You’ll never believe this creamy soup is vegan: it has the perfect velvety texture and is full of flavor. Here’s how to make our best vegan corn chowder!
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water; allow them to soak while preparing the recipe.
Dice the onion and celery. Peel and dice the carrots. Place the onion, celery and carrots together in a bowl.
Mince the garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes. Place them in a separate bowl. Cut the corn from the cob, saving the cobs to simmer in the soup.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the corn cobs (broken into a few pieces, if necessary to fit in the pot), vegetable broth, water, soy sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the cobs from the soup.
Drain the cashews. Using a 2-cup glass measuring cup with spout, carefully scoop out about 4 cups of the hot soup and place it in a blender, then add the drained cashews. Blend on high for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy. Return to the soup pot, then stir in the reserved corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes until the corn is tender. Taste and the additional 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more if desired). Serve warm.