Home > Soups & Stews > Cauliflower Soup Cauliflower Soup October 8, 2021 | 4 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This hearty, vegetable-loaded Cauliflower Soup is rich, thick, and creamy! With tender bites of cauliflower and a luxuriously flavorful soup base, even your kids will be hooked on veggies! Pair this heartwarming soup with a light and crunchy side salad like Panzanella salad or Olive Garden Salad. Cauliflower Soup We love a good creamy vegetable soup, but this soup is an ode to cauliflower — one of the most versatile and beloved veggies around! While there is still a good amount of other veggies in this soup, cauliflower is the star here and a low-carb replacement superhero. Instead of relying mainly on potatoes to bulk up this soup (we only use 1 cup in this recipe), we’re using an entire head of cauliflower instead! And the tender bites of cauliflower are so good in this soup, you won’t even be missing those extra carbs! SHORTCUTS Cauliflower Soup Shortcuts This soup recipe requires a bit of chopping, but below I’ve got a few shortcut ideas to help save some time in the kitchen. Pick up mirepoix (also sometimes called soup starter). Most stores sell pre-chopped mirepoix (a French phrase for diced onion, carrot, and celery) in the produce section. If you’re in a hurry, grab that fresh-chopped mirepoix or you can even use frozen mirepoix–found near other frozen veggies in the store. Use jarred garlic or a garlic press. Instead of mincing your own garlic, you can use jarred to save time. Alternatively, a garlic press gives you fresh-minced garlic in a fraction of the time that hand mincing requires. Cheese: If you have a food processor with a grating attachment, you can have freshly grated cheese in a flash! Prep ahead of time. Not a shortcut per se, but I’ll often use a less-busy day to chop up a bunch of veggies ahead of time for the week. Store the onion, celery, and carrot in a container separate from the cauliflower and enjoy how simple cauliflower soup can be to make with the heavy prep work out of the way! (I don’t recommend chopping the potatoes ahead of time since they have a tendency to brown and change texture.) Cauliflower Soup Tips Make sure to dice the potatoes and cauliflower into small pieces (1/2-inch dice for potatoes, bite-sized pieces for cauliflower) so they can cook through in the indicated time listed in the recipe. Larger chunks of either veggie will need to simmer a lot longer and will further reduce the broth. The soup is also less pleasant to eat with overly large chunks of veggies! Cut veggies generally the same size for even cooking; if some pieces are a lot larger than others you’ll have some mushy and some crisp veggies in this soup. For the ultimate thick, creamy, and best cauliflower soup, make sure to use whole milk, not a milk substitute or lower-fat milk. Cauliflower Soup Tips, Continued I recommend freshly grated cheese; pre-grated cheese has a cellulose coating that results in a greasier/clumpier soup that can turn grainy. You’ll also want to make sure to use a sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese–this makes a big difference to the overall flavor. Plain Cheddar will leave this cauliflower soup tasting flat. Seasoning as you cook. Seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook helps the flavors permeate the soup. If the soup tastes flat, it may just need a pinch more of salt and/or pepper. See “quick tip” below. The better the stock used, the better this soup will taste. Bonus points for homemade stock, but a good store-bought stock will also reward you with a deeply flavorful soup. We love Swanson® chicken stock best! (Not sponsored) QUICK TIP Not all salts will season the same (you’ll need more or less depending on the salt used). I use fine sea salt in this recipe. Cauliflower Soup FAQs1How do you fix bland Cauliflower Soup?The fix may be as simple as adding a touch more salt and/or pepper — it’s amazing how these seasonings can bring flavors to life! You can also add a pinch more thyme and oregano. If you’re still after more flavor, try topping the soup bowl with extra cheese and some fresh herbs like thyme or chives. Top this cauliflower soup with bacon for another great flavor add. To avoid bland Cauliflower Soup in the first place, be sure to use a good quality chicken stock, sharp or extra sharp (not mild) Cheddar, and generously season as you cook! 2How long does Cauliflower Soup last in the fridge?Stored properly (in an airtight container) this soup will stay good for 3-4 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing it, because of the milk and cheese in it. The milk solids will separate as the soup thaws, resulting in a grainy texture that often separates. 3What can you do with cauliflower leaves?If you want to get as much use as possible from your cauliflowers, use the leaves as a side dish! Replace spinach, kale, or chard with cauliflower greens in a stir-fry-type dish (like this Chicken Stir Fry). Here are some other ideas for using the greens. 4How do you thicken Cauliflower Soup?We create a roux (butter and flour) to thicken this soup nicely. We add whole milk to the roux and finish it off with some Cheddar cheese. Once we’ve got this mixture finished, we pour it into the simmered veggies and it thickens everything really nicely. This cauliflower soup has no cream but does contain milk. If sensitive to lactose, try using Lactaid’s whole milk which will work perfectly in this recipe! 5How do you make a Healthy Cauliflower soup?For a lower calorie Cauliflower Soup, you can replace the whole milk with 1% milk. Note that the result won’t be near as rich and creamy, but you’ll be saving some calories and fat. Reheating Leftovers Reheating a creamy soup made can be tricky; we want to avoid separation and a grainy texture. To reheat, add the leftover Cauliflower Soup to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Don’t boil the soup or reheat it at a high temperature; this can cause the ingredients to separate. If the soup has thickened too much for your liking, add a splash more of chicken stock to thin it out as it warms through again. QUICK TIP Looking for a vegetarian cauliflower soup? This recipe can easily be made vegetarian — simply swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock! More vegetable-packed soup recipes White Turkey Chili with ground turkey Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup with chickpeas Easy Tomato Soup with canned whole tomatoes Vegetable Soup with bowtie pasta Broccoli Potato Soup with Cheddar cheese FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Cauliflower Soup 5 from 2 votes - Review this recipe This hearty, vegetable-loaded Cauliflower Soup is rich, thick, and creamy! With tender bites of cauliflower and a luxuriously flavorful soup base, even your kids will be hooked on cauliflower! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Cauliflower Soup 5 from 2 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This hearty, vegetable-loaded Cauliflower Soup is rich, thick, and creamy! With tender bites of cauliflower and a luxuriously flavorful soup base, even your kids will be hooked on cauliflower! Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup Cuisine American, Healthy Keyword Cauliflower Soup Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Servings 4 -6 servings Calories 538kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $9.48 Ingredients▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil▢ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated▢ 1 cup diced yellow onion about 1 onion▢ 1 cup diced carrots about 3 carrots▢ 3/4 cup diced celery (3 stalks)▢ 1 cup diced gold potatoes (~2 potatoes)▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic (~4 cloves)▢ 3/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried oregano▢ Fine sea salt and pepper▢ 4-5 cups cauliflower (~1 medium head), cut into bite-sized pieces▢ 3 cups chicken stock Note 1▢ 1/4 cup white, all-purpose flour▢ 2 cups whole milk Note 2▢ 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (plus more for serving) Note 3▢ Optional: fresh thyme for topping and crusty artisan bread for dipping! (or even bread bowls -- yum!)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsSAUTE VEGGIES: See Note 4. Combine 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, add in the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until onion is golden. Add in the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant. Add seasonings: dried thyme, dried oregano, and salt & pepper to taste (I add 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Mix through. CAULIFLOWER: Add in the cauliflower and chicken broth. Mix. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low or to a gentle simmer (barely bubbling at edges). Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender (a fork can pierce cauliflower and potatoes easily). THICKENER: Meanwhile, in another small pot, add remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Melt. Once melted, add in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add in the milk. Once all the milk is in, cook, still over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5-6 minutes. (We want to keep the heat right under a boil -- don't boil this mixture!) Once thickened, remove from heat and add in the cheese. Stir through to melt. FINISH SOUP: Reduce soup pot heat to low. Pour the milk and cheese mixture into the pot once the veggies are tender. Stir through. Taste and season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed, I typically add another 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and pepper here. If you'd like the soup to be less chunky and a bit creamier, you can add 1 to 2 cups to a blender, blend and return it to the soup. SERVE: Serve soup, topping bowls with additional cheese if desired and fresh thyme if using. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy! Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Stock: The better the quality stock used, the better this soup will taste. We love Swanson's chicken stock best! (Not sponsored). Note 2: Milk: For the ultimate thick, creamy, and best cauliflower soup, make sure to use whole milk, not a milk substitute or lower-fat milk. If you're set on lower-calorie milk, I recommend 2% or 1%, but note the soup will be less thick. I don't recommend plant-based alternatives here. Note 3: Cheese: I recommend freshly grated cheese; pre-grated cheese has a cellulose coating that results in a greasier/clumpier soup that can turn grainy. You'll also want to make sure to use a sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese--this makes a big difference to the overall flavor. Plain Cheddar cheese will leave this cauliflower soup tasting flat. Note 4: Veggies: Make sure to dice the potatoes and cauliflower into small pieces (1/2-inch dice for potatoes, bite-sized pieces for cauliflower) so they can cook through in the indicated time listed in the recipe. Larger chunks of either veggie will need to simmer a lot longer and will further reduce the broth. The soup is also less pleasant to eat with overly large chunks of veggies! Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 1128mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 6356IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 412mg | Iron: 2mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
This is a new family favorite! It’s just starting to get cold here and this soup will be on regular rotation! Reply
Made this soup today and it is really good! I took 2 cups out to puree to have a nice creamy consistency for the base, and left the rest as is for texture. I did this before adding the cheese sauce. I used a block of Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar and shredded it. It turned out delicious and very flavorful. Nice to have a great recipe like this that not only tastes great, but is very nutritious. 5 Stars!! Thank you so much!! Reply
