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.
Delicious – Creamy and very tasteful
I’m glad you liked it, Charlotte!
Delish!! Made exactly to the recipe and it was amazing. My husband asked me “How is it so good?!” Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
I love that! Thanks, Cailey! I appreciate your review.
I just made this soup today. I only have an immersion blender do the texture is probably not as smooth as it would be with standing blender. I found it a little blend so so added a little almond milk and 5 spice powder. Delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious and so easy to make. Only change I made was to use a sweet onion (what I had on hand) rather than the red onion. Blended beautifully creamy in my Blendtec blender. Will make and freeze this often.
Thanks for sharing, Judy!
Loved this soup. I roasted the cauliflower with rosemary, which added a nice, subtle herbal flavor.
That’s great, Cristina! Rosemary, I like it!
I didn’t think cauliflower soup would taste this good! Rich, creamy, and delicious. I added a little feta cheese to mine! I also use Cookie and Kate recipes almost exclusively so I need to get better at commenting. I love this blog!
I’m so glad you love the blog and this recipe!
This soup is AMAZING! So creamy and flavorful. All of Kate’s soups I’ve tried (butternut squash soup and veggie tortilla soup) have been winners but this is on another level. Thank you so much!!! I will be cooking this all winter :)
Thank you! I agree, this one is so good! I appreciate the review, Taylor.
So, so good! A great way to warm up on a cold day. I enjoyed this soup with a grilled cheese! Perfection!
Sounds like a delicious combination, Michelle!
I made this and subbed coconut cream for the butter and added a bunch of kale (feeling guilty about it cruciferous intake) at the end. I did my cooking in the instant pot and blended with an immersion blender. Thanks, it was very very good.
You’re welcome, Bailey! Thanks so much for your review.
So delicious. This will be added in to my soup rotation. The butter makes all the difference. Thank you for sharing.
I agree! Thank you, Cassy for letting me know what you thought. :)
This soup is a winner! I’ve made so many other cauliflower soups that use cream or cheese to get that same creamy, umami that this soup has. It came together so fast and even my picky toddlers loved it. I will be making this for an upcoming dinner party as well. It’s sure to please the whole crowd. Thank you, Kate!!
You’re welcome, Laurie!
Very delicious!! Mine came out a bit too thick, but that was quickly fixed with a little more veggie stock. Will definitely make again!
I’m glad you were able to make it work! Thanks, Natalie for sharing.
Do not taste the roasted cauliflower before making the soup! You may end up without any cauliflower left at all! (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
That’s too funny! Thanks, Patti.
Absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Becca!
I have been a subscriber for a little while and made more than a few recipes from this site. First let me say as a person who has a Gluten intolerance and an autoimmune issue I am always appreciative of this site for having several recipes & alternate options for those of us who can’t eat everything. Now to the subject at hand…. this soup is AMAZING! I made it today for lunch. This soup is so good that I literally licked the bowl because I didn’t want to waste ONE drop! :-) I will definitely make it again.
I’m glad you loved it, Dawn! Thanks for your feedback. I’m really glad the blog is a great resource for you with your restrictions. That’s hard!
Hello, Kate…
I stumbled across your recipes today….long story how I found you. But, I did make your Creamy Cauliflower soup tonight for dinner, and included some shredded carrot that I had on hand, and as an accompaniment. I paired it with some leftover cooked pork loin from Christmas dinner last night, to make a hoagie sandwich, piled high with cucumber and other veggies, and topped with a sweet onion chutney that I had. I must say, that the soup was really, really good, and the sandwich was delicious with it. I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but my husband likes it a lot. We both loved how our kitchen smelled cooking all of this. The soup was easy to fix. I didn’t use the lemon juice or nutmeg because I forgot, but the soup was delicious all the same. So, now I’m a big fan of yours, and am looking forward to finding our next healthy meal to make. Yum!
I’m glad you came across the blog! Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you were able to both enjoy this soup!
My daughter and I have made this soup many times now. It’s one of our favorites. We tend to keep it low fat and skip the oils and just massage some cashew cream into the cauliflower before roasting, and we don’t do a lot of processed foods so instead of butter we also use homemade cashew cream, but this is the best recipe the roasting of the cauliflower makes such a big difference in flavor.
Thanks for sharing, Jacqueline!
Loved this :) So creamy and filling. I followed the suggestions from one of the reviewers below and roasted a carrot along with the cauliflower, and an immersion blender worked well for me.
I also added garam masala, I wanted more flavour, my Indian palette demands it . I’m still looking for a way to amp up the depth of flavours with this one, something to match the minestrone soup on this site. Any suggestions?
Thanks for trying it, Kruthika! I appreciate the review.
Can the soup be prepared a day before without putting it in a bender? And the day before serving reheat and put it in a blender?
I haven’t tried it. It’s great the second day so you could prepare it all as directed and then reheat on the stove.
We made this soup and it was delicious. My husband and son added crab to theirs! Next time i make it, i will roast additional cauliflower (besides the garnish), so it has more texture. I think it would be a great base for any cream soup when dairy is not an option. Btw, it looked exactly like the photo when it was done!
Thanks for sharing, Marcia! I’m glad it was a hit with your family.
Great recipe!
The grand kids were asking for some crumbled bacon to put on top…told them next time.
Great Recipe!
Has anyone ever tried this using coconut cream instead of the butter? Or just omitting the butter altogether? I need it to be dairy free and cannot have cashews – thanks!
I have two daughters who are vegetarians and it’s been hard for me to adapt my cooking for them…. Like really hard. I tried this receipt and it is so delicious im sure they will all for it all the time,. I used asparagus chopped on top, which was great. Thank you very much!
What about almond milk instead of butter or cashews? Would that work the same?
I haven’t tried it! Typically, almond milk isn’t as creamy for me as butter or cashews would be.
Made this recipe but adjusted a few things! Added about 2/3 c white wine after cooking the onions and garlic and also did creme fraiche rather than the butter. It turned out to die for! We’ll keep this one in the mix for sure!
Thanks for sharing, Sara!
Second one of your recipes we did today–excellent! Whole family loved it.
I love to hear that! Thanks, Kim.
Did the cashew version without butter and it was delicious! You don’t need to soak the cashews that long though—just use boiling water instead of cold and they soften in fifteen or twenty minutes.
Thanks for sharing!
So great! Followed recipe to the letter but added 1/3 cup whipping cream. Garnished with smoked cheddar and croutons.
Thanks for sharing, Stacey!
I made this last night. I over-roasted the cauliflower (black tips vs carmel colored) so the soup turned out a weird brown color, but still tasted delicious!
Oh no! I’m glad it still tasted good. Thanks for sharing, Mindie!
Finally tried this recipe and I love it! I topped it with your quick-pickled red onions which added the perfect crunch and spicy bite. This will definitely be a winter staple for me!
Oh, I like the sound of that! I will need to try that. Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Love this soup. Next time I’d like to try adding a parmesan rind to the mixture in the simmering stage. Also maybe topped with a little shaved/grated parmesan with the topping of cauliflower and green onion/chives. Thank you for another great soup!
Let me know what you think when you try that, K! Thanks for you review.
Loved this soup! The lemon added the right flavor! Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome! Lemon really helps make the flavor sing. Thanks for your review!
Just made the roasted cauliflower soup. It is really tasty and simple to make. Added extra garlic and dill to the roasting of the cauliflower. Love the color with the burnt bits of the veg. Definitely a hit. Thanks for sharing.
Jerry
Thank you for sharing, Jerry!
I made this soup for dinner last night, loved it. I’m eating it again for lunch today, still loving it.
I’m not usually one to leave comments, but this might be my favorite C+K recipe that I’ve tried so far (which is saying a lot- they’re all good). So good I had to make myself stop eating when I was full. Would love to try making this with other roasted veggies & see what else works besides cauliflower- maybe carrots? YUM.
Love all of this! Thanks for sharing, Kate.:) I’m not sure about carrots! The cauliflower has a dreamt texture and flavor of it’s own. Have you tried my butternut squash soup?
I make soups every single week and by far, this is my favorite soup recipe. I was surprised because I didn’t expect this soup to taste SO good with so little ingredients. Plus, I’m not the biggest cauliflower fan but I still wanted to give this a try. I used an immersion blender and zero butter and the texture was luxiously creamy, smooth and amazing.
This soup is Keto, gluten free, paleo and vegetarian friendly. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m glad it was your favorite, Lucia! I like that you even tried it knowing cauliflower isn’t your favorite. Thanks for sharing and for your review.
This soup was unbelievably good! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it.
Simply a wonderful recipe that our entire family enjoyed!
Thanks you for sharing, Sarah!
I’m surprised at all the great reviews. I followed as written and found this soup very bland. At first taste I added cheddar cheese and hot sauce and it helped.
I don’t think I will make it again.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
I love this soup!! I made it vegan using Earth Balance vegan butter. I wanted the soup to be more of a meal as is so the next time i also added in a can of drained white beans- which was perfect! It’s my favorite trick to make creamy soups made with dairy as vegan and add a bit of fiber and protein- I don’t always have cashews around but i always have some white beans in the cupboard
Made it a little thicker but added enough that a bowl was perfect for lunch. Loved it topped with fresh cilantro too
Thank you for sharing!
I just made this soup last night, using cashews instead of butter and OMG, this is outrageously delicious!!! Thank you so much for the recipe :)
You’re welcome!
what a shame – mine tastes a bit sour?! too much lemon? i added the amount instructed to but tastes too sour…any way to undo this?
Oh no! That could be. You can always try to balance out with a little more salt.
The creamy roasted cauliflower soup was fantastic! Restaurant quality. The name of this soup was on the menu in a very nice Italian Restaurant. Came home went on line and there you were. Many thanks. ***** five stars
Laura Furey
You’re welcome!
Made this soup without lemon juice or nutmeg and it was delicious. I sprinkled black pepper and onion powder, in addition to the salt, on the cauliflower before roasting. As always, love your recipes, thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Rosemarie!
I made this tonight -absolutely delicious, sent the leftovers home with my elderly father who raved about it. Oh well, guess I will make another batch!!
Darn, another delicious batch. I love it, Ruth!
I had been wanting to try a roasted cauliflower soup for a while and have recently been trying to follow a mainly vegan diet, so wanted a recipe without dairy. This totally hit the spot – absolutely fabulous! The whole family liked it – a lot. Easy to follow recipe with a great result – will definitely be making this one many more times.
Great to hear, Sarah!
I love your recipes so did not hesitate to make this soup. It has a nice cauliflower taste, but is relatively bland. I am wondering what I could add instead of salt to spice it up a bit. I used low sodium vegetable broth. Thanks.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one! You could increase the nutmeg and/or garlic to your tastes? I recommend adding the recommend garnishes on, too.
This was delicious! Hit with my bf too! I used Miyokos vegan butter and it turned out just fine :)
Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
Very delicious! I did however roast the garlic with the cauliflower & more than the recipe calls for, we LOVE garlic! And I also added one jalapeno to the onion saute. Next time I will add more than one, we love spicy too!
I love garlic, too! Thank you for sharing, Laura!
Absolutely delicious! Even my kids liked it…
Great to hear, Juanita!