Vegan Chick’n Gnocchi Soup Recipe (Olive Garden Inspired)

for years i have been seeing everyone share their olive garden inspired chicken gnocchi soups and i decided it was my time to try it out. this recipe is easy to make, full of plant protein, and so comforting.

If you live in the United States and grew up in the 90s I think you have to have some sort of experience with Olive Garden. Now, whether you love or hate it is a totally different scenario. I haven’t been to Olive Garden since 2015 and I went to the one in Times Square (I know…) but me and my friends just got a kick out of going there at the time. The worst part was I did live in the city and I knew better than to go there but we still went. So, now almost 10 years later I keep seeing everyone share their own homemade version of a very popular Olive Garden soup. This vegan chick’n gnocchi soup is full of the creaminess and flavor without any dairy or chicken. It is so cozy and comforting but much lighter.

the ingredients

• Vegan Chicken: you can use any vegan chicken brand you like there are so many now! I really love Abbot’s Butcher! Feel free to also substitute this for chickpeas, tofu or tempeh.
• Gnocchi: most stores sell pre-packaged gnocchi in the pasta aisle. Make sure you get a dry gnocchi and not fresh because it will contain eggs.
• Olive Oil: we need this to sauté our veggies.
• Garlic: will add flavor to the soup.
• Onion: will add flavor to the soup.
• Better Than Bouillon: I like to use BTB in my soup recipes because it adds a ton of great flavor. If you want to use vegetable broth in place you can.
• Spinach: I love adding spinach to soups because of how much it wilts down. It is a great way to get in some veggies.
• Carrots: I like to use the matchstick carrots for this soup. However, you can always just cut up your carrots into little rounds.
• Tofu: in this recipe we are using firm tofu to help add creaminess to the soup.
• Vegan Cream Cheese: along with the tofu the vegan cream cheese will also add in creaminess.
• Non-Dairy Milk: this will be used to blend up the tofu into a creamy base.
• Bay Leaves: I like to add bay leaves into soups because it enhances the flavor. You can use fresh or dried whatever you have on hand.

vegan gnocchi

It may be surprising to you but pre-packaged gnocchi is vegan friendly! Of course it always wise to check the ingredients. As you can see from this package the ingredients are just potatoes, flour, salt, and some preservatives to keep it shelf stable. There is also gnocchi in the refrigerated section of grocery stores but be sure to avoid that one as it usually contains egg. If you are gluten free you can always use a gluten free gnocchi, I used to love the Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. If you really want to be an overachiever then you can make your own homemade gnocchi with my recipe.

how to make soup

To start this soup off you will sauté garlic and onions in oil. This allows the flavor to start being created. From there you will add in water, BTB, or your vegetable broth, bay leaves, and the tofu. You will let everything cook for about 15 to 20 minutes this is creating a nice broth for our soup. This also really softens the tofu up even more which helps for when we blend it. If you are using a glass blender be sure to let the soup cool before moving onto blending so there are no issues.

using tofu in soup

When it comes time to blend the tofu up you will add the tofu, along with half of the broth and non-dairy milk into the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. I love using tofu in soups to make it creamy because it adds in plant protein and nutrients. I started doing this a few years ago and it really is one of my favorite hacks. Pour the creamy mixture back into the broth. Then you’ll add in the vegan chicken, carrots, and spinach. Let that cook up for about 10 minutes. Finally, once the soup is just about done you will add in the gnocchi. Gnocchi cook up very quickly so they will only need about 3 minutes. Then you will have your delicious vegan chick’n gnocchi soup!

more soup recipes

why you will love this vegan chick’n gnocchi soup

This soup is a whole meal. Due to having the vegan chicken, gnocchi, veggies, creaminess from tofu, and a little fat from the oil I truly think it hits everything you need in a dish. So, you can just scoop yourself a huge bowl and enjoy it with some bread. I also think this is a great dish to serve to vegans and non-vegans because it is so comforting and cozy. If you haven’t tried using tofu in your soup I truly think this will blow your mind as to how it can make the soup so creamy and delicious. It it is great for people with nut allergies as well since we are nut free. I think this vegan chick’n gnocchi soup is one that the whole family can enjoy. It also reheats nicely and is great to enjoy for the next few days if you have any left!

vegan chick’n gnocchi soup faq

• Is this recipe soy free? No, it uses tofu. However, you can swap the tofu for cashews or white beans.
• Is this recipe gluten free? No, the gnocchi has flour. You can look for gluten free gnocchi though.
• Is this recipe nut free? Yes, as long as you use nut free non-dairy milk and vegan cream cheese.
• How long will this recipe last in the fridge? Up to 4 days.
• Can I freeze this? I probably wouldn’t because I worry about how everything will reheat in this soup but if you want to you can.

ORDER MY COOKBOOK

Looking for more delicious vegan comfort recipes? Order my cookbook Plantiful: Over 75 Vibrant Vegan Comfort Foods! Filled with all types of recipe from bites, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts and more! Available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Walmart, also available in stores.