November 3, 2024

Creamy Vegan Parsnip Apple Soup

Join us for a soup that is sweet, tart, creamy, savory and moreish- it’s our parsnip apple soup. This soup pairs sweet and tart apples with creamy, nutty parsnips and the umami of mushrooms, along with miso, ginger, and garlic for flavor. Pair with a vegan grilled cheese for the perfect Autumn lunch.

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It’s Apple Season!

One of my favorite things about Fall is apple picking- I love going out into the orchards, seeing the stunning displays of fall foliage, tasting apples from the different trees, and coming back with a nice half bushel of apples. Since that ends up being about 25 lbs. of apples, and I also enjoy not being the one carrying it through the orchard. It’s the thing to do in New England in Fall. In the past couple years we’ve started going to a place that allows dogs (which are few and far between), so we can take our pup Dougie with us. He gets really excited about the whole affair, and ends up taking Chad or I on a high-speed sniff-fari through the orchard, while whoever is not with Doug takes on the apple picking. We also make sure to go on a cloudy or rainy day, and usually get the place to ourselves.

Once the apples are back in the car, the cider is purchased (because fresh apple cider is basically a requirement of apple picking), it’s time to head home and eat our way through 25 lbs. of apples. It’s a challenge, but one I adore. Many of them are eaten straight off the core, some are baked into sweet treats, and a few are made into savory recipes. I am always looking for more savory apple recipes, so I was glad to dream up this parsnip and apple soup and share it with you all.

P.S. Our half bushel of apples is officially down to two, and I’ll be eating at least one of them right now for lunch.

Looking for Apple Recipes? Try one of these!

Looking for Creamy Vegan Soups? Check these out!

Parsnip Apple Soup Tips and Tricks

I did not remove the skins from my apples when making this soup- they blended in easily and I found it gave the soup a little bit of a pinker color that I found very pretty.
This soup will work with most apples, but I like to use ones with a little bit of tartness to them in order to get a more complex flavor in the soup.
This soup will blend more easily in a blender, but you can also use an immersion blender if you prefer.
This soup pairs perfectly with a vegan smoky cheese grilled cheese. I got Violife smoked gouda for this, and it was amazing.
A dash of hot sauce is excellent here, if you like you’re food spicy.
While I prefer this soup hot, it’s also pretty good when chilled.

Creamy Vegan Parsnip Apple Soup

Ingredients

1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. chili flakes
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup shopped shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb. parsnips, scrubbed and chopped into large cubes
2 medium-sized apples, cores removed and roughly chopped (skins are fine)
1 tbsp miso paste
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for cooking and serving
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Instructions

Add a small amount of oil to a pot, and once hot add the cumin and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until the cumin seeds start to pop. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic to the pot, and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the shiitake mushrooms, and cook for another couple minutes until they've started to release their moisture.
Next add the parsnips and apples to the pot, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes (until the parsnips are easily pierced with a fork).
Remove from the heat and transfer all the vegetables and liquid to a blender, along with the remaining soup ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.