Toss cauliflower florets and whole garlic cloves with olive oil, then roast and puree. It's the base for a creamy, thick and comforting roasted cauliflower soup. If you are a garlic lover, the smell of the roasting garlic is heavenly. There's no dairy and it's easily made vegan. Any extra freezes beautifully for another day.
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 many studies for reducing the risk of cancer.
Roasting it 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.
Ingredient Notes
For your shopping list:
- Large head of cauliflower (2 ½ pounds)
- Head of garlic
- Salt
- Ground black pepper or white pepper
- Olive oil
- Leek
- Carrot
- Celery
- Dried thyme (or fresh)
- Low or no sodium broth: chicken or vegetable
- Canned coconut milk (or sub heavy cream or half and half)
Jump to:
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.
Tips on Buying Cauliflower
The most common color 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.
Finish the Soup
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 (or heavy cream) in a food processor or blender, then season and serve.
If you have never tried coconut milk in a soup recipe like this, surprisingly it does not taste like coconut. Can't do coconut? Use half and half or heavy cream. Leftovers reheat great the next day.
Pesto Garnish (optional)
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.
More Soup Recipes
- Bright orange curried butternut squash topped with pomegranate seeds
- Fast and flavorful chicken rice soup
- The best homemade French onion soup
- Link to all of the soup recipes
📖 Recipe
Creamy cauliflower soup with roasted garlic
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Large casserole dish for roasting cauliflower and garlic
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower about 2 ½ pounds
- 1 head garlic cloves sepaerated and peeled
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 1 cup thinly sliced leek white or pale green part only
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- ½ 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
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.
Mary says
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.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for commenting Mary. Love to hear that! Best to you and your daughter. Happy cooking!
Mariann Thompson says
I'm making this now. I'm going to add crumbled bacon to it for garnish. YUM!!!
Annette says
Wow! What a fabulous soup!! Definitely a keeper!
JOANNE HOLIDAY-DALE says
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.
Lawrence says
Sensational - the only word to describe this soup!!
chef says
made this soup today,
had to stop the whole family licking the bowl
delisious
Sally says
Love to hear that! Then you might like the recipe I am hoping to post tomorrow. It has roasted cauliflower in it.
Linda says
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!
Linda says
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!
Sally says
Can't wait to hear if they enjoy the soup! Great that they like cauliflower.
Christine (CookTheStory) says
Your soup looks so delicious. I like the pesto swirl idea.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
What Nancy said. I am making my shopping list now. Love your new green pot.
Nancy@acommunaltable says
Sally - this looks soooo good! I adore roasted cauliflower and this soup would totally satisfy my urge for a creamy soup!
Sally says
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.