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Vegetable and Whey Soup

How to make a soup with leftover whey

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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, and asparagus. See the section above for six delicious suggestions.

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.