It's that time of year, when I just want to eat soup every night. If you're dealing with all sorts of after school activities and work like I am, ease is important for weeknight meals. Luckily, gluten free potato soup is one of the easiest soups you can make and it's one of my favorite soups for soup season! It's a comforting soup that is perfect for a cold winter day.
This creamy potato soup uses no flour or thickeners, plus it's completely dairy free. I've added nutritional yeast plus dairy free sour cream and topped it off with crispy bacon and dairy free cheese to create a delicious loaded baked potato soup that you and your whole family will love!
This recipe can be made on the stove top or in the Instant Pot. Instructions for both are located in the recipe card. Check out my other great gluten-free soups!
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Ingredient Notes
This gluten-free potato soup recipe uses simple ingredients to create a super creamy soup. Since potatoes are a starchy vegetable, they are used to thicken the soup instead of adding flour.
- Oil - I use olive oil for most of my cooking, but any light flavored cooking oil will work here.
- Onions, Celery and Garlic - the aromatics to make your soup base. I prefer fresh garlic to the powdered stuff.
- Carrots - We could all do with a little extra vegetables in our life! The carrots not only add flavor, but color to this potato soup.
- Chicken Broth - Make sure to use a gluten free broth in your soup. Store bought broths are a common ingredient with hidden gluten. If you want to make a vegan potato soup, substitute with vegetable broth.
- Paprika, Dry Mustard, Thyme, Salt & Pepper - A combination of herbs and spices to flavor the soup. Paprika and dry mustard lend some of the savory flavor normally added by cheese. If you want to use fresh herbs, you'll need about 3 times as much as I called for in the recipe.
- Potatoes - I use a blend of red and Yukon gold potatoes cut into cubes. Yellow potatoes provide that butter smoothness, while red potatoes stay a little chunky even after cooking. Whether you peel the potatoes or not is personal preference. The color of the soup will change slightly if you leave the skins on the potatoes.
- Non-Dairy Milk - I use unsweetened coconut milk (the type that comes in a carton) because I like the creaminess of coconut milk. I do not recommend full fat coconut milk (the kind in the can) because it does leave a coconut after taste to the soup. You can use the dairy free milk of your choice. If you're not dairy free, feel free to use whole milk in the same measure.
- Lemon Juice
- Nutritional Yeast - This helps provide the cheesy flavor to this dairy free soup.
- Vegan Sour Cream - I like the added richness and flavor that sour cream gives to the soup. If you don't want to use sour cream, replace with an equal measure of milk. If you're not dairy free, use regular sour cream in the same measure.
See recipe card for full ingredient list with measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it Vegan or Vegetarian - Use vegetable broth in place of chicken stock. Garnish with vegan bacon bits.
- Not Dairy Free - If you're not dairy free, feel free to use dairy milk and dairy sour cream in place of the non-dairy ingredients. The measurements are the same.
- If you plan on making bacon to top your potato soup, use the leftover bacon fat to cook the vegetables in place of the olive oil.
Instructions
For this soup, you'll need a large soup pot (I love to use a large dutch oven) or an Instant Pot. Plus, it will be very helpful to have an immersion blender as well.
STEP 1: Add the oil, carrots, onions and celery to your pot over medium heat. Cook while stirring occasionally until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.
STEP 2: Add garlic to the partially cooked vegetables and continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
STEP 3: Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard and thyme to your pot. Then pour in the broth. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
STEP 4: Once the vegetables are cooked through, remove the lid and use an immersion blender to puree about half of the potatoes. If you don't like potato chunks, then puree all of the potatoes. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher instead.
STEP 5: Remove the pot from heat. Add the non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, vegan sour cream and lemon juice. Stir until everything is combined.
STEP 6: Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes, then serve.
If you want the Instant Pot directions, see the recipe card below.
Storage
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or batch reheat on the stove top.
Recipe FAQs
Potatoes are very starchy, so no thickener is required. The potato starch will act as the thickener. No flour or cornstarch is needed for this recipe.
My preference is a combination of red and yellow potatoes. They are both great all purpose potatoes. Red potatoes tend to hold their shape a little better through cooking, which makes for nice potato chunks in the soup. Yellow potatoes turn creamy and smooth and have a buttery quality.
A lot of recipes recommend Russet (baking) potatoes for soup. While they are high in starch and so thicken up really well, they are more suited for baked potatoes. The texture doesn't blend as smoothly when they are pureed and they can sometimes get gluey if blended to much.
At my house, I normally serve potato soup with a meat dish like chicken or brisket. It also pairs well with a sandwich. Because potato soup is high in carbs, I do tend to lean towards a protein to balance the meal.
You sure can. The color of the finished soup won't be as even, since you'll see flecks of the pureed potato skins. I actually prefer to leave the skins on when making this soup for my family. It not only saves time, but there are lots of good nutrients in potato skins.
More gluten free soup recipes:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Gluten Free Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion diced
- 1 Cup Carrots sliced ¼" thick
- ½ Cup Celery diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Dry Mustard
- 1 pinch Thyme
- 3 Cups Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- 1 Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
- ½ Cup Vegan Sour Cream
Instructions
Stovetop directions
- Add oil, onions, carrots and celery to a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender. About 7 minutes.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 Cup Yellow Onion, 1 Cup Carrots, ½ Cup Celery
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously.3 cloves Garlic
- Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard and thyme. Stir well. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Paprika, ½ teaspoon Dry Mustard, 1 pinch Thyme, 3 Cups Potatoes, 3 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth
- Use an immersion blender to puree the potatoes. If you like potato chunks, then only puree half of the vegetables.
- Remove from heat and add the milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sour cream. Stir well until the cream and yeast is dissolved.1 Cup Non-Dairy Milk, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast, ½ Cup Vegan Sour Cream
- Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with bacon pieces, shredded cheese and chives. Serve.
Instant Pot directions
- Set the instant pot to saute. Add the oil, onions, and celery to the pot. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously.
- Cancel saute mode.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard and thyme to the pot. Place the lid on and set to seal.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and quick release when the time is complete.
- Open the lid carefully (it will be very hot). Use an immersion blender to puree half of the vegetables.
- Add the milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and sour cream and stir them into the soup until they are dissolved.
- Let sit for 5 minutes, then salt and pepper to taste. Garnish and serve.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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