Behold! Deliciously creamy cauliflower soup without the use of cream. This cauliflower soup recipe will surely satisfy your yearning for warm, creamy soup—no cheese required.
If you’ve never tasted it, “cauliflower soup” might not seem particularly appetizing. It may be very tasty, I assure you! I’m excited for you to try making my favorite recipe for cauliflower soup at home today.
I first had cauliflower soup a few years ago thanks to my buddy Tessa. I created my own recipe for my cookbook, Love Real Food, because I was in love with it so much.
I’ve been craving warm, creamy soups this fall as the temperatures and leaves have fallen. So I decided to make my cauliflower soup and share a little condensed version with everyone. Make some together!
Why This Cauliflower Soup Will Win You Over
Despite just requiring simple ingredients, this soup has an incredible flavor. Providing you have a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator, you most likely already have all the other ingredients.
Salads and sandwiches go great with this cauliflower soup. Almost any additional fall or winter flavors, such as butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and greens like arugula and kale, pair well with this traditional cauliflower soup. It will keep you warm without making you feel heavy.
For later use, this soup freezes wonderfully. This recipe only makes enough for four medium bowls, but if you have excess, you can just freeze it!
This creamy soup is suitable for special diets. As written, it is gluten-free. To learn how to replace the butter in this soup with cashews to make it dairy-free or vegan, see my recipe notes.
The Best Way to Prepare Cauliflower Soup
1)Roast your cauliflower
There is a ton of delicious roasted cauliflower taste hidden beneath that creamy beige surface. The important ingredient here is roasted cauliflower, which roasts in the oven to generate caramelized undertones and a deeper flavor.
2) Develop Flavor
You’ll cook your onions in a soup pot until they are soft, then add the garlic and vegetable broth after your roasted cauliflower is almost done. After that, stir in the roasted cauliflower and simmer the dish for 20 minutes to let the flavors combine.
3) Add Butter for Creaminess in Step
Butter will be added to the pot’s contents before being transferred to a blender. Without using any cream, butter is a simple method to impart a super creamy, opulent flavor and texture (I borrowed this technique from my butternut squash soup). If you’re anything like me, you frequently have heavy cream in the fridge but never butter.
4) Blend until completely smooth.
Since stand blenders produce the creamiest results, I advise using one to puree this soup rather than an immersion blender. Thankfully, the materials used here are relatively soft, so even a cheap stand blender should function effectively (I used my fancy Vitamix, affiliate link). In my opinion, the finished texture is wholly worth scrubbing the blender bowl.
5) Add nutmeg and lemon juice for seasoning.
Here, nutmeg and lemon juice are used in very small, undetectable amounts. While you’re enjoying your soup, you probably won’t be able to identify them, but they have a certain something special about them. They transform this soup from good to outstanding!
6) Add a Sprinkling of Fresh Material
I tried adding chives, green onion, and fresh parsley to my soup as a garnish. Use anything you have available since I couldn’t choose a favorite and I loved them all!
Also read: Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Fine sea salt
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more if needed
- Scant ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- For garnish: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives and/or green onions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If desired, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly and evenly coated in oil. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Once the cauliflower is almost done, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth.
- Reserve 4 of the prettiest roasted cauliflower florets for garnish. Then transfer the remaining cauliflower to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow!)
- Add the butter and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and nutmeg and blend again. Add additional salt, to taste (I usually add another ¼ to ¾ teaspoon, depending on the broth). This soup tastes amazing once it’s properly salted! You can also a little more lemon juice, if it needs more zing. Blend again.
- Top individual bowls of soup with 1 roasted cauliflower floret and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, green onion and/or chives. This soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about four days, or for several months in the freezer.
NOTES
Recipe adapted from my cookbook, Love Real Food.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE/VEGAN: Use cashews instead of butter. Soak ¼ cup cashews for 4 hours, then drain and rinse them (if you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you can skip this). Add the cashews when you would add the butter.