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.
Love this recipe and make it every time cauliflower goes on sale : ) It is lower yield than other soups but so delicious and the blending twice gives it that extra lift!
I love the flavor and texture of this soup! The only issue I had was the color. It came out brownish instead of that beautiful creamy yellow. I’m sure it’s a me problem, but was wondering if there was anything you can think of off the top of your head to help!
I’m happy you still enjoyed it! The color might have been due to the vegetable broth you used.
Nice easy to make tasty soup. Thank you
You’re welcome, Jennifer!
This was my first time making cauliflower soup and it is delicious!
Hi! Could you share the nutritional facts on this soup?
Hi Jessica! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
We love this soup! Sometimes I add a can of cannellini beans for some extra protein/heartiness to transform it into a more complete meal.
I am tracking calories and would like to know how many cups a serving is?
Roughly 1.5-2 cups.
I just finished devouring a bowl of this delicious soup! It’s truly amazing and I’m grateful to have found this online! Thank You Cookie + Kate for posting this recipe! I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! I bet it’s even better the next day around!!
You’re welcome, Bonnie! I appreciate your review.
Loved it! I roasted a whole head of garlic with the cauliflower. I also didn’t measure the stock, simply poured enough in so everything in my pot was covered. Used an immersion blender and it came out perfectly creamy!
I forgot the butter and it still turned out very creamy, also crumbled a little Stilton on the top when serving, it was delicious.
Immersion blender was fine for pureeing this. I think the soup would really shine with some sauteed mushrooms and chives on top. It comes out as advertised. I did 50/50 chicken veg stock and I feel like the roasted cauliflower is still the star of the show. Oh, I added fennel seed to the roast, and that worked well.
I made this with purple cauliflower and the results are AMAZING!! It turned out to be a pink colour once all finished up. It’s so pretty and tastes amazing.
Thank you for sharing, Nicole!
I’ve made cauliflower soup before but this recipes outshines them all. Worked out fine with immersion. So very creamy and Delicious! I’ll definitely be making this recipe going forward. Thank you!
I would like to make this soup and freeze it. Any issues with freezing this soup? Thanks
This is a good option to freeze. I hope you enjoy it!
I froze mine, but the next day I couldn’t resist finishing it off. Delicious.
I’ve made this a number of times now. When I don’t have red onion I sub yellow. Similar to other reviewers I also roast garlic and onion in oven. I sometimes add a roasted carrot for additional sweetness
This turned out exceptionally great, very simple but amazing recipe
This recipe is great! My only addition – add truffle salt instead of regular salt. Chef’s kiss
Hi I have just finished my batch of Cauliflower soup, it was delicious.
That’s great to hear, Pauline!
Made this tonight. Followed the instructions exactly. It looks like oatmeal. Help!!
Oh no! Did you use a blender or an immersion blender?
My soup looked grainy as well. Adding water helped the liquid to cauliflower ratio, which I thought seemed low when I first read the recipe. I also added a few tablespoons of half and half to improve consistency, and some grated pecorino Romano cheese for flavor.
I love this recipe. I season the cauliflower with za’atar seasoning – it’s DELICIOUS.
Great to hear, Kristine! I appreciate your review.
I love your recipes! Vanilla almond granola is a favorite.
This one was absolutely delicious too!
Great to hear, Frances!
OMG, this soup was delicious. I roasted the onion and garlic too.
Cate Riley
I just want you to know that this soup changed my life ha ha so rich creamy and satisfying simple to make and unbelievably healthy
Our soup turned out terrible. I think the cauliflower may have been too roasted or it may not be great reheated. I’d love to try and salvage it. Any ideas?
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. What brand of vegetable broth did you use? Are you sure it wasn’t outdated?
Absolutely beautiful. I’m terrible a sticking to recipes bur did follow this one even though I was tempted to add additional stuff. Fair play it tastes gorgeous.
Great to hear, Rach!
My husband and I loved this soup. It was so creamy, flavorful and very filling, and it was super easy to make. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
You’re welcome, JP! Thank you for you review.
I used chicken broth since that’s what I had and added some extra salt and garlic powder at the end.
My soup turned out a bit liquidy and not thick and creamy as the photos. Any suggestions for thickening? I tripled the recipe as we had a beautiful large cauliflower from the garden and a bit disapointed this hadn’t turned out quite how I was hoping. Any feedback or suggestions?
Thank you!
This isn’t a very thick soup, more creamy. It could be your ratio of broth to vegetables.
I use instant potato flakes to thicken my cream soups. Boil soup and add a little flakes, stir.
Delicious!!! Used regular white onion as didn’t have a red one. So easy to make too! Thank you Kathryne!!
You’re welcome, Tracey!
Delicious soup! I roasted the onions, garlic, and added some celery to the roast. After I was done, I think next time it may be great with some toasted pine nuts on top.
Oh my goodness this is delicious ❤️ swapped out the butter for cashews , whizzed in batches in the nutribullet. I am so happy there are 4 portions of this and I’m not sharing lol thank you so much 11/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hi there, I’m not sure what I did wrong!! It’s more purer and not smooth at all. Taste is ok, just the texture. Should I reblend?
Oh no! What did you do?
This is my favorite soup recipe ever. I made it probably 8 times last winter and going to make it tonight for the first time this winter!! I always add a little bit of curry powder to it at the end for some extra zing but it is amazing without it as well. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
You’re welcome, Malva!
Followed the recipe to a T. Sooo sooo good. I recommend this recipe 100%. I do like the addition one person said about adding sauteed crispy mushrooms as a topper. I think that would be be a great addition.
This soup is delicious. I did not think it would be this creamy without milk but it really is. I roasted the onions and garlic with the cauliflower. Gave it a very nice flavour.
Amazing!! I’m currently stuck with a purée diet and was looking for a good soup to make myself. To try and add some protein I did add one can of cannellini beans, which meant I needed a little bit more broth so it was not as thick. I also Brown to butter with some fresh sage to add another layer of flavor, but Overall, I’m confident this recipe would’ve been amazing regardless!
Great to hear, Ali! Thank you for your review.
Still adding more salt and lemon juice. Starting to have a real taste. Heating it up again to see if that helps. Maybe too mild but don’t want to over do the seasoning. I think it just needs some time…..
Love the recipe! Very creamy -I added a tsp of curry and it added great flavor.
Hi Kate!
I only have 1.5 lbs of cauliflower. Can I make of the difference by adding .5 lbs of broccoli? Thanks.
It will change your flavor and color. Let me know if you try it!
A great recipe, I just prepared this soup it for the first time. Spontaneously I added a table spoon full of white Miso at the end. My impression is that this even deepens the wonderful caramelized taste.
This appears to be delicious! Has anyone added sharp cheddar! Not sure if it would align with the nutmeg
I made it and find it to be so bland. I’ve tried to dress it up with more garlic, some herbs, etc. but it’s just so average. I don’t get all the 5 star reviews.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe, Everly. I appreciate your feedback.
Made this and it tasted wonderful. I added some roasted squash that I had left over too. The soup was VERY thick when puréed so I added a splash of milk. I only have a stick blender but it was fine.
This soup is fabulous. I’ve made it 3 times now (with yellow onion) and it turns out great every time. Next time I’ll try roasting the onion and garlic, and doubling the recipe so I don’t run out so quickly!
First of all: my soup looked nothing like the picture but it was still delicious lol. I only had a food processor to use and no immersion blender, so I ended up with a slightly cream of wheat texture. Still delicious and did not at all bother me. Honestly so flavorful. I made some tweaks (not all on purpose):
I roasted my cauliflower a little deeper
I think I used probably 2 tbsp lemon juice because I had pre frozen ice cubes of lemon juice
I probably doubled the garlic
Added cannelini beans when simmering and portioned most of them out before blending and put back in
(Next time I’d do 2 heads of roasted cauliflower and save one whole batch for after blending)
Also to note…it was implied but the instructions did confuse me: the broth goes in somewhere after the onions and before cauliflower goes into pot.
I think the extra lemon juice really hit the spot. It was tangy, salty and savory. Yum!!!!
My husband and I love this soup! I only care for soups that are creamy and has pieces of vegetables in them, so I don’t blend the whole recipe. The roasted cauliflower is the secret. Next time I will roast the garlic also.
Thank you for sharing, Sue!
Do you think you could finish this with some truffle oil as a garnish?
I haven’t tried it, but it could be interesting. Let me know if you try it!
I finished it with black truffle oil and some toasted almond slivers for texture. Was a big hit at Thanksgiving! Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious and easy! Topped it with some grated smoked cheddar.
Made this for lunch today…very yummy, very unique taste.
This was truly delicious but I did things a bit different. I roasted the onion and cauliflower together, then added to the pot with brown butter instead of oil. I added some cream cheese while blending and I added the lemon juice at the end plus a splash of rice vinegar. There were no leftovers!
Can you advise on Freezing this. I’d like to double this and freeze for easy eats later.
That’s great to hear, Rose!
This was beyond anything I could have hope for. So creamy. I do roast up some butternut squash, just a couple pieces I had and couple pieces of mushrooms. The cauliflower was so good after I roasted it. I also used half vegetable broth and half coconut milk. My husband couldn’t get enough. He didn’t even think it sounded good at first. Definitely one of my favorites
Thanks
I’m delighted to hear that, Nancy!
I had a large cauliflower so doubled the recipe and roasted a whole head of garlic with the cauliflower. I tasted it before adding the butter and decided that the flavours were delicious and the texture perfectly creamy without adding the butter, just added some white pepper for a peppery kick. The recipe is fabulous thank you for sharing it, I will be making it again and again!
I just made this soup and it’s beyond amazing. I added small diced stir fried mushrooms to it. I love this soup so much!
Great to hear, Juliette!
I made this for my wife’s boyfriend and he thought it was great after a long day at work.