Vegan Potato Soup Recipe with Beans & Kale - Cookin Canuck (2024)

FAQs

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? ›

Most creamy potato soup recipes call for a dairy product of some kind. If you plan to make a thicker version, try using thicker dairy from the outset. For example, if a recipe calls for whole milk, try adding heavy cream instead toward the end of the cooking process (set the burner no higher than medium heat).

Opt for Cornstarch or Arrowroot

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch or arrowroot with a small amount of cold water to form a slurry. Once the slurry is smooth, gradually pour it into the simmering potato soup. Stir well to ensure the slurry is evenly distributed.

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

Not using quality stock or broth

You can always use water in your soup, but if you want it to have a full body and dimension, a good stock or broth can make all the difference. They have the ability to transform a bland soup into a flavorful meal, as well as adding extra nutritional value.

Method 1: Whisk in a slurry of cornstarch or flour

Add equal parts water or soup liquid to the flour or cornstarch and whisk until they're completely combined in a slurry. Once you've created the slurry, slowly whisk it into soup liquid and bring it back to a simmer.

Another option for thickening soup is by using dairy like sour cream or yogurt. Start with a small dollop and stir before checking the consistency and adding more. We recommend using plain yogurt so you don't alter the taste of the soup. You can also use cream if you prefer.

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.

This soup-thickening hack couldn't be easier. Unlike using flour, which requires either making a little roux before you start cooking or a beurre manié afterwards, or using a cornstarch slurry that can create a gloppy texture, the instant mashed potato flakes can simply be sprinkled into the finished dish.

Although the dish was scrapped due to declining popularity, its biggest fans have not stopped talking about it online. One disappointed fan wrote one on Twitter this week: “I was today years old when I found out Panera discontinued their potato soup.

Cheese is a particularly tricky addition to soups because if the temperature of the soup is too hot or too cold, the cheese won't melt properly and will start to clump. Temperatures over 150 degrees Fahrenheit will cause the cheese to release liquid too fast as a result of broken protein bonds.

How to make can potato soup taste better? ›

A pinch of seasoning can make all the difference to freshen up the flavors in a ho-hum soup. Most canned soups have plenty of sodium, so skip the salt and stick with spices like cumin or curry powder or try dried herbs like basil or rosemary.

Tell-tale signs that your potato soup has gone bad include a sour smell, a change in the colour or a film of mould on the surface. Also, if your soup has been in the fridge for more than a week, it's best to discard it to ensure food safety.

Use plenty of cream combined with milk, lots of cheddar cheese, garlic, ground black pepper, salt to taste, creamery butter and parsley. Don't forget the potatoes boiled than baked into the soup. You have a tasty, vibrant, delicious, bomb of calories and carbohydrates to satisfy the most discerning of palates.

It's possible that the variety of potatoes you used may have a firmer texture, even when fully cooked. For soups, it's generally recommended to use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, as they tend to break down and become softer when cooked.

The reason why your soup might be turning gluey or even slimy is that you're overworking your spuds. Potatoes are full of starches, which are complex carbohydrates that easily absorb liquid and turn soft — and eventually goopy — when submerged under hot water.

So what do you do if you've made the mistake of using starchy potatoes in your soup? One trick to make your potato soup a little less grainy is to add some form of dairy –- cream, milk, or even cheese. Because dairy is generally creamy in texture, that characteristic will carry over into your soup.

"The majority of issues with a creamy soup come from undercooking the vegetables," explains Rick Martinez, associate food editor at BA. They should be uniformly soft, with no resistance or "bite"—otherwise, they will not stand up to the blender. You'll be left with a soup that's watery in portions and lumpy in others.