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.
I’ve made this numerous times with a little tweaking. I use sweet onion instead of red and I roast my garlic in tinfoil with the cauliflower. I add a little cheddar also. My husband loves this soup so much, he wants it weekly and even if I try to make extra to freeze, it never makes it there! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi Rhonda, my husband loves this too, how much cheese would you add to this recipe please? Thanks!
SOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!! My kids absolutely loved this soup. Absolutely delicious.
This was delicious – would definitely make again. It was easy and very tasty. My hubby hates cauliflower but enjoyed this soup. My toddler also loved it. Thanks
Great to hear, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
It was so creamy…yet no cream added. Easy to make and delicious! It will become a family staple.
Great to hear, Dawn! I appreciate your review.
Loved it.Turned out exactly as said: creamy and filling. My family enjoyed it and the leftovers are awaiting our next meal. Thanks.
I put some grated owners an on top (Colby is also quite good) just before serving.. don’t need much but it adds a little to it.
i loved it! He said blue cheese cauliflower soup would have been better ♀️
Hi, is it possible to make a double batch by just doubling the items or would it need new measurements? Thanks in advance!
Hi! You just need to double all the ingredients in the recipe.
Is the picture provided the way it actually looks?! Cause mine never got that creamy idk what I did wrong? Didn’t summer long enough or didn’t blend long enough? The taste factor isn’t a problem I just was hoping for more of a creamy base…
Hi! What did you use to blend it?
I used a stick blender and worked perfectly well. Is a delicious creamy soup and so easy.
I made this soup and it was easy and delicious! I used the Nutribullet to blend in small batches but didn’t blend again after adding the lemon juice and nutmeg because it wasn’t necessary. I just stirred it in the soup.
Thank you for this great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Great idea to blend in Nutribullet. :)
I made it the first time using a little cashew creme instead of butter and it was absolutely delicious! The best I ever had!
Then I made it again, and didnt have cashew creme or lemon so I substituted a little olive oil for the butter and lime for the lemon. Not a good idea! Next time, I make sure I have everything. And, i overdid it on the nutmeg this time. Has anyone else substituted anything and how did it come out?
Hi Nancy, I made it with yellow onion and homemade chicken broth because I didn’t have red onions or veg broth. It was fine. Next time I’ll try with the original recipe ingredients to see if there’s a noticeable difference.
Great for busy weekdays, simple to make, very tasty and nutritious! The whole family enjoyed it including our toddler! For a little crunch, I fried some bacon strips and added these to the green onion topping. Will make again!
I’m glad you love them, Dawn!
I make this recipe regularly for my family. We love it! One of our staples. Easy to make and delicious!
Based on the reviews and ratings I was excited to try this recipe but wasn’t sure how flavorful it’d be. My husband and I were blown away! SO good as is. Totally making this again and again in the future!
I added a little bacon in and used cream instead of butter, delicious thank you!
Thanks for the tip, I’m out of butter but have everything else on hand!
Made as written with more lemon juice just because summertime (and i had extra from another recipe) . Was fabulous.
Quick and easy, love the outcome. Added a little Turmeric before baking the cauliflower.
Great soup for leftover roasted cauliflower!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Wwolfie!
This soup is a family favorite and is easy to make. I’m not the biggest fan of cauli, but still found this soup super tasty. I sometimes use shallots instead of onion if I’m out. I also use a cup of roasted garlic bouillon stock to up the garlic flavor (in place of one cup of veggie stock). Thanks for the recipe!
I love to hear that, Reva!
I made this recipe and enjoyed it. A dash of toasted sesame oil in the soup gives some extra umami flavor. Try it out!
This is a great way for my meat-and-potatoes husband to eat vegetarian. He ate two bowls and remarked how yummy it is. A triumph!
It’s so hot in California, but I’ve been craving soup the last few weeks. Maybe it’s because I’m over this weather and ready for fall! Anyway, I had a head of cauliflower and wanted to do something different with it versus the usual cauliflower steak. Lucky for me, I found this recipe! It came out perfectly. The butter is such a smart add because it really does add creaminess and an extra something. The soup blended easily, and I couldn’t stop eating it! I made this dish my main course and ate it with a small slice of locally made rustic bread. This recipe is a keeper.
Greqt to hear, Sally! Thank you for your review.
Love, Love Love this recipe. It’s a keeper! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Michael! Thank you for your review.
Omagod! So delicious. Restaurant quality I reckon…yum! I used leek and chicken stock, and added some bacon bits. I’ll be printing this one and making often!
I am a lover of all soups, and this one TOPS my list!! I make it at least once a month. So easy, so healthy, so filling, and so so yummy!!! Great for staying on top of your diet too. This recipe is a forever keeper…I pretty much have it memorized already. Sometimes I add zucchini or carrots, depending on what I have on hand. I use homemade chicken bone broth which I always have in my fridge ready to go. Because I like to save steps, I roast the onion and garlic right along with the cauliflower, no need to saute, and same deep flavor. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!! ❤️
Hooray! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing, Kathi.
What can I use instead of nutmeg
Hi Susan, you can omit if you prefer.
This is a delicious recipe, even my housemate enjoyed it. I’ll be making it again for sure.
I love this recipe and switch it up sometimes. I’ve seasoned the cauliflower with smoked paprika and a little tumeric and black pepper. I also add diced carrots and celery to sauté along with the onion; I do use sweet because that’s my preference. I had a few bay leaves I added to the simmering broth but took out before blending. So good!
Great to hear, Anne! I appreciate your review.
Sounds great but a nutrient list would be helpful
Do I need to use lemon juice?
Hi Cheryl, you can omit it if you like.
I made this last night with some roast leeks. Might’ve slightly over cooked the veges but everyone seemed to enjoy the subtle Smokey flavour! Dee lish!!
I love this recipe. Roasting the cauliflower adds so much. The recipe is excellent as is, but can be adapted in so many ways. Different spices and garnishes can change it up. Eg: instead of nutmeg try garam masala, and serve with a dollop of yogurt. Or try adding ginger with the garlic and onion, with a little drizzle of sesame oil for serving. So yummy. Thanks, Cookie and Kate!
I have a large amount of leftover steamed cauliflower in the fridge that no one is eating. Can I roast cauliflower for this recipe after it’s already been steamed? Hopefully you answer this before my cauliflower goes bad. Thanks.
Can you use vegan butter?
Sure! Let me know what you think, VB.
So good! One of the best soups I’ve ever made and it’s not even that difficult to make. I even added some half and half to make it even creamier! Thanks for the great recipe.
Could this be done with thawed frozen cauliflower too?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Molly! I think that could work. Let me know if you try it!
This soup was divine! Everyone at my friend’s house loved it. We literally fought over who would get the left-overs!
I doubled the recipe, but it still wasn’t enough for eight people to have for dinner, so in addition to the veggie broth, I added “Better than Bullion” organic chicken bullion and an extra two cups of water. The bullion added enough extra flavor so that I didn’t need to use all the butter. I did use some Earth Balance (which has significantly less cholesterol), but less than half the amount called for.
All that extra water thinned out the soup considerably, so I micro-waved about 10 tiny Yukon gold potatoes, cut them in halves and quarters, and blended them into the soup. They thickened it up nicely, and the Yukon gold potato flavor complimented the other ingredients perfectly.
One other thing I added was roasted garlic. I put about six cloves on the tray with the cauliflower and it was done at the same time. I squeezed the soft, roasted garlic into the broth. This was in addition to the 4 cloves of sautéed garlic.
I used a hand immersion blender, which is worlds easier than transferring and re-transferring the soup to a blender. The hand blender purified all the vegetables beautifully.
I already have plans to make the soup again, tripling the recipe this time, and bring it back over to my friend’s house. It is that good!
Wow, what a gorgeous soup. Made it for client and family and they all raved with every mouthful. Thank you. So economical, delectable and healthy.
Just beautiful! Very easy to make and super tasty. Will be making this again, it’s our new favourite!!
Great to hear, Pippa! Thank you for your review.
It’s finally not 110 degrees here, so I took advantage of the cool weather to turn on the oven. This is such a fall recipe and so fun to make. I absolutely love this recipe. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and healthy. I’ve made this recipe twice now, one following the recipe and the other with more of an East Indian twist. Can’t go wrong with this recipe.
I’m glad you were able to enjoy this soup on a cooler day! Thank you for your review, Sally.
I love this recipe! It’s warming, filling and delicious! Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome, Debi! I appreciate your review.
I tossed garlic powder on the cauliflower and roasted it together as I didn’t have fresh garlic…but I’d roast the fresh garlic too!
Seasoned it with white pepper for some added zing.
Most excellent, thanks for the recipe!
This is on our regular rotation. Excellent as is, but great to play with. Sometimes I add ginger and a touch of sesame oil. Other times I add some curry powder or Ras El hangout. Other times cheddar and bacon. Thanks Cookie and Kate! I always enjoy your recipes.
I love that this recipe is a regular for you! Thank you for taking the time to review, Barb.
I don’t love it. It’s fine but not good or great. The only thing I subbed was earth balance instead of butter. I normally make and love my cauliflower soups and always make them dairy free. I think a sweet onion instead of a red onion would have worked better.
Made lunch good flavor I used 48 ounces chicken broth, large amount cauliflour it turned out fine. I didn’t use blender / Hand held blender didn’t care a little chunky, chives would make it again (healthy) no thickening or cheese very tasty & simple
Wonderful to hear, Mardleen! I appreciate your review.
It came out amazing!!! I wish I could share a photo of the magic here!
Very tasty lovely vegetarian recipe!! Although I also took the liberty to add some extra potatoes left over from yesterday (it made the soup thicker I suppose), doubled the amount of garlic and I didn’t roast the cauliflower but rather baked them in a skillet (I added a bit of dry smoked paprika powder to compensate). A few drops of piri piri sauce.
Not a very complicated recipe either and it doesn’t take ages. Even my neighbour who claimed she didn’t like cauliflower finished the soup and told me it was really nice. I will definitely make this again, Nutmeg is a must and the taste of lemon & salt lifts this dish to another level, it’s true! Thanks for sharing Kathryne !
(Experiment with pumpkin (Hokaido) soup using carrot, onion, sweet corn, chickpeas, apple and a mexican spice mix. I improvised this a few times and it always comes out tasty & spicy. It’s the season and a lot can be obtained organic.)
What is the measurement for one bowl? 250mls?
Hi Ryan, one bowl is roughly 1.5-2 US cups.
Hi Kate, I made your cauliflower soup recipe today, but also made a few alterations to some of the ingredients and some of the process. I barbecued the cauliflower rather than roast it in the oven. The BBQ imparted a stronger smokey taste, very subtle. I also substituted about 1-2 tablespoons of preserved lemons for the lemon juice and a portion of the salt. It added a distinctive zing to the soup. Lastly, I submerged a hunk (that’s a technical term) of parmesan cheese rind and let the flavours meld with the cauliflower tastes. It ended up being a superb start to the dinner.
This cauliflower soup is delicious and am SO glad to have found a tasty broth-based soup with no milk or cream in it! I roasted the cauliflower on Friday and refrigerated it then completed the soup today. Just wondered approximately how much cooked cauliflower should go into it since I bought a very large had of it at my local price club and not sure of its weight.
Love it! I used shallots instead of red onion and “no chicken” broth. Delicious!!! Oh and cheddar cauliflower!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I followed your recipe to the letter and it came out perfectly. Thank you!
Delicious, my husband loved it !!!!
That’s great to hear, Sue! I appreciate your review.
So easy and so delicious….I used my air fryer for the cauliflower and added roasted poblano and jalapeño peppers for some kick!
That sounds interesting! I may need to try it. Thank you for sharing, Becky.