Cauliflower Soup reminds me of a lightened-up potato soup, and is the perfect way to use up any cauliflower you have on hand. It’s simple and comforting!
Why You’ll Love It
It’s simple. This cauliflower soup recipe requires simple ingredients you may already have on hand. It’s also flexible! I love the mild onion flavor from using leeks, but you could also swap green onions or a yellow onion, if that’s what you have.
It’s perfect for special diets. If you follow a vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free diet, this soup is for you! The ingredients are so easy, it’s naturally suited for many dietary needs. (It does use nuts for creaminess, but you could swap that for heavy cream or coconut cream, if you prefer.)
It cooks quickly! Cauliflower becomes tender in just 15 minutes of simmering, so this soup is ready to eat in 30 minutes or less.
It goes with everything. The flavor of this cauliflower soup is neutral enough that it will pair well with practically any salad or sandwich. I particularly love it with a vegan Caesar salad and homemade croutons.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in Cauliflower Soup?
- Cauliflower
- Leeks (or other onion)
- Garlic
- Veggie broth
- Salt & pepper
- Cashews
The cashews in this recipe add creaminess, without using heavy cream or coconut milk. I love their neutral flavor and added fiber.
If you prefer a nut-free soup, however, you can leave them out, or add in a cream of your choice.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Soup
1. Saute the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the leeks, garlic, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and saute until the veggies are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Simmer. Add in the broth, cauliflower, an additional 1 teaspoon of salt, and a 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to a simmer.
Let it cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Blend. Transfer the cooked veggies and broth to a blender and add in the cashews. Blend until very smooth, taking care to lightly cover the vent in the top of your blender’s lid with a light cloth or kitchen towel, so steam can safely escape.
Note: If you are unable to vent you blender, it may be a safer choice to use an immersion blender instead. I’ve had good luck with the Vitamix Immersion blender so far!
4. Enjoy. Return the blended soup to the pot, and adjust any seasoning, as needed. You can add an extra pinch of salt to boost the flavor, or any other additions that you like.
Just like potato soup, you can also add any extra toppings you love when you serve this! For a vegan version, try some crispy mushroom bacon on top.
Expert Tips & Common Questions
How do you fix bland cauliflower soup? If your cauliflower soup is bland, there’s a good chance you didn’t use enough salt! You can add more, just a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until it tastes more flavorful. You can also brighten the flavor by adding a splash of lemon juice (just 1 to 3 teaspoons) or some ground black pepper.
How do you thicken cauliflower soup? The key to making perfect cauliflower soup is starting with less broth than you think you might need. You can always add more, to thin out the soup later! This recipe calls for 4 cups of broth per 1 1/2 pounds of cauliflower, but you can start with just 3 cups of broth if you prefer an extra-thick soup. And if you have a larger head of cauliflower, you may want to use more broth.
Accidentally use too much liquid? You can make an arrowroot or cornstarch slurry to thicken it up even more. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of starch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and whisk well to combine. (Don’t add the starch directly into the hot soup, or it will clump!) Once the starch is mixed with the water, you can stir it into the hot soup and bring it to a simmer. The soup should thicken as you stir!
Looking for more cauliflower recipes? You will also love Cauliflower Tacos and my famous Cauliflower Pizza!
Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 leeks , chopped (white & green parts only)
- salt & pepper
- 1 (2-pound) head of cauliflower , chopped into florets
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the garlic, leeks, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt until the vegetables soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth, cauliflower, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and increase the heat to high to bring the liquid to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Let it cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and add in the cashews. Remove the top from your blender lid and cover it lightly with a thin towel, to let steam safely escape as you blend. Blend until the soup is very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a good immersion blender directly in your soup pot.)
- Return the soup to the saucepan and adjust any seasoning to taste. For a thinner soup, you can add additional water (and salt to season) until the soup is as thin as you'd like it to be. Serve it warm, with any toppings you love! I like to add cooked quinoa on top to make it more filling, or you can also try crispy mushroom bacon and chives on top to make it more like a lightened-up potato soup.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Cauliflower Soup recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
I can’t wait to get this book…it’s in my Amazon cart waiting for me to press the checkout button!!
Our spring has been slow to start too! My husband and I love roasting cauliflower then blending it in a broth and making it our ‘creamy’ base in soup. I love this idea though – boiling the cauliflower and also adding in cashews to make it more creamy 🙂 Sounds delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this soup! I bookmarked it & look forward to trying it :0). Do you think this book is helpful for those of us who have a regular blender, too? Also, is that quinoa garnishing that bowl of soup along with the chives? It doesn’t seem to be mentioned in the ingredients or instructions, so maybe it’s something else?
oh yum! I’m outta cashews. Time to pick some up…
It´s exactly what I was looking…I was craving for some soup and wanted something different that I used to have!! I have tried before cauliflower soup but didn´t like the final result, I think this one with the leeks and cashews is going to taste amazing!! Thanks 🙂
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Looking forward to making it! Any directions on how long to soak the cashews/almonds?? Thanks!
I usually soak my cashews up to 2 hours.
Can I try with broccoli?
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE your recipes, especially the cauliflower pizza crust!
beet with carrot and cucumber is delish
Super yummy! Perfect for the random storms we’ve been lucky enough to get in Indiana! Thanks for all the great recipes!
I just made this and it is DELICIOUS! I sauteed the garlic and leeks till they browned just a bit to give it a roasted flavor. Out of the pot and 30 seconds in the Vitamix and voila. I highly recommend this recipe. I also used organic, no salt added vegetable stock mixed with Brad’s organic vegetable broth. Very rich flavor.
Tried this soup yesterday and made a double batch. It is fantastic! We are not vegetarians or vegans, just wanting to eat more veggies 🙂 Love the almonds idea. We sprinkled a little shredded cheese on top and some cracked pepper. My skin is glowing today because of the great vitamins I took in! And I feel great! Thanks for the great idea.
Absolutely delicious! I used raw cashew butter & it worked perfectly well…
This is fantastic! It is rich and satisfying. My husband is requesting it again.
Oh my goodness, is this soup delicious! I only blended about half of the soup as we like to have some chucks in ours and it was amazing. Definitely saving this and making it again. Thanks for the recipe
I found this soup to be quite mild. I used frozen cauliflower bits. Maybe that’s why. My veg stock was homemade and quite fragrant, but somehow there’s not much taste here. The cashews did give it a great creaminess.
I made this soup for dinner this week, and it was delicious! Could this be made in the Instant Pot?
This soup is the new love of my life. I have made it twice already and I adore it. It reminds me of my grandmothers potato soup which was full of full-fat cream. You do not miss cream at all in this creamy yummy goodness. Perfectly paired with a salad and some crusty bread. Be careful putting hot soup in your blender – let it cool a smidge so you don’t end up with soup spraying all over your kitchen .. and you!
Great consistency and soo easy to make! I’ve been trying to incorporate oysters lately so I added some diced lightly smoked canned ones and topped with lots of fresh parsley.
Looks great and I have cauliflower to use up. If I wanted to make this with leftover precut cauliflower florets, how much would I use?
Can we make this recipe with broccoli? I saw another user ask the same question below. Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Thanks for sharing this. I made it with chicken broth because I haven’t found a store-bought vegetable broth that I like. I added a little thyme while cooking and topped it with nutmeg. It was so delicious. I definitely plan to make this again.
I was sent a huge head of cauliflower from my CSA box and decided to batch make this soup. I thought it might be a little too “plain”, but still gave it a go. I didn’t have leeks so used onion and it was still very tasty. I also baked some potatoes then cut them up and put them in the soup after it was finished. I topped it with tempeh bacon crumbles, chive cashew cheese, and sliced green onions and basically make it into Baked Potato Soup. So good!