your hands on small, young zucchini you can forgo the peeling. The larger a zucchini is, the older it is and the more tough and bitter the skin. My rule of thumb is, anything bigger than my hand I peel for this soup.
You can! Because the soup is well blended it can be frozen without separating. Simply allow it to cool completely, transfer it to a freeze-safe sealed container and freeze for up to a month.
Around 3-4 days. Keep it covered and give it a good stir before heating it up on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This zucchini soup should be smooth and silky. If you are using older cashews cook the soup for longer, around 30 minutes. When ready, the cashews should easily break apart between your fingers.
A high powered blender makes short work of this soup. If your blender isn't super powerful, blend the soup in batches and really blend it.
Love your soup? Try these other delicious recipes:
Hungry for More Plant-Based Goodness? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news and updates. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 1 kilogram peeled zucchini roughly chopped
- sea salt optional
- pepper optional
- 1 tbsp vegan butter spread optional
Instructions
- Combine the cashews, stock and peeled zucchini in to a medium soup or saucepan over medium heat and bring up to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the cashews are tender and break between your fingers.
- Remove from the heat and carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Season with salt and pepper and add the vegan butter (if using). Blend until the soup is completely smooth to serve. You may have to blend in batches depending on the size for your blender.
Notes
A high powered blender makes short work of this soup. If your blender isn't super powerful, blend the soup in batches and really blend it.
Perfect soup weather and I love how healthy and refreshing this looks. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Jaimie. Is it as cold where you are as it is here? Perfect soup weather.
What a fantastic way to use zucchini, especially when you have heaps of them in the garden which is often the case! Easy, warming and delicious 🙂
Oh, thanks Sarah. I love this soup - it's such a great one for the whole family.
You had me at three ingredients... and even more now that I see that cashews are one of them! Such a delicious, comforting and easy dish, I cant wait to try it!
Cashews are a revelation! They are so versatile. I hope you do try it, Sylvie.
What a lovely soup! I love that it’s vegan and a great way to give my kids some extra veggies.
Thanks so much Andrea! Zucchini is such a great veggie for small tummies - nothing too radical for them. 🙂
Really love this recipe and use it all the time especially now when the allotment courgettes are in full swing! I add some frozen peas with about 5 mins to go and that tastes good too! Thanks again!
Thanks Alan! I am so pleased you like this recipe - I love it too. The peas sound like a lovely addition, I'll have to try it next time I make the soup. 🙂
I made this for the family and we gobbled it up during a booming summer thunderstorm with torrential rain, alongside some home made sourdough. So easy, warming and delicious and the kids licked the bowl. Total win. I was a bit light on zucchini so added an onion. Will definitely make again. And again. Happy new year to you all xx
You have to teach me sourdough! Ha! I am so glad you and family enjoyed the soup, Amber - it is still one of my favourites and I bet there is nothing like enjoying it during a Summer storm. Love and New Year wishes to you xx
This is perfect for those lazy cold days. And still taste amazing. We all have those days where we do not feel like making a mess in the kitchen and then have to spend all day washing dishes lol
I just got home from a really long day of work - I had a couple of zucchini in the fridge so I whipped up a quarter of a batch. DELICIOUS. I would normally grab something much less healthy after a day like today. Thank you, thank you. I actually think my boys would like this. Definitely going to cook it again soon, so easy.
Awesome, Kat. I love how easy this soup is too and I am so happy it made a long day a little easier for you, x.
I made this last night for house dinner and they could not believe it was so few ingredients (and didn't have potato) and so good! It was really yummy and creamy, and though I couldn't pull out the taste of zucchini from the mix, it was warm and wonderful. The soup was a little grainy (perhaps the cashews needed more time) but overall the texture was smooth and a little reminiscent of polenta.
I'd recommend and make again!
Hey Kelly, I am so happy you like the soup. I will say though, the texture is usually smooth and silky, not grainy at all. Polenta? Let's see if we can fix that. What sort of blender do you have?A high-powered blender makes short work of this but any blender will work fine. Maybe blending it in batches will help. Also, make sure the cashews are cooked through on the stove. You should be able to literally break them apart easily with your fingers. Perhaps a slightly longer cook time is needed? I want you to have the FULL experience… Read more »
Just finished making. I can hardly contain myself from eating the entire pot! This zucchini soup is scrumptiously delicious. I highly recommend. I did however, modify, slightly. I put onions and garlic in mostly everything; I also added a stalk of celery. This is my first time on your website. Thanks Amanda
Welcome Lorraine! I am so glad you liked the soup and that you modified it. I love my recipes being a starting point for others to put their stamp on them. The garlic and celery sounds delicious. 🙂
This was fabulous! I got lazy though and never used the vitamin . Using my immersion blender was perfect and not lumpy at all. thanks
Perfect! Anything that makes things easier is always good. I am so glad you like this soup, Susan. I love it too. I love how clean and simple the recipe is. Thanks so much for taking the time to write. Have a great day, Amanda x.
This soup is absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely be making it again!
Fantastic Julia! Thank you for letting me know. I love how simple this recipe is. Makes dinner that little bit easier, yes? A,x.
This soup is a staple for our house. So delicious.I previously asked if the courgette had to be peeled, I've tried it both ways and it's definitely worth the effort of peeling. Occasionally I add a handful of spinach or two before blending and it's so good. I've also served with basil oil (as per another comment) and it's incredible.
That's so great Helen. Thanks for taking the time to write - it means so much. This recipe is such a handy one to have when you're busy or just need something simple. I love the splash of basil too - so good! Have a great day.
I found this when I searched for "cauliflower kale zucchini basil soup" and it looks delightful, however I am dealing with gastroesaphageal reflux disease (GER) and even though it lacks onions and garlic (do you have ANY idea how hard it is to find vegan soups that do not have those 2 things, or tomatoes, or spicy spices? Oof), I need to limit and eliminate fatty/fried foods so no cashews for me, certainly not in this quantity. Do you think cauliflower would work as as substitute for the cashews?
Hi Amelia, Oh, that must be so frustrating! You could try cauliflower or a potato - 2 largish, peeled and cubed - and a dash of dairy-free milk - you could even try coconut milk (maybe a 1/4 cup). I would put the potato or cauliflower in the stock first and cook it for around 7 minutes and then add the zucchini. When everything is cooked through, add the milk. Stir it through and remove it from the heat and when it's cool enough to blend, blend away. I don't think it will be quite as creamy as with the… Read more »
That sounds wonderful--thank you!!!
You're so welcome. I hope it all works out. 🙂
I made this with 12 ounces of cauliflower, prepared how you suggested in your response above and though I completely forgot to add any milk, I liked how it turned out. It's light and tasty. I am finding that I like to add non-blended things to it, like chopped, slightly steamed (wilted) kale (might try it with spinach, bet it would be good that way, too). If you feel inspired to try it yourself and write it up as another recipe, it might help a lot of folks like me (this is not the sort of thing I do). Thank… Read more »
Yay! I am so glad it worked out. That's awesome. And you're right I should add a nut-free version to the recipe. Thanks Amelia!
What is the green drizzle on top of the soup?
Hi Kim,
I originally posted this recipe years ago and there was a green basil oil I used to drizzle over it but this version doesn't have a that - just some micro greens and pumpkin seeds to texture. You could add a swirl of olive oil. 🙂
Has anyone tried adding nutritonal yeast to add a cheesy flavor?
Hi Ana,
I haven't but I think it's a great idea! Maybe start with a little and build up the flavour as you go. It sounds wonderful. A.
Does the courgette have to be peeled?
Hi Helen,
I began peeling the courgette because I had a stack of big ones where the skin was slightly bitter - peeling also gives a super creamy, light finish. Having said that my best friend doesn't peel hers for this recipe but always uses small young courgettes. The older the vegetable, the more you can taste the skin in the soup. I hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by!
The easiest soup I've ever made! Healthy, yummy and vegan what can be better? Thank you!
That's awesome Joshua. Thanks so much - I am so glad you liked it.
This looks so good. thanks for sharing the recipe.
I tried this tonight. I wasn't sure if it was going to be good or not. It was delicious. Even my kids loved it. Definitely a keeper. Thank you. Glad I found this website.
Oh, I am so glad you liked it and your family did too! Thanks for letting me know!
Love this soup. My non-vegan friends loved it too! Thanks for the easy recipes. Next I’ll try it with a different veggie.
That's, fantastic Kim - I am so pleased you like it. You are awesome for letting me know. Thank you.
I've never tried such a recipe, but I am sure that this soup is tasty and delicious! Thanks for submitting the post!