Potato Cabbage Soup
Potato cabbage soup is a light, brothy vegan soup made with potatoes, cabbage, and onion, finished with a splash of rice milk and vegan cream for a hint of richness. It is cheap, comforting, and ready in well under an hour, which makes it one of the best bowls to reach for on a cold day.
What could be better than a big bowl of hot soup on a cold day? I’ll tell you — literally nothing! Potatoes are one of my favorite things in the entire world because they are so yummy and versatile, and I have experimented with tons of potato recipes before, from loaded fries to potato curry, potato burritos, and baked mashed potato muffins. I loved each and all of them!
And don’t get me started on cabbage. I truly believe this is one of the most underrated vegetables in our pantries. It is super cheap, very versatile, and extremely yummy, so we really should use it in our day-to-day cooking more, whether that is in roasted cabbage, a cabbage lasagna, or, even better, this cozy soup. No, really, it is so good I am making it for the second time this week!
My lazy shortcut for soup that tastes amazing
Now I want to share a little secret with you. If you are as lazy as I am, you are going to love this: I strongly dislike chopping vegetables for soup. Over the years I found some awesome hacks that save me time, and my favorite is a dry veggie mix. It is my secret weapon for soups and stews. Mine is made of equal parts (50 grams of each) of carrots, parsnip, celery, lovage, parsley, onion, and bell pepper. I ordered mine online, or you can buy dried veggies in bulk from health food stores and combine them into your own mix.
I keep my dried veggie mix in a big jar close at hand whenever I know I will make a soup, and I always stir it a little first, since the greens tend to fall to the bottom. Truly, this is a life-saver for me. It saves me a lot of time (and nerves!), my soup is ready in no time, and it tastes super delicious every single time. You know how much I hate tasteless soups. I think they take away all the pleasure from eating, so my soups are hearty, yummy, and bursting with flavor. I recommend you try the mix too.
What goes into this potato cabbage soup
The beauty of this recipe is that once you have your potatoes, your cabbage, and my dried veggie mix, you only need a few pantry basics. Here is what each ingredient brings to the pot:
- Potatoes — 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed. They give the soup body and a gentle starchiness that thickens the broth as they cook.
- Cabbage — about a quarter of a head, chopped small so it softens quickly and melts into the broth.
- White onion — one, chopped into small pieces, for a savory base.
- Dried vegetable mix — 4 to 5 tablespoons of the blend above. This is what builds a deep, homemade flavor without hours of chopping.
- Vegan cooking cream — 250 ml of rice or soy cream, for a silky, lightly rich finish.
- Unsweetened rice milk — 500 ml. Make sure it is unsweetened so the soup stays savory. You can even use homemade rice milk.
- Vinegar — to taste. Some people prefer sour soups, others like them milder. I often use the spiced vinegar left from a jar of pickles instead of plain vinegar. I never throw it away, and you can try it too!
- Bay leaves, peppercorns, and fresh dill — the aromatics that make the whole kitchen smell like home.
- Salt or miso paste — to taste. I started using miso paste instead of salt in various recipes because it adds a savory, salty depth and a lovely kick of flavor.
How to make it turn out perfectly
This soup is as easy as it gets, but a few small moves make a big difference. Start by boiling the cubed potatoes, cabbage, and onion together for about 15 minutes, then add the dried vegetable mix, bay leaves, and pepper and let everything simmer until the potatoes are tender, roughly 10 more minutes. You will know they are done when a fork slides in with no resistance.
The most important tip: turn off the heat before you stir in the fresh dill, rice milk, and vegan cream. Then season last, adding salt or miso paste first, tasting, and finishing with vinegar a little at a time. If you use the sweeter spiced vinegar from pickles you can add around half a jar per batch, but if you use regular vinegar, which is stronger, go slowly until it tastes right to you.
Why you add the cream off the heat
Stirring the rice milk and vegan cream into the pot after the heat is off is not just a habit, it keeps the soup smooth. Plant-based creams and milks can separate or turn grainy if you boil them hard, so adding them at the very end preserves that silky texture. The same goes for the miso paste and the fresh dill: keeping them away from a rolling boil protects the miso’s savory character and the bright, grassy flavor of the dill instead of cooking it away.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Let the soup cool, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Because it has cream and rice milk in it, reheat it gently over low heat and avoid a hard boil so it stays smooth. It actually tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle. If you like keeping a pot of something warm on the stove all week, you will love my other cozy soups too, like cream of potato and carrot soup, cream of parsnip soup, or this hearty veggie soup for cold winter days. And for more budget-friendly ideas, my collection of cheap vegan recipes is full of them.
What to serve with it
Potato cabbage soup is hearty enough to be a light meal on its own, but it loves a piece of crusty bread for dunking. For a bigger lunch, serve it alongside one of my lunch wraps, or spoon a little vegan sour cream on top for extra richness and a gentle tang. A simple green salad rounds it out nicely.
I really hope you make this potato cabbage soup soon, especially on a chilly evening when you want something cozy without much fuss. If you try it, come back and give the recipe a star rating, then leave a comment telling me how sour you took it and whether you went with plain vinegar or my pickled-vinegar trick. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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Potato Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 3 liters water
- 4 potatoes peeled and cubbed
- 1 white onion chopped into small pieces
- ¼ cabbage chopped into small pieces
- 4-5 Tbsp dried vegetable mix – see how I prepared it above
- 250 ml vegan cooking cream rice or soy
- 500 ml rice milk unsweetened
- vinegar to taste – some people prefer sour soups, some prefer them sweeter, so you can make it as you please. Instead of vinegar, I sometimes use the spiced vinegar from pickles. I never throw it away and you can try it too!
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh dill chopped
- a few peppercorns or ground pepper
- salt or miso paste to taste. I started using miso paste instead of salt in various recipes. It gives a hint of salt and a kick of probiotics and flavor
Instructions
- Add ~3L water in a pot to boil. Add the cubed potatoes, cabbage, and onion into the water. Let them boil for 15 minutes.
- Add the dried vegetable mix, bay leaves, and pepper. Let them boil until the potatoes are tender for approx. 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add the chopped dill, rice milk, and vegan cream. Mix.
- Now is the time to season your soup to taste. Add salt or miso paste, mix, and taste. Then add the vinegar. When I use the pickled vinegar with spices I add around 1/2 jar to one batch of soup because it’s usually sweeter. If you use normal vinegar which is stronger, add just a little bit at a time until you reach the desired taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This version is fully plant-based: it uses unsweetened rice milk, rice or soy vegan cooking cream, and either salt or miso paste for seasoning, with no eggs, dairy, or honey. It is a naturally vegan, budget-friendly bowl.
Plain white or green cabbage works best here. You only need about a quarter of a head, chopped into small pieces so it softens quickly and melts into the broth as the soup cooks.
Absolutely. The dried veggie mix (carrots, parsnip, celery, lovage, parsley, onion, and bell pepper) is my time-saving shortcut, but you can use the same fresh vegetables, or a bag of frozen soup veggies, instead. Just add them early so they have time to soften.
Plant-based milks and creams can split or turn grainy if you boil them hard. Turning off the heat before you stir them in keeps the soup silky and smooth, and it also protects the fresh flavor of the dill and miso.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it gently over low heat rather than at a rolling boil so the cream stays smooth. Many people find it tastes even better the next day.
You can, but creamy, potato-based soups sometimes change texture after freezing and thawing. For the best result, freeze the soup before you add the rice milk and cream, then stir them in fresh when you reheat it.
hearty and healthy – everyone loved it!