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.
Today is a very cold blustery winters day in London and I saw your receipt for Cauliflower Soup so I decided to give it a go. OMG, I was not disappointed it is simply delicious. Thank you.
A great soup for a cold day! Thank you for your review.
This was delicious. Roasting the cauliflower definitely added flavor!
It really does help make the soup!
Very easy to make, delicious. My husband said it was his favorite thing I ever made in 20 years.
That says a lot, Jill! I’m glad you both loved it. Thank you for your review!
Absolutely delicious! So easy . A must try..not many ingredients which is why it’s so hard to believe such amazing results but do try, you’ll be amazed! Feel great when we make healthy food right !!
Thank you for your review, Louise!
This soup is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have super high expectations because the recipe is so simple. Pleasantly surprised. One of the best soups I’ve had….and I’ve had many. Thank you for another great recipe.
You’re welcome, Sarah!
You never mentioned when to add the broth. Assuming its after the onions are cooked? Major omission
See step 4. It’s right at the end, VB. I hope this helps!
Sorry. I saw it right after I posted and couldn’t delete my comment. It was very tasty. Thank you!!
I loved this soup. It was creamy and delicious, and the lemon and nutmeg really added some great flavours. I have recently started a strick diet and I’m wondering if I could substitute the butter for non fat Greek yogurt to cut down on the fat content.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m not quite sure greek yogurt would have the same impact and could really adjust the taste.
Wow this was so nice I almost cried lol
Thanks for your review, Kimberly!
I don’t cook many recipes from the internet as I’m so picky but this was a really good one. I added some fresh thyme, a bay leaf, a little minced ginger and all spice…my Caribbean background always kicks in. It turned out amazing. I will definitely try more of your soups. Thank you!
I’m glad you made this one and loved it, Dionne! Thanks for your review.
Super delicious
Thank you, Eleonora!
Sublime! How is it that we’ve only discovered roasting cauliflower in recent years? I had a scrape of leftover blue cheese, so I stirred that in as well. The nutmeg brought it all together beautifully.
I’m glad you loved it, Maggie!
Delicious!!! Love this soup.
Great to hear, Allison! Thanks for the review.
My husband and I looved this soup, I did not tell him it was cauliflower until after he was finished:) Recipe is going into my “soup” recipe folder.
I love it! Thanks for your review, Gitta.
I’m taking a cup out of the liquids and attempting to make a creamy cauliflower alfredo atm. The soup was great, well done.
Thanks for sharing!
I’m pretty sure this is the most delicious soup I’ve ever made! Thank you for this terrific recipe.
Love to hear that, Leslie! Thanks for sharing.
Loved the soup! Roasting the cauliflower definitely made the difference. I followed the recipe except I added 2 leeks with the red onion. I also don’t like nutmeg, but I thought I should put it in to see what it did for the flavor combo. I really didn’t taste it at all. The lemon juice brightened the flavor – hard to describe and I will always include it. I’ll be following your recipes from now on!!! Thank you!
Roasting makes all the difference! Thanks for your review and comment, Linda.
Wow! This was so amazing! Way exceeded expectations. Will be making often.
Great to hear, Angela!
Just made this and the one spoonful to check it turned into ten spoonfuls straight away! Really delicious (my other half said it’s the best soup I ever made), so thank you very much, it’s great!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I made this tonight and enjoyed it overall, but my husband and I both thought it was too bland as written. I added some cumin along with black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, which gave it more flavor. This is the first recipe I’ve tried of yours, and I’m hoping the next one is a bigger hit in our house! Don’t worry, we still plan to eat the leftovers! ;)
I’m sorry he didn’t love it! Thanks for the feedback, Ali.
Wow – I made this recipe today and thought it was amazing! The flavors were so rich. Not that I’m vegan, but I used cashew butter since I had some on hand (not using butter right now except for my fatty coffee :-). Net, net, this recipe is a keeper. One note, mine turned out darker than your photo (more of a medium taupe color) not as pretty, but still delicious. Maybe I roasted the cauliflower 5 mins too long…
I’m glad you loved it, CJO! Thanks for sharing.
Phenomenal!! Perfect on a cool Australian autumn day.
Bloody delicious – the lemon juice takes it to another level. I actually grated nutmeg over the cauliflower prior to roasting and served it with a generous sprinkling of crispy diced bacon
Delish. I used the full 1/4 tsp plus some of the nutmeg. My mother used this spice on many of our vegetables and I like it.
Thanks for sharing, Trish!
What a flavourful and filling soup! The creaminess was excellent and coated my mouth beautifully. I will make this again, and again, and again! Thanks for a lovely veggie soup!
You’re welcome, Linda! Thanks for your review.
Made a salad for friends calling over for supper but the weather took a cold turn so served your soup as a warm first course. Deliciously heart warming and made a great start to a cosy evening. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Patsy!
Thank you this was an absolutely amazing recipe so sumptuously delicious also liked the fact that it was low fat with no cream. Definitely the best cauliflower soup I have eaten. Well done I look forward to trying more of your recipes glad I lucked upon you :)
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear it’s the best you have had. Thanks for your review, Suzy!
I made this soup for a dinner party, and among everything (salad, veggies, stuffed squash, mashed potatoes, etc etc etc) it was the single thing everyone loved the most. So many compliments! I made it vegan with Earth Balance instead of butter, and all the meat and potatoes folks LOVED it. The lemon and nutmeg really make all the difference.
A great line-up, Bridget! Thank you for your review.
Kate! this soup is amazing!! (As every single recipe that I’ve tried so far from your website). Thank you so much for inspiring me to cook and for sharing your talent :)
You’re welcome, Daniela! I’m so glad you loved it.
I would love to make this soup. V However you stress using salt. I cannot use salt. Do you suggest not making the soup? Thanks. Sarah
If you can’t have it, you can omit it. Your flavor will vary, however.
This was relatively easy and the flavors were there. I really think the roasted cauliflower enhances the taste. However the texture of the soup for me was way too “fluffy”. The consistency for me was more of a mousse rather than a soup, which was very offputting. Perhaps my head of caluflower was too big and i needed more broth.
I’m sorry this didn’t turn out for you! It does sound like you had too much cauliflower. What type of blender or food processor did you use?
I made the soup the other night and added frozen roasted corn. It was wonderful!
Great to hear, Sherry!
So lovely and so simply!!! Just delicious My new faworite soup
I garnished with parsley just becouse I love this herb and I putting to nearly everything
Thank you for amazing recipe
Thank you for your review, Izabela!
This was a pleasant surprise. I really don’t like cauliflower much but I try to eat it sometimes because it is good for me. This was delicious actually. It must have been the roasting. I agree proper salting is important be careful with that. I didn’t add much lemon I don’t like it when lemon flavour overwhelms things. Anyway thanks so much for such a delicious, simple, and healthy soup.
I’m glad you tried it anyway, Janine! Thanks for your review.
I made this tonight – absolutely delicious – thank you!
You’re welcome, David!
It was pretty good. Not my best cauliflower soup, but still hearty and tasty! I found it a little bland for my tastes, but it could always be spiced up. A reminder to those using store bought broth — check the sodium on the package as you may not need to add more salt.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! I appreciate your review, Cat.
Made this soup tonight ! It was very delicious!
I’m glad you loved it, Sherryl!
Just made this soup &it is amazing.I roasted the garlic cloves with the cauliflower & it is so delicious!
Hooray! Thanks for trying it and letting me know what you thought, Maree.
I LOVED this recipe. I made it for the first time for some friends and it was loved by everyone. I added some crispy bacon also and mixed it in after the blending. I’m making it again tonight.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Laura!
Wow delicious!! You are right about not using the immersion blender! Great tip. Also, the butter for creaminess was a new tip for me, nutmeg and lemon really give it that extra! Thanks for the great recipe! I love cauliflower!
Thanks, Karen! I appreciate your feedback. I’m glad you loved it.
Why dont you learn to write a recipe??? Roast the cauliflower..really? How long? What temperature? Useless recipe. Never use this site again.
Hi Nils, I’m sorry you are frustrated. I’m not sure where the frustration is exactly, as it states starting in Step 1 – 2 how to roast the cauliflower. Were you seeing the steps below the recipe ingredients?
This is the most tasty soup ever!!
I want to make another batch straight away
I’m happy you loved it, Rebecca!
I made this recipe last night and I have to say it was the best soup I’ve probably ever had. I did add a small amount on cayenne pepper and I added a whole head of roasted garlic, but other then that I followed the recipe. It blended perfectly smooth I didn’t even feel the need to strain it. I will 100% make this over and over and over.
Thank you for sharing, Jenn! I’m glad you plan to keep making this one.
It’s a cold, early winter evening here in New Zealand & I just used made this. I did have to up the salt quite a lot but that was probably because I used cauliflower from my own garden – which was harvested just a little too late! It was lovely. I am looking forward to trying your other recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Perfect soup for a cold evening! Thanks for your feedback, Charlotte!
Beautiful soup, thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Really good! The roasted flavour shines. I think I’ll back off on the amount of garlic I used, but everything made as per recipe. We don’t have diet restrictions so used chicken broth and regular butter. All I have is an immersion blender, worked fine. Will do-over and share!
Thanks for sharing your preference and what you used to make it, Myrna!
Just made this with fresh cauliflower from the garden. It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Fresh from the garden, I love it! Thanks for your review, Peggy.
I’ve made many cauliflower soups but this recipe easily beats any I’ve ever had before. So tasty. I’m very impressed.
Wonderful to hear, Donna! Thanks for your review.
Thank you this recipe is Amasing and it’s easy wow I love this soup
I’m happy to hear that!
I did not expect the level of delicousness with this soup. I had some cauliflower I needed to use up and found this recipe and wow. I don’t know if it’s the lemon juice or the roasting or what but it’s seriously good. So impressed.
I’m so glad to hear you loved it, Alex! Thanks so much for sharing.
This is an incredibly simple yet delicious soup! So full of flavour. I’m yet to be disappointed with one of your recipes
I love to hear that, Stephanie! Thanks for your review.