This cauliflower soup recipe is rich and creamy...without any cream! Warm, comforting, and SO flavorful, it's the perfect meal for a cold day.
This roasted cauliflower soup recipe is rich and creamy…but it doesn’t call for any cream. Instead, the blended cauliflower creates its luscious texture—no dairy required!
I’ve had this cauliflower soup recipe in my cold weather rotation for years now. Even though all the ingredients are plant-based, it’s just as comforting as any soup made with heavy cream, milk, or cheese. On a chilly winter night, it absolutely hits the spot! It’s also super simple to make, so there’s lots to love here.
Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
You only need 10 basic ingredients to make this creamy cauliflower soup:
- A head of cauliflower, of course! It gives the soup a silky texture without any nuts or dairy.
- Garlic and shallots – You’ll roast them along with the cauliflower. Once they’re tender and caramelized, they add rich, nutty flavor to this cauliflower soup.
- Fresh thyme – For fresh, earthy flavor.
- White miso paste – It adds savory, umami flavor that tastes fantastic with the roasted cauliflower, shallots, and garlic.
- Dijon mustard – For tang.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Vegetable broth – Make homemade vegetable broth, or use store-bought.
- Fresh lemon juice – It makes the soup nice and bright.
- And sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cauliflower Soup
I like to think of this cauliflower soup recipe in three easy steps: roast, simmer, and blend.
First, roast the veggies. Break the cauliflower into florets and chop up the cores. Peel and quarter the shallots. Wrap them in a piece of foil with the unpeeled garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper.
Recipe Tip
Don’t have shallots? Replace them with half a yellow onion, chopped. Use the onions just like you would the shallot—add them to the foil along with the garlic!
Spread the chopped cauliflower florets and core in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toss them with oil, salt, and pepper. Add the foil packet to the sheet, and roast until all the vegetables are tender and the cauliflower is browned.
Next, simmer. Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Peel the garlic cloves, and stir them into the pot along with the cauliflower, shallots, and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Finally, blend the soup. Allow it to cool slightly. Then, transfer it from the soup pot to a blender. Add the miso paste, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Feel free to use an immersion blender for this step if you prefer!
Blend until smooth. Before you eat, season to taste with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, as desired.
What to Serve with Cauliflower Soup
When you’re ready to eat, garnish your bowl with micro greens, fresh parsley, and/or freshly cracked black pepper. This cauliflower soup would also be fantastic with homemade croutons on top for crunch!
Enjoy the creamy soup with focaccia, crusty bread, or a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping.
It also pairs nicely with a side salad. Make a simple green salad by tossing mixed greens with Italian dressing, honey mustard dressing, or lemon vinaigrette, or try one of these 25 Winter Salad Recipes!
Enjoy!
Got leftover soup? Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’ll thicken in the fridge, so you might need to stir in a little water when you reheat it in the microwave or on the stove.
This cauliflower soup freezes well too. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to airtight jars or containers, leaving an inch for the soup to expand at the top. Freeze for up to 3 months!
Allow frozen soup to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this delicious soup, try one of these recipes next:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 lbs.
- 2 shallots, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Leaves from 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- ½ tablespoon white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Microgreens for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the cauliflower including the core pieces. Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Wrap the shallot and garlic cloves, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, in a piece of aluminum foil and place it on the baking sheet with the vegetables. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cauliflower is browned around the edges.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add the roasted cauliflower, shallots, peeled garlic, and thyme and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and transfer to a blender. Add the miso paste, mustard, the 3 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with ¼ to ½ teaspoon more salt and more lemon juice. Garnish with microgreens, if desired, and serve.
This post contains affiliate links.
Just made this for February’s cooking challenge and it’s so delicious and cozy! Loved it!
Very delicious recipe! I can’t believe this didn’t have any cream – it’s so healthy and so delicious – those are the best kind of recipes aren’t they?
Yumm!! So easy and so good! It really is creamy.
This soup was so good! I’m trying to eat healthier so that I feel my best for my upcoming wedding in April . This recipe was healthy and a nice change from what I typically make so I really enjoyed it! I will definitely be making it again.
I’ve made 3 or 4 love and lemons soups so far this month, to help fight this terribly cold winter, and each one is amazing. I loved this cauliflower soup, my turned out really yellow, because of the broth that I used, but it tasted great! Will be making again!
Okay, I’ll admit – the only reason I made this recipe was for the cooking club. Otherwise, I never would have tried it. And I would have been MISSING OUT! This was absolutely delicious. For how simple it is, you can’t beat it. It’s absolutely going in rotation. Amazing! Thanks for making me a cauli soup believer!
I made this soup last night for the cooking club. It was so nice and creamy!
Such a delicious and easy recipe for some amazing comfort food! Perfect for the cold winter nights we’ve been experiencing lately!
Maybe I missed this but at one point do you peel the garlic?
This soup was creamy and delicious. Great drizzled with olive oil and sourdough bread. Simple recipe for the Feb cooking club challenge!
Hi Caroline, in step 3 before you add it to the pot. I’m glad you enjoyed!
Delicious! Added crispy chickpeas on top which gave nice texture. And it was so easy my husband was able to make it with minimal supervision!
I’m new to eating vegetarian, but I’m finding that I really like it. Just made the cauliflower soup, and it tastes delicious! I was a little nervous about it since it’s only my 2nd vegetarian main dish I’ve prepared, and I’ve never had miso. I’m looking forward to trying even more dishes! I’m so glad I found your site!
Made this tonight and it was a perfect snow day dinner. Even our 1 year old liked it. The flavors blend so well.
We loved it—and enjoyed with some freshly baked sourdough bread. What an easy weeknight dinner with very little mess in the kitchen. Yummmmm!
Thanks so much for the recipe! ☺
Such a yummy recipe and so easy to get together but also so healthy which I loved! Have already shared this recipe with so many friends and have made this three times already 🙂
Cauliflower is not a go-to veggie for me, but I made this as part of the Cooking Club challenge and found it surprisingly satisfying! I subbed regular miso for white miso (couldn’t find any at the store), and put green onions and red paper flakes on top. Will definitely try roasted chickpeas or fava beans as a topping next time for added crunch!
I made this for dinner tonight and loved it! The roasted shallots really put it over the top. It’s great with sourdough on the side!
Delicious!! I thickened it up with a cup of Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flakes. They’re vegan instant mashed potatoes so kept the recipe vegan, which I appreciated. This was a quick weeknight meal and perfect for the icy temperatures we’re having in Missouri right now. My grocery store was sold out of fresh thyme and dry thyme was still a great substitute. I will definitely make this again.
You will swear that this is rich with cream, but it’s not! Wonderful soup with so much depth…I will make it again!
Easy and delicious! I added some toasted pepitas on top for a crunch.
Since cauliflower doesn’t have such an intense flavor I love the idea putting mustard in it…makes it taste more exiting <3