Vegan Gnocchi Soup

This easy vegan gnocchi soup is ultra creamy, rich in flavor and loaded with good-for-you veggies. The chewy bite from the gnocchi dumplings is amazing and it makes for a filling and hearty soup that definitely qualifies as a full meal! Such a delicious way to warm you up on a cold day!

My recent gnocchi marinara dinner recipe was a hit, so I decided to share another classic gnocchi recipe: creamy vegan gnocchi soup! This is NOT a boring soup at all, but instead an amazing comfort food recipe that's loaded with amazing flavor and is just so satisfying.

It is filled with vegetables and soft & chewy potato gnocchi, plus look at that creamy broth, so yummy! All made without any dairy products or vegan butter, yet so silky and thick. The veggies give the broth so much flavor with a nice umami boost from the mushrooms and a pop of color from the carrots.

And this is one of those recipes where you get lots of amazing flavor vs the amount of work. It is quick, easy and only requires simple ingredients to prepare, such as carrots, celery, flour, broth, plant-based milk, etc. You can also swap the ingredients to what you have for convenience. The gnocchi I used are shelf-stable and pantry-friendly, which makes this recipe even more convenient.

You can whip it up under 30 minutes, which is perfect for busy weeknight dinners, and makes for amazing leftovers for lunch the next day.

I hope you enjoy! ❤️

Why you'll love this recipe

• One-pot easy meal
• Quick recipe and perfect for busy weeknight dinners
• Healthy, meat-free and loaded with fiber
• Dairy-free and such a perfect vegan alternative to the classic creamy gnocchi soup
• Highly customizable
• Great comfort food recipe for chilly nights
• SO delicious!

Ingredients you'll need and substitutions

• Vegan gnocchi: I used the vegan potato gnocchi from the brand DeCecco. They are super easy to find anywhere in grocery stores in the pasta aisle and you can even get them online. Plus, they are kept in the pantry so you can buy them ahead to always be ready to whip up a yummy creamy gnocchi soup anytime ✌️.
• Vegetables: onion, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms and spinach. I really love this combo of veggies for soups as they add so much flavor to the broth (psst, check out that wild rice soup!), but you can easily swap for other veggies depending on what you already have. I like to slice the vegetables in larger chunks for this soup, it gives it a heartier bite, but you can also finely dice or even shred the carrots if you prefer.
• Vegetable broth: use low-sodium broth if necessary and feel-free to use from concentrate if that works better for you. I love the Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base.
• Plant-based milk: unflavored soy milk works well for a creamy broth.
• Flour: used to thicken the broth. I used all-purpose flour, but I assume any kind of flour would work. Use gluten-free flour if necessary.
• Nutritional yeast: adds lots of flavor to this creamy broth and sort of replaces the parmesan cheese you will find in a classic gnocchi soup.
• Dried herbs: I used a combination of dried Italian herbs with some extra dried thyme, which works well in this Italian-style soup.

How to make a vegan gnocchi soup

Roast the veggies

Warm up a large pot on medium-high heat with a little oil (optional) and add the onion, celery and carrots with a little salt. Cook while stirring often for about 5-7 minutes or until softened.

Then, add the mushrooms, garlic and dried herbs and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Stir often so the garlic doesn't burn and add a splash of water if needed.

Add the flour over the veggies, stir to coat them all very well and cook for about 30 seconds. Then, pour the vegetable broth, plant milk and nutritional yeast over the pot and stir well until smooth.

Simmer

Warm up the soup until it reaches a low simmer (avoid strong boil) and keep simmering for about 5 minutes or so. The soup will thicken slightly.

Then, add the gnocchi and spinach and keep simmering until the gnocchi are cooked through and the spinach wilts, about another 5 minutes extra.

This is optional, but I also like to add a little bit of vegan plain creamer to this soup for a creamier and richer consistency. Adjust salt to your liking and serve with fresh parsley.

Watch how to make it

Helpful tips

• Some plant milk curdles easier than others, especially if cooked on a strong boil for a while. For that reason, make sure to keep it on a low simmer and avoid cooking the soup for very long. If you are worried about curdling your milk, you could also add it towards the end of cooking the soup.
• Also, it is essential you use a unflavored plant-based milk for this savory soup! Check for no added sweetener or vanilla flavoring.
• The soup will thicken quickly after resting for a few minutes, so keep this in mind if you find your soup a little too thin, just give it a few minutes at room temperature.
• You might have to adjust the cooking time depending on the gnocchi you have. They are done when tender and pillowy!

Customizations

Like most soups, you can really play around with the ingredients and use this recipe as an inspiration!

Keep the creamy broth as is with the chewy gnocchi, but swap the veggies and use what you like or already have, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, zucchini, sweet potatoes, etc. I think finely chopped tomatoes would also be a delicious addition to this Italian-style soup.

Frozen veggies would also be great and make this soup easier, more convenient and super quick since you would skip a lot of the chopping.

Also, use other dried herbs such as sage, rosemary, oregano or basil. Fresh herbs also is great, especially parsley or basil.

To make this soup a little higher-in-protein, you could add a can of chickpeas or any white beans, such as navy or cannellini beans.

You can also add some white wine to the pot once the veggies are cooked, let the alcohol cook off for 1 minute, then add the flour. This would add an amazing flavor to an Italian creamy broth.

As for the consistency, if you wanted an ultra creamy and rich result, then swap the regular plant-based milk for a canned of coconut milk.

And if you like store-bought vegan cheese, a handful of dairy-free parmesan cheese would really work well with this vegan creamy recipe.

Storage tips

This recipe makes for great leftovers! Keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat using the microwave or the stove.

The consistency will thicken significantly to a thick stew while cooling down, but you can easily loosen it up with a splash of water or extra milk before reheating.

I would not recommend freezing this soup.

More comforting vegan soup recipes

• Chunky leek and cauliflower soup
• Creamy zucchini and potato soup
• Wild rice and mushroom soup
• Butternut squash and red pepper creamy soup
• Creamy broccoli almond soup
• Curried red lentil and carrot soup
• Carrot and celery soup
• Broccoli pea soup
• Dairy-free tomato soup
• Oyster mushroom soup
• Lemony white bean soup

I hope you like this vegan gnocchi soup as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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📖 Recipe