Cream of Cauliflower Soup

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

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 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. 

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 on their own.
• 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. 

Saute the garlic, shallots, and leeks together until translucent in a large soup pan.

Then add the chopped potatoes, nutritional yeast, and vegetable broth. Next, bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, roast the cauliflower in the oven. While the cauliflower roasts and the potatoes soften with the leeks and shallots, chop the chives to garnish. 

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.

Now, allow both the cauliflower and the potato mixture to cool, so you can safely blend the creamy cauliflower soup in small batches.

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 cream of cauliflower soup!

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📖 Recipe

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Kathy Carmichael

Cream of Cauliflower Soup is oil-free, nut-free, plant-milk-free, and soy-free. Savory and delicious, creamy cauliflower soup is packed with vegetables and clearly tastes so good you'll think you're cheating with every delicious bite.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Soups

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 155 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 large shallots diced
• ▢ 3 leeks Trimmed and cleaned (you must rinse the multiple layers; leeks are fabulous but dirty); chopped
• ▢ 1 head cauliflower cored and chopped in bite-sized pieces (reserve several small roasted pieces for soup garnish)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 medium-sized potatoes peeled and chopped
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped rosemary
• ▢ 8 cups organic vegetable broth
• ▢ ½ cup Nutritional Yeast
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
• ▢ ½ cup chives garnish
• ▢ Smoked paprika garnish

Instructions

 

• 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 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.
• Add chopped potatoes and return heat to medium-high. The potatoes need to cook through.
• 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).
• Using a high-speed blender, combine small portions of broth/potato shallot mixture and roasted cauliflower in the blender 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.

Notes

• 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 6gCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 399mgPotassium: 816mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1577IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 3mg

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Kathy Carmichael

Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/