There is something very nostalgic about pot pie. It brings me all the way back to my childhood – warm comfort food on cold winter nights! This soup is the perfect way to enjoy this amazing comfort food, while also keeping it a bit lighter and healthier. It is dairy-free but still has the most amazing creamy texture. You have to add this to your weekly menu ASAP! So good!
See Also: 30+ Best Soup Recipes and our Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Table of Contents
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.
- olive oil – just a drizzle in the pot to sauté the garlic and onion.
- chicken broth – we recommend using a high-quality chicken broth or you can even use homemade!
- chicken thighs – we highly recommend using chicken thighs because they have great flavor and cook faster than chicken breasts. If you choose to use chicken breasts you will have to adjust your cook time.
- celery, carrots, russet potato, & frozen peas – all the great veggies in this delicious soup!
- raw cashews & unsweetened almond milk – these are combined to make that delicious, creamy cashew cream.
- nutritional yeast – this adds that cheesy flavor without actually having to add any cheese!
How To Make Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Place softened raw cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and kosher salt in a blender or food processor.
Blend on high for 3-4 minutes or until creamy.
Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil. Pour in the chicken broth.
Add the chicken thighs, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add the celery, carrots, potato, and chicken back to the dutch oven.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the cashew mixture to the dutch oven.
Mix to fully combine and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the frozen peas and seasonings.
Stir to combine, taste + adjust and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
- What Vegetables Are Best In This Soup: In this recipe we used celery, carrots, a potato, & frozen peas. If you don’t care for one of those you can simply omit them. You could also try green beans or corn. Any of these veggie options would be great! Just use what you like or have on hand.
- How Do You Store Chicken Pot Pie Soup: Any leftovers can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. You could try to freeze this soup, but once it has thawed you might get quite a bit of separation. Creamier soups don’t tend to do great with freezing.
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Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chicken Pot Pie Soup – a creamy, delicious and lighter version of your classic chicken pot pie recipe! Major comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4–6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 1 russet potato, cubed
- 1 ½ cup raw cashews (+ water for boiling)
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (add more ¼ teaspoon at a time)
Instructions
- Bring 2-3 cups water to a boil. Place cashews in a heat-safe bowl. Carefully pour boiling water over the cashews and set them aside.
- Add olive oil to Dutch Oven and bring to medium-high heat; swirl to coat the pan.
- Add garlic and move around the pan until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and saute 1-2 minutes.
- Add in chicken broth and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked). Remove chicken thighs and let cool slightly. Shred with two forks.
- Meanwhile, drain cashews and add them to a high-powered blender along with the almond milk, nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend on HIGH 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Add celery, carrots, potato, and chicken back into the Dutch Oven; let simmer 5 minutes.
- Pour cashew mixture into Dutch Oven. Bring to a simmer and continually stir as it simmers for 5-7 minutes; it will thicken.
- Add in peas, oregano, thyme and the remaining teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir to combine and then taste. Add additional salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time, if-needed.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Optional: you could also add 1 cup of fresh or frozen green beans.
- Reheating: I would recommend reheating on the stove top – add in a splash or two of chicken broth to thin/smooth out the base as you reheat.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Serving: if you are doing Whole30/Paleo serve as-is; if you aren’t concerned with paleo/Whole30 feel free to serve with a biscuit if you want!
Renee says
This turned out so good! You can’t tell it’s not made with dairy! Thank you Erin!
Erin says
Awesome to hear, Renee!
Joni says
Making this tonight. How big is 1 serving? 1cup?
Lauren Zalesky says
Another winner in our household! So delicious and cheesy tasting with the nutritional yeast that you don’t miss the biscuits when doing W30.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Lauren!
Meagan says
We made this recipe during a Whole30 and loved it, so I recommended it to a friend who was starting a Whole30. Two weeks later we made it again and I texted to ask how her Whole30 was going. We were both making the soup again at the same time! We both loved it. Thanks Erin, this is delish and a great comfort food.
Erin says
Oh my gosh I love that!! So, so happy to hear that you (and your friend) enjoyed it!
Corinne says
So easy to make and absolutely delicious… the perfect comfort food!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Corinne!! And thank you for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Erin says
Is there an alternative if you are allergic to cashews?
Erin says
Hi Erin – I am working on an alternative (although it won’t be paleo) and will update as soon as it is ready!
Meg says
I too would love an alternate to cashews bc of an allergy!
Shelley says
I recently tried without cashews. Instead, I used drained, canned, cannellini beans which I blended with plant based cream (Country Crock makes a nice one). I also slightly blended the soup with an immersion blender. It turned out well! I kept everything else exactly the same.
Erin says
Thank you for sharing that, Shelley!