Craving something cozy? Then you’ve got to try this Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup. It’s a dairy-free, vegetarian recipe with tons of flavor and a gorgeous, velvety texture. Say hello to your new favorite winter meal!
The Best Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Creamy Coconut!
Sometimes when you’re creating recipes, you come up a little bit short, and then it’s back to the drawing board. With this recipe, I wasn’t sure that it would really have much flavor, but I was quite surprised at how delicious it turned out! Even with a limited number of ingredients and flavors, it is a satisfyingly robust, creamy dish.
Cauliflower itself doesn’t have a ton of flavor, but adding the spices and browning the cauliflower brings out the best in this classic veggie. Adding the coconut milk results in a luxuriously rich, savory soup that I am sure you are going to love. It is creamy without cream, and hearty without animal protein. Plus, roasted cauliflower soup is a great source of fiber, potassium, healthy fat, vitamin c, and vitamin k. For those with specific dietary requirements, great news! This soup is whole30, paleo, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Anybody else sick of soups that take about a zillion ingredients you don’t like? Same here. That’s why I decided to make this soup with a few simple, wholesome ingredients; like this!
- Cauliflower: One head of cauliflower, cut in half.
- Onion: Cut one medium yellow onion into large chunks. You can also use white onion or Vidalia onion.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic really adds a bright, pungent flavor, but you can substitute garlic powder if needed.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to here.
- Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, and coriander give a curry-like taste to the soup
- Salt
- Coconut Milk: Lite.
- Stock: I used vegetable stock to make this soup vegan, but chicken stock is fine too.
Toppings:
- Cilantro: Fresh, torn leaves of cilantro are a beautiful (and healthy) garnish.
- Red Pepper Flakes: For a little heat. Omit these if you prefer.
- Olive Oil: For a little richness.
How to Make Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This is a simple soup to prepare. Roasting the Cauliflower with some onion, garlic and herbs is the perfect base of flavor to start the soup. A can of coconut milk and vegetable broth are the only other ingredients you need!
Combine the Veggies. First, preheat the oven to 350°. Then take half of the cauliflower head and break it into florets. Place the florets, any leaves from the cauliflower, onion, and garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Drizzle with 1 generous tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat.
- Season and Roast Some of the Veggies. First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Take half of the cauliflower, and break it into florets. Place those (along with any leaves), the onion, and the garlic into a medium bowl, and toss with a generous spoonful of olive oil. Spread them on a baking dish, sprinkle with seasonings and spices, and roast for 25 minutes.
- Prep Remaining Cauliflower. Meanwhile, take the second half of the cauliflower head and break it into very small florets. Place them in the bowl you used earlier, and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Set aside.
- Simmer the Soup. When the vegetables in the oven are done, put them in a medium saucepan along with the coconut milk and vegetable (or chicken) broth. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat, and let cook for about five minutes.
- Bake Remaining Cauliflower. While the roasted vegetables are cooking on the stove, turn the oven temperature up to 400°F. Add the second half of the cauliflower to the same baking pan you used previously, and place it in the oven on the top rack. Cook until golden brown. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Finish and Serve. Remove the simmered soup from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Add the soup to a blender, or use a hand blender to purée until creamy. Pour the soup into a bowl and add small cooked florets from the oven. Top with fresh cilantro leaves, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and serve!
Why Is My Cauliflower Soup Bland?
Cauliflower is a pretty mild veggie, so you need to build layers of flavor with spices, seasonings, and roasting. If you find that your soup is still bland even though you’ve added the spices and roasted the cauliflower correctly, it may just need a little extra salt. Spoon some into a small cup, stir in some extra salt, and give it a taste. If it works, lightly salt the remaining soup in the pot. Another option is adding a little bit of acid (lemon juice or vinegar are both good options). Just a tiny bit can really save your soup!
Tips for Success
Wondering what substitutions and adjustments you could make to this recipe? Here are a few ideas for changing things up, plus some simple cooking tips.
- Cauliflower: When shopping for a cauliflower, choose one that feels heavy and dense for its size, and avoid heads with mushy, damp, or sunburnt spots. Some cauliflower heads have little speckled areas, but if the cauliflower is otherwise okay, you can trim those away.
- Curry Powder: If you like, substitute some curry powder for the spices I use in this soup. Any curry powder will work, so pick your favorite!
- Immersion Blender: This tool makes it very easy to blend up the soup without having to put hot soup in a regular blender.
- Broth and Stock: Use what you have, and feel free to make that bone broth (I recommend chicken or turkey) if you want extra collagen and other nutrients.
Serving Suggestions
A good soup is practically a meal by itself, or at least a good start. Adding a simple side dish or two, for extra nutrition and contrast, makes it a feast!
- Turkey, Apples and Brie: For an ultra-easy dish to serve alongside your homemade soup, try making Turkey Apple Brie Bites. These tempting appetizers also make a nice side plate with a bowl of warm cauliflower soup.
- Crostini: Any crostini are great with soup, but these Fava Bean Manchego Crostini are such a mouthwatering combination. You’ll love the silkiness of the fava and manchego puree. Yum!
- Salad: A green salad with plenty of crunch is nice with creamy soup – can’t beat that contrast in textures. Plus, more plant foods are always good! This simple Kale Apple Salad is one of our favorites.
How Long Does Cauliflower Soup Last?
This soup should keep for 4 – 5 days in your refrigerator, in an airtight container or mason jar. Reheat it on the stove, or in the microwave if you prefer. Make sure to stir it well before reheating.
Can I Freeze This Dish?
Yes, you can freeze this soup, but keep in mind that the texture may suffer a little after freezing and thawing. This is because of the coconut milk – it tends to separate if you freeze and thaw it. If you want to prep ahead, I recommend leaving out the coconut milk and freezing the soup without it. Then you can add a can of coconut milk to the thawed soup as you reheat it.
Roasted Cauliflower and Coconut Soup
Equipment
- Baking Pan
- Medium Saucepan
- Medium Bowl
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut in half
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 can lite coconut milk
- 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock you can use chicken stock for non vegans
Toppings
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves torn
- Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Take one half of cauliflower head and break into florets.
- Place florets, any leaves from cauliflower, onion and garlic cloves in a medium bowl.
- Drizzle with 1 generous tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat.
- Pour ingredients into baking pan.
- Sprinkle cinnamon, allspice, coriander, black pepper and salt over top.
- Place into oven on medium rack and cook for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile take the second half of cauliflower head and break into very small florets. Place in bowl you used earlier and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
- When vegetables are done remove from oven and add to medium saucepan along with coconut milk and vegetable broth.
- Set pan over medium-high heat and bring to a very slow boil. About 5 minutes.
- At the same time bring oven temperature up to 400°.
- Add small florets to the same baking pan you used previously and place in oven on top rack, cooking until starts to become golden brown. About 15 minutes.
- Once coconut milk mix is at a slow boil, lower temperature to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and let cool a few minutes.
- Add coconut milk mix to a blender or use a hand blender and purée until creamy.
- Pour soup into bowl, add small cooked florets.
- Top with fresh cilantro leaves, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.
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