Creamy Zucchini Soup | Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Recipe
The delicate flavor of zucchini shines in this simple and delicious soup, complimented by garlic, thyme, and shallot this soup is surprisingly flavorful and rich.
Got a surplus of garden or farmer’s market zucchini? Yup me too!
This delicious soup recipe cooks zucchini in the slow cooker or instant pot with shallot, garlic, olive oil, and thyme in broth until tender. Once softened, it’s pureed until smooth with an immersion blender and topped off with a pad of grass-fed butter for richness.
The other night I made this soup for dinner, and much to my surprise my 10-year-old loved it and told me it is now in his top 3 soups. Very unexpected and high praise!
The 8-year-old wasn’t as thrilled, but hey… we can’t win ’em all. Especially not at the dinner hour with kids.
Zucchini soup is one of the easiest soups you’ll ever make! It’s a great way to make simple ingredients seem a little fancy. Garnish with fresh herbs or a splash of heavy cream, and serve with crusty garlic bread.
- Budget-friendly and different than your average crockpot vegetable soup, this zucchini soup is perfect for weeknight dinners and is delicious too!
- This soup needs very few ingredients and is packed with fresh summery flavor.
- It’s quick to prepare so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or light summer meal alongside a side salad or with crusty bread.
Creamy Zucchini Soup Recipe Ingredients
Now yes, this soup is creamy but guess what? There is no milk or cream in this recipe! You could add some at the end if you like, but I urge you to try it first because this recipe is divine as is!
- Zucchini
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Broth or Vegetable Stock
- Shallot
- Garlic Cloves
- Thyme
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Grass Fed Butter
- Optional – Fresh basil to add at the end or for garnish
How to make Dairy Free Creamy Zucchini Soup
This soup could easily be dairy-free! Makes about 6-8 cups of soup depending on the size.
- Thinly slice the shallot, garlic, and zucchini and add them to the slow cooker.
- Add in the broth (make it vegetable broth for a vegan soup!) olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper.
- Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 2-3 hours depending. Cooking it for longer won’t affect the taste, the soup will just be a less vibrant green color.
- Once it’s cooked add in some Dairy Free Margarine or more olive oil.
- Puree with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.
- Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
- Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy dairy-free cream of zucchini soup warm!
Creamy Zucchini Soup FAQs
Can I substitute yellow squash for zucchini in this recipe?
Yep! That would work just fine.
Can I make this in the INSTANT POT instead of the slow cooker?
Yes!
How to make Instant Pot Zucchini soup:
Put all ingredients into the instant pot and cook on low pressure for 1 minute. Use the quick-release function and puree with an immersion blender.
How do I store leftover soup?
In an airtight container for 4-5 days. Just reheat in the microwave or over low heat in a saucepan on the stove top.
Recipe Card
Creamy Zucchini Soup | Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium Shallot
- 3 medium Zucchini about 5 cups when sliced
- 4 medium cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 4 cups Chicken Bone Broth or Vegetable Stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp Grass-fed butter
- 2-3 leaves Fresh basil OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Thinly slice the shallot, zucchini, and garlic and add to the slow cooker. *For Instant Pot Instructions see the NOTES section.
- Drizzle in the olive oil, and pour in the broth.
- Add in the thyme and some salt and pepper. (Don't worry you can add more later)
- Put on the lid and cook on low for 2-4 hours. It can cook for a long time if that works best for your schedule, it will just loose the vibrant green color but it will taste the same!
- Add in the butter and let it melt for a minute.
- If you want to add basil add it now. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
- Serve warm as an appetizer or as a light meal with some crusty bread on the side.
I love a good crockpot recipe and this one will definitely be in the rotation!
I’ve never had zucchini soup, adding this to my recipe book. Can’t wait to try it, thanks!
Oh wow… this looks delicious! So fresh and light. Definitely making this!
A great idea for all the summer zucchini! I’ll definitely have to try it.