Fully Loaded Vegan Baked Potato Soup Recipe (2023)

FAQs

How do you thicken loaded baked potato soup? ›

Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

Adding cream to your potato soup will give it a richer flavor and a silkier mouthfeel. If you don't have any cream on hand, you can add milk or dairy alternative, although your soup will be less creamy as you go down in milk percentage. This means that whole milk will make for a creamier soup than two percent milk.

It is important that the potatoes not be too finely chopped before cooking. If they are, too much starch will be released into the broth and a gummy texture will result. An unpleasant consistency can also result from the pureeing of the cooked soup.

Dairy Products

Heavy cream, sour cream, or yogurt are all excellent for thickening soups and sauces, but you have to be careful about boiling them or they may break and curdle.

Sometimes all a soup needs is a little extra salt or pepper, but usually it needs more. Try adding minced garlic or fresh basil, parsley, or rosemary to your soup—whatever's available. Acid is also a great idea. To make canned soup more gourmet, squeeze in some lemon juice or top it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

The main ingredients that make a soup or stew thick and creamy are flour and butter. The flour is stirred into the melted butter to create a roux, which is then cooked until it's a light golden brown. This mixture is then added to the soup or stew, which will help to thicken it up.

Undercook the soup and the flavors won't meld; overcook it and you'll have a mixture of broken-down bits with little flavor or bite. Consequently, our real breakthrough with this soup came in the province of technique and timing. We knew that potatoes and leeks would need different simmering times.

Russets or all-purpose baking potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. In soups, they will soak up the liquid and lose their shape. This makes them the ideal choice for making creamy soups or thickening a runny soup. Try using Russet potatoes to create the perfect Loaded Potato Soup.

Should you peel potatoes for potato soup? ›

All potatoes can be used for potato soup. Russet potatoes will need to be peeled first, but white or red potatoes can be cooked with their skins for a more rustic potato soup. I prefer the red or white for this recipe because I don't have to bother peeling them!

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Similarly, a nondairy milk (such as soy or almond) and a neutral oil (like vegetable or canola) can replicate heavy cream in certain recipes—namely, sauces and soups, but also some baked goods.

A handful of uncooked rice. That's all folks, just a handful of white rice. Any kind will do: jasmine, basmati, short grain, long grain. When added to a brothy (or watery, even) soup, and left to simmer for 20-30 minutes, the rice breaks down, releasing its starch and thickening the liquid that it's cooking in.

It turns out, then, that contrary to internet opinion, it is possible to redeem your potato leek soup if somehow it becomes gluey. Ladle some into a freezer bag, freeze it flat, thaw it, and pour off the water.

If you cook potatoes in water, it's likely they will become mushy after a while. To fix this and keep your potatoes intact, pour a little bit of vinegar (white, wine or cider) in cooking water. It works like magic!

Not Adding Acid. If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

(about 1 egg yolk to thicken 1-2 cups of liquid you want to thicken) Grab a ladle of the your sauce and slowly dribble it into the egg yolk, while whisking. Add this mixture slowly back into your pot or pan to finish thickening the sauce, stirring while you pour.

When should you add cream to soup? ›

Depends on the soup and how much cream. If you're adding a generous amount, then add it before heating and heat it with the soup (if you want to add a lot, I'd do some milk and some cream to avoid it getting too rich). If you just want a little, add a swirl at the end.

"Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on. This helps you get the flavors you're looking for in the right balance.

It's all about layering powerful flavor-enhancers that you probably already have on hand—bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parmesan rind, and, of course, kosher salt.

To thicken your potato soup using flour, whisk together one tablespoon of flour with two to three tablespoons of the soup in a separate bowl. Mix them well to remove any lumps, creating a thick and smooth slurry, and incorporate into the soup.

A popular ingredient in both gluten-free and vegan baking, xanthan gum can also be used to thicken vegan sauces, stews, and soups. To thicken a gravy or sauce with xanthan gum, start by making a slurry with a small amount of xanthan gum and water. Slowly add the slurry to your dish and then mix well.

Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

Coconut milk is a popular substitute for heavy cream in many soups, stews, and curries. Its consistency is similar to that of heavy cream or milk and can be added to recipes in a similar fashion.

Just know the longer you cook it, the more flavor that will come out of the food and into the soup. Think of marinara sauce. Though it's not a soup, it's the same concept. Allowing it to cook for awhile marries all the flavors together.

What vegetables go first in a soup? The aromatics of onions, carrots, and celery get sauteed first followed by the garlic, making them first in the soup. Once the broth goes in, so too do the tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, and bay leaves. Then you add your frozen veggies.

Soak Up the Salt with Potatoes

Let them simmer for about 30 minutes to soak up the excess salt. When you're finished, just remember to remove the potatoes from your soup.

Should I soak my potatoes before making soup? ›

Soak potatoes in water before using: make sure you do not skip this step. Soaking the potato pieces in cold water will remove extra starches from the potatoes which can cause an unpleasant consistency in the soup if not removed.

You can prepare the spuds up to 24 hours before you need to cook with them. Then, on the evening you're planning to serve them, you can make creamy potatoes at the drop of the hat. Start by scrubbing potatoes under cool running water to remove dirt; dice, slice, or chop as directed in recipe.

You can thicken a broth, soup, or stew by using potato water rather than plain water, again avoiding using flour if you are eliminating gluten. Some people even like to turn potato water into a broth by adding celery salt, black pepper, and a little bouillon. Don't toss the potato water–look for ways to put it to use.

A potato's cell walls contain pectin, and these pectin chains remain stable when they come into contact with acids. This means that potatoes will remain hard if they are in a dish that has a lot of acid (for example, a dish you've added wine to). Salt is needed to dissolve these pectin chains.

Number of Potatoes in a Pound

To get a pound of russet potatoes you'll need: 1 large potato, 2 medium potatoes, or 3 small potatoes. If your recipe calls for 2 lbs. of potatoes, simply multiply the above amounts by 2, if it call for 3 pounds, multiply by 3, and so on.

You don't have to peel your potatoes but some of the skin will fall off while the soup cooks. You'll have flakes of potato skin throughout the soup as a result.

If your broth tastes thin and bland, you may want to cook and let it evaporate for longer. That helps concentrate its flavors and gives you a better-tasting soup broth. Be sure to remove the lid to let the steam escape.

A lot of types of bacteria (and sometimes other microbes) produce waste products that can taste "sour." And soup/stock is a good growth medium for microbes, which is why most food safety organizations recommend only keeping soup for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Fats and sweetness can help smooth the bitter corners of a dish, just like they make coffee taste less bitter. So add a spoonful of sugar, cream or butter to tame that bitterness.

Add Cornstarch

Mix a little cornstarch into cool broth or water, then stir it into the soup pot. It will take a few minutes of simmering to see the soup develop the desired thickness, but it the outcome will be amazing!

Is it better to thicken soup with flour or cornstarch? ›

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch in a gravy recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you would only need to use two tablespoons cornstarch.

Creamy soup contains dairy products to make a thick, velvety texture. Cream soups often have heavy cream, half and half, cheese, or butter. You can also use coconut milk or other milk alternatives to make creamy vegan soups. Puréed potato, cauliflower, chickpeas, and lentils will also yield a creamy texture.

What Do Vegans Use Instead of Heavy Cream? Fortunately, nearly any plant-based milk can be made into a heavy cream substitute. Nut milks, including hemp milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and soy milk can all be used as the base for a heavy cream substitute with the addition of the right fats.

Oat Milk. Oat milk is perhaps the creamiest of all the plant milks. Its thick creamy texture means it's one of the closest plant-based milks to resemble dairy milk. Oat milk is quickly becoming a favorite non-dairy alternative to milk with popular brands like Oatly disrupting the traditional milk industry.

Vegan soy heavy cream is a dairy-free version of heavy cream that uses soy milk and silken tofu to create a delicious, creamy, plant-based substitute. To make one cup of vegan soy heavy cream, you will need to combine 1 cup of silken tofu and soy milk (usually about 1/4 cup) to thin.

A slurry can thicken a soup toward the end of the cooking process. Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

You already know how much we love almond meal around here, and the other nut meals/flours can work as sauce thickeners. Unlike traditional flours, these don't really clump when added directly to a sauce, but they can add flavors you might not expect or really want in your sauce, so be careful.

Alternative Starches

If you'd like a roux but want to experiment with something other than wheat flour, give tapioca starch, rice flour, or almond flour a whirl. Mix these with an oil to make a roux and add it when your dish is almost done cooking.

One Potato, Two Potato

The headliner in potato soup is already a naturally thick vegetable. If you find your potato soup is too thin, simply add more potatoes in the form of boiled, mashed potatoes or some instant mashed potato flakes.

The main reason your potato is not thickening is that it needs a heavier dairy product. Potato soup is cooked in a milk and chicken broth soup but heavy cream may need to be added. If your recipe calls for whole milk, mix in heavy cream instead or do half milk and have heavy cream.

How do I make soup thicker? ›

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

To thicken your potato soup using flour, whisk together one tablespoon of flour with two to three tablespoons of the soup in a separate bowl. Mix them well to remove any lumps, creating a thick and smooth slurry, and incorporate into the soup.

To avoid this risk, stick to higher-fat content products, such as cream or crème fraîche. It might be tempting to add sour cream or softened cream cheese to help thicken the soup, but cream cheese does not always work.

You can extract a clean, strong broth from a combination of water and several pantry ingredients. It's all about layering powerful flavor-enhancers that you probably already have on hand—bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parmesan rind, and, of course, kosher salt.

Yes. Incredibly effective? You bet. This trick works because the instant mashed potatoes are naturally starchy and therefore are similar in form to other commonly used thickeners, such as cornstarch, only without the clumps.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Pour in a little cream to add thickness and a silky texture.

Adding cream to your soup will help thicken it, and it will give the potato soup a creamy, silky texture. In addition, the cream adds a rich flavor that goes perfectly with potato soup.