Easy 3-Ingredient Cauliflower Soup – Simple and delicious recipe for pureed Cauliflower Soup, needs only 3 ingredients. Vegan or vegetarian, gluten free, low carb, healthy, light.
A few weeks ago, my friend Garrett McCord– co-author of Melt, the Art of Macaroni and Cheese and blogger at Vanilla Garlic— wrote to me on Facebook:
“Your italian roasted cauliflower salad is epic. Making it for a potluck tomorrow.”
(Side note – it IS epic – if you want to try it click here!)
We began chatting about our favorite cauliflower recipes, and he pointed out a recipe on our friend Elise Bauer’s website – Simple Cauliflower Soup, which was actually inspired by Garrett and blogged about by Elise. I tried it the next evening with dinner. Garrett recommended roasting the cauliflower first, but I was feeling lazy so I made it the way Elise describes on her site, which took all of 10 minutes.
Holy. Moly. I can’t describe how easy and tasty this soup is!! I am officially addicted. Since my conversation with Garrett I’ve made it several times, and I’ve discovered some things along the way. First of all, the soup really only needs 3 ingredients – cauliflower, salt and pepper (well, and water, if you’re counting that as an ingredient). Adding a high quality butter is highly recommended, but it’s actually delicious without the butter too– which means it can be made completely dairy free. Don’t skimp on the salt, it greatly enhances the flavor of the cauliflower. Blending this soup produces a silky, velvety texture and a really creamy flavor without a drop of cream. Once you’ve nailed the basic concept, which couldn’t be easier, you can dress it up with all kinds of condiments. Garrett recommended a pinch of blue cheese, which was heavenly. Elise tops hers with chives and olive oil or truffle oil/salt. Last week I topped mine with za’atar and a drizzle of sesame oil. So many possibilities!
This is also the perfect opportunity to give my friend Elise a shout-out. If you’ve ever Googled a recipe, chances are you’ve been to Elise’s website, Simply Recipes. She has been a food blogger for years and has managed to blog about many, many fantastic dishes. She does it with intelligence, simplicity, and class. Her recipes work. She’s a kitchen rock star and I highly recommend her website. See her version of the soup here, and read more about Elise here. I’ve posted links to some of her other recipes as well as Garrett’s below.
This soup can be made vegan or vegetarian (if you’re okay with dairy add the butter, it’s so worth it!). It’s naturally gluten free, low carb, low calorie, creamy, filling and amazing. It’s also kosher for Passover! Even though it’s a light soup, I find that more often than not it satiates my hunger. If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, the result will be even more velvety. Highly recommended!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
Simply Recipes: Roasted Root Vegetables with Tomatoes and Kale
Vanilla Garlic: Asparagus with Lime
Simply Recipes: Broccoli Slaw with Cranberry Orange Dressing
Vanilla Garlic: Earl Grey – Kumquat Marmalade
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Easy Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cauliflower (1 head)
- Salt and pepper
- Unsalted butter (optional, recommended) - you can sub olive oil or a high quality vegan butter like Earth Balance, if you like
Optional topping ideas
- Drizzle of olive oil or sesame oil, crumbled blue cheese, parmesan, za'atar
NOTES
Instructions
- Remove the leaves and tough core from the cauliflower. Chop into small florets and carefully clean them.
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart (4 cups) of water to a boil. Stir in 2 tsp of salt till dissolved. Pour in the cauliflower florets. Bring the water back to a boil and cover. Let the cauliflower cook for about 5 minutes till very soft and tender.
- Remove the florets from their cooking water using a slotted spoon; reserve the salted cooking water.
- Place the cooked cauliflower into a blender, filling it halfway. Carefully pour in cooking water, adding till it reaches about halfway up the cooked cauliflower.
- Cover the blender carefully and blend, scraping the sides as needed, until the soup becomes a smooth puree. You may need to add more cooking water to achieve a soup-like texture. The longer you blend, the more silky and smooth the soup becomes. Add salt, pepper, and butter to taste. I use about 1 tbsp butter for a whole head of cauliflower (1/2 tbsp per batch). Salt is your friend here, if the soup is tasting bland don't be afraid to add more. You can also add some good quality olive oil or Earth Balance instead of butter if you'd like a richer flavor without dairy.Repeat process with the remaining batch of cauliflower. Serve soup hot. Leftovers will keep for 1-2 days in a covered tupperware container; soup will need to be stirred after reheating.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Rebecca Lee says
Yes, you’re right but I always soak the whole head of cauliflower or broccoli into salty water for 20 mins, later the little worms will drop into the water. In fact I soak all veggie in water with 1 spoon of salt added.
Donald Hecht says
Sounds good. I’d add a little fresh dill.
Janet Leigh says
Have you tried the purple cauliflower? So pretty 🙂
Tori Avey says
Very pretty!
Renee says
Been making this for years!!! (Haven’t read the previous comments) I cook onions first, add cauliflower, soften, then add 900ml carton of no salt added vegetable broth. The rest of recipe is just like yours. Love this!!!
@stephintoronto says
I will put some truffle oil on this before serving. Also you can add apple/parsnip if you like it sweeter. If you are not worried about milk, I’ll add a dollop of Greek yogurt for protein or cheddar cheese before serving. I’ve also roasted the cauliflower if I have time or feel like getting “fancy”. It is a go to recipe for me. You can also do this with carrots. I also use chicken broth not just water for more flavour.
Michelle Mulhern says
Sounds like a great spring dinner, maybe with a salad with roasted/grilled asparagus with crumbled bleu cheese, a nice baguette and a glass of rose? Nom.
Tori Avey says
You just made me hungry Michelle! 🙂
Susan Benesch says
Thank you very much. This is fast and easy. Good for all year too!
michele says
I make the cauliflower salad using all the same ingredients except for the garlic but add israeli cous cous to it. We have it as a meal it is so good.
Sarah Tincup Stokely says
Yummy
Garrett McCord says
I just made that the other night (with a smidge of blue cheese crumbled in, natch).
Kimberley Barca says
My mother would make a fresh peas soup – based is chicken broth and dollop unsalted butter for creaminess. We’d eat this on fridays once a moth when peas were out! I used to live shucking peas but Id eat them raw. Sneaky!
Arielle Klein says
Love simply recipes and how easy this recipe is. Sounds like a perfect Passover lunch with a salad.
Kimberley Barca says
Yum! I was thinking Tori, how if this is made with fresh peas or asparagus?
Tori Avey says
Kimberley I added lightly steamed peas to it last week (based on my husband’s suggestion) and we both loved it! Gives it some nice texture and a burst of sweetness.
pablo says
asparagus is very fibrous, so if you attempt to blend it you will end up with stringy hairs from the asparagus stalk. i suggest processing the asparagus with a hand blender, then pressing the resulting puree through a sieve to separate the creamy goodness from the stringy bits.
Mia Dansky Blitstein says
More K for P soups (other than matzah ball of course) please!!
Nancy Henderson says
Yes simple and healthy! I’ve used cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes. This could be a faux potato soup!
Emma says
Could you adapt this to use a stick blender? I don’t have a food processor or blender for pesach
Tori Avey says
Hi Emma, yes I don’t see why not, but it may take longer to get a smooth silky texture than it would with a traditional blender. In that case I would drain the cooking water into another bowl, leaving the cauliflower in the pan, then slowly add the cooking water back, blending the soup till it reaches the desired consistency.
Clara Rapoport Koss says
my mother in law used to make this for me…soooo good..may she rest in peace…
Sandra Molina Lobel says
Nice! I do this, but use it as a faux Alfredo sauce over pasta! Just add a bit of garlic and sprinkle of parmesan. Kids devour it.
Tori Avey says
Brilliant idea Sandra! 🙂
Clint Anderson says
I would add some black pepper and crushed garlic,but yeah,looks delicious.
Kathy Jackson Firestone says
Cauliflower is really tasty when you add a roasted parsnip to the puree!