Vegan Scottish Cullen Skink Soup is packed with deliciously creamy, savoury and smoky flavours yet is a really easy traditional soup to prepare. The main ingredients are no-fuss and easy to source: mashed potatoes, onions, plant-based milk, white pepper, garlic powder, and smoked tofu. A bowl of Cullen skink is a perfect starter for Scottish themed meals especially for Robert Burn's Night dinner (January 25th), St Andrew's Day (30th November), Hogmanay (Scottish New Years Eve 31st December), New Year's Day (1st January) or anytime you feel like a delicious taste of Scotland! You may not have heard of traditional Cullen Skink soup before, even if you live in Scotland, but do give it a try. It is simply a creamy potato soup with amazing smoky flavours and white peppery hints. And fresh herby tones.
Traditional Cullen Skink is prepared with smoked haddock or Finnan Haddie. Our fish-free Scottish Cullen Skink Soup is prepared with smoked tofu. The smoked tofu has a dark skin that looks similar to fish scales but is much tastier and kinder! Check out our recipe notes and FAQ section for a few substitution ideas for the smoked tofu.
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Origins of traditional Scottish Cullen Skink
The word 'skink' comes from the Scots Gaelic and it translates to mean 'essence'.
Cullen Skink is a traditional Scottish smoked haddock fish and potato soup that is like a creamy fish chowder but is simpler to prepare and has less ingredients. Cullen Skink is generally served as a meal starter but it can be a lunch or even a light dinner option.
The main ingredients of Scottish Cullen Skink is smoked haddock, mashed potatoes, onions, milk, and fish stock. Cold smoked haddock is also known as Finnan Haddie in Scotland.
Many restaurants, cafes, cookery book authors and households within Scotland offer their own version and adaptation of Cullen Skink, but it is claimed Cullen Skink originated in Cullen which is a wee coastal village in the Scottish district of Moray.
Historically, Cullen fishermen and likely fishermen from the adjacent towns of Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, smoked the Haddock they caught as a way to preserve the fish. As potatoes were a common ingredient the combination of smoked haddock and potatoes into a frugal soup that filled hungry bellies was very popular.
Traditionally before the 1890s, beef was the choice ingredient for Cullen Skink but when beef became too expensive haddock was the replacement.
Smoked tofu does add so much amazing flavour and texture to this soup. Check out the recipe notes and FAQ section for where to source smoked tofu and a simple suggestion on preparing your own quick tofu smoky marinade as well as alternatives that you could use instead.
Fish-Free Scottish Cullen Skink
Even though Cullen Skink is a Scottish fish and potato soup [although further back it was once a beef and potato soup] but the whole flavour profile lends itself beautifully to vegan and plant-based recipes and cooking. We love traditional soups that are easy to make with just a few ingredients. We replace the fish with smoked tofu, the dairy milk with plant-based milk, and butter with vegan margarine.
How to prepare
To prepare this easy vegan Cullen Skink recipe the first thing to do is prepare the mashed potatoes, so to save time leftover mashed potatoes are perfect. You can freeze leftover mashed potatoes and store within the freezer for a few months which is especially useful for soups.
The ingredient's you need for our Cullen Skink is - leftover mashed potatoes or prepare your own with potatoes, vegan margarine [or white miso paste], and potato cooking liquid. We provide a method for preparing mashed potatoes within our main recipe below the FAQ section.
Once you have prepared the mashed potatoes the rest of the ingredients you need are - plant-based milk, smoked tofu, onions, garlic powder, vegetable stock, white pepper, and salt to taste. For a garnish we like red pepper flakes, fresh parsley or chopped chives. A vegan-friendly fish seasoning mix is also a nice garnish as is a lemon flavoured herb mix. A few dried seaweed flakes is another delicious addition.
Step 1: First prepare the mashed potatoes by boiling chopped potatoes in water until soft. Drain the liquid but reserve some of it for mashing. Mash the drained potatoes with a few tablespoons of the cooking water and a tablespoon of vegan margarine or butter. Alternatively, instead of margarine you can add 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste.
You can omit this step if you are using leftover mashed potatoes - although if those are frozen do thaw them out before using for this recipe.
Step 2: Add the onions, garlic powder, white pepper, and a few pinches of salt to a large soup pan along with the vegetable stock.
Step 3: Slice up the smoked tofu and add it to the soup pot.
Step 4: Bring to the boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the plant-based milk and add the mashed potatoes in stages. Each time whisk the mashed potatoes until smoothly blended into the soup.
Step 6: Add enough salt and extra white pepper or black pepper to taste. Bring the soup to the boil but don't cook it further.
Step 7: Serve garnished with chopped parsley, dill or chives. And sprinkle over some vegan-friendly 'fish' herb seasoning blend or similar such as one of the Mrs Dash herb and spice blends, or a some red pepper or paprika flakes. A herb seasoning with dried lemon pieces is particularly tasty as are some dried seaweed flakes.
Recipe notes
Storing
Store leftover soup within a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Leftovers can be reheated by adding to a non-stick pot or pan and bringing to the boil.
Lower the heat and gently simmer for just 1 minute until piping hot. Be careful not to fast boil or simmer for more than a few minutes as the plant-based milk may split.
FAQ'S
Cullen skink is easy to prepare as gluten-free - you can use a gluten-free vegetable stock and check that your smoked tofu and any seasoning blends are free from gluten ingredients.
In the UK, the Tofoo.co brand produces a delicious smoked tofu which we have sourced in the Co-op supermarket but other supermarkets do stock it.
We have also sourced a nice smoked tofu from Lidl. For this recipe we used a packet of the Lidl smoked tofu which is inexpensive at just 99p a packet [the price was at the time of writing and will have likely increased].Tofu freezes well so if you can find it on offer it's worth stocking up and freezing.
If you can't source smoked tofu then you could try marinating ordinary firm tofu to give it a smoky flavour. Here is a rough guide - Slice up a block of firm tofu and add a few tablespoons of soy sauce and 1-1 ½ teaspoons of liquid smoke. A nice addition is a ripped up nori seaweed sheet or use pieces of your choice of dried seaweed. Mix everything well and leave to marinade for a few hours. Use the smoky marinated tofu in the Cullen Skink recipe and scrape all the flavours of the marinade into the soup as well.
The smoked tofu is a large part of the tasty flavour profile and textures of this soup but a few replacements are possible. A few ideas:
* sliced cooked vegan bacon
* sliced vegan hotdogs
* chopped mushrooms marinated with the homemade smoked tofu idea that is outlined in the question above
* your choice of cooked white beans such as butterbeans, haricot beans, cannellini beans, white kidney beans - marinated within the homemade smoked tofu suggestion above
* canned jackfruit or banana blossom pieces marinated within the homemade smoked tofu idea
A few ideas:
* your favourite crusty bread or baguette
* traditional Scottish oatcakes
* traditional no-oil Scottish oatcakes
* no-oil vegan cheezie Scottish oatcakes
* Irish soda bread (100% wholemeal, no-fat added recipe and best of all no-yeast and no-kneading required!)
* quick 3-ingredient vegan dinner rolls
* Australian Damper Bread [nice crusty quick fresh bread - no-yeast]
More Traditional Scottish Soups - Made Vegan
These are our Scottish family's favourite soups that we enjoy on a regular basis as budget-friendly delicious staples. We like to have this lentil soup almost on a weekly basis as a nice big pot full will last us 3-4 days and it freezes really well too - our recipe is based on our old family recipe from my childhood.
And for something really delicious yet frugal we love this Old-Fashioned Scottish Potato Soup especially for lunch or even as an evening supper meal.
Our Scotch Broth recipe is a great way to pack in some wholesome grains and lots of veggies and along with some crusty bread or sandwiches this soup can be a hearty filling meal.
Another regular for our family meals is this Scottish Potato and Leek Soup which we love having with a garnish of toasted oats and it's just a good rustic Scottish soup that dates back hundreds of years.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, or ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Scottish Cullen Skink Soup
Equipment
- Large non-stick soup pan for cooking the soup
- Large Saucepan for mashing the potatoes
- potato masher
- soup ladle
- mixing spoon
- kitchen knife
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes
- 550 grams potatoes [uncooked and sliced into small chunks, weight is for peeled potatoes, or use about 560 grams of cooked mashed potatoes]
- 1 tablespoon vegan margarine [can replace with 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste or 1 tablespoon of veggie stock or potato liquid]
- 2 tablespoons potato cooking liquid [or vegetable stock or plant-based milk - use more as required]
Soup:
- 1 medium onion [chopped]
- 500 mililitres plant-based milk [such as unsweetened soya or oat milk]
- 850 mililitres vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder [or granules/or lazy garlic, garlic puree, etc]
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper [can replace with black pepper]
- 180 grams smoked tofu [can use more if preferred]
Garnish, optional:
- 1 teaspoon 'fish' herb seasoning mix [or your chosen seasoning such as Mrs Dash, lemon herb blend, etc]
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, dill, or chives [chopped]
To serve: Scottish oatcakes, crackers, breadsticks, crusty bread - are all tasty accompaniments
Instructions
Prepare the mashed potatoes: (or if using leftover mashed potatoes omit this step):
- Peel and cube the potatoes. Add to a pot with salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer until fork tender.Drain but reserve the liquid as it can be used to prepare the vegetable stock if using stock cubes/stock powder/bouillon paste/etc. Also 2 tablespoons can be used for the potato mash.550 grams potatoes
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegan margarine to the potatoes along with 2 tablespoons of potato water or veggie stock. Mash until smooth-ish, a few small lumps are fine.If preferred the margarine can be omitted and replaced with 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste or an extra tablespoon of stock, potato water, or plant-based milk.1 tablespoon vegan margarine, 2 tablespoons potato cooking liquid
- Set aside until required - if prepared in advance the mashed potato, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a few months.
Prepare the Cullen skink soup:
- Chop the tofu into small pieces and chop the onion and add to a soup pan.180 grams smoked tofu, 1 medium onion
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pan. Season with the white pepper and garlic powder, and a few pinches of salt.850 mililitres vegetable stock, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour in the plant-based milk.500 mililitres plant-based milk
- Add the mashed potatoes and whisk or stir until the potatoes are smoothly mixed in. (Adding the potatoes in 2-3 stages will make it easier to mix them in.)
- Bring back to the boil, check the seasoning adding more salt and pepper to taste. Don't fast boil the soup as you just want to bring it back up to boiling point before serving the soup.
Suggested garnishes:
- Serve sprinkled with a vegan-friendly 'fish' herb seasoning blend or a similar herb mix such as a lemon herb mix. Or a sprinkle of red pepper or paprika flakes. Some dried seaweed scattered over the top will add more fishy flavours and some chopped fresh parsley, dill, or chives are a nice fresh addition.1 teaspoon 'fish' herb seasoning mix, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, dill, or chives
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Store leftover Cullen Skink within a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftovers can be reheated by adding to a non-stick pot and bringing to the boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 1 minutes until piping hot. Be careful not to fast boil or simmer for more than a few minutes as the plant-based milk may split.
- Cullen Skink is easy to prepare as gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free vegetable stock and check that your smoked tofu and any seasoning blends are free from gluten ingredients.
- If you're in the UK smoked tofu can be found at most UK supermarkets, including the Co-op and sometimes in Lidl when they are doing their vegan week or vegan specials. Also, whole food stores usually stock smoked tofu.
- For a home-made quick smoked tofu try this rough guide: Slice up a block of firm tofu and add a few tablespoons of soy sauce and about 1-1 ½ teaspoons of liquid smoke. A nice addition is a ripped up nori seaweed sheet or use pieces of your choice of dried seaweed. Mix everything well and leave to marinade for a few hours. A little smoked paprika could be used if liquid smoke is hard to source. We source liquid smoke from Amazon [UK]. Play around with the flavours until they are what you like.
Nutrition
Comments
Prepared our Vegan Scottish Cullen Skink Soup recipe? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so do pop back and drop us a comment below and click the star ratings. All feedback very much appreciated as it help's us to know which recipes you are loving. Thanks so much! All the best, Jacq x
Dorota Liczbińska says
Just made it, a really nice soup, thank you 🙂
Jacq says
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the soup 🥰
Sophie Wilde says
Lovely hearty recipe..the addition of a bit of powdered seaweed would enhance that sea food flavour.Also for fellow Brits Cauldron Foods make a beautiful smoked tofu ,it's nice & firm delicious when cut very thin & pan tried as a bacon substitute..it's available often in Tesco,Asda & Holland & Barrett 🌈
Jacq says
Thank-you! Glad you enjoyed the soup. I do agree some powdered seaweed would be a delicious addition.That does sound tasty about the smoked tofu as a bacon substitute, I've had smoked tofu sliced thin on sandwiches for a vegan BLT [bacon, lettuce, and tomato] and that was very tasty. Will try your idea of panfrying the tofu as my kids like vegan bacon but its so expensive here on the Scottish island so we don't have it very often. I like Cauldron food products so will look out for that one, thanks! x
Mary says
This looks really tasty! Going to try this in a few days 🙂
Jacq says
Great! Do pop back and let us know how you got on with the Cullen skink 🙂