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 was amazing! I wasn’t sure if it would be flavourful enough but I was definitely wrong. It was delicious and so creamy! Cookie and Kate recipes never disappoint.
The only reason I didn’t rate higher is because I made a mistake. I never had cauliflower soup before but I love cauliflower. This sounded so interesting I just had to try. I normally follow directions to a new recipe to the letter but somehow I added 2 tablespoons of lemon juice instead of the 1 recommended. Won’t do that again…too tangy for me.
It has a different flavor than what I was expecting, which isn’t a bad thing. It was more savory than I expected when I added the nutmeg. I think I’d prefer some sweetness to it next time but that would make it a different soup wouldn’t it.
I will definitely try again and make sure I use only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Karen. I hope you do try it again!
Yeah, I will definitely try again. It was my own mistake why I wasn’t crazy about it. My husband liked it though. Next time, correct amount of lemon LOL
So you left a bad rating because you made a mistake? And it’s cauliflower it is t supposed to be sweet. Good grief.
Absolutely outstanding. The best cauliflower soup I’ve ever had. Dairy and gluten free and nightshade free, too! Difficult to find delicious recipes on such a restricted diet. .
Delicious. I Used knorr harissa blend spice sprinkled over top of the cauliflour, omitted the butter and lemon juice and Nutmeg. Added a couple handfuls of cashews for extra creamy and a bit more protein. Would definitely make it again.
Oh my I wish had cashews. That would make it even more luxurious.
Hello!
Made your soup tonight as a what do I do with what’s left in my fridge meal… It was so successful we will be adding it to our regular meal rotation! I used chicken stock because that’s what I had, and aiming for dairy and nightshade free and not having any cashews I added a white sweet potato in the simmering phase for “creamy” starchiness. It was good by itself and stupendous topped with chopped fresh parsley and green onion. 10/10 will make again.
Please explain more. My Christmas dinner family has both vegans and 2 individuals with severe nut and peanut allergies. Often very difficult to find recipes that can accommodate all. How much did you use? When added etc. would love the specifics since I have never used this kind of substitute. Thanks
I added one peeled and chopped white sweet potato in step 5 and simmered it along with the rest of the soup until soft and blendable. That’s all, nothing complicated!
Thank you for the info. Great idea for my vegan/nut free household!
This soup is awesome. My wife and I found this recipe a couple of years ago and it’s been a staple in our kitchen since then.
I love, love this recipe! It’s very warm and comforting. It’s especially helpful that you gave whole food, plant-based options. Thank you!! I was wondering what you would suggest to serve with this soup to round it out as a meal? Any thoughts?
Hi Karen! My Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas and Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich would be delicious!
Wow! This soup is so good. I can’t wait to make it again and again through fall and winter.
Definitely use real butter for this if you’re not vegan. I didn’t realize my roommate used all of ours and had to use margarin. It was still excellent, but I think it would have been even better with the real stuff.
I also used mushroom broth and a squeezed in a whole lemon, but those’ll be sustains.
Best cauliflower soup i’ve ever made! Just finished it and it’s amazing… can’t wait to taste it tomorrow when its even better. Running this as my soup special at my restaurant tomorrow.
My partner and I lovvved this soup! We didnt have any nutmeg so we used allspice instead. Used 1/2 chicken broth & 1/2 vegetable stock as that’s all we had on hand. We also added a bay leaf to the 20 min simmer. It turned out absolutely delish. Will definitely double the recipe next time so we have leftovers to freeze.
This worked out really well and was delicious, will make it again for
sure! Love that it has no carbs in it and the roasted cauliflower and onion and garlic made it so tasty. I used a combination of avocado oil and olive oil to drizzle over the veg.
Next time I will use 2 cauliflowers so I have enough to freeze or keep.
There is only one small portion left after sharing with a friend.
Also made it the night before so little pieces of cauli for garnish should have been heated up again. Sure to give this 5 stars once I’ve made it a second time.Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Ann! I appreciate your review.
I posted a time-bound question yesterday about if I can save the soup in my frig from today until Friday or if I need to freeze it. I have not heard from you. Please email me at sc523@aol.com – thank you so much! Aliya, a great fan!
Hi Aliya, I apologize for my delay. I believe I answered you. Yes, this can be frozen. It may not make a week in the refrigerator. I try to respond to comments in 3-4 business days. I do my best to provide a prompt response. Thank you!
I am currently having my kitchen refurbished so everything is packed away and I’m managing to cook with a multicooker, air fryer and microwave. I used this recipe as inspiration for today’s lunch but I had to improvise. I roasted the cauliflower in my air fryer, sauteed an onion, added a chopped potato, two carrots and the roasted cauliflower, added water and a chopped bunch of coriander. I pureed it after half an hour’s simmer and it was absolutely delicious. It was the roast cauliflower that did it and the lack of any spices or stock cubes made the natural flavours really stand out. Thank you.
I’m glad it turned out! Thank you for sharing, Joe.
LOVE this soup.
No one can believe that it has no cream and how few ingredients it has. I prefer pieces of cauliflower throughout, so I only puree about half the cauliflower and mix in the remaining so that there are lots and lots of pieces in the soup.
Best soup I have ever made!! What a recipe thank you.
I’ve tried a few different roasted cauliflower recipes and this one is pretty good! the lemon juice and nutmeg are a must! will be making again:)
I’m glad you liked it, Terri! Thank you for sharing.
I made this recipe this morning. However, I added 2 leeks and 1 brocoli head to the roast, and I used beef broth instead of vegetable broth. DECLICIOUS ! I am SO looking forward to making it again. Thank you for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Liana. I appreciate your review!
I love the Roasted Cauliflower Soup so much, I made a nice big quantity but we didn’t finish it and wish to have the rest of it next weekend. May I keep it in the frig? Or should I freeze it?
Thanks for all your great recipes,
Aliya Cheskis-Cotel
Hi Aliya, it does good with both. But, it will last longer in the freezer. One week may be pushing it in the refrigerator. As always, use your best judgement.
Kate, sorry but I don’t understand what “it does good with both” means. I asked you if I should take it from freezer back to frig on Thursday evening or on Friday morning (we want to eat it Friday night) or if I should take it straight to the kitchen counter on Friday morning and skip the refrigerator step. Which one, please? How does it defrost the best? Thanks, and stay safe, Aliya
Hi, Aliya, I don’t have specific directions for you. It will freeze well and it makes good leftovers.
I just made your cauliflower soup recipe and it is delicious!! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Cyndy!
I made this recipe as outlined and while I thought it tasted great I’m not crazy about the texture of this soup. It’s more like a purée. Very light and fluffy, similar to whipped potatoes. I can envision it in a fancy restaurant under some braised short ribs. I think I should have just immersion blended it verses using my vitamix as I like my soup to have some texture. Will be freezing the rest of it and saving for my vegetarian daughter when she comes into town.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback, Jennifer.
Made this soup for the first time for some friends for lunch. It was absolutely delicious! I followed it to the letter except for the lemon juice as I didn’t have any. We ate it with warm crusty tiger bread with thick butter on it and everyone was saying what a filling lunch. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Granny!
Made it and enjoyed the Creamy Cauliflower Soup.
I used what I had on hands down made a vegetable broth from celery, roasted carrots and scallions. I garnished with a few drops of hot sauce and crushed tortilla chips. Very smooth and creamy as well as delicious.
Could this be made with combo of cauliflower & sweet potatoes? Instant pot too ?
Hi Claudine, that would be a different recipe so I don’t have guidance for you.
Wow, this is so good! Really flavorful. Green onions on top finished it off nicely. Yum!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Robbie! Thank you for your review.
This is an one of my favorite soups. It’s got a perfect balance of flavors and it’s delicious every time! I use packaged vegetable broth to save time. But I’ll check if you have a recipe for homemade vegetable broth. :)
With colder days and constant need to have sth warm to eat, this soup has made a big comeback to our family menu. The whole family adores it, it is so delicious, almost incredible – given the fact it’s main ingredient is cauliflower! :) Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Ana! I love that it’s a family favorite.
I made this soup today and is delish. I did add about 1 cup of applesauce because my califlowner had a slight bitterness to it. Applesauce turned out to be a great addition to the soup. Martha
Delicious! I added way to much garlic, so mine is more like roasted cauliflower and garlic soup. but still delicious!
Thank you for your review, Vickie!
Made this recipe today. It was very easy and super delicious
I’m glad you loved it, Kay!
Hello Kate. My first time using one of your recipes. With fall, I am I. A soup mood everyday. Today I wasn’t feeling well but had a refrigerator stock with fresh veggies. I didn’t feel like making any soup but craved it. I decided to steam a head of cauliflower, drain, sauté with 4 large cloves of garlics in olive oil until browned. It is good. But decided while I wanted to see what a cauliflower soup would look like for the next day. Yours sounded so good and simple since I had already did most of the work, I went ahead and finished with a splash of almond milk. I love nutmeg, cloves and garam masala so I added them and the lemon juice. Ss delicious. I only used part of my sautéed cauliflower just in case I don’t like the soup. So soup is on again tomorrow. Thank you so much. I am about to peruse your other recipes.
Thank you for trying my cauliflower soup recipe, Tina! I’m glad you enjoyed it and are going to try others.
I have made this many times … Always so happy with it! Sometimes I roast carrot or this time I roasted red pepper with the cauliflower! And always the onion ,,,, so delicious. Thank you
I loved this recipe and had fennel so I added this to onions and it was a great addition. I loved this,
. Thanks Kate
I will definitely be making this soup again. Thick and rich and delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Dennis!
Gorgeous recipe- works perfectly every time
This was delicious, I added roasted carrots and almost all of my lemon.
This soup is outstanding made exactly as written. Thanks so much for the recipe! I will be making again soon.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Carol.
Needed to use up a cauliflower head and decided to make this soup. I swapped chick broth for the veg broth and I only blended half the soup and left the rest as veggie pieces. Wasn’t expecting much but this soup was amazing!!! My family loved it. Will definitely make again.
Who knew cauliflower tasted this good?
Loved it. Made it for the first time last week, and I’m already making it again since we’re having a guest over. Since we have it in the herb garden, I add fresh thyme to the onion stage of cooking and we garnish with the chives. For presentation points, I love the floating browned cauliflower!
Bob O
Austin, Texas
This soup is very tasty! I add worcestershire for added depth at the end. Definitely recommend.
I have tried some of your recipes and loved them. Easy to follow and taste great!! Thank you
You’re welcome, Kay!
Oh man, this was fantastic. Made it as written, but I ended up squeezing more lemon into the rest if the soup. I didn’t realize how good that pop of flavor would be!
I was contemplating throwing the onion and garlic in the pan with the cauliflower to roast at 350. Maybe I’ll try that next time because I’m definitely making this again!
Oh my! It is delicious! I had to lick the blender! I made it just how you said, except because I am dairy-free I used Avocado butter and it work just fine. Thank you so much for sharing.
So easy and so delicious! I had a huge head of cauliflower. This was the perfect way to use it. My oven runs hit. The cauliflower roasted quickly. I will reduce the temp to 400 next time.
This recipe was really yummy! I actually roasted the onion and garlic with the cauliflower. I also added bay leafs and thyme. I did use my immersion blender and loved the texture of the soup. Great recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Rachel. Thank you for your review.
This soup is DELICIOUS! I had a head of cauliflower and was looking for a recipe in a pinch. Super easy and absolutely amazing. The texture is wonderful! Don’t hesitate to try this recipe!
I subbed Earth Balance Vegan Butter, and it turned out wonderfully.
Please format the recipes to print out on one sheet.
Hi Mark, are you using the print button? It should scale to one sheet or maybe two depending on the recipe. You can always adjust your printer settings to the pages you wish to print.
Make this now! I made I twice in the past month and absolutely adore this recipe. Relatively easy to prep (although cutting cauliflower is the worst part). Warm, comforting, zingy yet savory and creamy without cream. Plus this gets me to eat a lot of veggies easily and affordably. I once made it with rotisserie chicken bones for the heck of it while simmering for extra umami and it was great! Sure, the texture of blitzed cauliflower is a bit baby food-like, but I didn’t mind at all.
I actually skipped the in between steps and roasted the cauliflower, onion, garlic and added 3 baby potatoes to the pan to roast. Let it cool and put in blender with some veg broth, then put it in a pot, added rest of the broth and ingredients. Was so delicious and simple and all the roasted veggies added great flavor!
Do you think this soup will be okay without lemon? Any suggestions for substitutions?
I am loving all your recipes! Thanks!
You could omit or try white wine vinegar or apple cider.
Thank you! I ended up omitting it and it was still incredible. :)
Good! Thank you for reporting back, Meri.
This is so delicious. Only wished I would have doubled the recipe so we could have had more.
Amazing Recipe!!
I Roasted an extra 1lb of florets and tossed in after the blender!
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jackie! Thank you for your review.
I made this tonight and it is so much better than anything called “cauliflower soup” has any business being! Even my non-cauliflower-loving husband ate a big bowl and loved it.
Hooray! That’s great, Kate.
Just what I was looking for – an easy recipe with easy ingredients. I had everything in my fridge/pantry which made my life easier! Like others, I was surprised at how creamy it turned out with no dairy used. Will definitely keep this in my rotation.
Very easy and deliciously healthy soup Thank you so much
You’re welcome, Lucille! I’m glad you enjoyed it.