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.
This recipe seems delicious can’t wait to make it but my concern is the smell from the cauliflower is there any tips and tricks that I can use to not have the smell?
Thanks love from Greece
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry I don’t understand. It’s cauliflower soup so it will smell like the main ingredient?
We love this soup! The only addition I make is a pinch of cayenne to give a little kick. Delicious!
Thank you for sharing! I do enjoy cayenne.
I have made this soup twice. It’s very easy to do and tastes amazing!!
That’s great! Thank you for your comment, Lynne.
I agree, it tastes great but my entire apartment smelled like cauliflower for hours and it was not pleasant. Apparently adding a tablespoon or so of vinegar can help with it, I hope it works !
Sorry to hear there was a lingering smell. Thanks for sharing!
Divine! Although I made a couple changes: I roasted cauliflower, zucchini, and one unseeded jalapeño (it added such a great heat!), and I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth. The lemon was so great. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Adina!
This was wonderful. I had it bookmarked for ages and only got around to making it today, a cold December day. My only regret is I missed what other readers had said: to make double! Next time though I’ll be ready :) Keep up the good work. Also, I hope Cookie is doing okay!
Wonderful! Yes, Cookie still seems to be doing well now she is in remission and still handling treatments well.
This soup was so easy to make! And delicious too. Definitely going to add this to my regular meals.
Great to hear! Thank you for taking the time to review, Genelle.
Delicious soup! I tried it today, after Christmas feasting and it was exactly what I needed. It will be definitely a regular.
This is excellent. I used the cashews instead of butter for vegan option. Thank you
I just made this last night! My husband, who despises cauliflower and broccoli, absolutely loved it. My stepdaughter who doesn’t eat vegetables raved about it, but my stepson we had to force to eat half. I thought it was delicious! It didn’t look as creamy as yours because I probably didn’t pick a big enough cauliflower but it was great. I added a drizzle of heavy cream to give it some body since I didn’t have enough cauliflower. I also roasted a whole head of garlic in the oven with the cauliflower and I would totally recommend it.
For garnish I added finely chopped chives, creme fraiche, white truffle oil, and herb crostini. Fantastic soup! Thank you!
We made this soup last night! It was amazing!!! So simple to make! My husband said it could easily be served in a 5 star restaurant!
This was amazing! I finished it off in the instant pot for 3 minutes with a natural release followed by an immersion blender. I skipped the lemon juice and nutmeg because I liked the flavor on its own. I topped it off with some Paleo croutons for a meal. Delicious.
Kate, your recipes never disappoint! I had this one on my radar for awhile and finally made it this week, and oh my goodness it’s incredible! It’s so rich and creamy and I can’t stop thinking about it. I may have had it for breakfast this morning :-) Stuck to the recipe except I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth. Perfection!
I’m delighted you think so, Kelly! Thank you for your review.
I made the soul tonight! I had all of the ingredients on hand. It was so easy to prepare.
This is amazing, it tastes like it has cream in it. I have the cookbook and all of the meals we have tried have been fabulous!
Just made this soup!! Love it! So simple and tremendous!! Love all you make and share with us!! Love to you from Boston!!
Wonderful, Marion! Thank you for your review.
Lovely recipe. Full of flavour
This is delicious! I made it last night exactly as the recipe is written for the exception of using my homemade vegetable and bone broth. I always make soup the day before I want to eat it and it was worth the wait. Super creamy, love the hint of lemon and I actually didn’t need much additional salt to make this perfect … just a little crank of pink himalayan on top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and chopped fresh parsley was awesome. Will try green onions as well on the next bowl. Made 4 perfectly sized portions.
Yummy, loved this recipe, I added more fresh lemon juice. Delightful. Also in love with your roasted cauliflower Italian style, another 5 Star winner. My sister gave me your cookbook Christmas 2019; I then gave to my daughters. We all adore and everything turns out fabulous. Thank you.
We make this often and everyone loves it! I set aside a few extra pieces of the roasted cauliflower so we have them for leftovers. Homemade garlic bread goes perfectly with this. Thanks for another winner, Kate!
Sounds like a delicious combination, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Why did you use red onions v white or yellow?
I’m making this soup today.
I’ve used both, depending on what I have on hand. The red onion is a little stronger, but I didn’t really notice the difference.
Thank you for a fantastic recipe! I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks!
I did make some changes— I roasted the cauliflower (+ onions, carrots, & garlic) in my air fryer @360°F before simmering it all in homemade chicken broth. Blended & topped with chopped green onions. I agree that nutmeg & lemon was what made it amazing!
Please explain to me how your picture shows a yellowish soup when all the ingredients are brown? Roasting makes it brow & ,vegetable broth is a very dark brown. What here is nothing that makes this a light yellow as shown ointment your picture. If I made this for company I would not be able to serve it.
Hi Kay, the interiors of the roasted cauliflower are still white. As long as you choose a lightly colored vegetable broth (some are quite orange!), your soup should turn out like the photos. Adding some fresh parsley on top also helps add some appeal.
My turned out quite brown as well. Tastes great but looks more like an oatmeal colour:(
Hi! I’m sorry you didn’t like the color. Sometimes the broth used can vary the color results.
Best cauliflower soup recipe I’ve made to date. It’s easy, healthy and very tasty. I would absolutely recommend trying this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly, but didn’t have vegetable broth so subbed it with chicken broth and it was awesome!
Absolutely delicious soup, will make this again :)
Absolutely love this recipe. Extremely filling. Was able to work a 5 hour shift in retail with no problem getting hungry in a couple of hours.
Once I put my cauliflower into the pot with the onions and broth, etc. I had torn pieces of French bread into croutons, tossed in any leftover oil, added a bit more oil, put it back on the used parchment for the cauliflower and toasted my croutons. They were ready to go when the soup was ready!!!
I made this and the roasted cauliflower really makes it!!! Did not use blender, used old fashion beater, kept it a little chunky. Delicious!
We have so much cauliflower in our house right now I had no idea what to cook with it other than cheese and cauliflower bake but after coming across this recipe I had to try this soup even though we’re in the middle of summer. It is so delicious and simple to make. Thanks for sharing.
I’m delighted it was a hit and just what you needed, Alex!
Everyone (4 adults)in the family loved this soup – husband said it was the best soup he’d ever had!! (I made it for Christmas of 2020 dinner.) I used a yellow chinese cauliflower so the colour turned out especially appetizing.
However, the florets started to burn after 10 minutes in the oven so I had to stop roasting then. And after I added them to the broth I had to sieve out the burned flecks or my husband would have tasted the burned flavour, which he does not like.
It’s definitely going to be a regular! Thank you.
It was ok but was lacking a lot of flavor. Made it exactly the way recipe was except added a little cayenne pepper and as another person did I served with alittle white truffle oil on top. Maybe the bits of bacon would help to flavor. Good way to eat cauliflower though!
I’m sorry this one wasn’t for you, but I appreciate your feedback.
Probably not the intended use, but my baby finds this soup to be much more pleasing than his pureed sweet potatoes.
This is delicious…and I don’t even like cauliflower!!! Thank you for your tasty and healthy recipes, equal parts important over here in our house!
This soup was scrumptious! I had some turnip in the fridge that needed to be used, so I roasted it as well and added it to the soup. I will definitely use this recipe again.Thsnk you!
Amazing! We used white onion instead of red, and we cut down the butter to 1tbsp. The lemon juice is a great touch. We would definitely make this again!
A wonderful, easy soup. I made only two changes: (1) I used chicken broth because it was what I had, and (2) half of my cauliflower had been roasted with a small amount of cumin. But I added no other seasoning, except what the recipe called for, and I found it very flavorful. And that’s coming from somebody who usually increases the seasoning in recipes a lot! Absolutely delicious. Also, after roasting and then simmering the cauliflower in the broth, I found that an immersion blender did a fine job of giving it a creamy texture. (This is the first comment I’ve ever left on a cooking blog – the soup is *that* good!)
Thank you for sharing, Erika! I’m delighted you were able to enjoy it.
2nd time making this tonight, and it is perfect. I made just as per the instructions, no improvement needed! thank you!
Soup was excellent! I used about half the salt recommended and better than bullion vegetable bullion. Thanks!
BTW it smelled like cauliflower. Lol.
Thank you for sharing, Tom!
Poetry in a bowl ! We were really taken by surprise and thouroughly loved this soup, thank you ! This has become a standard in our house, even the children enjoyed it. It’s also such a versatile recipe, I’ll be enjoying fiddling now and again with it. Any reason you wouldn’t roast the garlic along with the cauli ?
Thanks much and stay healthy !
This soup was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly but did use an immersion blender because that’s all I had. A definite keeper!!
Thanks, my family loved it:)
OMG, amazing
Thank you, Amber!
I would like to try this soup…my question is, can I use coconut milk instead of broth? Looking for a really creamy soup texture…and would you still suggest the butter?
Hi Jackie, I wouldn’t recommend coconut milk here. Trust me, this soup is deliciously creamy!
Has anyone added parmesan cheese to this recipe?
This is delicious. Creamy without a drop of cream. I added a dash of Old Bay, instead of the nutmeg, because, you know, I live in Maryland and we’re all about our Old Bay
After I dumped the cauliflower in the pot, I got a little concerned. It looked kind of gross at that point, but I forged ahead and WOW am I glad I did. Couple changes I made to preparation and ingredients: I used 5 cloves of garlic (if you don’t at least double the garlic in recipes we can’t be friends), omitted the butter (used an extra dribble of EVOO) and added a pinch of smoked paprika at the end. I also used my air fryer on the bake setting to cut down the roasting time for the cauliflower and blended the soup with an immersion blender. This is definitely going in the soup rotation!
Wonderful to hear you enjoyed it, Kali! Thank you for your review.
OMG, Made this today, followed the 3x recipe and it delivered 5 quarts…like eating silk… the only change was I used chicken broth and went lighter on the nutmeg…this is an awesome decadent “bisque” type soup worthy of your best dinner guests…THANK YOU!!!!
I just made this! SO delicious! The only change I made was that I substituted chicken stock (half stock and half water so the chicken flavor wouldn’t overpower the cauliflower), because I happened to be out of vegetable stock. Oh, and I used mace instead of nutmeg. But wow! I was reading through the comments and I agree–I should have made a double batch.
Wonderful, Maia! Thank you for your review and comment.
I made a few adjustments. I used chicken broth and a cup or so of 2% milk. I really liked what the lemon juice was adding but also added a couple of tbsp of sour cream. The roasted cauliflower had a slight bitter aftertaste so I added a couple of tbsps of light brown sugar. The sugar really seemed to round things out nicely without making it sweet. Using a stand blender is really the way to go. It becomes so velvety and smooth. Delicious.
Wow. This recipe is simple, quick and a huge surprise. So delicious. Thank you and much aloha. Be safe, wear a mask.
This was so, so, so good! I skipped the butter(and/or vegan nut option) entirely due to my husband’s dietary needs, and I honestly don’t think it needs it at all! (altho I’m sure it is delicious, because, well, it’s butter) But it’s so great and so creamy even without it.
This recipe is amazing. Now I understand the raving reviews! Agree on the double it comments – if you have room for all that cauli in your oven. Added fresh dill that I’ve been using all week and it was scrumptious with the lemon. I had no issue using my immersion blender – super creamy and delicious. I think it just depends on how good your immersion blender is! Definitely less mess and hot soup flying around!
It’s good to know you agree with the reviews, Emily! Thank you for taking the time to review.
So good. I had heavy cream so I used that. Did the full blender thing but added frozen sweet peas there right at the end before serving. I like a little something to chew, even in my soup. Thank you. Lovely soup.
Love love love! So YUMMY!
All your soups are delicious, but this one, and your thai curry version are two of my favorites!! Delicious and so easy to make. My daughter tells me I can make it every night if I want. ;-)
That’s great to hear, Kristen! Thank you for commenting.
absolutely wonderful
The soup was delicious and easy to makes. Since the stem pieces did not fit on the sheet pan, I sliced the stem and sautéed it with the onions. I also added a Parmesan rind while simmering the soup.
This is crazy delicious, especially with some chives and green onions on top. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, and I was very pleased with the outcome. The hardest part was not eating the cauliflower when it came out of the oven – it smelled so amazing. I will make this again and again.
I’m delighted you loved it, Sara! Thank you for your review.