Try this savory creamy vegetable pasta soup. It is dairy-free, oil-free, and full of vegetables. Make this vegan soup in the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker) for a quick, delicious, creamy, and satisfying bowl.
For all of my delicious vegan soups, stews, and chowders – click here! You’ll find comforting, warm, and heartwarming vegan soup served with bread, sandwiches, or salads for a complete hearty meal.
For this soup, you will need
Raw cashews, non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk), vegetable broth, vegetables, and various seasonings. You will also be using a small pasta. I used bow-tie pasta. Make sure you read the ingredients listed on the box to ensure the pasta you use meets your eating ethics. Some special ingredients include nutritional yeast flakes (not the same as brewer’s or baker’s yeast), white miso paste and lemon juice. For the best success, read through all directions, tips and tricks.
I first stumbled on the idea of making a creamy pasta soup when I found the (very) famous White Lasagna Soup by Rabbits and Wolves. If you haven’t tried this soup yet, then click on the link and hop over to their site. They have amazingly delicious recipes! I wanted to make this soup in the Instant Pot and tried…and failed several times. Finally, I decided to use bow-tie pasta and change it up some. Yay, it worked! I hope you enjoy this version as well.
Other great Instant Pot recipes:
Looking for some other yummy plant-based recipes made in the pressure cooker? Try my African Peanut Stew – so flavorful! Or the (truly) Best Vegan Mac and Cheese – sauce made in the Instant Pot.
Read on for tips and tricks to make your Instant Pot soup the best it can be.
Tips and Tricks for Success Making the Creamy Vegetable Pasta Soup Recipe:
- Read all tips and tricks for best success. There are too many to include in the recipe card.
- I use a 6 quart Instant Pot. This is the only brand and size I’m familiar with. Please read your instructions and know your pressure cooker.
- This recipe includes nuts. You must disclose if you serve this to anyone as nuts are not commonly used in vegetable soup.
- Use a smallish onion. You should be able to hold it in your hand. Dice the onion small.
- I save a little time by purchasing sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. It won’t make any difference in the recipe results.
- Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in the Instant Pot for about 10 minutes in one cup of vegetable broth. You will want the onions almost fully softened before you add the other ingredients because we will only be at pressure for 3 minutes.
- After sautéing and before adding the other ingredients, check the bottom of the pan and make sure it hasn’t scorched at all. Your soup will probably not come to pressure with a scorched bottom.
- Soak the raw cashews for about 30 minutes and discard soaking water before putting in the high-speed blender.
- If you can only find roasted cashews, you will need to soak much longer – for several hours. Also, if they are salted, rinse well or your soup will be super salty.
Pin now to save for later:
The quality and taste of the nutritional yeast you use are really important to the outcome of this recipe. Just like choosing wine for cooking; don’t be cheap! The flavor and quality you put into your dish will definitely affect the outcome. You might need to experiment a little. This is my family’s current favorite. It is a little pricey but so good! I can eat it out of the bag. Crazy huh! (Affiliate Link)
- White Miso Paste will be hard to find. You can maybe find it in the Asian section of your grocery store. I’ve put a link below. You only use a tiny bit and it will keep forever in the refrigerator. White miso is used in so many of my vegan dishes because it gives a little tang to recipes when we no longer used cheese.
- Bow-tie pasta works best for this recipe. I can only guarantee the cooking time if you also use bow-tie pasta. A good rule of thumb for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is to read the directions/boiling time on the box. Cut the cooking time in half and minus 1. That’s how many minutes at high pressure your pasta will need to perfectly cook. Please enjoy this great article from Tidbits about cooking pasta in the Instant Pot.
- After cooking at 3 minutes on high pressure, allow 12 minutes for a natural release. Any longer than that and your pasta might be too mushy. Any shorter and you might have the creamy soup bubbling up through the pressure release valve. After only 12 minutes though, you will need to finish the release manually. I use a long-handled spoon and turn the release lever. After all the steam is out and the pressure has released, I can then open the pressure cooker.
For safety use a long handle to open the vent.
Items I Found Helpful in Making this Recipe:
*Affiliate links* I am an Amazon Affiliate. This means that clicking on and purchasing through a link might earn Veggie Fun Kitchen compensation at no additional cost to you.
Recipe and Serving Suggestions for Creamy Vegetable Pasta Soup (Instant Pot):
This soup works well for meal prep; though it might thicken up in the fridge. Just add a little vegetable broth or plant milk to thin it if necessary. Make my Garlic Herb Beer Bread to go along with this creamy savory vegetable soup! You can get started on the beer bread first, and make your soup while it’s in the oven! Time it just right and you’ll have your bread and soup together:)
Some more delicious plant-based soups to try:
For some other delicious plant-based soups, try my:
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
The Recipe for Creamy Vegetable Pasta Soup:
I hope you enjoy the recipe, but don’t say goodbye! Subscribe to Veggie Fun Kitchen to get new recipes and ideas to simplify your plant-based cooking routines delivered straight to your inbox! When you become a part of the Veggie Fun Kitchen Community, you’ll learn to cook great tasting recipes the whole family will enjoy! (No spam here! I will never share your email, and you can unsubscribe whenever you want)
Creamy Vegetable Pasta Soup (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
The Creamy Sauce (in the Blender)
- 2/3 cup raw cashews soaked for 30 minutes
- 2 cups plant milk unsweetened
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup real maple please
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso paste
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
For the Instant Pot
- 4 cups vegetable broth divided - 1 cup to sauté and 3 cups for the soup
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup mushrooms diced
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 2 teaspoons Italian Herb mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables small diced
- 1 cup bow-tie pasta uncooked (dry)
- creamy cashew mixture (above)
After the Soup Has Finished
- 1 cup baby spinach
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water for about 30 minutes. Drain.
- Add cashews, plant-milk, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, miso paste, and lemon juice to a high-speed blender. Been on high for about 3 minutes or until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
- While cashews are soaking, dice onion and mushroom. Mince garlic if not using a jarred minced garlic.
- Line the bottom of the Instant Pot pot (the one you can take out) with 1 cup of vegetable broth. Sauté the onion, mushrooms, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Your soup will be at pressure for only 3 minutes so this step is important or your onion will be crunchy.
- Add in the Italian herbs, salt and pepper while the onion mixture is sautéing.
- Add in 2 cups of frozen vegetables. Use the small diced mixed vegetables.
- Pour the creamy cashew mixture on top along with the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth and dried bow-tie pasta. Give it a stir.
- Set the Instant Pot for 3 minutes high pressure. This will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, depending on your pot.
- After the Instant Pot comes to pressure and cooks for 3 minutes, let your pot naturally release for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes of natural release, carefully release the rest on the steam/pressure with a long-handled spoon or similar device.
- Open your pot and stir in a large handful (about a cup) of torn baby spinach. Stir around and it will wilt.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Also, add in a little broth if the soup is too thick for your preference.
Notes
- This recipe uses raw cashews. If you use roasted cashews, you will need to soak longer. Make sure the salt is rinsed off.
- You must disclose that this recipe contains nuts to anyone you serve.
- I used cashew milk. Use the unsweetened plant milk of your choice. This might affect the consistency.
- I used a bow-tie pasta. The timing of the Instant Pot is based on using this type of pasta.
- The pasta is dry (uncooked) before cooking in the Instant Pot.
- The total cooking time is based on 10 minutes of sautéing, 3 minutes at high pressure, and 12 minutes of natural release. It does not include time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure.
Nutrition
We are gluten-free. Can I use a different pasta? Any suggestions?
I’ve never tried a gluten-free pasta in the IP. I will tell you though, that some of the gluten -free pastas I’ve tried have a different texture and I’m not sure they would hold up. I’m referring to the bean and lentil pastas I’ve tried. I’ve recently tried Barilla gluten-free pasta and because of my experience with the bean pastas, was shocked by the nice firm texture and similar (to regular) flavor. I would start there and see if works with that brand. Next time I make this soup, I’ll definitely use Barilla and see how it does and then update the recipe. Thanks for the suggestion.
Your plate is healthy and delicious and I will try to make the same dish
Thank you for the comment:)