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 pounds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Leaves from 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½ tablespoon white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 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. Transfer to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. 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 cauliflower. 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 olive oil, miso paste, mustard, 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.
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Hi! I dont have shallots, could I substitute with onions?thank you!
Did you blend the core with the florets? Thanks!
I just made this and plan to serve it tonight for a friend’s birthday dinner. It’s delicious. Thank you for not using cream! I love the miso and mustard additions! Question: do you have a recommendation for a good commercial broth or do you just make your own? Today I used a mix of water, aquafaba, a tsp of Better Than Bouillon along with the miso and it turned out well.
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you like the soup! I like Whole Foods’ 365 vegetable broth best – the regular kind, not low sodium.
Oh great. Haven’t tried it but I will! Thanks again for the luscious recipe.
Made this today, and it was delicious! The creamy taste, without cream, was a nice treat. Thanks for another tasty recipe.
Wow, I just made this and it tastes perfectly like cauliflower, but also rich and creamy. Can’t wait to serve it for dinner!
I’m so glad to hear that!! I hope you enjoyed it for dinner 🙂
Can’t have oil. Has anyone made it without oil? Otherwise, sounds delicious.
Check out Better than Bouillon. I am also oil free so I saute’ with broth and use it all the time.
really have to commend you on the creativity here with cauliflower, really interesting balance of flavors too with miso paste, dijon, garlic, etc., thank you for this recipe!
Any recipe for making the vegetable broth? I really struggle to buy that where I life so a basic recipe would be great!
Some people save vegfies scraps in a 1 gallon freezer zip bag- ends of celery onions mushroom stems carrot peels and when the bag is full, simmer in water with bay leaf and some herbs/garlic for an hour. Strain. Freeze again if not using it all up.
Or, use your instant pot. Add veggies, then warm water to the max line, usually about 6 to 8 cups. 15 minutes on pressure cook high and that’s it! Makes the most delicious veggie broth. I do this all the time with my scraps. I don’t use brassicas much in the broth though, as they can be overpowering. Mainly onions, carrots, celery, sometimes a little tomato paste and it’s so Yum!
Delicious! Added the suggested red pepper flakes and the four garlic cloves used were extra large. Great flavor and very creamy.
Just made this soup. Delicious and so easy!
yay, so happy to hear that!
I am looking forward to trying this one! Thanks for sharing x
This sounds delicious–and healthy! 🙂
Is the miso necessary? I can’t find it locally. Should I put in something else ?
You can skip it but miso is very salty so you might want to season more aggressively with salt and pepper. Coriander, cumin and/or smoked paprika all go well with cauliflower if you are looking to add more flavor after you taste it. Hope that helps!
Mouthwatering soup! I just love the color 🙂
Oh yum, this sounds fantastic!
This looks delicious! I’m stockpiling healthy soup recipes to keep us going through the coldest months here in Boston and I’m adding this one immediately. The last (and only) time I made a cauliflower soup, it somehow ended up being pretty…dare I say…chunky. I didn’t have the best blender, and I’ve got a better one now – so hopefully that doesn’t happen again!
Fantastic for a chilly night! Store didn’t have thyme, didn’t miss it. I confess I did add a touch of cashew cream! So flavorful and super easy. Thank you, made my day! ? Sorry, for some reason computer would not let me leave 5 stars.
Yay, I’m so glad you loved it!
wow. this is the most delicious cauliflower soup I have ever made/had!! so incredibly savory and so rich, yet nothing in it to make it “fattening” or over the top. The flavors are balanced perfectly. this one will be my “go to” from now on. YUM!! sprinkled of red pepper flakes on top of my bowl before I devoured it, moaning the whole time. so embarrassing, right?
suzi, nice idea about the pepper flakes.
Hi Suzi, I’m so glad you loved it!!
This soup looks so simple and lovely. Just the thing to cut through the winter chill.
Cauliflower is such an amazing vegetable… I love how it can be used in so many ways! 🙂 Cheers, Jeanine!
This soup is heaven! It was very simple with little clean-up. I chose to top with a slice of avocado nestled between a ‘branchette’ of thyme! Unlike a cream soup, it is not too heavy and has the perfect flavor. I didn’t need to add anything additional with the exception of a grind of fresh pepper.
So happy to share this with my family of vegans! 😉