Vegan Cheeseburger Soup

This vegan cheeseburger soup is thick and hearty with lean veggie crumbles and tender potatoes served in a warm, creamy cheese soup base. It’s pure comfort food in every bite! Serve it with this Vegan Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread or this Vegan Garlic Bread.

A bowl of vegan cheeseburger soup with vegan cheddar and crackers on top and a spoon behind it.

People have asked me, Why are you always creating vegan versions of traditional foods? The way I look at it, just because I’m vegan doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy the foods I enjoyed growing up.

For example, I love this vegan chickpea chicken noodle soup because it reminds me of the soup I had as a child. The same is true of this cheeseburger soup — It’s a play on a soup I once had, and it’s a real winner!

Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • Cashews add the perfect amount of creaminess to this soup
  • Cooked potatoes add creamy texture to every bite
  • Vegan veggie crumbles add plant-based protein and a meaty mouthfeel to this hearty soup.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Onion — I used a yellow onion, but you can substitute white or red onion.
  • Carrots — You’ll need one or two whole carrots or several baby carrots.
  • Potatoes — This recipe uses chopped potatoes, you can use red, Russet, or Yukon Gold potatoes.
  • Vegetable broth — Use a high-quality vegetable broth, like Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian combined with water.
  • Cashews — We’ll add a few raw cashews to the base of this soup to make it nice and creamy.
  • Plant-based milk — You can use your favorite plant-based milk, just make sure it’s plain (not vanilla-flavored) and unsweetened.
  • Nutritional yeast flakes — I buy nutritional yeast flakes in health food stores or online.
  • Veggie crumbles — There are many crumbles to choose from these days, including Gardein Beyond Beef and many plant-based meat substitutes, like Impossible Burger and Pure Farmland.
  • Vegan cheddar cheese — My favorite for this is soup is Daiya cheddar shreds.

How to Make Vegan Cheeseburger Soup

  1. Cook onions in an oiled pot over medium heat until tender.
  2. Stir in chopped carrots and potatoes and cook about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf and simmer.
  4. Stir together cashews and water in a small saucepan medium heat until cashews are tender.
  5. Add cashews, milk, nutritional yeast flakes, and garlic powder to a blender. Pulse until completely smooth.
  6. Stir the cashew cream mixture with the tender carrots and potatoes.
    A saucepan holds chopped potatoes simmering in a cashew milk mixture. A bay leaf is on top.
  7. Stir in the veggie crumbles.
  8. Add the vegan cheddar shreds and stir to combine.
  9. Remove the bay leaf and serve this soup hot.

Storage Tips

Store soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can freeze this soup for up to 2 months.

A bowl of vegan cheeseburger soup with vegan cheddar shreds and crackers on top.

Be sure to serve this soup with crackers or croutons. I also think it would go perfectly with a slice of this Artisan Fig and Pecan Bread. How perfect!

I’ve also been known to dish out some of this soup and serve it over a baked potato. It’s so creamy, it tastes delicious!

If you love vegan soup recipes, be sure to check out this Vegan Butternut Squash Soup. It’s not only great on its own, but it makes a nice broth base to use in other recipes too.

Marly’s Tips

  • To speed up the cooking time, place the chopped carrots in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender. Add the carrots and any liquid in the bowl to the pot.
  • Repeat this with the potatoes.
  • Add some chopped (fresh or dried) dill as a garnish.
  • Sprinkle the top with some chopped Bacon Almonds.
  • Add a cup of frozen peas while simmering for a pop of color and taste.
  • For an extra cheesy soup, double the vegan cheddar shreds.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some favorite suggestions for serving on top of individual soup bowls or as sides:

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
Just made this today and it went over very well with my girlfriend and roommates!

Robert

More Vegan Soups

We love this creamy vegan cheeseburger soup. Looking for more creamy vegan soup recipes? Be sure to try these recipes too:

Here’s over 70 Vegan Soups you’ll want to try today!

Looking down on a bowl of vegan cheesy soup.
Take a bite out of this delicious Vegan Cheeseburger Soup recipe and come back for more. It's a creamy soup made with cashews, potatoes, carrots, and cheese. A perfect weeknight meal.

Vegan Cheeseburger Soup

Sit yourself down to a bowl of this creamy, cheesy, savory Vegan Cheeseburger Soup, including quick-cook instructions for busy weeknight meals.
5 from 4 votes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 386kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped carrots*
  • 4 cups chopped potatoes*
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup cashews raw or roasted
  • ½ cup plant-based milk not vanilla or sweetened, original
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 package veggie crumbles
  • 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil and the chopped onion in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the onions are tender. Add the chopped carrots and chopped potatoes. Stir to coat, and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf and bring back to a simmer.
  • In the meantime, place the cashews in a small saucepan and add a cup of water. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat about 5 minutes, until cashews are tender, and most of the water is gone. Remove from heat.
  • Pour the tender cashews and remaining liquid from boiling in a food processor along with the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast flakes, and garlic powder. Pulse until completely smooth. You may need to push down contents from the side of the bowl several times.
  • Use a fork to test the tenderness of the potatoes and carrots. They should be tender before moving to the next step.
  • Once carrots and potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf and add the cashew cream to the pot. Stir to combine.
  • Add the veggie crumbles. If these are frozen, take a minute or so to stir them throughout the pot.
  • Add the vegan cheddar shreds and stir to combine.
  • Serve hot. This makes a very thick soup. Feel free to add a little water if you prefer a thinner soup.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* To speed up the total cooking time of this recipe. Place the chopped carrots in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the resulting tender carrots and any resulting liquid into the pot. Repeat this process with the potatoes, microwaving them until fork tender and then pouring them into the pot.
Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 1379mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5785IU | Vitamin C: 27.9mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 9.6mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

National Soup Day

Also, did you know it’s National Soup Day? I know, how cool is that! Wait. It’s not cool. It’s hot. Super hot and good.

Anyway, I partnered with some of my favorite food blog friends to share with you a variety of soups to celebrate National Soup Day.

A collage of photos showing soup with the text, "Celebrate National Soup Day with these 27 (and then some) comforting soup and chili and chowder recipes!"

Some of these recipes are vegan, others are vegetarian, others are not. If you need help with veganizing any of these recipes, don’t hesitate to reach out. Here they are:

Fall Vegan Detox Soup by the Healthy Maven
Broccoli Cheese Soup by Yellow Bliss Road
Vegan Jambalaya is amazing!
Creamy Tortellini Soup by Baking with Blondie
Vegan Persimmon Butternut Squash Soup by Cotter Crunch
Easy Vegan Lentil Soup by Jessica in the Kitchen
Easy Vegan Taco Soup by Namely Marly
Slow Cooker Chili with Pinto Beans by 365 Days of Crockpot
Easy Vegan Chili by Namely Marly
Italian Spinach and Orzo Soup by Real Mom Kitchen
Raw 5-Minute Lemon Zucchini Soup by The Blender Girl
Vegan Corn and Rice Chowder by Hummusapien
Meatball Pho by Foodie With Family
Vegan Sweet Potato Chowder by The Kitchn
Creamy Vegan Arugula Soup by Detoxinista
Vegan Minestrone by Namely Marly
Clam Chowder by The Baker Upstairs
Curried Asparagus Soup by Oh My Veggies
Vegan Beef Stew by Namely Marly
Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Ashlee Marie
Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup by Cookie + Kate
Easy Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup by your truly
Cheesy Lasagna Soup by Gather for Bread
Vegan Clam Chowder by Fork and Beans

This post was originally published in 2017 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

18 Responses to Vegan Cheeseburger Soup

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCC Reply

    I made this for my vegetarian son, and he absolutely LOVES it!!! He even asked for the recipe! Thank you!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi CC! So glad to hear your son loved this veggie soup recipe! He obviously has good taste. 🙂

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRobert Reply

    5 stars
    Just made this today and it went over very well with my girlfriend and roommates! I did tweak the recipe slightly to adjust for more servings, however I didn’t have enough cashews so I added more nutritional yeast and used cashew milk as my plant based milk (not sure if it made a difference), but the end result was fantastic. I also added green chiles and a can of diced tomatoes with chipotle for a little southern kick. Thank you so much for the recipe.

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyShannon Dulinsky Reply

    Soup looks amazing but I have a question. The first step mentions Celery, but there’s no amount listed in the ingredients. How much do you recommend including?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Shannon, for your comment. I think in version one I tested it using celery. It was fine, but I preferred it without. The fact that Shawn doesn’t like celery might have added to the decision. If you’d like to include celery, try adding 1/2 cup chopped. Let me know how it goes!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLynn Reply

    5 stars
    I am SO HAPPY you made this soup. I’m married to a vegetarian and he will love it.

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyEpicurean Vegan Reply

    Oh my goodness…that looks and sounds amazing! This is going on my list for next week. Thank you!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks. Hope you love it as much as we do!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyKara Reply

    I love a good hearty creamy soup during the winter, especially when it has so many yummy toppings!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I know, Kara. The creamier the better. And the more potatoes the better too. Just sayin’!

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAshlee Marie Reply

    this sounds amazing – and love all the suggestions for making a recipe personal – that’s the best part of cooking from scratch – is making it fit what you like!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Ashlee! I’m so with you – make the recipe your own!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMaria @ kitchenathoskins Reply

    I’m not a vegan, but this soup looks really good. I think it’s just a good excuse for me to use up all the cashews I pick up from Costco. Creamy and yummy!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I have lots of good excuses to use up all the cashews…including this soup. 🙂 Hope you love it!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRebecca Lindamood Reply

    That is a seriously beautiful bowl of soup. I love all the lovely garnishes!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks! Garnishes are what makes a soup special.

  10. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAlicia Reply

    This soup looks so creamy and delicious! I love your ideas for adaptations, too.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Alice. Recipes are made to be changed…at least in my mind. Happy soup eating!

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