Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Vegan Cauliflower Soup is creamy, without the cream, made with a handful of simple ingredients, and delicious as can be! Not to mention it’s quick, easy and healthy!
Cauliflower is a versatile veggie that can be dressed up in many ways. Roast it, mash it, make cauliflower rice, and so more!
Here, cauliflower is simmered until tender and pureed until creamy smooth (or to your desired texture), creating a perfectly luscious soup.
Why We Love This Recipe!
- No fuss recipe! This vegan cream of cauliflower soup requires no roasting and is a one-pot recipe for a quick and delicious soup!
- Healthy! It’s creamy and delicious without dairy cream, making it 100% dairy-free. Pureeing the cauliflower and adding the vegan cream will thicken the soup.
If you’re a soup lover like me, these other delicious soup recipes are worth checking out: Vegan Tomato Basil Soup, Vegan Minestrone Soup, Creamy Broccoli + Red Lentil Soup, or Very Good Split Pea Soup.
Ingredient Notes
This simple cauliflower soup recipe cooks onion, garlic, thyme, and cauliflower until tender and blended into a deliciously creamy and healthy soup.
Here is everything you will need:
- Cauliflower – use a large 2 1/2 to 3-pound head, or use pre-cut cauliflower for convenience.
- Onion – any color will do.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is best but can be substituted with garlic powder.
- Thyme – use fresh or dried.
- Vegan butter – adds a wonderful richness to the final soup. My favorite is Miyokos. You substitute with olive oil or water if preferred.
- Vegetable broth – we recommend low-sodium or vegetable concentrate, such as Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Paste, which makes it easy to control the amount used.
- Vegan cream – use store-bought or homemade vegan cream (sub your almond milk, cashew milk, or favorite plant milk)
- Lemon – adds a light zestiness.
- Salt + pepper – season to taste
How To Make Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Prep: Start by prepping the onion and garlic. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Saute: In a heavy-bottomed pan, saute the onion with butter for 5 – 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the cauliflower, thyme, salt, pepper, and water.
- Simmer: Bring the chunky soup to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add cream: Stir in the vegan cream or plant milk and lemon juice.
- Puree: Let the soup rest for 10 minutes to cool. Using an immersion blender or cup blender, puree the soup until the desired consistency. Reheat on the stove if needed to warm back up before serving.
And now you’re ready to enjoy!
Top Tips
- Reserve cauliflower pieces: Reserve a few pieces of cauliflower and toast in a toaster oven with a little oil to help it caramelize along the edges. It makes for a great soup topper with a lovely toasted flavor.
- Cutting cauliflower: When chopping the cauliflower, don’t worry about making the pieces small. You can always break them up as they cook down and soften.
- Recommended equipment: I used my immersion blender (affiliate link) to puree the soup. A standing blender is great, too, but it may take two batches to puree.
- Toppings: Add a little heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or crushed mustard seeds.
How To Store, Freeze + Reheat
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator in a covered container.
- Freezer: Vegan cauliflower soup is freezer-friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in multi-use, freezer-safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2-inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large freezer ziplock bags. Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
- Meal Prep: Stored in individual portion-sized containers to make weekly meal prep a breeze.
Serving Suggestions
This cauliflower soup is great alone for a light meal, but can be made even heartier with a little something extra on the side. Here are a few of my favorite serving suggestions:
- Topping: Top with crumbled Coconut Bacon, Baked Kale Chips, croutons, or Crispy Roasted Chickpeas for a crunchy texture.
- Sandwich: Serve with Grilled Hummus Sandwich + Sauteed Onions, Tomato & Arugula, Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich, or Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich for a fantastic filling meal!
- Salad: Serve with Green Salad + Tahini Dressing, French Lentil & Bitter Greens Salad, or simple leafy green salad with Vegan Ranch or Healthy Flax & Evo Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Bread: Serve with homemade Artisan Bread, soft and chewy Vegan Naan, or gluten-free Socca flatbread to soak up the juices.
- Pizza: Serve with a slice of Cannellini Bean + Fennel Flatbread or Zucchini Flatbread-White Pizza.
- Veggies: Serve with warm veggies like this Savory Sauteed Kale, Skillet Asparagus + Tomato Medley, Curry & Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower, or this delicious Vegan Collard Greens.
If you try this cauliflower soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
VEGAN CAULIFLOWER SOUP
This creamy Vegan Cauliflower soup is full of flavor and uses simple ingredients for a healthy soup that’s quick and easy to make! Gluten free recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Entree, Soup
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegan butter – Miyokos is the best (see notes for subs)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 – 3 lbs.), cut into florets
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 2 sprigs
- 3 – 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (sub with water or combo)
- 1 cup vegan cream (or plant milk of choice)
- 1 small lemon, juice of
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prep: Start by prepping the onion and garlic. Cut the cauliflower into florets, they can be on the large side as you can break it down as it cooks.
Saute: In a heavy bottom pan, heat the butter over medium heat, add the onion and saute for 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add remaining ingredients: Add the cauliflower, thyme, salt and pepper, and water/broth.
Simmer: Bring the chunky soup to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is fork tender.
Add cream + lemon: Stir in the vegan cream or plant milk and lemon juice.
Puree: Once soup is done, let rest for 10 minutes to cool. Using an immersion blender or cup blender, puree the soup until desired consistency. Season with more salt & pepper as needed. Heat over low until warmed through as needed.
Serve: Serve with a few reserved toasted cauliflower pieces, drizzle of vegan cream and/or fresh cracked pepper. For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or crushed mustard seeds. Pair with homemade Artisan Bread or soft and chewy Vegan Naan for soaking up the juices.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in a covered container. To store longer, freeze for up to 2 – 3 months.
Notes
To substitute the vegan butter, use 2 tablespoons olive oil or 1/4 cup of water for a water saute.
For the most flavor, vegetable broth is recommended. Just note that it may change the color slightly.
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I made this soup tonight and it definitely didn’t disappoint! I sautéed some mushrooms.with garlic to top it off, so.good!
this was a really good soup and quick to make. I also threw in a yellow crookneck squash I needed to use and it gave some great color. I used the water method on the onions and made the cream in noted in the recipe. Topped with chives and roasted pumpkin seeds for crunch. It was a winner. Thanks for posting.
Incredible! And so easy. I omitted butter and used a few frozen coconut milk “ice cubes” in place of 1 cup plant milk.