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This creamy cauliflower soup recipe is silky smooth, healthy, simple to make, and it’ll warm you right up. You can have this soup on your table in about 40 minutes!
Try my Potato Vegetable Soup next for another healthy and cozy soup.
I’ve been procrastinating writing this post up because writing about cauliflower is about as exciting as… well… boiled cauliflower. I don’t really have anything against cauliflower, but there’s only so many things you can say about it. Wow, I am really selling this recipe. 😛
Ok, so cauliflower is a great vessel for soup, I suppose, because it takes on the flavors of the other ingredients. When it’s blended up it has a nice texture and a mild flavor. I added in some fresh thyme, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning for extra flavor, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for the tiniest kick (it won’t make it spicy unless you add a fair bit).
This pureed cauliflower soup is one of those soups that are even better the next day as the ingredients get a chance to meld some more.
Love cauliflower? Try my Cauliflower and Leek Soup or this Roasted Mashed Cauliflower.
How to make cauliflower soup
In a soup pot, sauté the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic, followed by the broth, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme, then puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Stir in the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below).
Recipe notes & tips:
- My preference is adding heavy cream, but half-and-half or coconut milk will work fine in this recipe if you need an alternative. Or, leave it out altogether. It’ll still taste good, but it just won’t be quite as smooth/velvety, and the cream does add a little bit of richness and flavor too (and the fat content makes it more filling).
- I use this Oster hand blender to puree the soup. I like it because it’s plastic and doesn’t scratch my Le Creuset pot.
- You could sub the fresh time with dried if you need to. I’d add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Fresh or dried rosemary could also be an alternatively to the thyme if need be.
Cauliflower soup toppings:
Eat it as-is, or with a drizzle of olive oil on top (try a fancy flavored one or a spicy one for some kick), some chopped chives, crumbled crispy bacon, or some croutons. The croutons I made for the topping were so good and really quick/easy. I just cut up some firm rye bread into squares and fried them in a bit of olive oil and garlic powder until they were golden brown. Or make a big batch of croutons with my Homemade Croutons Recipe.
Do you like cauliflower soup? Will you give this one a try? If you’ve got questions, let me know in the comments below!
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter, and onion to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until it's starting to lightly brown.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the broth, cauliflower, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and fresh thyme sprigs. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat so it's simmering for about 20 minutes (or until the cauliflower is very soft).
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. You may want to let the soup cool a bit prior to blending it. I used my immersion blender, but feel free to use a regular blender and carefully blend it in batches.
- Stir in the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed (it definitely requires additional salt as cauliflower isn't super flavorful).
Notes
- A "large" head of cauliflower weighs about 2 pounds.
- Serves 4-6.
- If you need to, you may sub the cream with half-and-half or coconut milk.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I absolutely ❤️ LOVED this and none of my family likes cauliflower soup! I subbed coconut milk half and half. I also sprinkled some cheddar cheese in. Then I topped it off with hellmans spicy mayo for some kick! We loved it so much everyone went back for more! I also paired it up with salad with sliced strawberries, cranberries and glazed walnuts, Feta cheese topped off with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Yumm! Thank you for sharing!
That’s great to hear!! Love the sound of that salad! 🙂
Thank you! Can’t wait to try. If you are buying the pre-cut florets from the grocery store, how many lbs? I was also thinking some toasted pine-nuts or herb croutons for texture?
Hi! There’s a note in the recipe saying I used about 2 lbs. of cauliflower, so aim for that. 🙂 Yes – I think that toasted pine nuts would be great. My homemade croutons and other topping ideas are also linked in the blog post. Hope you enjoy the soup, Christy!
I have made this delicious soup three times now and have shared it with my parents as well. We all love it.
It’s easy to add extra veggies too, like carrots, red pepper and butternut squash. I do use full fat coconut milk at the end and it tastes great and the consistency is perfect.
Thank you Natasha for sharing your incredible recipes! I look forward to your emails every Sunday :))
Tracy
Wow, I am thrilled to hear that, Tracy. Really appreciate you taking the time to review this recipe, and I’m so glad you enjoy the emails! 🙂 Yes, this soup is for sure versatile, and I’m glad you’ve tried adding other veggies too.
This is one of our favorites! Easy and delicious! We add a bit of Parmesan or cheddar on occasion as well. Love this one!
So happy to hear that! 🙂
This soup was simple and delicious! Complete and on the table in 30 minutes. If my husband gave it a “restaurant quality” rating, you know it’s great!! I think my cauliflower may have been a little small- it didn’t come out as thick as the picture looked so I will definitely get a bigger one next time!
Wonderful!! That makes me happy. Was yours around 2 pounds? I’d recommend that size.
How long can this soup be held (refrigerated)?
Thank you.
JS
Hi! I think it’ll be fine in the fridge for up to 5 days. It really depends what you’re personally comfortable doing, though. I tend to err on the side of eating leftovers sooner rather than later (usually within 3 days), but I also am overly cautious typically.
This soup was surprisingly good. Not surprising that it tasted good but surprising that you actually made it for me since you never actually cook for me. It was creamy, silky, and had loads of flavour. A+ but not holding my breath that you’ll actually cook it for me again. Will you?
No.
Exactly what it says creamy and easy. Perfect for cold and rainy days, and light on washing up!
I didn’t have any pepper so used some Rocket leaves in with the onion, and I used Greek yogurt in place of cream, simply because it was too wet to walk to the shop!
Thank you 🙏 Keep the recipes coming 😁🥣🥣🥄
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Harriet!! 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting! I’ll definitely keep the recipes coming.
At what point do you add the cauliflower to the pot?
Step 3! Sorry about that. Just updated it. Sometimes I miss things no matter how many times I proofread a recipe. Sigh.
When do you add cauliflower???
Step 3 🙂 Sorry! Updated it.