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.
Ok, so I took some major liberties here, but the base soup was as noted. I added German thyme, blueberry goat cheese, and red pepper, then roasted asparagus with garlic and balsamic. I put the asparagus stalks around the edges of the soup. The end result had my wife and I looking at each other with eyes wide as can be, shoveling spoon after spoon into our mouths like we had never eaten before. Great job on the recipe. This is definitely something I will be making a lot!
Superb, I just made this after using a roasted Pumpkin recipe for ages and my partner “who is not big on cauliflower”, thinks it is amazing. I love its roasted flavours.
I’ve made this soup many times. Super easy to make. The flavors are great. I like to freeze it.
My daughter (8yr) hates cauliflower so I offered her some “soup”. She ate a whole bowlful, none the wiser!
Made this for the second time and oh my! The first time it was a little thin so this time I used a bigger head of cauliflower and it came out perfect! Thanks!
I’m glad you have made this again! Thank you for sharing, Deann.
Thank you for sharing your recipe :-) this is the best cauliflower soup!! This is one of my favorite recipes to make now!
Wonderful, Josie! Thank you for your review.
This soup is way beyond delicious. I had no idea it would taste as good as it does. In fact, I feel like it may be actual magic. Thank you for posting this soup here. I made some bread for breadbowls and it’s my new favorite meal.
Thank you for your review, Shana.
I was looking for a recipe tonight to use up some cauliflower and came across this. I followed it mostly but I decreased the salt a little and added some chopped bacon to the blender. I also sprinkled a little cheese on top with the green onions and chives. This was a huge hit with my family! Thank you for the recipe! This one will go into my rotation for sure!
You’re welcome, Chris! I’m glad this one will be on rotation for you.
So easy and absolutely delicious. Also very filling!
Kate,
I adore most of your recipes and this one is a stellar I had to write my first review.
First, thank you for offering the simplest and most delicious way of preparing the humble Cauliflower. Roasting it is genius. I caramelised leek instead of onion and paired this soup with spinach, goats cheese and smokey almond stuffed roasted portobello mushrooms. A slice of buttered olive toast to round it off. My partner and I were in tastebud heaven.
Thanks again you nailed this recipe.
You’re welcome, Elly!
My favourite winter recipe.
Thank you, Alison!
Very nice. I added a couple of celery stalks.
Delicious, I made this as meal prep for my weeks lunches, needless to say there’s not much left for lunch.
I also roast the cauliflower leaves and stems and included them in the soup. Yum.
I changed the recipe a lot and it still came out great. I used 6 cloves minced garlic, no butter or spices. No lemon juice or salt.
And I topped it with Greek Yogurt!
Yummy!!
The Creamy Roasted Cauliflower soup was a fair amount of work and tasted okay, until…I experimented in adding a teaspoon of pure Vermont maple syrup in my bowl and the flavors then snapped together into utter deliciousness!! I would definitely recommend eating it with a dash of the maple syrup
As a family we are Cauliflower Soup fans from way back, and this one has been voted the best yet!
I have made this recipe so many times. I absolutely love it. It’s amazing. Thanks so much for a delicious cauliflower recipe. Xo
That’s great to hear, Amy! Thank you for your review.
Loved it!! And great including the touch of nutmeg and lemon juice for enhancement.
I’ve printed this recipe to keep.
I’m happy you loved it, Robyn! Thank you for your review.
So yummy!
I followed the list of ingredients and put them all in an instapot. Just only added 1/2 cup of chicken broth instead of the 2 cups. Cooked it on high pressure for 40 minutes. I then blended it in a food processor. Topped it off with green onions. My son said it was amazing and he enjoyed it even after day 2 of 4 wisdom teeth removal
I’ve made this soup several times now – absolutely delicious. Make it as per recipe but sometimes add a little more lemon juice. Tastes so indulgent and rich. By far my most preferred version of a cauliflower soup. Thanks for such a lovely recipe.
You’re welcome, Rose! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I love this recipe, I use cashews instead of butter as my daughter is vegan and it’s excellent. Who ever thought cauliflower could taste so amazing. I like to I make my own vegetable stock as well from random veg in the fridge. I wish I could find a really nice ready made vegan powder stock. I’m not usually a huge cauliflower fan, so if you are the same, please do try this recipe. Also I don’t normally leave reviews for recipes!
I know! This soup is surprisingly so good. I appreciate your review, Diane.
Step Six says to put the hot soup in the blender. Thanks to this ridiculous advice, I now have a kitchen covered in cauliflower soup. Husband says you should never put hot liquid in a blender. I was craving comfort food as was feeling lousy and now I’m feeling much worse with cauliflower covered windows to clean. Seriously. Instruct people properly.
Hi Kate, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you follow the caution note in that same step to not over fill so you don’t have that issue?
This recipe turned out fantastic. The only change I made was to add the nutmeg during the simmering. It really added a nice depth to the soup. Will definitely make this again and again.
Brian, Alberta, Canada.
Really creamy and delicious!
Roasted cauliflower soup is best with bits of crispy bacon on top.
Kate – I just love this. I’ve made it a few times and finally captured photos this time. I like to use this recipe as a meal prep for the week. It’s so simple and so perfect with the lemon juice. I mixed a little veg broth, added pepper and little basil. Just for a small pop. I’m a total spice girl so I had to hold back. Again, love, love everything you’re doing. So glad I found you!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Kimberly!
Hi Kate,
Absolutely wonderful, healthy, tasty, hearty soup. So easy to cook.
Thank you. I have it bookmarked. This time I added a potato and some sweet potato I had leftover in the fridge.
Delicious!
Sue
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sue! Thank you for your review.
So, your cookbook is my Bible Kate! This was very delish, (even in mid Summer!) For the finale I added Sriracha drizzle with scattered Italian parsley and my fav of all time with cauliflower, a tiny sprinkle of white pepper! My husband stated “outstanding” which is a lot coming from him. Will make again!
That’s great, Stacy! Thank you for your review.
Hi Katie, What a beautiful soup! I used a brown onion and chicken stock, as didn’t have veggie on hand. I followed the recipe process, adding 20 g of sated butter and 70 g of gorgonzola dolce, at the same time I blended in the lemon juice and a scant 1/4 t of nutmeg. It is so lovely and flavorsome. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Just made the Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup and it was out of this world. The fun part is that it is hard to identify that it is actually cauliflower. It’s just SO tasty. I used “Better Than Bouillon” Roasted Vegetable Base broth. Both my husband and I raved about this soup and are looking forward to our next batch SOON!
This soup is delicious. I picked a large cauliflower from the garden and didn’t feel like another meal of cauliflower cheese! So I searched the internet and luckily found this recipe. I was fortunate to have all the ingredients on hand.
I love the addition of lemon and nutmeg. This will be added to my favourite recipes. I highly recommend it.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Pip! Thank you for your review.
Awesome recipe, I’ve been cooking a number of your recipes lately
All have been fantastic!
Thank you Kate
You’re welcome, Jo!
How do you get the color? The taste was excellent but mine looked like smooth oatmeal.
Hi! What matters if it tastes good. Sometimes the ingredients can vary slightly, amount of cook time, etc that can impact the color. I’m happy you enjoyed it, Debby.
Hey there,
I loved the idea for this recipe, so I gave it a try. I was a bit disappointed with the end result tho. I love roasted cauliflower, and I use it a lot to make a couple of other dishes. The concept sounded fun, but I’d rather just have the roasted cauliflower on its own, with out the hassle of blending it up, and making more dishes to be honest.
Personally it wasn’t as creamy as I expected, maybe adding heavy whipping cream could help. I wished I had some while cooking it today. Also maybe add some sort of white cheese as an optional topping to give the soup more body and texture. Then other people will have the option to add it to their grocery list in the future when they want to try this recipe.
Thanks for the idea, sorry it didn’t work out for me today. I hope my feed back was constructive and helps you make some new awesome recipes in the future!
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Trey.
This sounds wonderful! Do you think frozen cautious cauliflower would be ok? We get whole heads from the food bank. Makes it kinda difficult to use other than riced. Thank you!
Hi Becca! You could try it and see if it does.
I can not tolerate the flavor of nutmeg so I am going to add some paprika for a bit of bite.
Made it – very good and creamy .
Three enhancements:
+ used Better Than Bouillon Chicken broth
+ added a tsp of gelatin for better mouth feel. It’s be fine wthout this
+ added about a cup of old cheddar at the blending stage. Gave a mild cheesiness.
Delighted that there was not a cup or so of cream to muddy the flavour.
Delicious and easy, will definitely make this again. Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Gillian! I appreciate your review.
Just made this Cauliflower soup and it is delicious. I love the subtle taste of the roast cauliflower along with the nutmeg and lemon juice. Simply brilliant, thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Soooooo good! Thank you! I omitted the butter and put some nutritional yeast. Came out perfect.
Hi Gili! Thank you for your review.
Excellent!! So easy and so, so good :)
That was the most amazing soup! When I said I was going use up the cauliflower and make a soup- the look on my husband’s face definitely said ‘meh’. Roasting the cauliflower first makes the difference as well as simmering all the flavors together before blending. I used about a half teaspoon more of lemon juice and sprinkled the cauliflower with a little fresh ground pepper as well as salt before putting it in the oven to roast. I have a convert! My husband was won over!
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Catherine.
This is an easy delicious soup to make. So pleased I found it on the Internet. It will definitely be one of my favourite soups. Looking forward to trying more of your inspiring vegan recipes Kate.
I made this soup, I am not vegan so I used chicken broth instead of the vegetable. I also used curry and cumin along with a dash of cinnamon. This soup turned out amazing.
I’m happy you were able to enjoy it!
We really enjoyed this soup. The amount was just right! Great modification suggestions from other makers of this soup. Can’t wait to make it again and again.
Made this soup today, Kathryne!! I used orange cauliflower….it was aMAZing!!! Thank you for all your great, healthy recipes. I always use lemon (like you) instead of salt….you are a gem!
Delicious followed the recipe turned out very good will make again
This recipe was amazing! I wasn’t sure if it would be flavourful enough but I was definitely wrong. It was delicious and so creamy!