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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Soup and Stew Recipes

    Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Garlic

    Published: Oct 22, 2013 ยท Modified: May 10, 2022 by Sally Cameron ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 15 Comments

    4540 shares
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Toss cauliflower florets and whole garlic cloves with olive oil, then roast and puree. It's the base for a creamy, thick and comforting creamy cauliflower soup. If you are a garlic lover, the smell of the roasting garlic is heavenly. It's dairy-free and easily made vegan if desired. Any extra freezes beautifully for another day.

    Roasted cauliflower soup in gray bowl with pesto swirl garnish.

    A healthy option to add to your diet, cauliflower is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and disease-fighting phytonutrients. It is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy. And cruciferous vegetables have been linked in studies for reducing the risk of cancer.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Like This Recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Soup Recipes
    • โญ๏ธDid you Make This?
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    Why You'll Like This Recipe

    • Make it to suit your needs with or without dairy, or vegan.
    • Creamy, delicious, and lots of veggies.
    • Leftover soup freezes well.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Roasting cauliflower brings out the sweet quality and caramelizes the flavors. For this cauliflower soup recipe, I’ve pureed it along with leeks, carrots, garlic, celery and herbs for a tasty and satisfying soup.

    For your shopping list:

    • Cauliflower: a large, fresh head of white cauliflower.
    • Garlic: you'll need a whole, fresh head of garlic. Big flavor booster as roasting garlic sweetens the flavor.
    • Cooking fat: I use extra virgin olive oil, but you could use avocado or a healthy neutral oil (pass on standard vegetable oil).
    • Leek: from the onion family, adds lovely flavor. Chop off the dark green part and use just the pale green and white portion.
    • Carrot: for sweetness and part of the classic vegetable base for soup.
    • Celery: to complete the classic mirepoix combination of onion, carrot, and celery, adding a slightly saltiness and bitter flavor balance.
    • Thyme: use either fresh or dried. For dried use a third of the amount of fresh.
    • Broth: low or no sodium broth, chicken or vegetable.
    • Liquid: use canned coconut milk for non-dairy, heavy cream, half and half, or a combination.

    Please see the recipe card for exact measurement, salt and pepper.

    Chef's Tip: Buying Cauliflower. The most common color of cauliflower is white, although you will find orange, green and purple varieties. When buying cauliflower, choose heads that are firm and white with no brown spots or areas. Heads wrapped in a layer of green leaves are more protected. Cauliflower will last in the refrigerator about a week.

    Substitutions and Variations

    • To add umami flavor, use a little sweet white miso paste.
    • Swap white onion for the leek.
    Cauliflower florets in a casserole for roasting.

    Recipe Instructions

    Trim any outer leaves then cut the core from a head of cauliflower. Break the head into small florets., trimming any extra stem. Scatter the cauliflower into a large baking dish and add whole, peeled garlic cloves. Toss with olive oil and roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife and edges are starting to brown.

    While the vegetables are roasting, cook the leek, carrot, celery, and thyme slowly in a large pot like a Dutch oven to coax out their sweet flavors.

    When vegetables are done roasting, add cauliflower and broth to the pot and simmer until flavors have blended and all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Puree with coconut milk, heavy cream, or half and half, in a food processor or blender, then adjust seasoning and serve.

    Cauliflower florets in a casserole for roasting

    Serving Suggestions

    For garnish, I thin basil pesto down with a little coconut milk and swirl it into the soup, then drizzle with drops of golden olive oil.

    If you are vegan or dairy-free, make the pesto without Parmesan cheese. it will be more like the French version of pesto called pistou.

    Serve creamy cauliflower soup alone with garlic toast for lunch or pair it up with a hearty salad for a more substantial meal. For creative salad ideas read this article on e

    Here's a handy chart for how long food lasts in the refrigerator and freezer, from the FDA.

    Cauliflower soup in a big green dutch oven before pureeing.

    More Soup Recipes

    For more soup recipes check out the soup recipes archive page .

    • Creamy squash and apple soup in a gray bowl with pumpkin seeds and chives.
      Creamy Butternut Apple Soup
    • Ribollita in a gray pot.
      Italian Ribollita Soup Recipe
    • roasted red pepper soup
      Roasted Red Pepper Soup (sheet pan recipe)
    • A gray bowl of chunky leek mushroom soup with a spoon beside bowl.
      Creamy Leek and Mushroom Soup Recipe

    ⭐️Did you Make This?

    If you make this recipe, please comment and let me know, and if you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating. They really help other readers.

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Creamy cauliflower soup with roasted garlic

    Sally Cameron
    This thick and creamy soup will remind you of potato soup. Make it as thick or thin as you prefer by adding more coconut milk, crean, half and half or broth. For garnish, add a swirl of thinned basil pesto and a drizzle of olive oil. For a vegan soup, use vegetable broth and pesto made without Parmesan. For an over-the-top finish, sprinkle with Maldon smoked sea salt when serving.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 158 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large soup pot like a dutch oven
    • Large casserole dish for roasting cauliflower and garlic
    • blender

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 large head of cauliflower about 2 ยฝ pounds
    • 1 head garlic cloves sepaerated and peeled
    • ยพ teaspoon salt
    • ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 4 tablespoons olive oil divided use
    • 1 cup thinly sliced leek white or pale green part only
    • ยฝ cup chopped carrot
    • ยฝ cup chopped celery
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 3 cups low or no sodium broth preferably homemade, chicken or vegetable
    • 1 15 ounce can coconut milk or heavy cream or half and half

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    Instructions
     

    Roast the Cauliflower

    • Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Cut the outer green leaves and core from the head of cauliflower. Break the head into small florets, trimming stems as needed. Add florets and garlic cloves to a bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour vegetables into a large rectangular baking dish. Roast until florets are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife and edges are starting to brown, about 30 minutes. You may want to stir half of the way through.

    Cook the Other Vegetables

    • While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the leek, carrot, celery and thyme in a large pot with last tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes.

    Simmer Together

    • When the cauliflower is done roasting, add to the pot of vegetables and add broth. Bring to almost a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

    Puree the Soup

    • Pour vegetables into a food processor or blender and puree with coconut milk until smooth. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot. See post for garnish notes.

    Notes

    Extra soup keeps covered and refrigerated for a few days and can be made ahead, then heated. Leftovers also freeze well for 2-3 months. Be sure to label and date the container. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 463mgPotassium: 157mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3111IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
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    4540 shares

    Comments

    1. Mary says

      November 03, 2019 at 11:55 am

      My daughter and I have been making this soup every year for about 5 years or so. It is our go to cauliflower soup recipe! It's delicious, and creamy. She is gluten and dairy free, so it is great for her. Thanks for sharing it with us.

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        November 03, 2019 at 2:34 pm

        Thanks for commenting Mary. Love to hear that! Best to you and your daughter. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    2. Mariann Thompson says

      September 28, 2016 at 12:53 pm

      I'm making this now. I'm going to add crumbled bacon to it for garnish. YUM!!!

      Reply
    3. Annette says

      May 07, 2014 at 6:22 pm

      Wow! What a fabulous soup!! Definitely a keeper!

      Reply
    4. JOANNE HOLIDAY-DALE says

      April 05, 2014 at 1:58 pm

      I can't wait to try this. I'm cooking this as I write you and it smells heavenly!! I followed your recipe to the letter. The next time I may add fresh ginger or some cumin. I'm trying to incorporate some anti-inflammatory herbs and spices into my diet.

      Reply
    5. Lawrence says

      March 08, 2014 at 2:47 am

      Sensational - the only word to describe this soup!!

      Reply
    6. chef says

      January 11, 2014 at 12:36 pm

      made this soup today,
      had to stop the whole family licking the bowl
      delisious

      Reply
      • Sally says

        January 11, 2014 at 1:44 pm

        Love to hear that! Then you might like the recipe I am hoping to post tomorrow. It has roasted cauliflower in it.

        Reply
    7. Linda says

      January 09, 2014 at 3:50 pm

      Yes they did like the soup. I finally made it a couple of days ago with a head of golden cauliflower, and I skipped the pesto as I didn't have any. They found it quite filling and I felt that it tasted better the 2nd day. I think the flavors seemed more enhanced. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    8. Linda says

      January 01, 2014 at 4:28 am

      Hi Sally,

      I want to try this soup, but I can't seem to get beyond the roasted cauliflower part because my family likes eating it just like that! I never got them to eat a whole head of cauliflower before when I made it. I will try the soup soon though and will let you know how they like it. Thanks again for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Sally says

        January 01, 2014 at 2:12 pm

        Can't wait to hear if they enjoy the soup! Great that they like cauliflower.

        Reply
    9. Christine (CookTheStory) says

      December 15, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      Your soup looks so delicious. I like the pesto swirl idea.

      Reply
    10. Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says

      October 22, 2013 at 10:27 pm

      What Nancy said. I am making my shopping list now. Love your new green pot.

      Reply
    11. Nancy@acommunaltable says

      October 22, 2013 at 10:20 am

      Sally - this looks soooo good! I adore roasted cauliflower and this soup would totally satisfy my urge for a creamy soup!

      Reply
      • Sally says

        October 22, 2013 at 10:28 am

        Thanks Nancy! It is really rich and creamy, and non-dairy! Did it with coconut milk! Used Native Forest organic. The roasted garlic really makes it. For garlic lovers, you can add more.

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

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