• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fermenting for Foodies

Health, Taste and Tradition

  • Types of Fermentation
  • Everyday Recipes
  • Supplies
  • Cookbook

Creamy Vegetable and Whey Soup

This creamy vegetable and whey soup is an easy and delicious way to use up extra whey. Warm and comforting, it is as perfect as a cup of soup for lunch or served with bread and a salad for dinner.

Creamy vegetable and whey soup. A great way to use up whey.

Don’t waste the whey

It is a huge waste to pour whey down the drain. Whey is healthy and delicious, which is why I have so many recipes that use whey.

This creamy whey soup is one that I enjoy every time I make cheese.

Many Types of vegetable soup

This basic cream of vegetable soup can be made with all different types of vegetables.

Here are a few of my favorite flavor combinations:

  • Irish Vegetable Soup: Finely dice the onion, garlic, and potatoes. Add in 2 diced carrots and 2 cups of shredded cabbage. Follow the recipe, sauteing all the vegetables before adding the broth. Leave the vegetables chunky and serve with buttered brown soda bread.
  • Cream of Broccoli Soup: Use 2 cups of chopped broccoli for the vegetables. You can even use the stems, just peel off the woody bits. Remove a few whole florets before pureeing, then stir the florets back in and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup: Slice 3 cups of mushrooms. Saute until they release their juices, then add in the onion, garlic, and potatoes. Fry for 5 more minutes and finish the soup according to the recipe.
  • Lemon and Asparagus Soup: This is ideal for using up acid whey. Trim and chop 1 bunch of asparagus. Add it to the soup when you add the broth. Finish the soup with the zest of 1 lemon. The acidity of the whey will replace the usual lemon juice. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Baked Potato Soup: Instead of adding 2 cups of vegetables, use a total of 4 potatoes. Otherwise, follow the recipe as directed, then top each bowl of soup with a spoonful of sour cream, finely chopped chives, and grated cheddar cheese.
  • Vichyssoise: Whey adds a bit of zest to this classic soup. Don’t add any garlic, and use 6 medium leeks for the vegetables. Wash the leeks carefully, then chop and saute with the potatoes. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed, and serve hot or cold.
Print

Vegetable and Whey Soup

Creamy vegetable and whey soup. A great way to use up whey.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This creamy vegetable and whey soup is a delicious way to use up extra whey from cheesemaking. It can be transformed into all sorts of different types of soup: broccoli, mushroom, asparagus. See the section above for six delicious suggestions.

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 Servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups of vegetables, roughly chopped (see above for options)
  • 2 large potatoes, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups of broth
  • 2 cups of sweet whey (or water, see notes)
  • 1 tsp salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Saute the onions in the olive oil at the bottom of a large soup pot. After 5 minutes add in the garlic, potatoes, and vegetables, and saute for another 5 minutes.
  2. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
  3. Add in the whey, seasonings, and cream, then puree until smooth. I usually remove a few of the signature vegetables and add them back after pureeing. It’s nice to have a few slices of mushroom or a broccoli floret in your soup bowl.
  4. If you need to reheat the soup at this point, do it carefully. You don’t want to simmer or the whey will curdle.
  5. Serve with some grated cheese and sourdough bread.

Notes

  • Acidic whey (from an acid-curded cheese) will be quite sour. Even the 2 cups of sweet whey (from cultured cheese) can be quite strong in this soup. Sweet whey becomes more acidic as it ages, so start with just 1 cup of whey, and taste it before adding a second cup. The whey can be replaced with water as required.
  • I like soups that have added protein so they become part of a complete meal. To add protein to this soup, replace the potatoes with 2 cups of cooked white beans or 1 cup of almond flour.
  • I use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables; however, you could use a regular blender or just leave the vegetables whole.

Keywords: whey, soup, leftover whey, cheesemaking, vegetarian, gluten free, grain free, asparagus, broccoli, Irish, Vichyssoise, baked potato, mushroom, winter, fall

Filed Under: Soups and StewsTagged With: Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Leek, Mushroom, Whey

Previous Post: « Gluten-free Rugelach with Apples and Walnuts
Next Post: Simple Fermented Millet (GF, Wild-Fermented) »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

How to make a sweet and spicy fermented piccalilli for a zero-waste, no-cook alternative
Fermented Piccalilli: A Spiced Vegetable Ferment
Why whey is traditional in minestrone soup
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup with Whey
How to preserve vegetables without cooking by making fermented vegetables in brine!
Picnic Basket Fermented Vegetable Sticks

Simple fermented giardiniera - an easy, zero-waste condiment
Fermented Giardiniera: Italian Pickled Vegetables
Simple & Hearty Halloumi Salad (GF)
Miso and mushroom gravy
Simple Miso Gravy (GF & Vegan)

Comments

  1. Rach

    April 25, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    What an amazing use of whey! These is almost as good as my all time favorite whey soup, Minestrone. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
Read More →

Check Out My Cookbook!

Fermenting Made Simple Cookbook

Want healthy recipes right to your inbox? Subscribe to our mid-month newsletter!

Thank you!

Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Affiliate Disclosure

In order to run this site, Fermenting For Foodies sometimes earns an affiliate commission on the sales of products we link to. We only feature items we genuinely want to share, and this is an arrangement between the retailer and Fermenting For Foodies. Readers never pay more for products. Thank you for reading!

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Sponsored Content
  • About

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress