This creamy vegan zucchini soup is the best way to make a healthy soup that your family will love!  Just throw in zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, and bell peppers, cook, and then puree… and you’re done.  

The top view of a bowl of creamy zucchini soup in a white bowl.

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It’s gluten-free and vegan so everyone can enjoy it and it’s easily made on the stovetop, in a pressure cooker, in an instant pot, or even in a slow cooker! Get ready to be amazed by how delicious a hearty zucchini bisque can be!

❔Is this kid-friendly?

Surprisingly, kids love this soup! Every time that I make this recipe I look into the pot full of nothing but vegetables and wonder how a pot full of nothing but veggies can be so yummy and satisfying.  My oldest won’t touch zucchini, tomatoes, or peppers, but he will eat bowl after bowl of this soup!  He says that it just tastes like creamy mashed potatoes with pesto in it…and he is right.  A soup full of zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes may sound too healthy to be delicious, but this soup will surprise you! 

🥕 Use up your veggies

This is a great zucchini soup to make to use up old vegetables that are starting to wrinkle.  The ones that haven’t gone bad yet, but don’t look as appealing to eat raw.  Just cut out any bad spots and throw them in the pot.  Everything will be pureed into a smooth creamy consistency, in the end, so the look of the veggies doesn’t matter.

A zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, a bell pepper, and basil on a cutting board.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

  • Zucchini – You can use any size of zucchini you like as long as you have about 4 cups in total.  If you have large ones with big seeds, cut the seedy parts out. (You can also use yellow squash in equal parts or half zucchini and half yellow squash if you would like to).
  • Potatoes – This thickens the soup and makes it creamy. About 4 medium potatoes usually work well. You can add a little more or less to control the consistency.
  • Tomatoes – This can be any type of tomato.  I usually use about 2 medium-sized tomatoes or about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes.
  • Bell Peppers – Red, orange, or yellow bell peppers are the sweetest and give this soup a nice flavor.
  • Water – Use enough water to cover the vegetables in the pot.  The exact amount will vary depending on how many veggies you put in it.
  • Salt – For flavor.  I usually need about 2 tsp for a pot, but adjust to your taste.
  • Basil or Pesto – I love pesto in this soup, but if you don’t have it fresh basil also gives it a wonderful flavor too. You can use my vegan pesto recipe or vegan nut-free pesto to easily make your own.
A bowl of creamy vegan soup with a swirl of pesto on top and a basil leaf on the side.

🥄  How to make zucchini soup

You can choose between 3 methods of making this soup.  Use a pressure cooker, or a crockpot, or simply boil the ingredients in a pot on the stovetop. 

Pressure cooker or Instant Pot method

Step 1 – Throw all of the veggies into the pot with enough water to just barely cover them.

Step 2 – Let it build up to pressure and then turn it off. 

Step 3 – Come back when the pressure releases and salt and vegan pesto (or basil) and puree with an immersion blender until creamy.

A soup pot filled with zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes, with water just barely covering them.

Crock-pot method

Step 1 – Put everything in the pot in the morning. (Add an additional 1 cup of water).

Step 2 – Turn it on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Step 3 – Then add salt and vegan pesto (or basil) and puree with an immersion blender until creamy.

Stovetop method

Step 1 – Throw all of the veggies into a soup pot with enough water to just barely cover them.

Step 2 – Boil until the veggies are very soft (about 25 minutes).

Step 3 – Then add salt, basil, or vegan pesto, and puree with an immersion blender until creamy.

A pot of vegetables being pureed with an immersion blender to make creamy vegan zucchini soup.

Any way that you make it, it always comes out creamy and delicious!

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

  • I like to use a metal immersion blender for this soup.  This way I don’t have to transfer it to a blender and I’m not touching plastic to such hot liquid.
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer small amounts to your blender to puree it, but be careful not to overfill the blender or hot liquid could leak out and burn you.
  • Pesto makes this soup delicious!  It is hard to find dairy-free pesto in the stores, but it is super easy to make your own vegan pesto.
  • Add slightly more water for a thinner soup, add less water, or an extra potato for a thicker soup.
  • If you are using a very large zucchini, be sure to cut out the section with large seeds.

🌟 More recipes that use zucchini

A bowl of creamy zucchini soup with pesto on top and a spoon in it.

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Zucchini soup recipe

A close up top view of a bowl of vegan zucchini soup with vegan pesto and a basil leaf.
5 from 7 rating

Vegan Zucchini Soup

Yield: 8
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A hearty, gluten-free, and vegan soup made with zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes, pureed into creamy perfection!
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups zucchini, about 2 zucchini depending on the size.
  • 1 medium bell pepper, I usually use red
  • 2 medium tomatoes, or about 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes (about 3-4 medium potatoes)
  • 5-6 cups water, (enough to just cover over the veggies by about 1/4 inch)
  • 2 tablespoons vegan pesto , or a handful of fresh basil plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup vegan pesto , or fresh basil (optional for garnish).

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Wash and chop all of the veggies into big chunks and throw them into a pot. (You can use a pressure cooker or a slow cooker as well).
  • Fill the pot with enough water to cover the veggies by about ¼ inch. (About 5-6 cups, but go by how much you need to cover the veggies than the exact measurement).
  • Boil until all veggies are very soft. (If using a pressure cooker, just bring up to pressure and then turn off and wait until the pressure goes down). (If using a slow cooker, set to low for 8 hours or at high for 5 hours).
  • Add pesto (or basil and olive oil) and salt to the pot and puree with an immersion blender.  (If you don’t have an immersion blender transfer small amount to a blender to puree).
  • Serve hot with a dollop of additional pesto.

Notes

  • If using a crock pot, add an additional 1 cup of water.
  • If using an instant pot, set it to pressure cook for 1 minute, then allow the pressure to go down on its own.
 
Pro tips for delicious zucchini soup
  • I like to use a metal immersion blender for this soup.  This way I don’t have to transfer it to a blender and I’m not touching plastic to such hot liquid.
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer small amounts to your blender to puree it, but be careful not to overfill the blender or hot liquid could leak out and burn you.
  • Pesto makes this soup delicious!  It is hard to find dairy-free pesto in the stores, but super easy to make your own vegan pesto recipe. 
  • Add slightly more water for a thinner soup, add less water, or an extra potato for a thicker soup.
  • If you are using a very large zucchini, be sure to cut out the section with large seeds.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 62kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 428mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 655IU, Vitamin C: 37.1mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
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*Originally posted on April 25, 2017, updated to include new images and more detailed recipe instructions on August 23, 2020.