When your body says, “Gimme veggies!” THIS Creamy Vegetable Soup is what you need. Silky-creamy and loaded with good-for-you vegetables and spices, it’s a hug in a bowl.
This recipe started as a way to clean out the veggie drawer but turned into my go-to winter comfort food.
Goodness, is it good.
Bonus that my kids are lapping up hidden veggies with joy and proclaiming their mother to be the most famous chef in all the land . . . I mean, who am I to correct them?
Today I’m giving you a “recipe” for this soup, but know that you can swap ingredients as you like to account for what you have on hand.
This veggie soup can be enjoyed simply as is, but if you're a professional soup dunker/topper, you’ve come to the right place.
It is also a great base if you want to add pasta, ravioli, rotisserie chicken, roasted vegetables, etc.
Important note: Have you experienced the magic of chili crisp yet? Despite my love for all things spicy, I dragged my feet a little, but wow oh wow, this little jar of goodness is my new dinnertime buddy!
Is it spicy? If you add the amount that I do — yeppers. But it also adds a ton of flavor and is very mild when used by a normal person, unlike my heat-lovin’ self.
Adding a dollop or 6 of chili crisp and a swirl of sour cream kicks this dish up to 5-star restaurant worthy. After trying 4 brands, this is my favorite brand of chili crisp.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS VEGETABLE SOUP
- COZY TO THE MAX: Warm, creamy, heartwarming, soul-soothing — every time.
- NUTRITION PACKED: Consider your veggie servings met for the day!
- SOOOO EASY: Can you rough chop veggies (or open a bag of prepped veggies) and dump them in a pot? Then you’re good.
- NO WASTE: I hate throwing away food! This is the perfect way to use up any veggies lingering in your fridge or pantry.
- KID FRIENDLY: If 3 out of 3 of my kids enjoyed this, I’m confident your kids will too.
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SOUP IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- All the veggies go into the pot with some broth
- Pressure cook until tender, then purée
- Stir in milk or cream and serve hot
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- MIX AND MATCH VEGGIES: Sweet potato, russet potato, carrots, different kinds of squash . . . they all work here. Green veggies might make the color interesting, but if you got ‘em, use ‘em!
- ADD EXTRAS: If you’re not a big fan of pureed soup, fill free to add some mix-ins. Rotisserie chicken, pasta, steamed or roasted vegetables are great mix-ins. You could even serve it buffet style with a pot of soup and mix-ins on the side.
- TOPPERS: My go-to topper is sour cream and chili crisp, but other ideas include bacon, coconut cream, peanuts, crispy onions, etc.
- DIPPERS: This soup is the perfect pairing for breadsticks, crusty bread, or grilled cheese.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE
- Store: Cool leftovers, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Soup reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add extra broth or milk if it’s too thick.
- Freeze: Scoop leftovers into a freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
- Chop the veggies ahead of time so they can be quickly tossed into the pot on the night you make it.
- Bagged or prepped vegetables from the grocery store make the process super fast.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH VEGETABLE SOUP
- Crusty Bread: Perfect for dunking! This Rosemary Asiago Crusty Bread is one of my faves.
- Breadsticks: These Whole Wheat Breadsticks or Pesto Twists are both winners.
- Grilled Cheese: Always welcome.
- Salad: I go simple with a bowl of romaine, tomatoes, shredded cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing.
VARIATION IDEAS
- VEGGIES SWAPS: As mentioned above, you have my permission to mix and match the vegetables with what you have on hand.
- MAKE IT SPICY: Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes to the pot before you cook it.
- DON’T BLEND THE BEANS: For more texture, you can leave the beans whole or only blend half of them into the soup.
- MAKE IT VEGETARIAN: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Have you ever been so excited in your life to eat your veggies?
Or perhaps you’re just super excited to watch your kids down a week's worth of veg?
Enjoy this one soon, friends!
MORE VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPES
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE VEGETABLE SOUP
PrintCreamy Vegetable Soup | Instant Pot Recipe
Creamy, healthy Vegetable Soup made quick and easy in the Instant Pot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 ½ cups diced butternut squash
- 1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
- 1 small head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 – 1 ½ cups half-and-half, heavy cream, or coconut milk (if using heavy cream, 1 cup is enough)
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
Optional toppings: Sour cream, chili crisp or red pepper flakes for spice, cooked crumbled bacon, etc.
Serve with: Crusty artisan bread, breadsticks, crackers, etc.
Instructions
- Add red bell pepper, butternut squash, zucchini, cauliflower, onion, garlic, 2 cups of broth, tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper to the pressure cooker pot.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
- Add white beans to soup. Puree with an immersion blender or tabletop blender until smooth.
- Add half-and-half (or milk of your choice); stir.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add an extra cup or so of broth if you prefer a thinner soup.
- Serve warm with a swirl of sour cream, chili crisp (or red pepper flakes), and crumbled bacon, if desired.
Notes
- Mix and match the veggies as you please. Sweet potato, russet potato, carrots, different kinds of squash, etc. Think of this soup as more of a method than an exact recipe for a creamy vegetable soup.
- This soup is amazing as is, but also makes a delicious base for other ingredients like sliced sausage, pasta like shells or ravioli, rotisserie chicken, roasted vegetables, etc. Or go big with dippers like crusty bread or breadsticks.
Marian says
I can’t say I followed the recipe, but could credit it for inspiration. I tend to put things into my freezer and forget about them… like some butternut (or maybe it was banana?) squash i pureed and placed in a Rubbermaid container and froze back in 2020. Well, I took a chance dumped it along with a bag of frozen tomatoes from this summers garden and some leftover chicken broth from my fridge in to my instapot and expected the worst. I sautéed a diced onion, green pepper and some garlic in some butter and tossed that in too. When all that was frozen thawed out, I seasoned it with basil, my favorite all purpose seasoning, blended it all with my immersion blender, then thickened it with some bechamel sauce mix and whisked into some heavy cream. Well, it looked pretty much just like the picture and even my picky 11 year old tried it! I’m gonna call that a W!
Marci says
Marian, haha! I love this so much! This is literally how I created this recipe. Just needed a little push from the freezer to use up some leftovers and it turned into something delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Valerie says
Hmm… Let’s say I wanted to try using some of the large quantity of dried beans I bought with good intentions. Would you happen to know off-hand how many minutes I would want to cook them first, if I was then going to keep cooking them with the other veggies?
Looking forward to trying this one way or another!
Marci says
Valerie, Hmm…I’m trying to think how I would do this. I would actually cook the beans first (bonus that you’ll have more for another day!) and then add them cooked to the soup as instructed. Here’s a link for how I cook beans in the pressure cooker. https://instafreshmeals.com/how-to-cook-dried-beans-in-the-instant-pot-pressure-cooker/
Nancy says
I have never heard of chili crisp. What is it?
Marci says
Nancy, the most flavorful, lovely condiment I’ve ever met :). It’s a mix of fried chilis and garlic in oil. Typically found in the Asian section of a grocery store.