Green Soup With Tangy Cashew Cream (Instant Pot Or Stovetop)

This Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream is a veggie-packed powerhouse that’s creamy, tangy, gluten-free, and incredibly versatile. It’s also… The post Green Soup With Tangy Cashew Cream (Instant Pot Or Stovetop) appeared first on Nom Nom Paleo®.

Jan 14, 2025 - 15:37

Green Soup With Tangy Cashew Cream (Instant Pot Or Stovetop)

This Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream is a veggie-packed powerhouse that’s creamy, tangy, gluten-free, and incredibly versatile. It’s also surprisingly kid-friendly, easy to customize, and perfect for meal prep. Whether you keep it plant-based or amp up the protein with your favorite leftover meat, this soup will quickly become a weeknight staple.

An overhead shot of five bowls of bright green soup topped with cashew cream.

How to make Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream

A veggie packed green soup!

If you’re looking for a soup that’s not only super delicious but also packed with veggies, you’re in for a treat. This Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream is one of my favorite recipes from our latest cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! Whether you’re looking for a comforting bowl of soup on a chilly day or a way to pack more veggies into your meals, this recipe has you covered.

A smiling Asian woman in glasses is blending a bright green soup in a Vitamix.

Ingredients for Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream

Cashew Cream

Raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 15 minutes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Garlic clove, peeled
Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Green Soup

Medium head of broccoli: You can use about 10 to 12 ounces of fresh or frozen broccoli florets in this soup. No need to thaw the frozen broccoli ahead of time ’cause it’ll thaw in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
Zucchini
Green onions
Peeled and diced apple: This is a pro tip I learned from my chef sister, Fiona! She always adds some diced apple to puréed vegetable soups to add a smidge of sweetness that balances the flavors of the soup.
Chicken broth or vegetable broth: You can use chicken broth, bone broth, or vegetable broth (to keep it vegan) in this recipe. However, this soup will only taste as good your broth base, so use the richest, highest quality broth you can find. For example, when I use store-bought, I typically choose Roli Roti brand chicken bone broth. After all, you don’t want your hearty soup to taste like hot green juice, right?
Baby spinach: The secret to the bright green color of this soup is adding baby spinach at the very end and blending as soon as the leaves are wilted. But even if you accidentally overcook the soup and the color gets a little muddy, the taste will still be fab!
Extra virgin olive oil
Yellow or white onion
Minced garlic
Chopped fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
Diamond Crystal kosher salt

How to make Green Soup with Tangy Cashew Cream

Make the cashew cream

Drain the soaked cashews and toss them into a high-speed blender with ¼ cup water, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.

Pouring soaked raw cashews in a strainer to make cashew cream.

Purée in a blender until smooth. (Yes, you can also use a high powered immersion blender and a blender cup!)

A Vitamix blender is blending up a cashew cream.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or lemon juice if needed. Set aside.

Pouring a creamy dairy-free cashew cream from a Vitamix blender into a serving bowl.

Make the green soup

Turn on the sauté function on your Instant Pot. Once hot, swirl in the extra virgin olive oil.

Pouring extra virgin olive oil into an open Instant Pot.

Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Adding a spoonful of salt to an open Instant Pot filled with chopped onions.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is slightly softened. Turn off the sauté function.

An overhead shot of an open Instant Pot filled with sautéed chopped onions.

Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Adding a spoonful of chopped ginger to an Instant Pot to make green soup.

Add the broccoli…

Adding chopped broccoli florets into an open Instant Pot to make green soup.

…zucchini, green onions/scallions, and apple. Mix well.

Adding chopped zucchini, green onions, and chopped apples to an open Instant Pot to make green soup.

Pour in the broth and add another ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Pouring chicken broth into a pot with broccoli, green onions, zucchini, and apple to make green soup.

Cover the Instant Pot and cook for 1 minute under high pressure.

An overhead shot of someone putting the lid on top of an Instant Pot filled with the ingredients to make green soup.

Turn off the Instant Pot and release the pressure manually.

An Asian woman is releasing the pressure manually from an Instant Pot and looking at the released steam.

Open the lid and add the baby spinach.

A hand is adding raw baby spinach to an open Instant Pot filled with the cooked green soup ingredients.

Stir until they’re just wilted.

An overhead shot of an open Instant Pot filled with the ingredients of cooked green soup, ready to be blended.

Then, blend the soup in batches in a high-speed blender. Fill the blender cup no more than ⅔ full, remove the center of the lid, and cover the top with a towel.

A smiling Asian woman is blending green soup in a Vitamix.

Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot but it may not turn out as smooth and creamy. (Sometimes the baby spinach can get trapped in the immersion blender blade.)

Pour the soup into bowls, top with a dollop of cashew cream, and serve!

Adding a dairy-free cashew cream to the top of a bowl of pureed green soup.

No Instant Pot? Stovetop instructions!

Grab a large saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Next, add the olive oil and sauté the onion with ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly softened.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, and then toss in the broccoli, zucchini, scallions, apple, broth, and ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, and then decrease the heat to maintain a simmer for 4 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender. Then, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the baby spinach until wilted.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a high speed blender (make sure to remove the center of the lid, cover with a towel, and don’t fill more than ½ full).

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the soup into bowls, top with a dollop of cashew cream, and serve!

How to store leftovers

Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The cashew cream can be refrigerated separately for up to a week.

Tips and tricks for perfect green soup

Protein Boost: Increase the protein content by adding leftover Kalua Pork or any other cooked protein you have on hand. Stir it into the soup at the end (after blending) for a hearty upgrade.
Fiber Boost: You can add canned and drained chickpeas, lentils, or white beans to increase the fiber content. (I know legumes aren’t technically paleo, but I eat ’em. You do you, boo!)
Blending Safely: When using a high-speed blender, always fill it no more than ⅔ full and cover the lid’s center opening with a towel to prevent splatters. You can also use an immersion blender, but it doesn’t turn out quite as creamy and the baby spinach can get wrapped around the blade.
Keep The Soup Vibrant Green: Don’t add the baby spinach until the soup is finished cooking and make sure to blend the soup as soon as the leaves are wilted to retain the bright green color.
Customizations: Swap out broccoli for cauliflower or add kale, Swiss chard, other leafy greens instead of spinach for a different twist. Please note that if you are adding something other than baby spinach to the soup, you will need to cook the greens longer so they are soft enough to be blended properly.

More healthy vegetable soup recipes

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).