Easy 5 Ingredient Hungarian Dairy-Free Potato Soup

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My podcast guest, Dora Hurley shared this simple, easy Hungarian 5 Ingredient Dairy-Free Potato Soup. For years, every Friday her grandmother made her this meal, which served both religious and practical purposes. Listen to her episode, A Hungarian Friday Meal while you make this super simple 5 Ingredient Potato Soup!  

Dora enjoyed her grandmother's Hungarian Dairy-Free Potato Soup recipe every Friday evening. As she explains in her episode, her strictly Catholic grandmother never ate meat on Fridays to recognize and remember that Jesus died on a Friday. 

This delicious, super easy soup recipe, which can come together in 15-20 minutes, had a practical advantage for Dora's grandmother as well. In a time and place where food shopping only occurred at a pop-up market once a week, a "Friday meal" had to use only the most basic of ingredients. 

A non-dairy potato soup recipe still delicious thanks to bay leaf, onion, and classic Hungarian spice - paprika. 

Another element to Friday's meal - Poppy Seed Bread Pudding, Mákos Guba. Enjoy!

Just 5 Simple Ingredients

This dairy-free potato soup recipe couldn't be easier and is a delicious option for both vegan and non-vegan eaters alike! Grab some crusty bread and butter (or vegan butter) to have as a side to your delicious soup or try Dora's Mákos Guba (Hungarian Poppyseed Bread Pudding) as the perfect side to your creamy dairy-free potato soup!

• Potatoes: Most potato soup recipes call for waxy potatoes, like red potatoes or yellow potatoes as they hold their shape well in soups and stews. Personally, I don't mind using Yukon Gold potatoes. The Yukon Golds indeed break down, but I like how the blended potatoes thicken the soup. I don't prefer Russet potatoes, which are preferable for baking.
  • *Tip* - I don't worry about peeling potatoes for soup, as long as they are thin-skinned potatoes. A lot of nutrition is in the skin! 
• Bay Leaf and Onion: Simmering the potatoes in water with bay leaf and onion will flavor the broth and the potatoes as well.
• Flour and Oil: You'll use flour and olive oil (or any other neutral flavored oil) to make a simple roux (paste) to thicken the soup.

Flavorings and Garnishes

Fall and winter are, in my opinion, soup season, and one of my favorite things about soup is that everyone gets to add their own toppings to make it their own. The list below highlights topping options ranging from dried herbs to dairy and non-dairy options to try out.

• Paprika: This is the most Hungarian of all the spices. Add 1/4 teaspoon to start and more if you like it.
• Salt and black pepper: Of course.
• Sour cream: This is almost as Hungarian as paprika and will give you creamy potato soup an even more creamy texture! This is a milk-free potato soup recipe, but obviously, if you add sour cream it will no longer remain dairy-free or vegan. If you prefer, you can always use sour cream - or skip it altogether.
• Green onions, chives, and dill: all of these are common in loaded baked potato soup, but uncommon in Hungarian soup. Certainly, feel free to add them if you'd like.
• Crispy bacon: Again, this is more of a common American topping for loaded baked potato soup.
• Cheese: Same as above.
• Vegan toppings: vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, vegan bacon bits, or nutritional yeast (this acts like a vegan parmesan cheese substitute for cheese).

Substitutions and Variations

Heartier flavor: You can always replace some or part of the water with vegetable broth or chicken broth.

Creamier soup - Before serving, add a bit of half and half or heavy cream.  

Creamy vegan potato soup: Use any non-dairy milk like almond milk, oat milk, cashew cream, or full-fat coconut milk (though coconut cream will give your soup a little bit of a coconut flavor).

Instructions

• Cook diced potatoes, onions, and bay leaf in water. 
• Make a roux from flour and oil and slowly stir into the soup.
• Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and garnish with your favorite toppings.   

How to Make In a Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

Follow all the directions in the recipe except cook in the crock pot on low for 2 hours. 

How to Thicken Potato Soup 

• Option 1: Use the roux as described in the recipe.
• Option 2: For gluten-free soup, use chickpea flour to make the roux.
• Option 3: Another option for gluten-free soup: Mix a tablespoon of corn starch with water until smooth, add 1/4 cup of the hot soup broth, mix until smooth again, then add to the soup.
• Option 4: Mash about 1/3 of the potatoes using a potato masher and it will make a thick, hearty soup without adding any other ingredients.

Equipment

• Enameled Dutch oven
• Large saucepan or large pot
• Potato masher
• Rustic soup bowls 

Storage

• It's possible to freeze up to 3 months in freezer bags. This will take up very little space in your freezer if you freeze it flat. However, the potato chunks will definitely break down and become watery when you defrost the soup. You may need to re-thicken it using any of the methods above.
• The best way to enjoy this creamy potato soup is to make and serve it fresh.
• This traditional potato soup can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.

Related

Try this simple dessert, which was the second half of Dora's Hungarian Friday Meal:

Listen to Dora's Story

Dora shares how her grandmother made her the very center of her world, despite working two jobs. As her grandmother grew up in poverty, she loved Dora every day by providing her with wholesome and delicious food.

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More Eastern European Recipes

Recipe

Easy 5 Ingredient Hungarian Dairy-Free Potato Soup

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4.7 from 28 reviews

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Chunky, creamy super easy 5 ingredient potato soup without milk. Pair with Poppy Seed Bread Pudding for a traditional Hungarian No Meat Friday Meal.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 potatoes
• 3 -4 cups water *See Note 1
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion (large, diced)
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp Hungarian paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Sprinkling of parsley
• Garnishes *See Note 3

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Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

1. Peel and chop the potatoes to smallish dice. If you're really in a hurry, you don't need to peel the potatoes - I never do 😉

Make The Recipe

1. Sauté onions to tender
2. Add potatoes, water, and bay leaves (See Note 1)
3. Slowly bring to a simmer
4. Cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender
5. In a non stick fry pan make a roux from 2 tablespoon oil and flour
6. Stir in the paprika and then add this to the soup to thicken it (*See Note 2)
7. Salt and pepper to taste
8. Sprinkle some parsley on top and serve with sour cream or any other preferred toppings (See Note 3)

Notes

• Note 1: Truly, the soup is plenty flavorful with water. However, if you'd prefer, you can always replace all or part of the water with chicken stock, vegetable broth, milk/cream, or a non-dairy milk.
• Note 2: If you need to thicken your soup even more, you can: use chickpea flour or make a roux with corn starch, water, and soup broth for gluten-free options, or you can mash 1/3 of the potatoes to make it thicker.
• Note 3: Dora recommends sour cream and parsley as the most popular Hungarian garnishes. You can also try crispy crumbled bacon, fried onions, cheese, fresh dill, or anything else you imagine!
• Make sure to listen to Dora on The Storied Recipe Podcast, A Hungarian Friday Meal while you make her Potato Soup recipe!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main Dish, Soup
• Cuisine: Eastern European

Nutrition

• Calories: 167
• Sugar: 2
• Sodium: 10
• Fat: 5
• Saturated Fat: 0.4
• Carbohydrates: 28
• Fiber: 4
• Protein: 3