This Instant Pot cooked creamy vegetable soup is healthy and low in calories with a luxurious, velvety texture and delicately sweet and rounded flavor of tender vegetables, spices and a touch of coconut cream. This soup recipe is vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and Whole30.
INSTANT POT CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP
This vegetable soup is a go-to if you’re looking to make something simple, healthy yet comforting. Throw in lots of vegetables, a few potatoes, stock and a little spice and set it to pressure cook while you relax.
Blended with a little coconut cream or milk, you have a dairy-free yet creamy vegetable soup in just 30 minutes. Throw lots of vegetables into a big pot, add stock and herbs, and then simmer until done. Blend with a little cream or coconut milk, and you are done.
This vegetable soup is vegan, Whole30, gluten-free and is low in calories. You can add a can of chickpeas or lentils, or diced tofu at the end for extra protein. Serve as is or with a side of sourdough or croutons.
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS VEGETABLE SOUP
You can use any vegetables and this recipe is great for using up leftovers and off-cuts. The main vegetables you need are potatoes and winter squash/pumpkin or sweet potato for sweetness. Onions, garlic, carrots and celery are always great for building a base so we always keep those in the fridge. Baby spinach adds extra iron and vitamins.
You can use ready-made vegetable stock or stock cubes and water. For spices, we are going with a little Indian twist by using turmeric and garam masala. If you don’t have garam masala, you can add mild curry powder or some cumin and coriander seed and a little chili. The spices are not overwhelming and are mellowed out by the coconut cream, which also adds creaminess and sweetness.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT
We used Instant Pot Duo 6-quart model for this soup recipe but you can make it in an 8-quart or reduce ingredients by half or a third for the 3-quart mini. Here are step-by-step pics to guide you along. The full recipes, ingredients, and nutritional breakdown are in the card below.
- Step 1. Cut up vegetables and prepare all the ingredients.
- Step 2. Add vegetables, spices, salt and pepper and pour in the stock and lemon juice. Stir through.
- Step 3. Set to Pressure Cook for 5 minutes on HIGH. Release pressure naturally for a few minutes and then do a quick release.
- Step 4. Open the lid and stir the soup. Use an immersion stick blender to puree the soup till smooth. Blender or food processor can also be used (cool the soup slightly and puree in batches).
- Step 5. Stir in the coconut cream and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or lemon juice if you wish.
- Step 6. Serve with fresh cilantro on top. You can add a can of chickpeas or lentils, or diced tofu for extra protein.
Make-Ahead Tips
Refrigerate the soup for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. The soup will become very thick after freezing. When reheating, add more stock or water to thin it out until your desired consistency. More freezer-friendly recipes here.
MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES
- 12 Bowls Of Warm & Cozy Instant Pot Noodle Soups
- Creamy Instant Pot Zucchini Soup
- Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup In The Instant Pot (Step-By-Step)
- Instant Pot Thai Soup With Corn & Zucchini

Instant Pot Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn how to make a super simple, healthy and delicious creamy vegetable soup in the Instant Pot. This veggie soup is dairy-free, vegan, low in calories, Whole30 and gluten-free friendly. Great as a light dinner or lunch and can be served as a starter or made more substantial with added legumes or tofu at the end.
Ingredients
1 lb / 450 g kabocha squash or another type of sweet pumpkin (peeled and diced into large cubes)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced into large circles
1 large rib of celery
3 medium white potatoes, cubes
2 cups baby spinach
2 cloves of garlic, peeled (can be left whole)
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1.5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups water
1/3 cup coconut cream (see notes)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Add all vegetables to the Instant Pot followed by spices, salt, pepper, vegetable stock cube, lemon juice and 4 cups of water (about 1 litre). If using pre-made stock, add 4 cups. Stir through.
Secure the lid and set it to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Given the volume of ingredients and water, the pressure will take about 15 minutes to build up, then the countdown timer will begin. Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally for a few minutes and then do the quick release to let off the steam.
Open the lid and use an immersion stick blender to puree the soup till smooth. You can also use a blender or a food processor. Cool the soup slightly and puree in batches, then return to the pot to reheat.
Once pureed, stir in the coconut cream and taste for salt. You can also add a little more lemon juice for extra tang. Finish by stirring some chopped fresh cilantro or serve on top as garnish.
Notes
Coconut cream: You can use full-fat coconut milk from a can. Simply leave it in the pantry or the fridge and open it without shaking the can. The cream usually separates from the watery liquid and is easy to scoop out from the top. Sour cream or heavy cream can be used instead of coconut cream.
Garam masala: It’s an Indian spice blend used in curries and is available from most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, use a combination of cumin, coriander seed and paprika or mild curry powder instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 7.8 g
- Sodium: 1228.5 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.7 g
- Fiber: 7.4 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Instant Pot, Soup, Vegetables, Dairy-Free, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Whole30
Can you sub frozen butternut squash for the pumpkin? If so, how much would I need?
Yes, I would say about 4 cups of diced cubes or 3 cups of puree (not sure if yours is diced or in large chunks, if you measure a similar amount, it doesn’t matter if it is frozen or not. I would add an extra minute to cooking time.