Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This cauliflower soup recipe is the BEST! Roasted cauliflower makes it taste amazing, and a little butter (instead of cream) makes it luxuriously creamy.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
Behold! Lusciously creamy, yet cream-less, cauliflower soup. This cauliflower soup recipe will absolutely satisfy your craving for warm, creamy soup—no cheese required.
I know “cauliflower soup” might not sound super appealing if you’ve never had it before. Trust me, it can be so delicious! Today, I’m sharing my favorite cauliflower soup recipe, and I can’t wait for you to make it at home.
My friend Tessa introduced me to cauliflower soup a few years ago. I loved it so much that I developed my own recipe for my cookbook, Love Real Food.
As the temps and leaves have dropped this fall, I’ve had a hankering for warm, creamy soups. So, I thought I’d share a slightly simplified version of my cauliflower soup for everyone to enjoy. Let’s make some!
Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Soup
This soup calls for basic ingredients but yields amazing flavor. If you have a head of cauliflower in the fridge, you probably have everything else you’ll need.
This cauliflower soup is the perfect accompaniment to salads and sandwiches. This traditional cauliflower soup will go with just about any other fall or winter flavors, including butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and greens like arugula and kale. It’ll warm you up without weighing you down!
This soup freezes well for later. This recipe doesn’t yield a ton (about 4 medium bowls), but if you have extra, just freeze it!
This creamy soup is special diet-friendly. It’s gluten free as written. Check my recipe notes to learn how to make this soup vegan/dairy free by using cashews instead of butter.
How to Make the Best Cauliflower Soup
1) Roast Your Cauliflower
Behind that creamy beige exterior, you’ll find loads of irresistible roasted cauliflower flavor. Roasted cauliflower is key here—cauliflower develops caramelized notes with a greater depth of flavor as it roasts in the oven.
2) Build Flavor
Once your roasted cauliflower is almost done, you’ll sauté onions in a soup pot until tender, then add garlic and vegetable broth. Then, add your roasted cauliflower and simmer the mixture on the stove for about 20 minutes to meld the flavors.
3) Add Butter for Creaminess
You’ll transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and add butter. Butter is an easy way to add mega creamy, luxurious flavor and texture without any cream (I borrowed this technique from my butternut squash soup). If you’re like me, you always have butter in the fridge, but rarely heavy cream!
4) Blend Until Completely Smooth
I recommend blending this soup in a stand blender, rather than an immersion blender, because stand blenders yield the creamiest results. Fortunately, the ingredients used here are fairly soft, so even an inexpensive stand blender should work well (I used my fancy Vitamix, affiliate link). The final texture, in my opinion, is absolutely worth dirtying the blender bowl for.
5) Season with Nutmeg and Lemon Juice
We’re using small, subtle amounts of nutmeg and lemon juice here. You probably won’t be able to pinpoint them while you’re sipping your soup, but they offer a certain je ne sais quoi factor. They take this soup from great to fantastic!
6) Sprinkle Something Fresh on Top
I tried garnishing my soup with fresh parsley, green onion and chives. I loved them all and couldn’t pick a favorite, so use whichever you have on hand!
Watch How to Make Cauliflower Soup
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I really love hearing from you.
Having a moment with cauliflower? Here are some more of my favorite cauliflower recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Roasted Cauliflower (Four Ways!)
- Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice
- Lemony Roasted Cauliflower Risotto
- Parmesan-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara
- Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Feta and Avocado
Craving more soups? Don’t miss the other eight soup recipes in Love Real Food! You’ll also find quite a few more soups here on the blog.
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This cauliflower soup recipe is the best! Roasted cauliflower makes it taste amazing, and a little butter (instead of cream) makes it luxuriously creamy. Recipe yields 4 bowls of soup.
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Absolutely devine. I sprinkled sweet paprika on the cauliflower pieces before I roasted it and everyone loved it.
I made this soup tonight and it was excellent. I made it according to the recipe with the minor change of adding more garlic (because I’m a garlic fiend). I have a feeling I will be making this regularly this winter.
Hi Kathryn, I just made this soup and it didn’t turn out that great for me. I found that it lacked flavour. So I proceeded to add a pureed mix of celery, carrots, yellow peppers and a couple of potatoes. I know that isn’t true to your recipe but for me it added flavour. I did like that you roast your cauliflower!
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. Thank you for sharing you feedback, Halya.
Loved it! I even discovered that cauliflower florets out of the oven, done according to your recipe,could pass as an amazing veg on its on!
Thank you
I LOVED the butternut squash soup so this was next on my to do. I added a carrot and I roasted the veg with harissa and also roasted the garlic. I only had chicken stock so used that and didn’t add any salt after, the lemon is such a lovely addition to this soup. Absolutely gorgeous and so creamy, can’t wait to have a bowl tomorrow (I always wait a day, tastes even better). Next stop, the tomato soup! Love these recipes xxx
Your recipe includes vegetable broth but nowhere in the instructions does it say where the broth gets added in!
Love this soup! I have made it several times. I roasted a head of garlic while roasting the cauliflower and added a few of the roasted cloves instead of fresh & it was amazing!
Wonderful, Kristin! Thank you for your comment and review.
I totally agree to double this! I made it for lunch thinking I’d have some for lunch tomorrow. Wrong! Everyone had seconds except my 16 year old son – he had 4bowls.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Leanne.
Just made this and was really surprised! Loved this. Will definitely make again!
Thank you! This is such a deliciously amazing soup! [I was excited to find a recipe that did not require a trip to the shops for specialty ingredients.] I am not a fan of nutmeg, so skipped it. As I had them on hand, I added about 7 oz. of roasted chestnuts to the simmering stage. Bumped up an already fabulous recipe to a new level.
I made this over the weekend and my husband and I loved it. Making a double batch this weekend so that I can freeze individual portions for lunches. I agree, it is worth the hassle of dragging out the blender in order to get that silky creamy consistency.
This is such a great weeknight recipe! I love the nutmeg at the end, makes it so very fall tasting and the house smells awesome with the cauliflower roasting. Thank you!
I did not like this recipe. It had the texture of wallpaper paste with little flavor.
Followed recipe but was very disappointed
Hi Jane, I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like your cauliflower soup was on the thicker side and needed more liquid or you had too large of cauliflower. I appreciate your feedback.
This soup is fantastic! I used a little Tony Chacherie’s creole seasoning at the end & then added 12 ozs of lump crabmeat because my husband requested it & gently stirred. Then finished as the recipe directs…using a floret & a few green onions. Can’t wait to make it again.
FANTASTIC STUFF!
Being vegan, I made ours with a dollop of pre-made cashew cream, a splash of unsweetened almond milk, homemade veggie broth (which has miso and mushrooms along with the usual vegetables) and a dash of turmeric for color. Holy smokes, so simple, creamy and satisfying!
My husband taste tested then literally used the LADLE for another try! Suffice to say, we’ll be making this one again!
I was just curious why red onion instead of white/yellow? Does it change the flavor? I usually use sweet onion when making soups.
Hi! I find they have slightly different flavors and that works best here. You could sub if you like, but flavor will vary slightly.
Simple to make, delicious and what a great way to enjoy cauliflower (a nice change to potato-based creamy veg soups)! We added kale and it was delicious.
Absolutely delicious…
Can I double the broth?? But keep everything else the same? I only have 1 head of cauliflower, but want to double the recipe!? Will it change the flavour? Or just the consistency ? Thanks
Hi Tina, doubling the broth will change both the flavor and consistency because it will dilute the other ingredients. I’d suggest sticking to the recipe because I know it’ll turn out great as written!
Dear Kate,
Your recipes are AWESOME! Thank you for sharing them with us. You make our lives yummier!
Thank you so much, Heather! :)
Delicious! Perfect for Thanksgiving! Thank you.
OMG your Cauliflower Soup is fantastic.
The consistency is full & creamy.
The taste is nothing like cauliflower & its is just amazing.
Love it love it.
Made it today. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Made a big batch so that I could freeze in small batches.
Do I need to defrost the soup before heating it up?
Hi Anita! I’m glad you loved it. Yes, I would defrost before heating.
Hi Kathryne – I love cauliflower (raw, roasted) and tried the recipe tonight. The photo of your soup was the color of butternut squash – or a lighter yellow/orange. My soup did not look like that – my soup looked a little like oatmeal – it was light brown.
What gives it the color yellow/orange?
Thanks, Liza
Hi! I hope you still liked the flavor, Liza. Sometimes the color can vary with the type of vegetable broth you use.
I started making this soup about 6 months ago when New Zealand was going into winter and we had cauliflowers in our garden and when we finished them they were still plentiful in the markets. We had it at least once a fortnight sometimes once a week. I have made it for many guests and forwarded the link to the recipe to even more friends and rellies.
I noticed a special on cauliflower this week and we’ve had it tonight for the first time in about a month. We had been missing it!!The only thing I’ve done differently is from about the 4th time I made it, when the cauliflower I had was not a big one, I added a grated kumara (sweet potato)when I started cooking all the ingredients together. We decided we liked it even better!! that way so I have kept doing it.
I love soup anyway but this is one of my favourites of all time. We always have it as a main course with a big salad and some kind of good hot bread or toast. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
I’m happy you have been making it for so long! I appreciate you taking your time to review, Martha.
For me, this was an excellent base soup, and then i got creative trying to use up ingredients i had. This was truly delish! I read the comments and tried my best to follow the recipe with what i had. I doubled it as suggested – so two heads of cauliflower but for the onions i only had 1 red onion, a yellow, and a shallot, so i used each of those. I used the Trader joes frozen garlic cubes – but i did 8 (hehe) i added in 2 bay leaves, and some Santa Maria seasoning during the onion cooking part. When it was still brothy and cooking the cauliflower inside the soup, i added 4 Tbs butter – then right before i blended – i added in another 4 (1 whole stick! Ah! I know I’m bad) After using a hand emulsifier, For a topping i cooked some of the Trader Joe’s applewood smoked bacon, and toasted and chopped TJs rosemary Marcona almonds – oh! I also did 4 cups vegetable stock and 2 cups chicken stock when i doubled the recipe – the is SO GOOD!! Now having found it, thus recipe I’m super excited to try different variations! My fiancé couldn’t stop eating this, and neither could I! Thanks, Kate!! ❤️
I’m happy to hear you got creative and enjoyed the result, LC!
Oh my goodness. This soup is divine! My daughter found the recipe and I was skeptical at first because of the lemon juice. Holy cow, the lemon juice makes it! We pretty much followed the recipe except used chicken broth instead of veggie, reduced the onion to just 1 pearl onion and the garlic to just 1 clove. We blended in 1/8 cup of heavy cream and did not add any additional salt due to the chicken broth. Finally, we garnished with the cauliflower and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and served it for lunch with sautéed asparagus spears and crusty bread. Was marvelous. Will definitely make many times again. Thank you for sharing!
I’m excited you think so, Katrina!
This was so good! I was dubious about the nutmeg/lemon but all the rave reviews convinced me to try it. Served it at Thanksgiving with rosemary croutons and it was a big hit. I used an immersion blender since I made a giant batch and I only have a smoothie cup blender and it was plenty creamy. Definitely will make this again!
This was so delicious! My favorite soup recipe. I added in a little nutritional yeast to thicken it, and I added a dash of cayenne pepper and some montreal steak spice to make it more spicy. Delicious either way!
Another great recipe! Just made for lunch and it is already gone! Thanks for sharing!
I’m happy you loved it! Thank you for your review, Cristiane.
I make this regularly as it is such a great comfort soup without any guilt!
Just made this soup, and so happy with the results! I added carrots to my roasting pan, and rosemary and chili flakes during the simmering stage. My only comment is that my food processor (note, not the recommended blender) didn’t get it as smooth as I would have hoped.
Otherwise, delicious and a perfect yield for dinner and a couple lunches this week.
Thank you for your feedback! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
OH MY GOSH..! This soup is AWESOME! I was skeptical at first due to the lack of milk in the recipe. It turned out AMAZING. I added more garlic…just ’cause I always do.
Thanks again Kate! Another winner!
Truly excellent. Much more flavorful than the cauliflower soup recipe I usually make.
Thank you for your review, Susan!
Hi Kate, I had a head of cauliflower lurking in my fridge veg compartment. Followed your recipe exactly & used ‘Better Than Bouillon” veg broth. Soup tastes divine. I bet it even improves overnight when the flavors really ‘get to know each other’ as my mom used to say. Thank you.
Hello, Kate! Can the lemon be substituted with lime? Thank you!
Hi Carmen, the flavor will vary slightly but you could try it.
I just made this recipe exactly as written. It is delicious!! I’m not a big fan of cauliflower so I’m surprised how much we like it. I was also afraid of the fresh lemon juice but it really works well!! I Will definitely make this again.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Barb.
Excellent! Only modification I made was to add nutmeg to onion sautéing and one bay leaf. But I forget to remove bay leaf!! Blended then added lemon and blended again. Beautiful and smooth!
This recipe is super delicious. It tastes more like a gravy so I made some low carb cheesy biscuits to go with. It was a hit, even my father-in-law came back for more and he’s impossible to cook for. Thank you! I’m bookmarking this one!
Yay!! Thanks for this! Always happy to see a Cookie and Kate recipe come up for something I’m wanting to make. Looking forward to seeing how the soup turns out! Thanks for all your delicious recipes! I’m sure it’s so yummy
Thank you so much for this recipe. There was a cauliflower looking at me accusingly from the veg basket and I kept avoiding it, but then came across your recipe and it turned out to be delicious. The only change I made was not to put florets on top when serving, so the soup received the ultimate accolade— my partner said it was delicious but could not guess the main ingredient!
Luv this easy to follow few ingredient recipe, shared with all my soup loving friends they luv it too sooo yummy.
I’m glad you love it, Joanne! I appreciate your review.
A very nice soup! Easy to make and packed with flavor. My quests loved it. I topped it with curried apples cubes and roasted cauliflower. Combine 1 tart sweet apple, peeled and finely diced with 1/4 teaspoon curry powder and let it rest in the refrigerator until topping the soup. X
Excellent recipe. I ate the whole pot. The lemon was key and I used turkey stock I had on hand. Used the immersion blender and was silky smooth without dirtying the big blender.
Great recipe! I wouldn’t have thought to add lemon juice, but it really did enhance the flavour. I added some grated parm at the end too, and it was so tasty.
Absolutely delicious and so easy! Made double for me and my non-vegetarian boyfriend, he was super impressed
That’s wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to review, Madison.
Tasty and comforting soup without all the cream and fat! Delicious! We roasted the cauliflower at 200 in the airfryer for 20 minutes, shaking the basket ever 7 minutes or so. Perfect!
I made this soup a few months back and it’s wonderful. I crave it now and no longer look forward to summer, because it will be too hot for this soup. The only change I made is I double the cauliflower and add the extra at the end for a chunky soup :)
Kate, you are the best!!! I am very grateful for all your recipes.
Now to try Lucille’s Mashed Potatoes. :-P
Thank you for sharing, Melissa!
I made this soup last
night. It’s delicious!
The lemon and nutmeg add subtle flavor that lingers. Texture, I will blend a little longer in hopes to make it a smoother texture. The cauliflower I used was frozen riced cauliflower this could be why the texture was not smooth. Next time I’ll use fresh
This soup is unavailable! Don’t hesitate to make. I’m making a huge batch for Christmas so I have portions for Christmas Day and left overs. Thanks for sharing :)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved it, Gillian.