Are you searching for the perfect, easy soup to keep you warm and fill you up? Then you’re sure to love this cauliflower soup made without any cream!
It is so easy and so tasty that it’s sure to become a lunchtime staple. It comes together in under an hour and only uses a handful of easy-to-find ingredients.
Much like my lentil soup, my pasta e fagioli or my potato leek soup, it doesn’t require a lot of special ingredients and it is very quick to whip up.
It’s also completely dairy-free (while still being deliciously creamy), so it’s perfect for those looking for a great vegan option.
How to Make a Dairy-Free Cauliflower Soup
The first step is to roast your cauliflower. Roasting the cauliflower is essential to developing the flavour so I urge you not to skip this step.
Cut your cauliflower into small florets and add them to a large bowl. Drizzle the cauliflower with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Then, sprinkle a bit of garam masala over the cauliflower. If you don’t have garam masala, then you can sub in curry powder or another warm spice blend of your liking.
Spread the cauliflower florets over a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer them to a 200°C (400°F) oven and roast for about 30 minutes.
The cauliflower should be golden brown and very tender. You could even double how much cauliflower you’re roasting and use the rest in my cauliflower and chickpea salad! Or, buy an extra head and make my cauliflower steaks for dinner!
About ten minutes or so before the cauliflower is done roasting, put a large saucepan over medium heat and add some olive oil. Heat the oil until shimming and add some finely diced shallots.
Cook the shallots until they’re softened and translucent – about five to ten minutes. Then, add in some more garam masala, a bit of ground cumin and dried chili flakes.
Cook these spices until they’re very fragrant – only about 30 seconds or so. These spices are oil-soluble so they release a lot of their flavour in oil, so it’s better to bloom them before adding your liquid.
Once the spices have bloomed, add some minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds – just until it’s very fragrant. Pour over some vegetable stock to stop the cooking and bring this up to a gentle simmer before removing it from the heat.
Now, add your roasted cauliflower to a blender jar (it’s better to use a regular blender rather than a stick blender because it allows the soup to emulsify better and make it creamier – the same goes for my corn chowder and my mushroom soup).
Pour your vegetable stock mixture over it and then blend on high until the soup is smooth and completely pureed.
If you want to make this cauliflower soup without a blender, you can follow the same process I use in my pumpkin soup or carrot soup recipes and force the roasted cauliflower through a fine mesh sieve.
Just note that you’re not going to get as silky and creamy of a texture as you would if you were to use a blender.
Pour the soup back into the pot and put it over medium heat. Bring it up to a gentle simmer and then stir in a bit of lemon juice for some added brightness.
Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding a bit of salt and pepper if necessary. Now, all you have to do is serve and enjoy!
Roasted Cauliflower Soup Without Cream
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower about 1.5kg/3lb, cut into small florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp garam masala divided
- 2 small shallots finely diced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, 15ml (1 tablespoon) of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Toss to combine and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast cauliflower for about 30 minutes, or until very tender and browned.
- About 10 minutes before the cauliflower is done, add remaining 15ml of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat until shimmering and add shallots. Saute shallots until softened and translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of garam masala, cumin and chili flakes to the shallots. Cook until very fragrant, about 30 seconds, before adding the garlic and cooking for a further 30 seconds.
- Pour over vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add roasted cauliflower to the jar of a blender and pour over vegetable stock mixture. Blend on high for about 1 minute or until completely smooth.
- Pour pureed soup back into the pot. Stir in lemon juice. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed. Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Making a non-dairy cauliflower soup is so easy and delicious that this recipe is soon to be in your regular lunch rotation!
Are you wondering how to make a roasted cauliflower soup? Have any questions about this recipe? Let us know in the comments!
I made this soup yesterday, I deviated slightly, I used ras el hanout instead of garam masala and it turned out lovely. I also roasted the garlic. I used a stick blender and blended it for longer to achieve a smooth creamy texture. delicious. really pleased with this recipe and so was my partner. will definitely be one of my winter soup recipes for the future.
Sounds great, Jessica! Ras el hanout is a great sub for garam masala – very similar flavours 🙂
This cauliflower soup was delicious! I roasted 1/2 a potato and 1/2 head of garlic with the cauliflower, and then used celery and onion in the spice frying stage. Also threw in some kale. The lemon at the end takes this to the next level. Yum!
Happy you enjoyed the recipe, Rebekah!