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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The soup was very easy to make and loved by all in my family! I garnished with some smoked paprika. A great way for my kids to get their veggies in! ?
Aloha from Maui! We just joined the cooking club and are so excited. We’ve loved cooking your recipes for years. This soup was perfect, had all the light, delicious classic Jeanine elements with the miso, Dijon and lemon. We enjoyed it with vegan ricotta and spinach crepes! Yum! Thank you always Jeanine!
Roasting the garlic, shallots and cauliflower makes this soup shine above other cauliflower soups!
Thanks for making the club easy and manageable. I love how we have the entire month. It makes it achievable!! And thanks for picking a recipe with lemon. Everything’s better with lemon.
The taste of this cauliflower soup is much greater than the sum of its parts. I make soup at least 2x a week and this is super easy and amazingly tasty. I topped it with homemade rye bread croutons and toasted rye seed and some of the microgreens….looked like St. Patrick’s Day! Also liked it with pepitas and smoked paprika. Made the easy focaccia as well.
Big fan, have made almost every recipe in L&L cookbook!
This was so delicious. This is the year I learned how to make vegetable cream soups and I am glad to add cauliflower to my soup repertoire! Thank you.
My family loved this soup. Roasting the cauliflower gives you that creamy texture that is so pleasant on the palate. I had fun making it. Very easy and satisfying.
This is delicious and I was just looking for a good soup to try. Thank you!
Everyone loved this soup! The only change I made was to add a little vegan butter at the end to soften the lemon flavor. That was perfect for us.
This soup was so so perfect! It turned out amazing!
Super easy to make and so delicious! I used an immersion blender and left some chunks in the soup. Might thicken it up next time with some steamed potatoes!
Loooove this recipe! It is my new favorite way to use up the head of cauliflower that is always hiding in the back of my fridge. I topped with crispy chickpeas for a little crunch.
Do you think that this could be made with frozen cauliflower?
This is a very easy and tasty recipe! I finished it with a dollop of Plain Yogurt, A few Croutons and a Sprinkle of Sweet Paprika. I will definitely be saving this and making it again.
LOVE this soup! I took it out of the food processor too early, the texture was still lumpy, so I used the immersion blender to get the soup to the correct texture. Served with roasted sunflower seeds and homemade croutons. Delicious. Thank you!
Love this cauliflower soup. Definitely a keeper recipe
Loved this recipe!
Swapped out parsnips, rosemary, and cumin for the mustard and miso and added roasted leek rounds for garnish and crunch. I also added a dollup of greek yogurt at the end (obv. no longer vegan at that point).
Good and good for you! ?
Even convinced my husband who isn’t the biggest fan of cauliflower!
I wiuld love to join the challenge, but beore I can make any of your wonderful recipes, I need to check out the nutritional label. Are those any?
I’m sorry we don’t calculate nutrition facts.
I’ve been wanting a cauliflower soup recipe. I can’t wait to try this one.
This soup was SO good! I’ve made lots of cauliflower soups in my day and this one was by far the best. I think the miso and mustard give it something extra special. Thank you!