Caldo de Queso con Papas (Mexican Cheese and Potato Soup Made Dairy-Free)

A bowl of caldo de queso con papas topped with cheese cubes, and green chile strips, sits on a wooden plate, next to a colorful napkin, a glass of red tuna agua fresca, two green chili peppers, and another bowl on a blue and white patterned tile surface.

5 from 1 vote

Caldo de Queso con Papas (Mexican Cheese and Potato Soup Made Dairy-Free)

Caldo de queso con papa is a traditional Sonoran soup made with soft cubes of queso fresco, tender potatoes, roasted green chiles, tomato, onion, and milk. This version is made completely dairy-free using plant-based cheese and milk.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan Mexican Recipe

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 404kcal

Author: Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ to ¾ cups white onion finely chopped
4 whole garlic cloves finely minced
1.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped into even-sized pieces*
3 medium Roma tomatoes roughly chopped
¾ Teaspoon salt adjust to taste start with ½ teaspoon
¼ Teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
1 pinch Mexican oregano
1 large bay leaf or 2 small
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 large Anaheim peppers fire roasted
1 cup dairy-free milk*** warmed in microwave for 20 seconds at a time I did total 40 secs
1 to 1 ½ cups cubed queso

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot. Once hot sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Then add chopped potatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes, to let them begin to cook a bit.
Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they have broken down.**
Sprinkle in the seasonings, pour in the broth, cover the pot, and simmer until potatoes are cooked through.
While the potatoes are cooking in step 2, fire roast the Anaheim peppers until evenly charred. Place in a bowl for a few minutes to sweat, then peel off charred skin, cut off the steam, deseed, and slice into strips.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the pepper strips and cook for 5 minutes.
Remember to warm the milk then add it to the pot, mix well, simmer another 5 minutes.
Add the cheese right before serving or place it in the bowl then scoop the soup over it. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

PLEASE notice that the nutritional information are just estimates and actual numbers will depend on the brand of cheese and type of milk used.

*Traditionally in Mexico we use yellow potato but Yukon Gold or Russet are good alternatives.

**Most recipes cook the tomatoes down first, then add the chopped tomatoes. I prefer to do it the opposite way because the natural acidity of tomatoes slows down the cooking of potatoes.

***You can use unsweetened oat milk or cashew milk if you'd like. Alternatively, instead of milk you could mix some vegan crema fresca with a little warm water and use that instead of the milk.

Nutrition