Canned condensed soup is very popular around the holidays. There are also people who enjoy these creamy soups year round, but they are incredibly unhealthy. They are filled with unhealthy fats, excess sodium, added sugars, and too many preservatives to count. If you are vegan or dairy-free and want to enjoy these soups, good luck because they do not really exist. That’s why this article is dedicated to providing you with a how-to guide on how to make vegan condensed soup substitutes.
In this post, we will share all of the best cream of soup tips, tricks, and recipes for gluten-free, vegan versions. When you have these available to you, many culinary feats become possible. You can make vegan pot pies, green bean casserole, and who knows what else. These vegan substitutes will truly enhance your winter comfort food game in more ways than you know.
The key to “veganizing” classical non-vegan casseroles is to use vegan condensed soup substitutes. You can make a big batch and freeze what you don’t need. Whenever you do need some, simply defrost it and it’ll be good to go!
What Is Condensed Soup?
Condensed soup is basically just regular soup that you cook or simmer down until almost all of the water has boiled out. That yields a thick soup that you can later reconstitute with water or milk. Campbell’s Soup Co. created this concept back in 1897, and this revolutionized the soup industry. Condensed cream soups have been the basic recipe of butter, wheat flour, heavy cream, and whatever “cream of” ingredient is in the title, for example, mushroom, broccoli, or chicken.
The vegan substitutes in this article break all the conventional rules. They only contain natural ingredients and they don’t include flour, cream, and butter. Plus, you don’t have to wait hours for your pot of soup to boil down!
What You’ll Need To Make Condensed Soup Substitutes
There are some different recipes in this article, but the basic ingredients you’ll need are as follows:
- Water
- Red lentils (dried, not canned), which give the soup that almost gelatinous, “cream of” consistency
- Flavor, which will depend on the variation you make
- Raw cashews add great creaminess and fat to condensed soups. You can also replace raw cashews with raw sunflower seeds if you have a nut allergy. Just make sure to add one tablespoon of olive oil to the blender if you use seeds.
How To Make Healthy Vegan Condensed Soup
The process to make the soup is very simple, but the soup can take a little while to set. You can easily make a double batch of condensed soups and freeze some for later. In general, the following steps will yield excellent vegan condensed soups:
- Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. You basically want to overcook the lentils and soften the cashews.
- Step 2: Carefully transfer your soup mixture to a high-speed blender and start blending on low, slowly increasing the speed to blend the ingredients into a creamy consistency.
- Step 3: Once your mixture is luxuriously creamy, transfer it to three or four eight-ounce mason jars and screw on the lids. Make sure to take precautions as the when you do this and once the soup has completely cooled, press down on the center of the lid to seal the jar tightly.
Vegan Substitute For Cream Of Chicken Soup
Get ready to make vegan renditions of classic casseroles from your childhood with this recipe. It is perfectly healthy, dairy-free, and vegan, and it comes together in just about 20 minutes with five simple ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup dry red lentils
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons vegan bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
- Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and continue cooking over low for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Pour the mixture into eight-ounce mason jars and screw on the lids. Let them cool completely before placing them in the fridge or freezer for future use.
Vegan Cream Of Potato Soup
Dairy-free condensed cream of potato soup is great to thicken other soups, stews, casseroles, and creamy sauces.
Ingredients:
- 2.75 cups water
- 1.25 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup dry red lentils
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon dried onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
Instructions:
- Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and continue cooking over low for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Pour the mixture into eight-ounce mason jars and screw on the lids. Let them cool completely before placing them in the fridge or freezer for future use.
Vegan Cream Of Mushroom Soup
This is a much healthier alternative to the canned variety that you are familiar with. It works great with crockpot or casserole recipes, boasting incredible depth of flavor. In fact, you’ll be shocked at how similar it tastes to the original!
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry red lentils
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1.5 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Instructions:
- Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and continue cooking over low for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Pour the mixture into eight-ounce mason jars and screw on the lids. Let them cool completely before placing them in the fridge or freezer for future use.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
