This savory vegan zuppa toscana soup with potato and kale is easy to make in one pot for a healthy and delicious dairy-free meal.

Two bowls of vegan zuppa toscana soup with potato and kale. Spoon rests in bowl.

Features

  • dietary needs: completely plant-based (vegan) and can be gluten-free
  • quick and easy: ready in 40 minutes in one pot with simple pantry ingredients
  • nutritious: features healthy ingredients like kale and potatoes in a creamy dairy-free broth
  • freezes well for meal prep and batch cooking
  • enjoy as is for a healthy and delicious meal or try it with vegan sausage to really kick it up a notch!

What is zuppa toscana?

Zuppa toscana is an Italian soup that translates as “Tuscan soup”. Classic zuppa toscana is made with lots of vegetables, potatoes, white beans, olive oil, bacon and crusty Tuscan bread.

The Americanized version of the soup, popularized by the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, typically features heavy cream, sausage and potato.

Ingredient Notes

Visual of ingredients for making vegan zuppa toscana soup recipe.
  • olive oil – if needed you can omit and use vegetable broth for an oil-free recipe
  • all-purpose flour – helps thicken the soup, whole wheat flour would also work
  • vegetable broth – any homemade or store-bought carton or cubes work here
  • yellow potato – Yukon gold is recommended but you can use russet in a pinch
  • coconut milk – use canned light coconut milk (you can use full fat coconut milk but I found it too heavy), can be substituted with cashew cream if needed or you can use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk but it won’t be as creamy
  • kale – I like lacinto kale here but any kale works, just make sure you remove the leaves from the tough stems, can be swapped for spinach or Swiss chard

See recipe card below for complete list of ingredients and amounts.

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Sauté the onions and spices in a large soup pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  2. Add the crushed garlic and sauté another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot back into the mixture.
  3. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes
Step by step visual instructions for making vegan zuppa toscana soup.

Stir in the kale, turn off the heat and let sit for a few minutes, then serve immediately.

Overhead view of a pot of zuppa toscana soup with kale.

FAQs

Can I add sausage to this recipe?

Definitely! I’d recommend Beyond Meat Italian sausage or ground “meat” or Field Roast Italian sausage.

To add sausage to the soup, add to a the pot before starting the soup and break it up with a wooden spoon. Brown the sausage, stirring frequently for 7-8 minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside, using the residual oils from the sausage to cook your onions. Add the browned sausage back to the soup when you add the kale.

Does the soup taste like coconut?

Since it’s made with light coconut milk, there is a very subtle coconut flavour. If you’re really not a fan of coconut, I would recommend trying cashew cream instead.

To replace the coconut milk with cashew cream, soak 3/4 cup raw cashews in boiled water for 30 minutes (or overnight) then drain and blend with 1.5 cups water until smooth and creamy. Use that instead of the 400 mL can of coconut milk.

Can this soup be made gluten-free?

To make this soup gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains ingredients like arrowroot flour, potato starch or tapioca starch (like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur).

You can also substitute 1 tbsp cornstarch for the flour. Mix it with a little water to make a slurry before adding to the soup.

Close up of a bowl of zuppa toscana soup with potato and kale.

Storing & Reheating

  • Let cool for at least 30 minutes before storing.
  • Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
  • Freezer: Store in a sealed container (or containers for individual portions) for up to 3 months.
  • If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge.
  • Reheat as needed on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated to your preference. It thickened substantially after storing, thin by stirring in a little broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
Overhead view of a bowl of creamy soup with kale and potatoes.

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Two bowls of vegan zuppa toscana soup with potato and kale. Spoon rests in bowl.

Vegan Zuppa Toscana

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegan

This vegetarian zuppa toscana soup is made with simple, wholesome ingredients for a flavourful result that’s perfect for warming up on a cold winder day. Enjoy this dairy-free recipe as written or try it with vegan sausage for a real treat!

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews
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Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil (30 ml, use vegetable broth for oil-free version)
  • 2 small white onion, diced (300g)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed (10 g)
  • 1/8 cup lemon juice (30 ml)
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (25 g)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (1000 ml)
  • 2 yellow potato, peeled and diced (500 g)
  • 1 400 ml can light coconut milk
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces (75 g)

Instructions

  1. See notes if you’d like to add sausage tot his recipe, otherwise, add the olive oil to a a large soup pot with the onions and spices and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  2. Add the crushed garlic and sauté another 5 minutes.
  3. Add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot back into the mixture.
  4. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
  6. Carefully use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You could also transfer the soup to a blender to blend then add back into the pot. This will help with the creaminess of the soup as well as breaking up the fennel seeds to release more flavour. 
  7. After blending, add the potatoes, coconut milk, salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  8. Once the potatoes are fork tender, stir in the chopped kale and turn off the heat. Let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the kale to soften.
  9. Serve immediately.

Notes

Let cool until no longer steaming before storing. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat stovetop or in the microwave until heated to your preference.

To make this with cashew cream instead of coconut milk, soak 3/4 cup of raw cashews overnight then blend with 1.5 cups of water and use that instead of the can of coconut milk.

Feel free to add vegan sausage into this recipe, I like to use field roast Italian sausage. I would recommend cooking it at the beginning, removing from the pan before adding the onions and spices. Using the residual oils cooked from the sausage to cook your onions. Then adding sausages back into the soup when adding in your kale. You could also stir in some chickpeas or white beans at this point for an alternative to sausage.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
  • Calories: 213
  • Sodium: 512 mg
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 35 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 5 g

Keywords: vegan zuppa toscana, vegetarian zuppa toscana