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!
Wow! says
OMG so simple, delish, and healthy! I used olive oil instead of butter. I’m glad I reserved the water it boiled in; I added back nearly all of it. Tried some garlic but preferred the taste of just the 4 ingredients. Next time: Will try oven roasting the garlic instead of boiling, to see if I prefer that. Might try it with some low sodium chicken or vegetable stock.
Wow! says
Oops! I meant oven-roast the *cauliflower* … although roasting a few cloves of garlic with it might not be a bad idea.
Ivy says
Rating this 5 stars for ease AND taste – delicious!! I made exactly as directed, and sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top. Had to stop myself from eating the entire batch! Adding this super fast & easy recipe to my favorites 🙂
Ashley says
I just tried this yesterday and loved it! I definitely wasn’t skimpy on the salt and I actually added an extra tablespoon of butter and some turmeric for it’s health benefits! ; ) Thanks for the awesome idea. It’s so easy and nutritious. I love it!
Maria says
I make this soup for my afternoon snack… I have it at least 3 times a week!
It’s so delicious and I absolutely love it!
I don’t eat dairy so a good heaping of olive or truffle oil, makes this dish a winner for me!
Nina says
When I told my husband that I was going to make this soup last night… his face wrinkled up and he said, ‘I don’t like cauliflower’. I said that he didn’t have to eat it, but I was still going to make it for me. He suggested that I add an apple and he would try it. I also added some chives on the top and some grated parmesan cheese on his portion.
What were his first words when he tasted it ….. ‘THIS SOUP IS AMAZING’.
I put chives and crumbled blue cheese in mine. Next time I’ll add peas.
Carol Trail says
Made this last night. Yummy!
Rachel says
I wanted to report that I blended this with a stick blender and had a very good result, but I did blend it for about 5 full minutes. The soup on it’s own is probably a 3 or 4 star, but coupled with the extremely simple and fast prep makes it a 5 for me!
Leanne Leno says
We’re having this (again) tonight 🙂
Erin says
Cold and snowing outside. Perfect for today. Made it so quickly I decided to make it twice and use both heads of cauliflower!
I added club house spice roasted garlic and peppers then added OUD certified Kraft jalapeño cheese stick (shredded) to my own bowl.
Soooooo yummy. A new weekly staple in my house!
And great for weight watchers!
Tori Avey says
Tasty modifications Erin! Glad you liked it 🙂
Laurie says
I have made cauliflower soup for many years, but with skim milk since I did not need it to be for a kosher meal. An additional ingredient that really turns it into something special is the addition of freshly ground nutmeg to taste.
Ilana says
This soup is unbelievably delicious! I tried making it because it seemed ridiculously easy but I was not prepared for just how creamy and delicious it actually tastes. I sent a link to this recipe to my two grown children and I can’t wait to make it for my mom.
Tori Avey says
This is exactly the reaction I had, Ilana. So happy you enjoyed it!
Don Frye says
This is an exact replica of Gordon Ramsey’s infamous broccoli soup recipe. Nice to see it works with another veg.
Tori Avey says
Don, I’d never seen Gordon’s recipe before your comment. Great to know it works with broccoli too! I love his suggestion to serve with goat cheese and walnuts. Will try his version soon!
Caro says
Can this be frozen successfully?
Tori Avey says
Caro I have never frozen it so I’m not sure what the result will be. It does refrigerate well.
Ioanna says
Hi Tori! First of all congratulations on your wonderful website. As a Greek living in Japan, I consider myself so lucky and grateful I discovered it a couple of months ago! It’s like you brought the whole of the Mediterranean to my family here in the Far East! I made this recipe today and it is unbelievably good. Apart from a a little bit of olive oil as you suggested, I also added some lemon juice, (we Greeks love a lemony taste). The result was magical! Thank you so much! x Ioanna
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Loanna!
Hashi Arjuna Lotus says
this was so amazing. i made it today and my mom absolutely loved it. who knew three ingredients could be so amazing!! thank you for sharing!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Hashi! You had exactly the same reaction that I did… so amazed that three simple ingredients could make something that tastes so great. 🙂
Ruchama says
Would this work cold, perhaps with the addition of leeks as in a potato soup. (Vichyssoise)?
Tori Avey says
Hi Ruchama– it might be good, but I haven’t tried it myself. 🙂
Elise says
Hi Tori,
You are so kind, thank you! I’m so glad you like the soup. Isn’t it wonderful when the most simple things can taste so good?
Tori Avey says
Yes, Elise! Thanks to you and Garrett for adding to my regular cooking rotation. 🙂
Lauren Shapiro-Milana says
I make a simple cauliflower soup like this but I add curry. It’s yummy, try it.
Chandler LeSueur Shea says
I think adding garlic and rosemary would work well! Maybe boiling / soaking cashews and processing them in as well
Sarah Vukovich Mycroft says
Totally making this. Yum!!