Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Soup
I owe cauliflower an apology. Years ago, I used to class it as one of the few vegetables I didn’t like, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve fallen in love with cauliflower steaks, cauliflower wings, roasted cauliflower… and it also makes an incredible creamy soup. It really adds a touch of luxury to the texture.
This creamy cauliflower cheese soup is thick and creamy – seriously unreal.
This creamy cauliflower cheese soup is, of course, inspired by cauliflower cheese – the best roast dinner side dish of all time. Cauliflower doesn’t have a huge amount of flavour on its own, so a bit of mature cheddar cheese is perfect for bringing it to life. Blend it into a smooth soup, add some crispy, garlicky croutons, and you’ve got a bowl of utter deliciousness.
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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy cauliflower soup. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- cauliflower
- potato
- leek (onion would work too!)
- cheddar cheese – a mature cheese with lots of flavour is ideal.
- vegetable stock – I used a veggie stock cube and water, but liquid stock or jelly stock would also be fine.
- garlic – I used lazy garlic from a jar to save time.
- dried thyme
- cream (optional, but it does make it feel extra luxurious)
I also made some crispy homemade croutons by simply pan frying some small cubes of bread with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I also added some garlic granules and dried parsley for extra flavour.
Becca’s Top Tip
You don’t have to make the homemade croutons if you don’t want to, but they do add a wonderful crunch, which contrasts the creamy soup beautifully.
🔪 Equipment
You’ll need a blender to make this cauliflower soup really smooth and creamy. A tabletop blender will be fine, but I would highly recommend using a handheld immersion blender instead – it avoids needing to transfer the hot soup (which, if you’re even a bit as clumsy as I am, will probably end in disaster). Instead, you can just dunk the head of the blender straight into the pan of soup, and whizz it up until it’s smooth.
My hand blender is nothing fancy, but it does the job perfectly. Personally, I’ve never found the expensive ones to be any better than a standard, cheap model. These ones on Amazon UK / Amazon US (affiliate links) come at a great price, with really impressive reviews.
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Soup
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Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 large leek (approx. 300g / 2/3 lb), sliced
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- 1 large cauliflower (approx. 1 kg / 2 1/4 lb), roughly chopped
- 300 g potato (~ 2/3 lb / 1 large potato), roughly chopped
- 1.5 litres (~ 6 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 150 g mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 1/2 cups when grated)
- 100 ml (~ 1/3 cup) single cream
- Black pepper
- Salt
- For the croutons:
- 1 slice bread, diced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the sliced leek. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until slightly softened, then add the garlic, and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Add the roughly chopped cauliflower and potato, along with the vegetable stock and dried thyme.
- Mix to combine, bring to a simmer, and allow to cook until all of the vegetables are very soft (around 30 minutes).
- Add the cheese, and allow it to melt completely.
- Add most of the cream (you can save a little back for topping, if you like), then blend the soup until completely smooth. It’s easiest to use an immersion blender for this, to avoid having to transfer the hot soup. If needed, you can thin the soup a little by adding an extra splash of water. Season to taste with a generous amount of black pepper and some salt, if needed.
- If you like, you can make some simple homemade croutons by pan frying some cubes of bread in a little butter or olive oil for a few minutes, until crispy. I also added some garlic granules and dried parsley to mine.
- Serve the creamy cauliflower cheese soup topped with an extra drizzle of cream and the croutons, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes, it reheats really well. Just store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly before serving, either in the microwave or in a saucepan.
Yes, it freezes just fine in a freezer safe container (without croutons). Defrost and reheat thoroughly before serving.
Super tasty and easy! We made it as written this time (sans croutons – we had bread on the side instead) and plan to experiment with different cheeses.
Thanks Hilary, glad you liked it! :)
Super delicious!!
Thanks Kathy :)
Just used up a cauliflower in my fridge and added a leek. It was delicious and easy to make. Definitely make again.
Thanks Deb!
Would colored cauliflowers work well with this recipe as well?
I don’t see why not, it will just come out looking a different colour! :P
Indeed, I have tested it yesterday. It was delicious and attractive to the eyes, especially for the kids xD
great recipe, thanks for sharing it <3
Oh great, so pleased you liked it! :)