Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup Made with Cashew Cream

November 30, 2020 · Nyssa Tanner 38 Comments

This dairy free chicken pot pie soup made with cashew cream is creamy, delicious, made with lots of veggies, and total comfort food. Perfect to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, or turkey from the holidays! The recipe for this wholesome homemade soup is whole30, gluten free, paleo-ish, and with a vegan option.

Reason number one to make a normal sized turkey even when you’re not cooking for a crowd? This option to use leftovers for soup 😉

Yes, yes, I know that this is a recipe for chicken pot pie soup, but I whipped up the first round of this recipe with leftover turkey from our Thanksgiving dinner and it was so 👌🏼 I just had to share it with you.

And really it’s just as perfect to make with some leftover rotisserie chicken, or pre-cooked chicken that you whip up during meal prep.

I decided to make it a chicken pot pie soup recipe because that’s likely how we’ll make it for the rest of the year when we’re not using up Thanksgiving leftovers – but it would be so tasty either way.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This pot pie soup is:

Creamy
Comforting
Cozy
Easy to make
Filling
Versatile
Dairy free
Great for meal prep
FREAKING DELICIOUS 🙌🏼

Ingredients

This dairy free chicken pot pie soup recipe is made with some pretty basic ingredients that come together to create the most flavorful creamy soup.

A perfect combination of classic flavors to create a tasty spin on a comfort food classic.

It truly is a winning dairy free dinner that everyone will love!

(If you’re already ready to get started, scroll all the way down to the bottom for the full recipe!)

Here’s exactly what you need to make this healthy whole30 chicken pot pie soup:

Raw cashews – Raw cashews are what makes this soup full of such a dreamy texture. Blended with some of the broth until they surrender to the richest creamy broth with no dairy at all. If you can’t have cashews, consider substituting part of the broth with your favorite unsweetened non dairy creamer, and / or blending part of the soup until smooth BEFORE adding the chicken and peas in the final steps.
Onion, carrots & celery – These three vegetables (often referred to as a mirepoix) are the start of many classic dishes, and for good reason! When sautéed with a generous glug of olive oil they provide an incredible flavor base.
Yukon gold potatoes – You could really use just about any type of potato for this recipe. Yukon gold are my favorite for their mild and buttery flavor.
Garlic
Poultry seasoning – Homemade or store bought both work. All purpose seasoning could also be used.
Nutritional yeast – Nutritional yeast is not necessary for this recipe, but it does add lovely depth of flavor. If it’s a new ingredient to you and you do a lot of dairy free cooking I highly recommend making the small investment to keep in your kitchen.
Salt + pepper
Cooked chicken or turkey – Really either one would work beautifully! This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey over the holidays. If you want a meat free / vegan option consider substituting it with canned chickpeas or cauliflower florets.
Broth – Chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth would all be delicious.
Frozen peas – Peas are added at the end to bring that classic chicken pot pie vibe. You could always substitute them with another green vegetable like green beans, broccoli, baby spinach, or collard greens.

How to make this soup

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and comes together in right around 30 minutes.

It’s made with only 1 pot, without milk or heavy cream, and is perfect to re-heat for leftovers throughout the week.

It makes a fairly large amount (about 6 servings), but I doubt it will last long once you try your first bite 😉

Here’s the step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Soak the cashews

Add raw cashews to a heat proof bowl and cover with hot (ideally just boiled) water – allow to soak for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Step 2: Sauté onions, carrots, & celery

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally – until softened and onions are translucent.

Step 3: Add potatoes and spices

Add potatoes, garlic, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more – stirring often.

Step 4: Make the cashew cream broth

Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Transfer to a blender with 2 cups broth and blend on high speed until completely smooth and no lumps or small pieces remain.

Step 5: Add broth & chicken

Add cashew mixture broth along with remaining 2 cups broth, and shredded chicken or turkey to the soup pot. Scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and cover. Gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally – until potatoes and veggies are tender.

Step 6: Add peas + serve!

Just before serving turn off the heat and add frozen peas. Stir to combine and let the soup sit for a minute or two until the peas are bright green and warm.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve!

How to store, re-heat, and freeze

To store: This dairy free soup can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

To re-heat: To re-heat this soup, simply heat gently on the stove, stirring frequently, until warm. Alternatively it can be re-heated in the microwave. If it has thickened while warming, simply thin with a bit of broth until desired consistency is reached.

To freeze: This soup freezes beautifully. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator overnight, and warm gently on the stove before serving. It would be an excellent recipe to make to get a bit ahead on some meal prep for nights when you just don’t feel like cooking.

Substitutions & swaps

To make this soup vegan / vegetarian: Choose olive oil over ghee for the fat you use to sauté the onions and veggies in. For the broth – choose a vegetarian option, and swap the chicken for canned chickpeas, beans, or cauliflower florets.

To make this recipe paleo / whole30 compliant: As written, this recipe is paleo / whole30 compliant. Peas can be omitted or swapped for another green vegetable if desired.

To make it cashew free: If you can’t have cashews, consider omitting them and substituting part of the broth with your favorite unsweetened non dairy creamer. You could also blend part of the soup until smooth BEFORE adding the chicken and peas in the final steps.

Love this dairy free soup? Here’s some other recipes to try!

If you love this chicken pot pie soup recipe please let us know by leaving a REVIEW and RATING below!

And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Nyssa’s Kitchen recipes! And if you make an NK recipe be sure to snap a picture & tag @nyssas_kitchen! I LOVVVE seeing what you’re making from the blog 🥳