Best Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup (Vegan Options)
Please enjoy our creamy roasted cauliflower soup recipe! Roasted cauliflower gives this soup incredible depth of flavor, coming together in a thick, creamy soup that’s both light and healthy but deeply satisfying. Vegan options, tips to make it chunky or freeze leftovers included.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 yellow onion (medium), diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium (1 quart)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk (can sub with heavy cream or crème fraîche, which will not curdle when heated)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, planted-based butter, or olive oil (plus extra olive oil for drizzling)
- 1.5 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg or cloves (1/8 tsp or less)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, after removing from heat
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4-5 white or brown mushrooms, diced (optional)
- Optional: grated cheese, a dash of paprika, red pepper flakes, fresh chives, and/or dill to garnish at the time of serving
Instructions
- Use a knife to break it down into individual florets. Spread cauliflower pieces out in a single layer on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet.
- Add a generous drizzle of olive oil over the cauliflower, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Roast the cauliflower in the oven on 425°F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s fork-tender and golden brown. Stop to toss and rotate the tray halfway through. (Our oven runs hot so we usually roast on 415°F instead)
- Once the cauliflower is almost done roasting, add butter (or oil), diced onions, chopped celery, and optional mushrooms to a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent and the celery has started to soften, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then add the garlic and thyme, and sauté another for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Cover the pot and turn to low (or remove from heat) if the cauliflower isn’t ready yet.
- Next, add the roasted cauliflower to the pot, along with the vegetable broth, cumin, and a pinch of nutmeg or clove. *Optional: Reserve a few of the nicer, bite-size pieces of roasted cauliflower to add to each bowl of soup at the time of serving.
- Bring everything to a light boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes
- Add the coconut milk.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot, or carefully transfer the soup to a standard blender (in batches if necessary). Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Finally, add the lemon juice to the pot before serving, once it’s removed from the heat. Taste-test and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve and enjoy! I love to garnish each bowl of soup with some fresh chopped chives, roasted pumpkin seeds, and a dash of paprika. A handful of grated cheese or slice of homemade sourdough is always welcome too!
- Store in the refrigerator and use within 5 to 7 days, or transfer to freezer-safe containers (once fully cooled) and store in the freezer for up to one year.
- Defrost frozen cauliflower soup in the refrigerator overnight, or leave out on the counter for no more than 4 hours. Reheat on the stovetop to 165°F.
Notes
*Chunky variations:
- Instead of adding it all at once, only add half of the roasted cauliflower to the pot at Step 3. Let it cook and simmer in the broth, blend it, and then add the remaining portion of cauliflower florets to the pot at the end. If you do, reserve the more manageable bite-size pieces of cauliflower (not huge chunks) to add later. Also make sure they’re cooked/soft enough from the oven – or let them continue to cook in the pot (covered) awhile after adding them to the blended portion if needed.
- An even easier option is to simply add all the cauliflower to the pot, let it simmer in the broth, but then only blend half of the soup itself. That way you’ll also have some chunky onion and celery pieces left too.
- This creamy roasted cauliflower soup also pairs exceptionally well with chickpeas or white beans, which you can add towards the end of cooking for a welcome pop of texture AND protein.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!