Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup {Whole30, paleo}

This Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup is a healthy version of two soups you grew up loving! It has all of the flavors of Broccoli Cheese Soup + Loaded Baked Potato Soup without any dairy or gluten. 

Any other Panera Pick Two fans out there?! I haven’t had it in a few years since it’s not a Celiac-friendly restaurant, but I grew up LOVING it! Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Loaded Baked Potato Soup were always my go-to’s. This Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup satisfies all of my cravings for both without any of the gluten or dairy!

Originally I came up with this recipe for my cookbook, but when I tried it this afternoon, I knew I couldn’t wait an entire year to share it with you. Since I can have 3 fan favorites from my blog in the book, I decided this one needs to make the cut! Along with the Sausage, Potato, Broccoli Sheet Pan Supper and the Mississippi Pot Roast 🙂 Of course this could change, but these are my thoughts as of right now!

What ingredients do I need to make this Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup?

This soup is another recipe that uses cashews to make a delectable cream sauce. However, you can omit them and use full fat coconut milk instead (1 cup). It may not have the exact same level of creaminess, but it will still be delicious. I like to get my cashews and nutritional yeast from Trader Joe’s. Nutritional Yeast gives foods a “cheesy” flavor without any dairy. It’s also Whole30 compliant!

Looking for some other comforting Whole30 soup recipes to get you through the winter? Check out my Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Zuppa Toscana, or Unstuffed Cabbage Soup!

Ok, let’s get cookin’!

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Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup {Whole30, Paleo}

This Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup is a Whole30 and Paleo version of broccoli cheese soup and loaded potato soup! It is Whole30, Paleo, gluten free, and can be made vegan!

Course Appetizer, Soup, Soups/Stews

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli cheese soup, potato soup, broccoli cheese, loaded potato

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Mary Smith {Mary's Whole Life}

Ingredients

• 8 strips sugar free bacon omit for vegan
• 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 3 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 lbs russett potatoes (3 medium or 4 small), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 cups chicken broth + more to thin it out
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp sea salt divided
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews* see notes for sub!
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 green onions diced, for garnish

Instructions

• Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak while you make the soup.
• Set your oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Lay the bacon pieces out flat on the baking sheet and cook until crispy, approximately 12-15 minutes. (No need to let the oven pre-heat first - just pop the pan in!) When the bacon is done, remove the pan from the oven and drain them on a paper towel-lined plate.
• While the bacon is cooking, chop your onions, carrots, and potatoes. Heat your cooking oil of choice in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add in onions, carrots, and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Add in the potatoes, chicken broth, paprika, onion powder, 1 tsp of the sea salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the broccoli and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove 1 cup of diced potatoes from the pot using a slotted spoon and place them into a high-powdered blender. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, remaining 1 tsp of sea salt, and water. Blend on high for 1 minute or until it becomes very thick and creamy. Pour the mixture into the soup pot and stir well until combined. Taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Break the bacon into pieces. Serve the soup topped with bacon bits and chopped green onion.

Notes

If it's too thick for your liking, you can add additional chicken broth at the end to thin it out.

To avoid using the oven, you can cook the bacon pieces first directly in the stock pot while you are chopping the vegetables. Remove the bacon pieces using a slotted spoon and set them aside to drain. Use the rendered bacon fat to sauce the onions, carrots, and garlic and omit the cooking oil. This will increase prep time by 5 minutes.

To make this nut free, you can use 1 cup full fat coconut milk in place of the cashews. Reduce water to 1 cup.

To make this vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and omit the bacon.