Healthy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

This healthy roasted cauliflower soup is creamy, comforting, and impressively flavor-packed for just 8 ingredients! Plus, it’s gluten-free, easily adapted to vegan, and wonderfully creamy without any cream or nuts!

Cauliflower is a fantastic plant-based “blank canvas” veggie for all sorts of recipes, including cauliflower wings, cauliflower pizza crust, mash, rice, and more! This time, we’re making it into a super moreish, creamy roasted cauliflower soup! By roasting the cauliflower florets (and other veggies), the humble ingredient is transformed.

The roasting process brings out the natural sugars and caramelizes them for a veggie that’s nutty, slightly sweet, and packed with flavor. When combined with onion and garlic and finished with zingy lemon juice, this simple vegan cauliflower soup becomes worthy of any event or the holidays as a crowd-pleasing appetizer or side!

Best of all, this healthy cauliflower soup recipe requires very little prep. Just chop the veggies, roast them, and then blend them with the vegetable broth until velvety smooth. Optionally prepare a delicious, toasted pine nut garnish or choose from several other options listed below. Then enjoy it immediately as an appetizer or side or save it for later (did I mention it’s freezer-friendly too?!). It will fill you up without weighing you down!

Want to enjoy more creamy meat-free soups? Why not try this creamy tomato soup,  coconut curry pumpkin soup, or creamy roasted garlic potato soup!

The Ingredients

• Cauliflower: it’s best to use fresh cauliflower as frozen (thawed first) doesn’t become as caramelized when roasted. However, either will work.
• Garlic: I used fresh garlic cloves. Adjust the amount to taste. For additional garlic flavor at the end, you can add a pinch of garlic powder or garlic olive oil when serving.
• Onion: I used red onion, but a yellow/white onion would also work.
• Stock: I use lightly salted homemade vegetable stock. You may also use a veg bouillon cube with water to make up the amount of stock. Adjust the added salt accordingly.
• Olive oil: I recommend using extra virgin olive oil. Another neutral cooking oil like avocado oil would also work for this vegan roasted cauliflower soup.
• Salt & Black pepper: to taste.
• Lemon juice: a squeeze of fresh, bright lemon juice added to the vegan roasted cauliflower soup just before serving takes this soup to extra levels of deliciousness!
• Garnish: (optional) I love topping the creamy roasted cauliflower soup with sautéed pine nuts, a teeny pinch of chili powder/cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes and some fresh herbs (parsley, chives, green onions, etc.).

Read the serving section for all my favorite garnish options for this vegan roasted cauliflower soup!

Optional Add-ins and Variations

• White beans: you can add some cooked white beans to blend into the soup for a creamier, thicker vegan cauliflower soup. As a bonus, they’ll add fiber and protein, too.
• Cream: another way to make a more decadent creamed cauliflower soup is to add a small amount of cashew cream, coconut cream, or dairy cream if you consume dairy.
• Miso paste: a small amount of white miso paste adds a wonderfully umami-rich depth of flavor to the roasted garlic cauliflower soup.
• Spicy cauliflower soup: add chili powder/cayenne powder and/or drizzle of chili oil.
• Curried cauliflower soup: for another take on a spicy version, add a small amount of curry powder (mild, medium, or hot) OR garam masala to the soup towards the end to taste.
• Cumin: either alone or alongside the above curry option. Just a pinch adds earthy depth.
• Nutmeg: a pinch of nutmeg is the perfect “finishing” spice for this soup.
• Thyme/Rosemary: cauliflower and dried or fresh thyme or rosemary pair wonderfully and create a delicious healthy cauliflower soup.
• Cheese: for a roasted cauliflower cheese soup, stir some freshly grated/shredded mature cheddar into the soup right at the end, over low heat. For a vegan version you can use a vegan melty chedddar OR nutritional yeast.
• Other vegetables: Several veggies would work well in this healthy cauliflower soup, including leek, potato, carrot and kale or spinach, etc.
• Mustard: a small amount of mustard powder or Dijon mustard will add depth to the vegan cauliflower soup.
• Smoked paprika: just a pinch for smoky, earthy flavor.

How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Soup?

Step 1: Roast the Vegetables

First, preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC.

Then, peel and slice the onion and chop the cauliflower into small, even-sized florets. You can also peel the garlic cloves (or leave them unpeeled at this point).

Spread the ingredients across a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet and drizzle/spray with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Then roast in the oven for 30 minutes (or until the cauliflower is fork-tender and slightly caramelized), flipping the florets halfway.

Alternatively, you can air fry the ingredients (in batches), shaking every few minutes for even cooking.

Step 2: Blend the Soup

Once roasted, transfer all the ingredients (keeping a handful of florets to one side for garnishing if wanted) to either a large saucepan/Dutch oven or a food processor. Add the vegetable stock and then blend until smooth.

It’s best to bring the vegetable broth to a simmer first, so the soup stays warm for longer.

When using a food processor, do so in batches if necessary and use a clean kitchen towel to hold the lid down while blending. If you have a chute, leave it open to allow steam to escape. Open the lid to release the steam to escape.

Step 3: Garnish and Serve

Meanwhile, if you want to make the pine nut garnish, melt the butter in a skillet and toast the pine nuts until golden and fragrant.

Finally, add in the lemon juice, stir, and enjoy! I like to give it one last taste test at this point and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

If it needs it, gently simmer the cauliflower soup over low heat on the stovetop. Then serve topped with melted butter and pine nuts!

How to Serve?

Enjoy a big bowl of this warming soup alone, with your choice of garnishes, or as part of a larger meal. It’s simple yet delicious enough to enjoy as a mid-week treat or even serve at dinner parties and events!

• Toppings: there are several ways you can garnish the roasted garlic cauliflower soup. Along with the options mentioned above, you could also use a swirl of cream/yogurt, homemade croutons, Kale chips, Crispy chickpeas, a swirl of regular or vegan pesto, sautéed mushrooms, a sprinkle of parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil/ garlic olive oil. I also love serving it with a few of these parmesan crisps.
• With bread: enjoy a bowl of this healthy creamed cauliflower soup with a crusty loaf, garlic bread, naan, focaccia, etc. It also pairs well with sandwiches (like a grilled cheese) and wraps.
• Veggies: boost the nutrient content further by pairing a bowl of this vegan roasted cauliflower soup with cooked veggies. Greens pair particularly well like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, Brussel sprouts, etc.
• Side salad: for a light lunch, pair the soup with a simple green side salad like a Caesar salad, lettuce and cucumber salad, or even this massaged kale salad.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: you could roast the veggies 2-3 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to add them to warmed veg stock and blend.

Store: Allow the healthy cauliflower soup to cool. Then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Luckily, this soup tastes even better as it sits.

Freeze: I recommend storing the leftover cooled soup in reusable silicone ziplock bags, with all the excess air squeezed out. Lay it flat until frozen, then slot it into your freezer for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight, OR place the bag in a bowl of warm water to speed up the defrosting.

Reheat: use either the stovetop (for several minutes over medium-low heat) or microwave (2-3 minutes, stirring halfway) until warmed through.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• To adjust how thick the soup is: simply change the amount of stock added to the soup. If it’s too thin for your liking, even after blending, you could add a small amount of cornstarch slurry to help thicken it.
• Chunky vs. smooth: blend the soup to your desired consistency. You could also keep some florets to one side to add back into the soup if you want some big pieces.
• Immersion blender vs. blender: I’ve found that the former doesn’t become quite as velvety smooth (though it gets fairly close), so keep that in mind.
• Make sure the veggies are nicely caramelized: the roasting process packs in a ton of flavor by bringing out natural sugars and adding depth to the veggies. Make sure they’re nicely caramelized for the best flavor. Use a broiler, if necessary, for extra browning.
• The color will vary: based on how dark the veggies are upon removing them from the oven.
• Don’t steam/boil the cauliflower: the roasted cauliflower really packs tons of flavor in this soup recipe. If you want to cook the cauliflower using a different method, you’ll need to make up for that loss of flavor in other ways.

More Meat-Free Soup Recipes

• Simple Lebanese Lentil Soup
• One-pot turmeric ginger pumpkin soup
• Carrot ginger soup
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Japanese Ramen noodle soup,
• Vegetarian Minestrone soup
• Vegan Potato Leek Soup
• Vegetarian Broccoli Cheddar Soup

  You might also enjoy this collection of 20+ winter soup recipes!

If you try this healthy vegan roasted cauliflower soup recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!