This Old-Fashioned Irish Potato Soup recipe is adapted from a 19th Century recipe found in 'The Whitehouse Cook Book' [1887] by F. L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann. This soup makes for such a tasty, easy, quick and budget-friendly lunch, starter, or light dinner.Serve with wedges of warm wholewheat bread for extra wholesomeness that the whole family will love. As we are a plant-based family we used plant-based milk and plant-based margarine for our potato soup but of course you can replace those with your regular ingredients.
Irish Potato Soup is an easy one-pot soup that is prepared by cooking potatoes, onions and seasonings in stock before adding milk and margarine/butter and mashing everything together. A simple garnish of chopped chives or spring onions adds extra tasty textures.
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Origin of Irish Potato Soup
Potatoes were first cultivated in the Andes, South America more than 7000 years ago. Sometime during the latter years of the 16th Century potatoes were brought over to Ireland but who exactly was responsible for the introduction is not clear. Potatoes soon became a very popular inexpensive crop especially with the poorer members of Irish society who leaned heavily on the potato for valuable nutrition.
However the reliance on one vegetable crop was not ideal as when the potato crop succumbed to disease, the Great Irish Famine or the Irish Potato Famine [1845-1852/55] was the terrible outcome. The result of the famine included millions of Irish people having to rely on soup kitchens in order to prevent starvation, at least 1 million people dying, and about 1.5 million Irish immigrating to America.
Despite the Great Famine, the potato remains an important food for The Republic of Ireland [southern] as well as the separate Northern Ireland region, with lots of traditional delicious potato recipes, and many different variations of potato soup amassing over the years.
Our recipe for Irish potato soup was adapted from an old recipe we found within The Whitehouse Cookbook which was published in 1887, by the American authors Mrs F.L Gillette and Hugo Ziemann. As many Irish immigrants moved to American during the Potato Famine there would have been many traditional Irish recipes introduced to America which would have likely influenced Gillette and the recipes she included within her cookbooks, and perhaps she had Irish descendants.
Vegan Irish Potato Soup
As we are a plant-based family we like to adapt recipes with vegan ingredients and this 1887 recipe only needed the milk and margarine subbed.
We replaced the required milk with plant-based milk. The type of plant milk that we used was oat milk - Co-op GRO The Oaty One. The original recipe called for butter but we replaced this with Flora dairy-free margarine.
There was no actual measurements for the original recipe, other than '8 medium potatoes, 'a lump of butter', 'a large onion', 'some herbs', and with the instructions to -'thin it with rich milk'. Also we mashed the cooked potatoes instead of 'pressing through a colander'. Although we are sure the different method achieved similar results.
If preferred the potato soup can be blended with an immersion stick blender or similar, which would achieve a much smoother soup - although you have to be carefully blending potatoes as they can quickly turn to a glue-like consistency!
Also, instead of cooking the potatoes in water which is what the original recipe suggests, we choose to cook in vegetable stock as this provides extra flavour.
This dairy-free potato soup recipe is so easy, quick and budget-friendly as if you have potatoes, an onion, milk, margarine, and some seasonings, then a delicious wholesome meal can be quickly achieved.
As soon as the potatoes have cooked this soup is practically ready, except for a little reheating after the cold milk is poured in. For the seasonings we have used dried mixed herbs but really any dried or fresh herbs can be used for this soup recipe, just chuck in whatever you have to hand and think will pair nicely.
This easy potato soup is a nice creamy soup similar to a traditional chowder but with less ingredients and fuss.
How To Prepare
For this quick potato soup all you need are potatoes [any potatoes that are good for mashing will do], onions, dried herbs, vegetable stock, milk, and margarine/butter. A little salt and pepper brings all the flavours together.
To finish a garnish of chopped chives or spring onions [green onions] adds a nice freshness and texture.
Step 1: Prepare the potatoes by peeling and slicing in half or quarters depending on size.
Step 2: Place the potatoes, chopped onion, and mixed dried herbs into a large soup pot and season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Pour in the vegetable stock.
Step 4: Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Step 5: Using a potato masher give the potatoes a good mash.
Step 6: Pour in the milk and add the margarine/butter.
Step 7: With a fork stir the potatoes into the milk.
Step 8: Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9: Bring the soup back up to the boil, stirring frequently.
Step 10: Garnish with chopped chives, spring onions, or parsley. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes is a tasty addition.
Recipe Notes
Storing
Leftover potato soup can be stored within the refrigerator for up to 3 days or
Freeze for up to 2-3 months and thaw before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat the potato soup in a non-stick saucepan adding extra milk if required to loosen the soup up. Very gently bring the soup to a boil, stirring frequently, but don't fast boil as the milk may split. Once the soup is at the boiling point it is ready to enjoy.
FAQ'S
To prepare this soup as gluten-free all you have to do is use a gluten-free choose a gluten-free vegetable stock.
A few ideas:
* Irish soda bread [100% wholewheat recipe]
* quick dinner rolls
* Australian damper bread
* American biscuits
* cornbread
* buttermilk scones
* your favourite bread/rolls/baps
* Scottish oatcakes
* saltine crackers, crackers
* rice cakes/ corn cakes/ rye cakes
* shredded vegan cheese
* nutritional yeast flakes
* chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, dill, or spring onions [green onions]
Any variety of potatoes that are high in starch and good for mashing or roasting are perfect for potato soup. Here is a list of some good potatoes to use for soup:
* white potatoes [in the UK ordinary potatoes can be simply labelled 'white potatoes']
* Maris piper
* Russets
* Yukon Gold
* King Edward
Alternatively, for a delicious change try this potato soup recipe with sweet potatoes as surprisingly, during the 18th and 19th Century sweet potato recipes were very popular in Britain.
Yes, you can blend the soup instead of mashing. Our family prefers the rustic texture that mashing the potatoes adds, so we tend not to blend the soup.
However, if a smoother, silkier soup is preferred then use a stick or immersion blender and give the soup a blend. Although, be careful to not blend too much as the potatoes could become too gloopy or gluey if too much starch is released.
Many people follow a no-added fat diet and prefer to not add ingredients such as margarine or butter to their meals. So instead of the margarine, you could replace it with one tablespoon of white miso paste and ensure the miso is fully incorporated and mixed into the soup. Or you could add a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes instead of the margarine. Using white miso paste or nutritional yeast flakes adds extra savouriness to the soup.
White miso paste and nutritional yeast flakes can be found in most whole-food stores, and is also available in Asda and Tesco supermarkets. Both ingredients may initially cost a few pounds but they will be able to be added to many more meals and can give budget-friendly meals a flavour and nutrition boost.
Yes, any type of milk will work for this recipe. We like to use unsweetened soya milk or oat milk.
More Vegan Irish Recipes
These are a few of our family favourite Irish recipes - made vegan. Two of our kids were born in Northern Ireland so we love Irish food. Do give our Irish Soda Bread a try as it's so convenient for those days when you need a loaf of bread fast and it's so delicious toasted and spread with butter.
And our Vegan Irish Stew is a frugal yet very tasty meal and easily adaptable as you can add extra veggies and flavours. For another Irish soup recipe our Irish Leek and Oatmeal Broth is another classic and for dessert these Irish Fifteens are ideal - not too sweet but very moreish.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces
📖 Recipe
Old-Fashioned Irish Potato Soup
Equipment
- Large non-stick soup or stew pot
- potato masher
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram potatoes [chopped, large potatoes can be quartered and smaller halved]
- 1 large onion [about 190 grams] rough diced
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs [or your choice of fresh or dried herbs]
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 250 mililitres plant-based milk [or your choice of milk, use more if a thinner soup is preferred]
- 1 tablespoon plant-based margarine [use your choice of margarine or butter, or replace with 1 tablespoon of white miso paste or 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes]
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, onions, dried herbs and vegetable stock to a large saucepan.1 kilogram potatoes, 1 large onion, 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs, 1 litre vegetable stock
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, this usually takes around 12-15 minutes depending on your potatoes.
- With a potato masher give the potatoes a good mashing.[or if you prefer a smoother soup use a stick or immersion blender but don't over blend]
- Pour in the milk and add the margarine.250 mililitres plant-based milk, 1 tablespoon plant-based margarine
- Using a mixing spoon stir the milk and margarine through the potatoes soup until everything is combined.[Use more milk if a thinner soup is liked better]
- Taste the seasoning and add enough salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently bring the soup back to the boil, but do not fast boil as doing so may cause the milk to split. Stir frequently.
- Once the soup is at the boil it is ready.
- Serving suggestion - Garnish each serving with chopped chives, sliced spring onions or fresh parsley.A sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes is a tasty addition.
- Enjoy with your favourite bread, roll or bap for a filling delicious meal.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Store leftover soup within the refrigerator for 3 days or within the freezer for 2-3 months.
- Reheat gently and don't boil as the milk may separate.
- If the milk does split it won't affect the flavour and can just be stirred well before eating.
- This soup is low in calories but is hearty enough to fill you up especially when served with a slice of wholemeal bread. We usually manage to get 6 small bowls of soup with just the right amount, but of course for hungrier appetites 4 servings may be better.
- For gluten-free potato soup choose a gluten-free vegetable stock.
- For a margarine-free potato soup replace the margarine with a tablespoon of white miso paste. Do make sure you whisk the miso through thoroughly.
- Or replace the margarine with a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes.
- This recipe makes a nice thick potato soup but of course if you prefer a thinner soup, just add more milk and stir through to thin to the desired consistency.
- Prefer to keep the peel on the potatoes? If your potato skins are unblemished then just give them a little scrub and keep the skins. If the skins are not too good then it's best to peel.
Nutrition
Comments
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