Cauliflower soup

Cauliflower soup

30 min
Sometimes you will find a dish that truly makes you believe in the saying 'less is more'. This homemade cauliflower soup may be one such dish. Incredibly easy to make, this old-fashioned vegetable soup requires very few ingredients and has a delicate flavour profile with sweet, nutty undertones. Serve the beautifully garnished and creamy soup as a main course or starter with slices of bread for a magnificent meal.
https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/cauliflower-soup/

Instructions

  • Place cauliflower florets and vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Let it boil at medium heat for about 10 minutes with the lid on – or until the cauliflower is tender.
  • Blend until the soup is smooth and add cream and salt. Season to taste.
  • Bring to a boil once more and let it boil at medium heat for around 1 minute.
  • Pour the soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Serve immediately with bread.
Enjoy!
Tips

A simple cauliflower soup should have a rich and velvety consistency with a delicious creaminess. However, if you are not completely happy with the consistency, you can make a beurre manié by kneading together equal parts soft butter and flour. Mix this 'butter ball' into the simmering soup and whisk until it has combined with the liquid. Let it boil for a few minutes to allow for it to work its magic and thicken to a consistency you are happy with.

Questions about cauliflower soup

With our quick and easy cauliflower soup recipe, turning humble cauliflower into a deliciously creamy meal could not be simpler. Learn more about the dish below by reading our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about it.

How to make cauliflower soup?
Making cream of cauliflower soup is a great choice if you are in the mood for a velvety, warming meal. After getting the cauliflower ready, place the florets and broth in a saucepan with vegetable broth and boil it until the cauliflower is tender. Blend thoroughly to achieve an even consistency, add milk to make it creamy, and season to taste. Quickly bring it to a boil again before pouring it into your favourite bowls. Garnish it with a selection of delicious toppings and serve the hot soup with bread for a delightful dinner or starter.
What to serve with cauliflower soup?
Creamy and smooth cauliflower soup is best served with slices of bread and decorative, tasty toppings. We suggest drizzling it with olive oil and flat-leaved parsley for a wonderful combination of freshness and richness enhanced by a bit of salt and freshly churned pepper. You can also opt for crunchier cauliflower soup toppings like bacon crumble, homemade croutons, or roasted chickpeas. Bread on the side makes the meal more filling and gives you something with which to soak up all the creamy, tasty goodness.
How long does cauliflower soup last in the fridge?
If properly refrigerated, the cream of cauliflower soup will keep for 3-5 days. After the soup has had time to cool, transfer it to airtight containers. For ease, choose portion-sized ones so you can reheat only the amount you plan to eat rather than having to reheat the entire batch.
Can you freeze cauliflower soup?
Yes! Freezing cauliflower soup is incredibly easy and it will last for approx. 3 months. If you know that you will be freezing the entire batch, omit the cream and add it as you reheat it after freezing to prevent it from curdling upon thawing. Remember to never freeze it hot and to always leave room for the liquid to expand slightly as it freezes. Once it has cooled, transfer it to portion-sized, airtight containers. To enjoy the leftovers, let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating them the microwave or on the stovetop.

Ingredients

Cauliflower soup:
Rinsed cauliflower in small florets (approx. 800 g)
1
Vegetables broth
800 ml
Double cream
150 ml
Coarse salt
1 tsp
Garnish
Flat-leaf parsley
Olive oil
Flaky salt
Freshly churned pepper
Served with:
Wholemeal bread

Deliciously sweet and nutty cauliflower soup

Even with a minimal number of ingredients, this easy cream of cauliflower soup recipe allows you to enjoy a velvety dish with plenty of flavours.

Cauliflower is naturally nutty and sweet tasting. Its slightly bitter undertones keep the taste from becoming too sweet and give it a well-rounded flavour profile that makes it perfect for a range of uses including homemade soups like this one.

If you are on the lookout for other everyday soups to add to your recipe repertoire, we suggest checking out our recipes for potato leek soup and broccoli soup as well.

Flavourful and balanced toppings

In our recipe for cauliflower soup with cream, we recommend using a selection of toppings that will both enhance and offset its richness.

The flecks of salt and pepper as well as the droplets of olive oil that will float on the surface give it a beautiful restaurant-like look. While the olive oil will perfume the soup and add a special richness, the parsley beautifully brightens it with its freshness. Its peppery taste complements the soup's sweet and nutty flavour well.

Cream of cauliflower soup for dinner or as a starter

As it is quick to prepare, requires few ingredients, and may be made ahead of time and reheated, it is perfect for busy weekdays as well as dinner parties for friends and family when you want to serve something tasty and beautiful but do not have time to get into a complex, long recipe.

Served with slices of bread, this creamy cauliflower soup makes for a filling evening meal. It does, however, also work well as the beginning of a beautiful menu with selections like our decadent beef wellington as an entrée and our vanilla ice cream with baked plums and buckwheat brittle as the finishing touch.

Experiment with the spiciness

If you want to make a spicy cauliflower soup, you can go about it in a few different ways. 

You can use either fresh chilis, powdered chilli, or smoky spices like cayenne pepper, which also has a bit of a kick to it. Other excellent spices that will give it some heat include spice mixes like curry powder, garam masala, and five spice mix.

The last way you can introduce more warmth into the dish is by using either fresh or dried herbs. Perfect herbs for cauliflower soup are ones with savoury, peppery flavour profiles such as ginger, basil, oregano, and rosemary, as well as the little-known peppergrass plant. If you decide to go for dried herbs, you can add them either before or after blending, while we suggest using fresh herbs as a garnish instead.