Best Vegan Zuppa Toscana recipe, lusciously creamy, naturally dairy free and gluten free, one pot, easy to make, loaded with good for you Lacinato kale and comforting potatoes. One of the most delicious homemade soups you’ll ever make with a WFPB fat free option included.
I know we just stepped into summer, but soup is always present around here no matter the season. So I figured I might as well go ahead and share my healthy version of vegan Zuppa Toscana with you already. I have a feeling you’ll also be enjoying it all year long as we do.
Think of it as a fancy pure vegetarian copycat recipe of the famous Olive Garden soup but with a healthy twist, including an oil free whole foods plant based option. We all know that everything is better when it’s homemade and even better when it’s also cruelty free.
Better than the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana:
This recipe features the incredible plant based Italian sausage from Beyond Meat. It’s pan seared in a little drizzle of olive oil the added back into the luscious soup made super creamy with a quick homemade cashew cream.
I’m a huge fan of the simple things in life so a large enameled cast iron pot is all I need to make my kitchen go around. This soup however can also be made in the slow cooker, crock pot or Instant pot if you prefer to go that route.
Make It Without the Sausage, WFPB Recipe:
To make this soup as healthy as can be and fully whole foods plant based compliant, all you need to do is replace the olive oil with a splash of veggie stock and the sausage with your favorite mushrooms.
Think oyster or chanterelles, hen of the woods, shiitakes or simple button mushrooms will work too. For that authentic flavor that usually comes from the sausage seasonings just add a pinch of ground fennel and smoked paprika to your soup, works like magic!
What is Zuppa Toscana Anyway ?
- Technically the translation really means “Tuscan Soup”. The traditional recipe usually involves a mix of tomatoes, cannellini beans, carrots, celery and bread, in essence a Ribollita. For an authentic Italian recipe try my Tuscan White Bean Kale Soup and Italian Pappa al Poomodoro also known as Tuscan bread soup.
- The North American version made popular by the Olive Garden restaurant is made with Italian sausage seasoned with fennel, (use a cruelty free sausage like Beyond Meat), red chili flakes, onion, garlic, potatoes, kale and cream (make the dairy free cream recipe below or use a store bought kind alternative).
The Potatoes:
You can use any potato you have on hand, the buttery Yukon gold potatoes would be the best choice as they don’t fall apart during cooking and give the soup a nice rustic texture.
The Kale:
Tuscan Lacinato kale is my go to here, however any kale will do really. Make sure to strip the leaves and discard the tough stems before adding it o the soup. Of course if you aren’t a fan of kale at all feel free to use baby spinach, chard or even small broccoli florets instead.
The Cream:
I made a rich thick cream using quick soaked raw cashews and water. You could opt for store bought dairy free cream or full fat coconut, almond or cashew milk instead. If you prefer your soup on the thicker side just blend one tablespoon of tapioca into the plant milk of your choosing before adding it to the soup.
FAQ:
- Is there a substitute for white wine ? You can just use a splash of veggie stock instead.
- Will my soup taste like coconut If I use coconut milk ? Yes, doesn’t matter what anyone says, coconut milk has a rich flavor and it will affect the taste. Just use the cashew cream recipe below instead, it’s super creamy and easy to make in your blender.
- How long does the Zuppa last ? You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or freeze in lidded containers up to 3 months.
P.S. If you make this recipe please come back here to rate it snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day!
Watch How to Make the Best Vegan Zuppa Toscana:
Vegan Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Easy vegan Zuppa Toscana recipe, lusciously creamy, naturally dairy free and gluten free, loaded with good for you Lacinato kale and comforting potatoes. One of the best homemade soups you’ll ever make with a WFPB fat free version option included.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 334kcal
Ingredients
- 3 links Beyond Meat Italian Sausage sliced (or 24 oz mushrooms)
- 2 lb golden potatoes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 7 cups vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup dry white wine or more stock
- 1 tsp olive oil optional
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1 leaf bay
- 1 tsp red chili flakes or to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 cups Lacinato kale chopped (sub with spinach or broccoli)
- 1 pinch ground fennel OPTIONAL
- sea salt to taste
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 tbsp tapioca OPTIONAL
Instructions
Make the Cashew Cream:
- Start by soaking the cashews in hot water for 20 minutes while you prep your soup. Drain the soaked cashews then add them to a powerful blender together with one cup of filtered water and the tapioca. Blend until smooth and creamy. (The tapioca is totally optional, only use it if you prefer a thicker soup, it is very rich and creamy without it).
Make the Soup:
- Preheat a heavy bottom pot over medium flame. Add the olive oil and sausage and pan sear for a few minutes until golden brown. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and keep warm.
- Add the onion and red chili flakes to the sausage drippings and cook a few minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook until you can smell its fragrance then pour in the white wine.
- Use a flat wooden spoon and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until the wine has evaporated.
- Add the sliced potatoes, thyme, bay leaf and smoked paprika then pour in the veggie stock. Bring to a simmer, add the nutritional yeast and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes have softened but still hold their shape. Check after 5 minutes and keep a close eye on them.
- A couple of minutes before the potatoes are ready add the chopped kale. Give everything a good stir then mix in the cashew cream. Simmer another minute or so until the kale has wilted and the soup is creamy.
- Add the cooked Beyond sausage back into the soup, adjust seasonings and serve hot with freshly cracked black pepper on top.
WFPB Method:
- To make this Zuppa Toscana whole food plant based compliant simply replace the olive oil with a splash of veggie stock and the Beyond sausage with 24 oz of your favorite mushrooms. Add a pinch of ground fennel to make up for the authentic Italian sausage flavor.
Instant Pot Method:
- Set your Instant Pot to the high sauté setting. Add the olive oil and Beyond sausage slices and sautee a few minutes until golden brown. Add the onion and red chili flakes and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Pour in the white wine and scrape all the little brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the wine has evaporated.
- Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and smoked paprika.
- Add the sliced potatoes, veggie stock and nutritional yeast.
- Select manual setting, adjust pressure to high and set time for 4 minutes. Once finished cooking quick-release pressure according to the Instant Pot manufacturer’s instructions.
- Meanwhile prepare the cashew cream then add it to the soup together with the kale. Cook one or two minutes until the kale has wilted.
- Adjusting seasonings to taste with sea salt and black pepper and serve.
Notes
- To make this soup lower in calorie you can use a mix of golden potatoes and cauliflower florets.
- If you prefer your soup thicker make sure to mix 1 tablespoon of tapioca with the cashew cream or whatever plant based milk you decide to use here.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 995mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1700IU | Vitamin C: 37.7mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 16.5mg
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The best soup I’ve ever had and I made it myself. Might want to add more salt at the end if you are used to a saltier diet but really you won’t even want to share with your kids and it packs so much kale in it I feel great about eating it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was super simple and super delicous!!!!
So happy you loved the soup Terri 🙂
Just made this tonight, so far it’s the best recipe I’ve found for vegan Zuppa Toscana! Thank you! My boyfriend had seconds. And I love the cashew cream. It’s the perfect addition as opposed to soy milk which I’ve used before. Yummy!
This makes me so happy Lisa! So glad you guys enjoyed it so much, definitely one of my most favorite and most requested recipes on the blog and in real life. ~ Florentina Xo’s
This recipe was amazing! I doubled it and was able to feed 9 people generously and have leftovers. I changed it by using flaxmilk and coconut milk as the creamy substance and I added in some red lentils to thicken the soup instead of tapioca powder. I did not have any fennel so I added some caraway seeds to add a little more flavor. I used red kale since it was on sale.
Everyone loved even the self proclaimed carnivores.
Highly recommend!
I am so excited you all loved it and so impressed you took the liberty to tweak the recipe and make it your own with the lentils and caraway. Sounds divine!
We searched this recipe after making the meat version from olive garden for years. We recently went to WFPB and were excited to see this version offered! The entire family loved it, including the picky 6 yr old! Perfect for those cold, dreary days. Will be one of our go-to recipes for sure.
This makes me so happy and doing the happy dance for you now ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can you use a dairy free heavy cream instead? I found a coconut heavy cream, but just making sure you think it would still give the soup the same consistency as your homemade cream
You definitely could, just know that coconut will alter the flavor. It’s still very nice bit only if you like coconut of course 🙂
This was delicious! I made it without tapioca and I used fresh broccoli instead of kale and added an additional tsp of crushed pepper. This is a family keeper! Thank you for this awesome recipe.
So happy you loved it Karen 🙂
This was incredibly delicious! So flavorful and complex, I can’t wait to have it again for lunch tomorrow.
This is my favorite plant based recipe to date. I am so impressed with the flavors and richness. I am completely shocked I just made this – truly. I followed it almost exactly, except subbed 1 of the sausages with mushrooms and instead of mixing the cashews with 1 cup of water, I used 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup coconut milk. I also didnt have tyme or fennel so I just used basil and parsley but holy cow still SO good!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3
I’m beyond excited you loved this soup so much Brittni! Hope you’ll try more of the recipes here and find a few favorites ~ Florentina Xo’s
Delicious!!! I used Ripple half and half for the cream and Not Chick’n bouillon cubes with veggie broth and water.
So happy you loved it!
This recipe turned out AMAZING! I posted on my Instagram and my FB cooking page. I HAD to share your recipe! Thank you so much!
So happy you loved it! Thanks for coming back to review it 🙂
Hi, this looks amazing! I would like to double the amount and freeze half for another time. Any idea if it freezes well?
Yes, you can definitely freeze it, make sure to thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating.
Florentine, this soup is devine! Thank you for sharing your recipe! This is probably my favorite soup I have ever made. I could tell just from looking at the photos that this would be a tasty soup and I was right. My wife and I gobbled it down with some toasted garlic bread and ate every last drop! I used unsweetened plain almond milk mixed with tapioca flour and a few tablespoons of Tofutti sour cream to make it creamy because I didn’t feel like fussing with cashews and a blender.
Sorry, autocorrect spelled your name wrong. I meant to day Florentina!
Haha, it happens all the time, even I do it sometimes 😉
Woohoo, I’m so beyond happy you all loved it. Can’t beat creamy soups in November, gotta make a few more variations now ~ Florentina Xo’s
This recipe is amazing. A friend of mine sent it to me back in March, and I came across it on Pinterest a few days ago. Mine wasn’t vegan (Bc men 🙄) so I swapped for chicken sausage, almond milk & turkey bacon. That touch of spice cut perfectly. I definitely want to try this vegan version, but I had to come back to let you know I tried it and really liked it. I posted a picture of it on my Instagram if you’d like to see it since I can’t add a picture here (@chefgrlyan) 🥰
Hey, so happy you love it! If you use the Italian vegan sausage from Beyond Meat nobody will know the difference. I also made it for men (the Game Changer work out types) and nobody even asked if someone died for that soup haha. Also so much healthier this way, i really encourage you to try it! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Made this amazing soup right after I got home from work for my Friendsgiving party for co workers. Easy and absolutely delicious. It was done in no time. I served it with warm brioche buns. Zero leftovers. That says it all. Thank you Florentina. Happy Thanksgiving.
I don’t see the directions for the Crock-Pot how long would you cook it and do you just throw everything in? And in any kill right at the end?
You can brown the Beyond sausage and reserve to add back in before serving. Throw everything else in the crockpot except the cream and kale and cook on slow for 5-6 hours. Add the cream and kale and cook until the kale is wilted. Add the Beyond sausage and enjoy!
Very good! I used to make the meat and dairy version years ago, and forgot about it. It’s so good! I did a few tweaks, in case anyone is interested. (Originally I cooked up the 3 sausages and had them on a plate, but then my mother kept walking over and eating it saying how amazing it was… so I decided to cook up the 4th sausage) I used all 4 BB sausages, added about a half a head of cauliflower at the same time as potatoes, and used 8 cups of broth, and Trader Joe’s coconut creamer. Had to add more paprika and some cayenne.. and it turned out exactly how I like it!
AMAZING RECIPE! The only changes I made were: I used russet potatoes and a rosemary/thyme blend because that’s what I had frozen. Before going vegan 3 years ago, I always ordered the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden… this is WAY better than I remember it tasting. Thank you so much for bringing this recipe to life. My omnivorous husband and mother-in-law loved it. Next to taste test is my mom. I’m 100% sure she will love it. And I will definitely be making this again!!
You have no idea how this comment made my day! So happy you all loved it ~ Florentina
Update: My mom loves the soup!! She asked me for the recipe so she could make it for her and my dad. AMAZING RECIPE! I will be sharing this with everyone!
That’s so wonderful Bianca! Thanks for reporting back, hope you’ll find many more recipes you’ll love here. Happy New Year! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Super excellent! We absolutely love this soup. It is the best soup I have ever made. Thank you so much, Florentina!
Woohoo! That’s awesome Linda, I’m beyond happy that you loved it so much ~ Florentina Xo’s
I have not made this yet. I am so excited to find this recipe. My husband and I are on a low fat new lifestyle. Can’t wait to try this. Thank you.
I loved making this recipe so much that I dream about making it again 🤤 so delicious. Easy to make and has common ingredients. I subbed the cashew cream for coconut milk (from the can) with good results to make it a little cheaper. I am making this again tonight!
This makes me so happy! Happy New Year Jill! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Delicious and easy to make ! The whole family loved it! Great for kids 🙂
I LOVE this recipe but was wondering if it holds up ok with the cashew cream if I make it a day or two prior ? I’m having a party and don’t have time to make it that day. Thoughts? Didn’t want it to “break” so to speak.
Yes it does since there is no dairy at all the consistency stays the same, you could even freeze it for later if you wanted to. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, Florentina!
My whole family loved it, and I can’t wait to make it again.
The only change was that I slightly reduce the amount of potatoes and added 2 large sliced carrots for additional veggies.
This soup is absolutely amazing! I know it might sound like too much…but, this is the best soup I’ve ever tasted! Thank you so much for developing this five start recipe!
Thank you for reporting back Malgorzata and making my weekend ~ Florentina Xo’s
This soup is amazing! I followed the directions exactly. Don’t leave out the crushed fennel seeds-they make a difference. Phenomenal!
Amazing recipe! We loved it so much last week, we are making it again this week! Thanks so much.
So happy I kept searching and found your recipe. I had to use a less delicious vegan Italian sausage, but my omnivore spouse still loved it. It was, as others have proclaimed, so like the Olive Garden soup we loved. I was sceptical of the cashew cream, but it worked very well! My instant pot never came to pressure….my husband saw that I’d forgotten the seal!!! Even so, it was delicious with sourdough bread. Can’t wait to get the Beyond meat sausage and make again in the future. I’ve had their sausage on pizza and it is divine….even though I don’t usually like meat substitutes. Can’t wait to try more of your WFPB recipes.
Made this with a vegan Cesar salad and both turned out amazing! I added mushrooms with red pepper flakes, fennel, paprika and a dash of amino acids for the sausage effect and added coconut cream, purple kale, and fresh parsley on top. Thank you for sharing this, it’s delicious!
Omg!!! This is seriously one of the best recipes I’ve made in my entire life!!!! It’s a really delicious meal that is full of flavor and texture and simply mouth watering!!! A really impressive meal to make and show off! Thank you so much!
This is the best soup EVER!! My family is not vegan however, they are now!! 🙂 They had no idea I used meatless Crumbles instead of sausage!! I also used Veg. Broth. and no potatoes..I used cauliflower and I don’t like kale so I used spinach and I did try the cashew cream as I usually use heavy cream…wow it was Delicious!!! Thank you!!!!
Absolutely delicious! Added the tapioca, gave the soup a nice richness! Very hearty soup, felt very satisfied! Can’t wait to share with friends!
Soooo delicious! Only downside is that the beyond meat sausage doesn’t hold up well in the soup for leftovers. They become this weird soggy grain-y consistency that lack flavor after it’s been in the fridge for a night. I’d recommend to store any leftover sausage separately and then add to each portion once you’re ready to eat it.
THANK YOU! so much for sharing this fabulous recipe! This was perfect and I would not have changed a thing! xoxo
So Delicious!!! Made this evening and it was a hit! Will definitely be in our weekly rotation!! Thank you for such a delicious vegan recipe!!
Wow, this is a great recipe. I’ve made a lot of Zuppa Toscana recipes and this is hands down the best! Awesome. So rich and creamy. I didn’t have white wine but don’t think it was missed. Also used field roast sausage.
Thank you for reporting back, you have no idea how happy this makes me 🙂 woohoo!
This is my very favorite go-to soup recipe! I love the small changes you’ve made to the recipe since originally posting. Fennel seeds are an excellent addition to the flavor profile and cashew cream can’t be beat for thickening. Thank you, Florentina, for all of your delicious recipes. I am constantly looking for tasty recipes and when I’m looking for soup, you always come through. You’re my Vegan soup hero!
awww thanks so much Kimberly, you sure brightened up my day and doing the happy dance. Thank you ~ Florentina Xo’s
OMG! This is so good!! I practically overdose on it when I make it, lol! Thanks so much for coming up with this absolutely delicious recipe. As I eat it, I just keep saying mmmmm this is so good!
Thanks Linda, this makes me so happy 🙂
I made this soup during the morning and rewarded it later for supper. It reheated well and was so yummy. I substituted spinach from my garden for the kale and Field Crest Italian sausage and omitted the red pepper flakes knowing that the sausage is spicy. It turned out well. The recipe is easy to alter if you need to reduce the quantity as I did. Thank you for another amazing recipe.
OMG!!! THIS WAS THE BEST ZUPPA TOSCANA EVER! Thank you so much for this recipe! Will be attempting many more from your site! Thank you!!!
This is delicious!
This soup is absolutely amazing, I just made it for the third time and it just gets better. This time I made a double batch because my wife and I get two meals out of one batch and it’s never enough. I seriously could eat this soup everyday, so good.
Your comment totally made my day. Thanks for reporting back, hope you’ll try more of our favorite recipes on the blog 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh! This is the best soup I’ve ever tasted. Period. Seriously, my husband and I were in heaven eating this. Picky older teen actually finished his food for the first time. Followed recipe exactly using broccoli instead of kale as that’s what was in the fridge. Crazy good soup. Can’t wait for leftovers tonight! Bravo to you!!
I make a lot of soup and this is one I have never tried making or eating. Looking forward to trying something new. Thanks for sharing.