Spinach and Potato Soup Recipe: Silky and Bright Green
Last updated on October 13th, 2026
Most spinach soups turn a dull khaki colour and taste watery the moment potato goes into the pot. This spinach and potato soup recipe avoids both problems. The potato gives the soup its body and silky texture once it’s blended, while a short simmer keeps the spinach tasting fresh and looking bright green instead of muddy. It’s a handful of ingredients away from a proper, from-scratch bowl of comfort. Start with my quick vegetable stock and you’ll taste the difference.
How To Make Spinach And Potato Soup
To make spinach and potato soup, sweat an onion in butter, simmer diced potato in stock until mashable, then add cream and spinach for a few minutes. Blend, strain and finish with cream and nutmeg. The full quantities are in the recipe card below.
Sweat The Onion And Garlic
Fine-dice the onion and two cloves of garlic, and peel and dice the potato. Melt 25 g of butter with a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and sweat it until translucent. It took me six minutes. Then add the garlic and cook gently for another minute or two.
Simmer The Potato Until Mashable
Add the diced potato and the stock, bring the pan up to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the potato is mashable. The potato is what gives the finished soup its body, so don’t cut this short.
Add The Cream And Spinach
Stir in the cream and the spinach and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Keep it short: that is what keeps the spinach tasting fresh and the soup bright green.
Blend, Strain And Season
Blend in batches, in a liquidizer or with a stick blender (see the tips below for blending hot soup safely), then pour through a strainer into a clean saucepan. You should have a silky, bright green soup. Taste for seasoning, bring it back to a simmer and serve in a warmed bowl with a drizzle of cream and some finely grated nutmeg.
Spinach And Potato Soup Without Cream Or Butter
You keep this spinach and potato soup creamy without cream or butter by leaning on the potato itself. It’s already doing the thickening, so butter and cream are only there for taste. Swap in a vegan butter and a non-dairy cream made from soy, coconut, or almond milk and you won’t lose much at all. A splash of creamy homemade oat milk works well here too. Or leave both out completely for a lighter, purely vegetable version; the soup still turns out silky once it’s blended, just a touch less rich. Either way, you end up with the same creamy, satisfying bowl.
Swap The Spinach For Other Greens And Adjust The Timing
This soup is built around a simple method, not one specific vegetable, so it adapts easily to whatever greens you have on hand. Kale, broccoli, or asparagus can all stand in for the spinach; you just need to adjust how long they simmer. If you go down the asparagus route, my bright green asparagus soup shows how to use the whole stalk. Kale and broccoli are tougher and need a little more time to soften, while asparagus cooks faster than spinach and should come out earlier. Match the simmer time to the vegetable and the texture takes care of itself.
Don’t Throw Away The Spinach Stalks
If your spinach comes with thick stalks, don’t bin them, as they carry more flavour and nutrients than people assume. It’s the same no-waste thinking as saving the woody ends from my lemony sautéed asparagus. Cut them into small pieces and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes before the leaves go in. That head start softens the stalks enough that they blend in seamlessly, instead of leaving stringy bits in the finished soup. It’s a small step that uses the whole vegetable and gives you a more elevated bowl for it.
Tips For The Best Spinach And Potato Soup
- Take your time and really sweat the onions until they are completely softened and smelling sweet. This will give you a depth of flavour you can’t get any other way!
- Adjust the cooking time for the greens. If you’re using baby spinach, 2 or 3 minutes of simmering will be enough. If you’re using fully grown spinach, 5 minutes is where you want to be.
- Blend the soup well, a super smooth soup feels silky in the mouth and overall will give a more luxurious eating experience.
- When blending hot liquid in a liquidizer, never go higher than halfway with hot liquid, always crack the top to release pressure and always hold the lid on using a towel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you add spinach to potato soup?
Stir it in once the potato is mashable, along with the cream, and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Then blend, so the spinach stays fresh and the soup stays bright green.
Can I make spinach and potato soup vegan?
Yes, simply swap the butter and cream for vegan alternatives such as vegan butter and a non-dairy cream made from soy, coconut, or almond milk, or leave them out entirely for a lighter soup.
Can I use other greens instead of spinach?
Yes, kale, broccoli, and asparagus all work well in place of spinach. Just adjust the cooking time, since kale and broccoli generally need a little longer to soften while asparagus needs less time.
Should I throw away thick spinach stalks?
No, the stalks are full of flavour and nutrients. Cut them into small pieces and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the leaves so they have time to soften and release their flavour into the soup.
How do I get this soup silky smooth?
Blend it thoroughly in a liquidizer until no texture remains. A fully smooth blend gives the soup a much more luxurious, velvety mouthfeel.
Is it safe to blend hot soup in a liquidizer?
Yes, but take care: never fill the liquidizer more than halfway with hot liquid, crack the lid slightly to let steam escape, and hold the lid down with a towel while blending to prevent pressure buildup.
Spinach and Potato Soup Recipe: Silky and Bright Green
Equipment
- Blender (jug, liquidiser)
- Stick blender
- Strainer / Sieve
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Microplane / Fine grater
- Vegetable peeler
- Digital scales
- Measuring jug
- Saucepan
- Serving bowl / Dish
- Ladle / Skimming spoon
- Wooden / Stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 25 g butter
- extra virgin olive oil a splash
- 1/2 an onion finely diced (160g / 5.6oz)
- 2 large garlic cloves fine diced
- 1 potato peeled & diced (280g / 9.9oz)
- Spinach leaves washed and roughly chopped (200g / 7oz)
- 750 ml / 1.5 pints of chicken or veg stock
- 200 ml / 1.5 cups double cream + a little extra for the top
- Nutmeg finely grated
Instructions
- To get started, fine-dice the onion and the garlic and peel and dice the potato.
- Place a medium-sized pan onto a medium heat.
- Add 25g of butter and a splash of extra virgin olive oil to a saucepan.
- Heat until the butter has melted.
- Add the finely diced onion and a pinch of salt, sweat until the onion is translucent, this took me 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to gently cook for another minute or 2.
- Now add your diced potato and the stock, bring the pan up to a boil, simmer for around 10 minutes or until your potato is mashable.
- Add the cream and the spinach and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
- Blend in batches in your liquidizer or using a stick blender.
- Pour through a strainer into a fresh saucepan.
- Taste for seasoning and bring back up to a simmer.
- Serve in a warmed bowl and finish with a drizzle of cream, and some finely grated nutmeg on the top and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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