Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup

It’s wholesome and made with nutrient-dense ingredients yet so creamy it feels like a dairy-based cream soup. It’s also ridiculously delicious thanks to a few flavor boosters. Plus, it’s incredibly simple to make (and even simpler when dumped into the Instant Pot). I swear it’s so easy that even my partner, Max, who does 0.04% of the cooking in our house, has made this soup multiple times. Bonus: it makes a big batch and the leftovers freeze beautifully, which means you can enjoy this cozy soup any time.

Why this recipe works

Creamy but secretly wholesome.

If you tasted this soup blindfolded, you’d have no idea it’s dairy-free (and nutrient-dense!) because it’s crazy creamy. The secret to this luscious texture? Raw cashews and cannellini beans, When you blend them with the cooked cauliflower and broth, the texture of this soup becomes velvety and unbelievably creamy. This is also the formula I use in this unbelievably good creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup! This superstar duo also makes this vegan cauliflower soup a satiating full meal, rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Of course, though, I do like to round out this meal with a crusty slab of good bread :)

Super flavorful without extra work.

With all of my recipes, my goal is to maximize flavor. In this recipe, I was pleasantly surprised that less work actually resulted in more flavor. We tested this soup with (a) roasted cauliflower and (b) without. And the flavor difference was negligible! Certainly not worth the extra time and cleanup of roasting the cauliflower separately. Instead, you just plop the florets into the soup and let them simmer away. And that makes total sense since there’s so much other flavor going on this soup: browned onions provide a flavorful, subtly sweet backbone; fresh garlic, well, is garlicky; and the fresh herbs perfume herby and woodsy notes throughout the soup. We also tested this soup with (a) chopping the fresh herbs and sautéing them with the garlic and (b) tying the whole herb sprigs up into a bundle (a bouquet garni). Not only was the bouquet garni method much faster—it takes 1 minute—it also infused a deeper herby flavor into the soup. Want something even easier? Use your Instant Pot! The instant pot cauliflower soup version is a dump-and-go recipe that requires just 5 minutes of prep. Check out the second recipe card down below for instructions.

Gourmet finishing touches.

This cauliflower soup is definitely good on its own, but it’s great thanks to three finishing ingredients.

Lemon zest brings a bright citrus zing, a nice complement to the cozy, warming flavors in this soup. Red pepper flakes dial this soup up a notch with a kick. For a subtler heat, use Aleppo pepper. Extra virgin olive oil lends a rich body and mouthfeel, making this soup feel almost as luxurious as a Turkish bathrobe.

Ingredient notes

Cauliflower. Obvi! To quickly remove florets from a head of cauliflower, check out the YouTube video below around the 00:18 mark, or watch it here. Tip: Buy pre-cut cauliflower florets to save more time. You need ~ 750g (24 to 28 ounces) of florets. PS: Looking for a more gourmet cauliflower recipe? This Indian Aloo Gobi is a must make! Onions and Garlic. These provide a savory backbone to the soup. The onions get nicely browned, releasing their sweet savoriness. Raw cashews. The secret to creamy and rich vegan sauces, cheeses, and desserts…so why not add them to a soup? (blended, of course!). They also add healthy fats and protein, making this soup more satisfying. Allergic to cashews? Sub with cooked, peeled Russet potatoes. I haven’t tried it in this particular recipe, but have in similar recipes with pretty good results. Just keep in mind that the soup won’t be as satiating. Cannellini beans. The king of creamy beans, they add a thick body to this vegan cauliflower soup. Plus protein and fiber! Fresh herbs. A bundle of fresh rosemary, thyme, and a bay leaf are tucked into this soup. While the soup simmers, the aromas infuse the entire soup with woodsy, herbaceous notes. Substitute: If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried thyme and rosemary, but dried herbs aren’t able to bring the same depth of flavor as fresh, so the soup won’t be exactly the same. Tip: You can also use this bouquet garni technique with stews, braises, and pots of beans or lentils. Nutritional yeast. This enhances the savoriness from the browned onions and gives this soup a subtly cheesy flavor. Vegetable broth. Since this is a soup with fairly minimal ingredients, I recommend using the best-quality vegetable broth you can find and afford. Our go-to brand in the RPL kitchen is Imagine Organic.

Step-by-step instructions

Tie together the fresh herbs and bay leaf into a bundle using kitchen twine. Sautè the onions in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until nicely golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in some vegetable broth to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits. Add the rest of the broth and cauliflower florets. Add the cashews and cannellini beans, along with the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Tuck the bouquet garni into the soup to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer for 15 minutes, until cauliflower is tender and soft. Remove the bouquet garni and transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Or, use an immersion blender directly in the soup pot. Finish the soup with lemon zest, red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

Tips for making this recipe

Don’t skip the nooch…

The nutritional yeast (affiliate link) adds a lot of savory depth of flavor.

…Or the finishing ingredients!

These really take the soup to another level. For the olive oil, use the best extra virgin olive oil you have. I use my best-quality extra virgin olive oil only for finishing and raw applications, and this is one of those cases where it makes a difference!

Stand blender for silky smooth.

If you want a super smooth texture, transfer the soup to a stand blender. If you don’t mind a slightly more rustic version, an immersion blender works fine.

Freeze leftovers in single-serve portions

Since this soup makes a large quantity, I usually freeze a couple single-serve portions using my Souper Cubes (affiliate link). Then you can defrost an individual block of soup on the stove in 5 minutes. Enjoy a no-fuss, good-for-you dinner even on the busiest of weeknights!

Watch: How to make Cauliflower Soup

More creamy vegan soup recipes to try!

Can’t get enough of creamy soups?

This Creamy White Bean and Kale Soup is a community favorite that gets a flavor boost from my favorite herby condiment, gremolata. If you love spicy Thai food, this Thai Pumpkin Soup is a fun one! Love a super savory soup? This Creamy Mushroom Soup is to die-for!

If you love this easy and delicious Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup recipe, please leave a rating and review below with your feedback and tag me on Instagram with your remakes :)