Vegan Roasted Beet Soup with Cashew Cream

You guys! Is this not the most beautiful soup you’ve ever seen? I mean, come on. It’s magenta!

I’ve been wanting to make a vegan version of a creamy soup with beets for quite a long time now, but I’ve honestly been scared. The only way I ever eat these earthy root vegetables is roasted and chopped on top of some sort of greens – and that’s it.

So, this dish just sounded so out there – yet decidedly tempting – that it took me a while to get around to it. And whoa nelly, it is quite the soup!

I started with a pretty foolproof base of sauteed leeks and shallots, followed by a decent amount of garlic. After that you add vegetable broth, the beets, cashew cream, and some spices. And that’s it!

It’s probably one of the more simple recipes I’ve made in a while. But don’t let that fool you – this dish is quite flavorful.

It was so flavorful and so… beet-y that I masked the somewhat overwhelming beet flavor with a few dashes of spices – coriander and sage.

While I love love love beets, I think my first experience using them as the featured ingredient in a soup needed to be a bit more mellow, so the spices really helped with that. It took this dish from an in-your-face “I’m-a-beet!” kind of soup to an “I’m-a-deliciously-balanced-pureed-dish-with-beets!” kind of soup.

I really suggest that you try it before adding the spices, though, and see what you think. You might absolutely love the beetyness of it!

Plus, the homemade cashew cream adds delicious creaminess without dairy, with nothing but raw and unsalted nuts for an added boost of healthy protein.

This recipe doesn’t make a huge batch, so if you have a large (or very hungry) family, I suggest doubling it. The quantity outlined below is perfect for a family of two or three, which is great for my household.

Vegan Roasted Beet Soup with Cashew Cream

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★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Raquel Smith
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 servings 1x

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Description

A beautiful magenta-colored soup made with leeks and beets! This delicious recipe is full of flavor, and so good for you. Vegan cashew cream makes it delightfully creamy.

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Ingredients

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For the Soup:

• 5 medium red beets, tops removed
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup cashew cream
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• a bunch of freshly ground black pepper
• fresh dill, for garnish (optional)

For the Cashew Cream:

• 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashew pieces
• 2/3 cup water

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Instructions

To Make the Soup:

1. Heat your oven to 400ºF. Place the beets in a parchment-lined dutch oven (or other oven-safe dish with lid) and roast for about 1 hour, until easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool until you are able to handle them, then slip the skins off with your fingers. Chop.
2. Make the cashew cream (described below).
3. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and shallots and cook, stirring often, until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the vegetable broth, then add the roasted beets. Bring to a boil and cook until the beets are heated through.
5. Transfer the soup to a blender (in batches, if needed) and puree. Or, you have one, you can use an immersion blender right in the cooking pot. When the soup is pureed, add the cashew cream in a steady stream while blending.
6. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the coriander, sage, salt, and pepper. Simmer mostly covered over medium heat until heated through, then serve immediately with sprigs of dill. Enjoy!

To Make the Cashew Cream:

1. Boil the water (I use the microwave), then add the chopped cashews. Soak for at least 30 minutes, or as long as 24 hours (refrigerate if over 1 hour). Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Store any extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

•  I prefer the “Organics” brand vegetable broth or you can make your own.
• To save time, roast and peel the beets the night before, then refrigerate until ready to use.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegan

Keywords: Beet, Soup, Cashew Cream, Vegan

What’s your favorite way to feature a pureed version of this classic root vegetable in your cooking? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to give the recipe a five-star rating if you loved it!

For other hearty vegetarian soups, sit down to a warm bowl of these Foodal favorites:

• Vegetarian Borscht
• Green Healing Soup
• Roasted Carrot Onion

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published January 9th, 2015. Last updated: February 12, 2024 at 16:10 pm.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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