This creamy roasted garlic cauliflower soup is a hearty, filling, vegetarian soup! Roasting the cauliflower and the garlic first adds so much depth of flavor making it the perfect cozy soup for an easy weeknight dinner!
You might also like this broccoli cheddar soup, creamy potato leek soup or this creamy tomato soup!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this creamy roasted garlic and cauliflower soup!
Cauliflower - One large head of cauliflower (or 2 small ones) is all you need for this soup. Fresh cauliflower is best because we're roasting it first to bring out more flavor.
Garlic - Roasting the garlic before adding it to the soup brings out the most amazing caramelized flavor and buttery texture. I like using 2 heads of garlic, but you can use just 1 if you prefer.
Potato - This is optional, but I like adding a diced russet potato to the soup for extra creaminess.
Vegetable Stock - I always use homemade vegetable stock because that's what I have on hand. But you can also use store-bought vegetable stock or chicken stock!
Heavy Cream - You can substitute whole milk for a lighter soup or coconut cream if you prefer.
Gruyere Cheese - I love the slightly nutty flavor of shredded gruyere but you could also use white cheddar or parmesan cheese.
Spices - I like adding a little bit of cayenne and nutmeg for flavor and heat, but you can also add in 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard or ¼ teaspoon mustard powder.
Lemon Juice - This is optional, but a squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon) adds a touch of brightness to the soup.
Drizzle of Oil - Also optional, but I like to top the soup with a drizzle of infused oil like garlic oil or truffle oil.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Variations
Keep it chunky! If you don't want to blend up the soup, just serve it chunky! Up to you!
Make it vegan! This cauliflower soup is already vegetarian, but with just a couple swaps it can be vegan! Substitute the butter with olive oil and swap out the cream with coconut cream. You can then leave out the cheese or swap for your favorite vegan cheese.
Add bacon! If you do eat meat, this soup is absolutely delicious with some crispy bacon or pancetta on top!
Extra veggies! Add in extra veggies like diced celery or leeks when cooking the onions. You can also substitute half the cauliflower for broccoli.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets (about 4-5 cups total) and arrange on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cut the top of the garlic bulbs off, exposing the coves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each bulb in aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet.
Roast the cauliflower and garlic at 425°F for 30-40 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork tender and lightly browed. If the garlic isn't soft and tender yet, roast it alone for an additional 10-20 minutes.
If desired, set aside a few roasted cauliflower florets to garnish the soup with.
While the cauliflower is roasting, start on the soup.
Peel the potato and then dice into small chunks.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the diced onion and sauté until tender and aromatic, about 10 minutes. Then add in the fresh thyme, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne, and nutmeg and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in the vegetable stock, making sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add in the diced potatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin and add to the soup along with the roasted cauliflower florets.
Then puree the soup! You can use either an immersion blender or a standard blender to get the soup nice and smooth! If using a standard blender, you'll need to blend in 2-3 small batches. Only fill the blender about halfway and leave the hole in the lid open to allow steam to escape.
Then stir in the heavy cream and the shredded gruyere.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Ladle the roasted cauliflower soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of cream and garnish with the reserved roasted cauliflower pieces and microgreens if desired!
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this cauliflower soup with a drizzle of cream and garnish of leftover roasted cauliflower pieces and microgreens. But there's a ton of ways you can serve this soup!
- Top with homemade croutons
- Serve in a bread bowl
- Serve with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich
Recipe FAQ's
Store roasted garlic cauliflower soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days!
This cauliflower soup is already vegetarian, but with just a couple swaps it can be vegan! Substitute the butter with extra virgin olive oil and swap out the cream with coconut cream. You can then leave out the cheese or swap for your favorite vegan cheese.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Soup Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, (about 4-5 cups florets)
- 2 bulbs garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Cauliflower Soup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ large yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 cups vegetable stock, substitute chicken broth
- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
Garnish
- microgreens, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets (about 4-5 cups total) and arrange on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cut the top of the garlic bulbs off, exposing the coves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each bulb in aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet.
- Roast the cauliflower and garlic at 425°F for 30-40 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork tender and lightly browed. If the garlic isn't soft and tender yet, roast it alone for an additional 10-20 minutes.
- If desired, set aside a few roasted cauliflower florets to garnish the soup with.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, start on the soup.
- Peel the potato and then dice into small chunks.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the diced onion and sauté until tender and aromatic, about 10 minutes. Then add in the fresh thyme, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne, and nutmeg and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable stock, making sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add in the diced potatoes and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin and add to the soup along with the roasted cauliflower florets.
- Then puree the soup! You can use either an immersion blender or a standard blender to get the soup nice and smooth! If using a standard blender, you'll need to blend in 2-3 small batches. Only fill the blender about halfway and leave the hole in the lid open to allow steam to escape.
- Then stir in the heavy cream and the shredded gruyere.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of cream and garnish with the reserved roasted cauliflower pieces and microgreens if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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