Among the excellent vegan options in Croatia last month was a delicious vegan cream of kohlrabi soup that I tried at a restaurant in Sibenik. It was a pretty unassuming looking dish but was delicious, fresh and flavorful!
After a bit of research and experimentation I realized that the restaurant in Croatia made their vegan “cream of” soup by simply blending in olive oil and a little bit of waxy potato. So, this kohlrabi soup is dead easy and made with super simple ingredients! Winning.
Not familiar with kohlrabi? It’s a stalwart of my yearly CSA subscription and we’ve really grown to love this veggie. The texture is quite similar to jicama or perhaps a nice crisp apple; but the flavor is like a milder, juicier broccoli. You can eat it either raw or cooked. I love it in spring rolls or collard wraps; added to tomato-based curries; or simply cut into bite-sized pieces for a fresh raw snack.
I go through phases where I just cannot be bothered to get out our proper blender, and for those phases, you can immersion blend this or use the food processor. However, for the best silky smooth result (i.e. if you were having dinner guests, perhaps), you’ll want to use your Vitamix or the like. You can also eat it chunky style with no blending implement at all, although obviously it won’t really be creamy! But still delish.
The kohlrabi in our CSA usually comes with greens and so to accompany my kohlrabi stew, I roasted the greens like kale chips. Just chop and wash them, dry them completely, give them a very light coating of olive oil and salt, and bake at 350 Fahrenheit until crispy.
In the photos the cream of kohlrabi soup is garnished with the crispy greens, but this isn’t actually a practical idea, because the crispiness disappears pretty quickly in the presence of the steam from the hot soup. So I recommend keeping them separate unless you’re taking photos 😉
Cream of Kohlrabi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 8 oz Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed (or other waxy potatoes)
- 16 oz kohlrabi peeled and cubed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- fresh herbs (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- In a stockpot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook with occasional stirring until the onion is softened but not browning, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and cook for another 60 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the cubed potatoes and kohlrabi, stirring to combine, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the kohlrabi and potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth; or transfer to a blender or food processor and puree in batches. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and olive oil; serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Inspired by Dishing up the Dirt among others.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
natalie says
Thank you for your recipe.
The oven fried leaves make this this so special in taste.
And so easy to make.
Hannah says
Love this soup. I left out the red pepper flakes because I was serving this to two toddlers as well. It was so good! Super creamy and deliciously earthy. It was my first time cooking Kohlrabi (great Farmers’ Market find) and I was not disappointed. The crispy, slightly salty greens on the top really made the soup. My 2 year old kept asking for more “chips” . Thanks for the recipe!
Nicki says
It was really delicious- we added some leftover cauliflower and some cherry tomatoes.
The big issue we had was the fiber strings from the kohlrabi making the soup difficult to eat. Otherwise it was perfect.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Nicki, thanks for your comment!
If the fiber strings from the kohlrabi caused issues I would guess either it was not cooked long enough before being pureed, or you might have had some of the peel still on there. Make sure to peel it really thoroughly, there shouldn’t been any greenish material still showing once you’ve peeled it all. Hope this helps and glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Emily says
I love simple recipes. And my stomach loves them too! I am oil free and it worked fine in terms of flavor. Thank you for giving me good use to my kholrabi!
Sarah says
I love this recipe! It is so good.
Question: do you think it will double alright? I have a very big kohlrabi and a pound of potatoes, and room in my freezer!
Thanks!
Adrienne says
ÝUMMY!! Had kohlrabi and potatoes ready to harvest in the back garden so this recipe was ideal. I love this soup; it’s creamy with delicate flavours, light and scrumptious. I threw the leaves in with soup mix and blended everything together, even the bay leaf 🙈 yeah I forgot to take that out! Would definitely recommend and will absolutely make again. Go raibh mile maith agat (thanks a million from Ireland)
Kate says
Is the bowl serving 1 cup? Or more?
It’s so good!!! Perfect for everyone.
Sarah says
This soup is so good! My first time having kohlrabi. I didn’t have a bay leaf and used 1/4 tsp. oregano instead and it was great!
Karen says
I LOVE simple recipes like this. Great kohlrabi flavor and served with a side of bread with Earth Balance it was heaven. I used my immersion blender because I wanted to save dishes, and it was not silky smooth but the texture was still really nice.
Jenny Bella says
Yum, just found your blog asi was searching around about black rice. This soup looks delish, I shall be giving it a try. Do you ever spiralize your kohlrabi..just had it prepared that way a few days ago and was pleasantly impressed! Thank you Shannon.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes, spiralized kohlrabi is yum!!