Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Transform fresh cauliflower into a savory, delicious vegan cream of cauliflower soup. This cream of vegan cauliflower soup recipe is rich and creamy, and screams comfort food.

Vegan cream of cauliflower soup is a creamy, decadent, rich soup. I consider it comfort food because of its smooth and delicate texture. Once you take your first bite of this savory vegan cauliflower soup recipe, you'll think you are eating a fattening creamy soup, when in fact, it is made of all vegetables. Although most creamy soups contain nuts or plant milk, this cauliflower soup is nut-free, soy-free, and plant-milk-free. Instead, potatoes provide the creaminess. 

Jump to:

• Cauliflower Nutritional Benefits
• Cream of Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
• Cream of Cauliflower Soup Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Cream of Cauliflower Soup
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Check Out These Vegan Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Cauliflower is so versatile; it can be used for pizza crust, cauliflower steaks, buffalo cauliflower bites, General Tso cauliflower, and the list goes on. As a kid, I remember cauliflower having little to no flavor. My only recollection of its use was on a vegetable tray that I immediately drowned in a dip to disguise its taste or lack thereof. Who knew cauliflower could be elegant and delectable?

Cauliflower Nutritional Benefits

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, one cup of chopped raw cauliflower, cut into half-inch pieces and weighing around 107 grams, contains:

• 27 calories
• 2 grams (g) of protein
• 0.3 grams of fat
• 5 g of carbohydrate, including 2.1 g of fiber and 2 g of sugar
• 24 milligrams (mg) of calcium
• 16 mg of magnesium
• 47 mg of phosphorus
• 320 mg of potassium
• 51.6 mg of vitamin C
• 16.6 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K
• 0.197 mcg of vitamin B6
• 61 mcg of folate

One cup of raw cauliflower will provide:

• 77 percent of daily vitamin C needs
• 20 percent of daily vitamin K needs
• 10 percent or more of daily needs for vitamin B 6 and folate

It also contains small thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup Ingredients

• Shallots: Shallots have a delicate and sweet flavor with a hint of sharpness, while onions bring a more intense heat. You can substitute shallots in nearly any recipe that calls for onions—make sure you're using the same volume. (For example, several medium shallots equals one small yellow onion.)
• Leeks: Leeks have a mildly sweet flavor reminiscent of other alliums, such as onions, shallots, garlic, and chives. They are often used the way onions are — as part of a base of flavors for soups, stews, and other long-cooking dishes. However, their mild flavor means they can also be enjoyed independently.
• Cauliflower: Cauliflower has a sweet and nutty flavor with bitter undertones. It also absorbs flavors like a sponge.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves whenever possible.
• Baking Potatoes: The texture is medium starch, slightly creamy, and slightly dense, with delicate skin. White potatoes have a subtly sweet, mild taste with low sugar content.
• Organic Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco.
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast helps thicken the cauliflower soup and tastes cheesy without any dairy.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is to dried ground cauliflower and has a stronger flavor than fresh garlic.
• Onion Powder: Onion powder is dried ground onion.
• Rosemary: Rosemary has notes of evergreen, citrus, lavender, pine, sage, pepper, mint, and sage.
• Chives: The green ends of the green onion are similar in flavor to chives, and they can be used the same way. The white part of green onions has a stronger flavor and can stand up to cooking, much like a yellow or white onion. The whites also make a good base for soups, stir-fries, and sauces.
• Smoked Paprika: Smoked paprika has a smoky and spicy flavor with hints of sweetness. Mildly hot smoked paprika does not have much sweetness but has some heat in the flavor. Hot or spicy smoked paprika has more heat than mildly hot smoked paprika and no sweetness.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup Ingredient Substitutions

• Red onions are similar to shallots in flavor. Bt you can also use yellow or white onions.
• Green onions or spring onions substitute leeks in recipes.
• Minced garlic: Use ½ teaspoon of jarred minced garlic in place of each clove.
• Garlic flakes: Also called dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic, use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove.
• Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove.
• Choose any type of potatoes.
• If you don't have vegetable broth, mix a little Yondu with water.
• Thyme and sage are good substitutes for rosemary. Other options include marjoram and oregano, which all fall under the same mint family. If you have Italian seasoning, that is also a good substitute, as rosemary is often included in the mix.
• In a recipe, you can substitute scallion, leeks, shallots, and garlic for chives. If you substitute for a garnish, your best bet is green onion/scallion for a similar look and taste.
• Hungarian paprika, sweet paprika, and hot paprika can be used instead of smoked paprika. Then add a little liquid smoke for the missing smokey component.

How to Make Cream of Cauliflower Soup

One of my favorite kitchen tools that saves me a ton of time is my vegetable chopper. As a result, chopping vegetables for various recipes takes minutes instead of hours. For this creamy cauliflower soup recipe, I used a larger chopping blade to chop my potatoes. Then, I used the smaller blade to chop the shallots.

• When cooking with leeks, it is essential to remember that leeks generally require a lot of cleaning.
• Even though they may appear clean on the outside, dirt hides in the multiple layers of each leek.
• Therefore, I suggest chopping leeks, transferring them to a colander, and rinsing them under water to remove excess debris. 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees; line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• After chopping and washing the cauliflower, make a single layer of cauliflower on the cookie sheet.
• Generously season with garlic powder and onion powder.
• Roast the cauliflower for 40 minutes until lightly brown on top.
• While cauliflower roasts, saute garlic, leeks, and shallots together in a soup pot.

• Add 4 cups organic vegetable broth and stir; reduce heat to medium.
• Then, add the chopped potatoes and return heat to medium-high. The potatoes need to cook through.
• Now, add rosemary and nutritional yeast.
• Bring to a boil and stir; cover and cook, reducing heat to simmer until the potatoes are soft (30 minutes).

• Be sure to reserve some of the roasted cauliflower (I picked small pieces) to use as a garnish when serving the cauliflower before blending the soup.
• Using a high-speed blender, combine small portions of broth/potato shallot mixture and roasted cauliflower until smooth. It will be thick but blended without any chunks.
• Now return the thick mixture to the soup pot.
• Using the remaining 4 cups of organic vegetable broth, add small amounts of broth and stir; the soup will thin out and brighten in color.
• Serve
• Sprinkle the top with paprika.
• Decorate the center of the soup bowl using the reserved small pieces of roasted cauliflower and the chopped chives.

Cauliflower has become one of my favorite vegetables, as it transforms into so many different dishes with versatile flavors; it absorbs herbs and seasoning and, when used creatively, is the best fat-free food around.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Cutting the cauliflower into similar-sized florets will ensure the pieces cook at the same rate.
• Leeks have layers of dirt in between their layers, so clean them well.
• Although I usually leave the skins on potatoes, for this recipe, the potatoes are used for the creaminess, so remove the skins for the best texture.
• For best quality, soups will last about 3 months in the freezer.
• I like Souper Cubes to freeze individual soup bowls in the perfect-sized container, which is easy to access and thaw.
• Thaw soup overnight and reheat on the stove in the microwave once thawed.

So if you love savory soups and want to feel like you are cheating with every delicious bite, try this vegan cream of cauliflower soup!

Check Out These Vegan Recipes

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