This rich and creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup with rosemary and thyme is prepared stove-top in under 30 minutes! It’s a decadent warm and comforting soup that is healthy and plant-based!
While I love roasted cauliflower, it often has too much oil for my liking. This soup is inspired by the flavors of roasted cauliflower, but it is made stove-top without any oil.
It’s super creamy, warm, comforting, and herbal. One bite and your family will be sold! It’s one or our favorite ways to enjoy cauliflower and sneak some extra veggies into the kids!
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Why You’ll Love this Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Luscious and creamy without any cream or butter
- Simple and Easy
- Bold herbal flavors
- Under 30 minute meal
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Oil-Free
Ingredients You’ll Need
Cauliflower: You’ll need one head of cauliflower washed and cut into florets.
Onion: You can use a yellow or white onion diced.
Garlic: This will add a rich flavor base to the soup. Use more or less garlic to suit your taste, and be sure to finely mince.
Vegetable Stock: The stock will give this soup a lightness of flavor and texture.
Coconut Milk: This gives this soup its creamy luscious consistency. Use light coconut milk to reduce the fat and calories.
Herbs and Spices: A combination of thyme, rosemary, fennel, salt, and pepper create a flavor explosion in this soup.
How to Make Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Step 1: Cut cauliflower into florets. Dice onion, and mince garlic cloves.
Step 2: Warm the Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of vegetable stock. Sauté diced onions in vegetable stock or olive oil for 3-5 minutes of until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté an additional minute.
Step 3: Reduce heat to low. Add thyme, rosemary, fennel, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
Step 4: Add cauliflower florets. Cover with remaining vegetable broth and coconut milk.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes.
Step 5: Remove from heat. Transfer in batches to a high-speed blender or use an immersion blender.
Blend until the ingredients are smooth and creamy.
Step 6: Transfer to bowls. Garnish with fresh herbs and cracked pepper. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Thoroughly wash cauliflower. Chop into small florets, removing the tough stem. The smaller the florets the more quickly the cauliflower will cook.
- If using a high-speed blender, transfer contents in batches. If you add all the contents of the soup at one time you risk blowing the top off your blender and creating a huge mess! Hot soup expands as it is blended which is why you run the risk of blowing the top off.
- When using a high-speed blender start at the lowest setting and slowly increase the speed. Blend for 30-45 seconds per batch or until the soup is completely smooth and creamy.
- If using an immersion blender be sure to blend until all chunks of cauliflower have been blended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cauliflower soup is rich and creamy, and comforting. Therefore it pairs well with other comfort foods. This soup has a bit of Italian influence with the spices added. I recommend pairing it with other Italian recipes such as a simple Italian Tomato Salad as a side dish and vegan bolognese as the main dish.
The spices you add to your cauliflower soup will depend upon the cultural influence you are going for. This soup has an Italian influence with the addition of rosemary, thyme, and fennel. Adding oregano and fresh or dried basil would compliment this dish nicely. However, if you are going for a curry flavored cauliflower soup you could add curry powder, cumin, and turmeric.
When you store vegan cauliflower soup in the refrigerator it will last for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup for 2-3 months.
Variations and Substitutions
Fresh vs Dried Herbs-If you’d prefer to use fresh herbs double the quantity. Dried herbs are more fragrant than fresh so you’ll need more fresh to achieve the same flavor profile.
No Coconut Milk-If you cannot have coconut use an alternative dairy-free milk. I recommend unsweetened almond or cashew milk in its place.
Thicker Soup: For a thicker cauliflower soup recipe dice and peel one russet potato and add it to the broth when you add the cauliflower. This will give the soup a thick and richer texture.
Roasting Cauliflower: If you prefer you can roast your cauliflower florets at 420 degrees Fahrenhiet for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Then add all of the ingredients to the blender, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large pot to heat to your desired temperature.
Serving Suggestions
This thick and creamy soup is perfect to be served as a main dish. Pair with a hearty salad such as this Kale Salad with Cranberries and a hearty bread such as this Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 4 days. When ready to serve reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This soup can also be frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and label with the date and contents. It will keep frozen for 2-3 months.
More Vegan Soup Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon fennel
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 15 oz low-fat coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower into florets. Dice onion, and mince garlic cloves.
- Warm dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of vegetable stock. Sauté diced onions in vegetable stock for 3-5 minutes of until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté an additional minute.
- Reduce heat to low. Add thyme, rosemary, fennel, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add cauliflower florets. Cover with remaining vegetable stock and coconut milk. Cover and simmer on medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Transfer in batches to high speed blender or use immersion blender to blend the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to bowls. Garnish with fresh herbs and cracked pepper. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Small florets cook more quickly
- If using a high-speed blender, transfer contents in batches. If you add all the contents of the soup at one time you risk blowing the top off your blender and creating a huge mess! Hot soup expands as it is blended which is why you run the risk of blowing the top off. When using a high-speed blender start at the lowest setting and slowly increase the speed. Blend for 30-45 seconds per batch or until the soup is completely smooth and creamy.
- If using an immersion blender be sure to blend until all chunks of cauliflower have been blended.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or transfer to freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 months.
Kathryn Majumdar
What would happen if I used full fat coconut milk instead of the low fat/ guar gum mix of “coconut” milk that is suggested in the recipe?
Alison Corey
You could use full-fat coconut milk. There wouldn’t be any significant difference. It will just be creamier.
Toni
Such an amazing healthy and delicious comfort food!
Kushigalu
This soup looks so creamy and delicious. Can’t wait to try This recipe.
Jen
This soup is a great way to convert anyone to a plant based diet. It’s delicious and so easy to make too.
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
This nourishing soup is the recipe after my heart! Love how thick and creamy it looks. Bookmarked it for tomorrow’s lunch! Thank you Alison x
Jacqueline Meldrum
Your soup looks delicious! Now I want it for lunch but no cauliflower at the moment. I would never have thought to pair it with rosemary, so I’ll have to try that!