This Zuppa Toscana without heavy cream tastes just a rich and flavorful as Olive Garden with no dairy cream. Instead, I use a small amount of coconut milk to get that creamy finish without making the soup heavy or taste like coconut. It's a simple one-pot dinner with Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and a smooth savory broth.
Zuppa Toscana without heavy cream is wonderful when the weather cools off in Fall, Winter, and early Spring. This version is rich and hearty, comes together quickly in one pot, and is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
If you're up for a true Olive Garden experience at home, try a copycat 'Soup and Breadsticks Meal'. Make this Zuppa Toscana along with my Italian Minestrone Soup and my Gluten-Free French Baguette for an easy breadstick substitution.
I also developed an Olive Garden-style Minestrone Soup for Mashed.
For an Italian dessert pairing, try my Dairy Free Tiramisu, Thick Italian Hot Chocolate, or Dairy-Free Gelato.
Serving tip: Zuppa Toscana pairs nicely with a dry white wine like a dry Riesling or Pinot Gris.
What is Zuppa Toscana Soup?
The phrase Zuppa Toscana literally means "soup from Tuscany". An authentic Tuscan soup often includes vegetable broth, chopped local vegetables such as zucchini and kale, as well as potatoes, bits of Tuscan bread, and an Italian bacon known as rigatino.
The Zuppa Toscana made popular by the Olive Garden restaurant is an American-Italian fusion recipe. This version includes heavy cream, sausage, potatoes, and kale in addition to some of the more traditional ingredients.
My Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana recipe is a dairy and gluten-free Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana.
What do you substitute for heavy cream?
Full-fat coconut milk in a can makes a perfect lactose and dairy-free substitute for heavy cream in recipes. You can simply substitute it one-for-one in place of heavy cream.
Does it taste like coconut?
This Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana does not have a detectable coconut flavor from the coconut milk. With coconut milk, there is a fine line between 'no coconut taste' and tasting very coconut-y. I was careful to keep the amount below that line so it tastes just like the real thing!
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need 10 ingredients plus a few common spices to make this Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana without heavy cream.
Italian Sausage
Use ground Italian sausage for smaller pieces in the soup (my partner's preference). For larger pieces, start with Italian sausage links and remove the casing (my preference).
Choose mild or spicy Italian sausage based on your personal preference. Both are very tasty.
You can use chicken or pork sausage.
More Ingredient Notes
- potatoes - I recommend a small dice when preparing the potatoes so they cook quickly. Boiling time can vary by a full 10 minutes depending on the size of the dice.
- onion - White onion is more traditional. I used a yellow onion for one of the trials and both tasted great. Like the potatoes, cut the onion into small pieces so it cooks more quickly.
- tapioca starch - Corn or arrowroot can be used as a replacement for tapioca starch. Use ½ the amount of tapioca starch to start with these substitutions, and increase slowly to your preference.
- full-fat coconut milk - Coconut milk is a substitute for heavy cream in this Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana recipe. It will not taste like coconut with the amount added.
You also need bacon, vegetable or chicken broth, mushrooms, curly kale, garlic, salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper leaves, and bay leaves to make this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make this Zuppa Toscana recipe in just 30 minutes:
- Fry the bacon: In a large pot on medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, mix starch with ½ cup cold broth by whisking or shaking in a sealed jar.
- Set bacon aside: Remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Remove all but a tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot.
- Add mushrooms, onion, sausage, and spices: Turn the heat to medium-high and add mushrooms, onion, and sausage. Cook, stirring on occasion until the sausage is browning and the onion begins to soften. Add splashes of broth as needed to deglaze the pan. Then add garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Bring to a low boil: Add remaining broth, potatoes, bay leaves, and starch mixture. Stir well to mix it all together. Adjust the heat to bring to a low boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft (15-20 minutes).
- Coconut milk and kale: Add coconut milk and kale. Simmer for 5 minutes to wilt the kale.
- Serve: Serve hot with bacon sprinkled on top.
That's it! Easy peasy.
Hint: I recommend prepping the ingredients ahead of time since the process moves quickly once you get started.
Expert Tips
Make incredible zuppa toscana without heavy cream on the first try with these expert tips!
Chop the potatoes and onions small for quicker cooking time.
These vegetables are the slowest to cook, so a small sized dice can make a difference of 10 minutes in the overall cooking time.
Store the bacon separately for leftovers.
The bacon will soften and lose its crispness if stored with the soup. Keep it separately, reheat it separately, and sprinkle it on top before serving as leftovers.
Use Italian Sausage.
For the best most authentic zuppa toscana, use Italian Sausage. The seasonings and flavors in the sausage already compliment this easy Italian soup recipe.
Recipe FAQ's
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To make leftover bacon crispy again, heat a skillet to medium high and cook bacon for 1-2 minutes on each side until it gets crispy.
More cozy soups without heavy cream
Looking for cozy soups that are creamy and satisfying without heavy cream? Try these favorites:
- Savory Pumpkin Stew - a comforting fall stew with simple ingredients
- Thai Chicken Soup - bold flavors with a silky coconut milk broth
- One Pot Lasagna Soup - classic lasagna flavors made easy
- Italian Minestrone Soup - a tomato-based soup that's naturally cream-free
- Tomato Soup with Shrimp - a hearty crave-worthy dinner soup
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comments below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Zuppa Toscana Without Heavy Cream
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch can sub corn or arrowroot starch
- 3 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth divided
- 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 ¼ cup diced onion
- 3 medium russet potatoes diced into ½ inch cubes
- 4 cups curly kale stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Spices
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 medium bay leaves
Instructions
- Fry the bacon: In a large pot on medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, mix starch with ½ cup cold broth by whisking or shaking in a sealed jar.
- Set bacon aside: Remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Remove all but a tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot.
- Add mushrooms, onion, sausage, spices: Turn the heat to medium-high and add mushrooms, onion, and sausage. Cook, stirring on occasion until the sausage is browning and the onion begins to soften. Add splashes of broth as needed to deglaze the pan. Then add garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Bring to a low boil: Add remaining broth, potatoes, bay leaves, and starch mixture. Stir well to mix it all together. Adjust the heat to bring to a low boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft (15-20 minutes).
- Coconut milk and kale: Add coconut milk and kale. Simmer for 5 minutes to wilt the kale.
- Serve: Serve hot with bacon sprinkled on top.
Lara says
We’ve been making this every week, and the whole family is still excited for it!
Jean says
This zuppa Toscana recipe is the ultimate healthy comfort food!
Donna says
This is simply a stellar recipe that my family loves. The crispy bacon really makes it special, and I love kale in soup. We used chicken sausage and it was great!
Maple says
My whole family loved this soup! We used chicken sausage and halved the bacon to make it even healthier. I’d never know it was dairy free! Such a lovely recipe.
Ivanka says
This is the perfect fall or winter recipe! So hearty and simple, just like a classic Italian soup.
Andi says
I haven’t had a true dairy full Zuppa Toscana so I can’t compare, but this soup is phenomenal! Definitely a repeat in our house and a special treat. Thank you for this recipe and I look forward to spending more time on this blog!
Janet R. says
New favorite soup! The bacon and sausage with kale makes for a really flavorful and comforting soup. I'm not even a big soup person, but if all your soups are like this, then I must try them all!
Kayla says
Yum! This tastes as good as it looks! Hearty, easy, and filling.