Vegan Zuppa Toscana Recipe
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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.
Vegan Zuppa Toscana
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).
About 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.
- Love potatoes? Make sure to try this potato pizza, paprika potatoes , dill potato salad, potato mushroom soup + our divine scalloped potatoes.
How to Make the Best Vegan Zuppa Toscana
P.S. If you make this recipe please report back with a comment rating below!
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.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pot
- Instant Pot
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 tsp fennel seeds (OPTIONAL but so good)
- 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).1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup filtered water, 1/2 tbsp tapioca
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.3 links Beyond Meat Italian Sausage, 1 tsp olive oil
- 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.1 yellow onion, 6 cloves garlic, 1 tsp red chili flakes, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 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.2 lb golden potatoes, 7 cups vegetable stock, 5 sprigs thyme, 1 leaf bay, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 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.4 cups Lacinato kale
- Add the cooked Beyond sausage back into the soup, adjust seasonings and serve hot with freshly cracked black pepper on top. (if not serving it all at once then just serve the sausage in individual bowls on top to prevent sogging).3 links Beyond Meat Italian Sausage
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.
Video
Notes
- Low Calorie Option - To make this soup lower in calorie you can use a mix of golden potatoes and cauliflower florets.
- Thicker - 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
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 334kcal
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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hi Florentina!
I’m planning on making this soup tonight. I don’t have cashews but I do have “extra creamy” oat milk that I will be using. My question is, how much cream does 1 cup cashews/1 cup water makes? I don’t know how much oat milk is equivalent. Sure, I could add “to taste”, but I’m curious to know what the measurement would be. Thanks in advance! I’m super excited about this recipe!!!
I would say start with 1 cup and work your way up from there up to 2 cups. Cashew cream is thicker and richer than oat milk but that would also work especially with the “extra creamy” one you got. Enjoy!
Dear Florentina, thank you, so much, for creating and sharing the recipe for vegan zuppa toscana. It is the BEST vegan soup I’ve ever had. That’s saying a lot, because I was in a gourmet soup group for 27 years!
My question is this: do you have other favorite vegan soups that you personally make and recommend?
If so, please let me know what they are.
Bon appetit!
Sandy Baker in Rochester, NY
Dear Sandy! Your have just made my day, this makes me so incredibly happy and overjoyed that you enjoyed the soup so much. This is also one of my most favorites but I have a few more I keep on rotation, like this Broccoli Potato Soup (https://veggiesociety.com/creamy-broccoli-and-potato-soup-vegan/ ) + White Bean Soup ( https://veggiesociety.com/vegan-white-bean-soup-recipe/ ). I love all the soups I have posted here, it depends what mood your taste buds are in hehe: https://veggiesociety.com/category/recipes/soups-stews/
how can I make this nut free and keet it dairy free? Can I use coconut cream instead?
Hey Melany, coconut cream has a strong coconut flavor so I’d do coconut milk if must, but also it’s a nut…You could also make dairy free cream from sunflower seeds although not quite as rich and creamy imho…Let me know how it goes! ~ Florentina
This soup was fabulous. We had a can of coconut milk in the fridge so we used the top part of that instead of the cashew part. Then we put spinach in our individual bowls so we could have leftovers the next with fresh spinach. This is a soup I’ll do over and over, thank you!
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 🙂
Delicious! I made this over The weekend and am enjoyIng the Planned leftovers during my meals for the week. I had so much I even put a quart in the freezer. Not sure how the potatoes will do but hoping for the best. Can always cream if they lose texture. Flavor is great Actually m it would make a delicious gravy! . I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews and no tapioca. Thanks for the recipe!
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.
Id like to make this but have a question. I never made cashew ceeam before. Why not use the liquid you drain from cashews and put back with the cashews bwfore putting it in the blender? Why use anither cup of water?
Thanks
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!