Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup Recipe (2024)

By Ali Slagle

Updated March 1, 2024

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
4(910)
Notes
Read community notes

This three-ingredient vegan soup isn’t a trick: It’s as velvety and rich as its creamy, dairy-full counterparts, with a sweetness that lingers and warms. Coax deep, nutty flavors from cauliflower and a whole head of garlic by roasting them until caramelized; next you’ll simmer them until nearly falling apart, then blend the mixture until silky-smooth. Gentle and comforting on its own, the soup can also serve as the start to your own creation: You could roast sliced onions or leeks instead of the garlic; stir in Cheddar, Gruyère or Parmesan; or top with fried sage or capers. Accompany with grilled cheese or pumpernickel bread, or a hearty salad with grains or lentils.

Featured in: The One Way to Roast Every Kind of Vegetable

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • pounds cauliflower (1 very large head), cut into 1-inch florets, leaves reserved
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1head garlic

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

141 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 481 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower florets and leaves with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut off the top ¼ inch of the head of garlic to expose the top of the cloves, then place on a piece of foil, cut side up. Sprinkle exposed cloves with salt, then drizzle lightly with oil. Wrap the garlic in the foil and place on the sheet pan. Roast until the cauliflower is browned and tender and the garlic is soft and fragrant, 30 to 35 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer over medium. Reserve about 1 cup cauliflower for the topping, then add the rest to the pot, including any browned bits on the sheet pan. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the pot. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Off the heat, using an immersion blender (or working in batches in a traditional blender), purée the soup until smooth. If thick, add water to taste. If thin, simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly. (The soup will also thicken as it cools.) Season to taste with salt.

  4. Step

    4

    Serve the soup topped with the reserved roasted cauliflower, a drizzle of olive oil and more black pepper.

Ratings

4

out of 5

910

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Anne

I wonder if using a few cups of chicken broth in exchange for some of the water would make for an even more savory soup? I know it would obviate the vegan-ness, but for non-vegans it might be tasty...

Ana

This soup was awesome. So simple and so delicious. I didn’t have quite enough cauliflower so I added some chickpeas to both the roasting and blending steps and it was a nice consistency.

Rachel S

very yummy and simple! Some modifications:- I didn't use the cauliflower leaves.- my cauliflower head was not "very large". To make up for this, I used only 4c water, but the soup was still pretty watery in the end.- used veggie broth instead of water.Next time I make this soup, I think I will use 2 heads of cauliflower (no leaves), the full 6 cups of liquid (veggie broth), and also I would roast the florets and garlic for longer -- at least 45 mins.

lissa

Throw in a handful of raw, unsalted cashew pieces with the broth - before puréeing, to add a bit of protein and keep it vegan.

David Morris

I never understood why beets and garlic get wrapped in foil when one is roasting them. Can they really caramelize wrapped up in foil and steaming in their own evaporating liquid? I roast beets with olive oil, salt and pepper, uncovered, and they come out delicious and caramelized. Similarly, I would be inclined to roast the garlic uncovered. Any thoughts?

Lydia Sugarman

Yes, adding some Great Northern, cannellini, or navy beans or a potato or two will add creaminess. Along with the olive oil, they add an unctuousness to the soup.Is there any reason not to use stock inplace of water? Vegetable stock would still keep it vegan, no?

Sue

Add Parmesan Rinds!

Daniel

Put the garlic in before you prepare the cauliflower. It needs closer to an hour to really get golden brown and tender.

Beth

To the person who said browning cauliflower makes it bitter: I have been cooking professionally for almost 40 years and I have never experienced caramelized cauliflower to be bitter.

sarah

There is a great vegan “no chicken” base by “Better than Bouillon” in a jar that we have used for years in Chinese and veggie recipes instead of chicken stock and it is terrific. Adds the depth we want. Easy way to keep it plant-based and delicious.

Court

I like adding silken tofu or a can of beans to soups like this to bump up the satiety. Will be trying this!!!

Kate Disney

Consider white pepper and a bit of horseradish to add a twist to this.

Vanessa

How are the cauliflower leaves supposed to be used?

Sherherazade

I garnished this with dry roasted cumin and cayenne. Delicious.

Jen P

I added a couple of teaspoons of dijon mustard- yum!

joyce

This is a spectacular soup.

Andrea C

We loved this soup! I made it as listed except I didn't use the cauliflower leaves or reserve cauliflower for topping. Instead, we added gluten free, crumbled crackers to our cups of soup. This is a great way to enjoy cauliflower!

DSK

Question: I’ve been reading the comments and I’m a bit confused regarding the cauliflower leaves. Never used them before. Do they enhance the flavor? Are they too fibrous as some have said?Btw - adding a potato to the pot is an easy way to “cream” the soup if you don’t have cashews or white beans on hand. Also making a simple roux or tossing the hot oily vegs with 1 tbsp of ap flour (or gluten free substitute) before adding to broth also thickens a soup.

Harriet

Cauliflower and garlic needed more time for me. About 45 minutes. After blending, tasted as is. Pretty good, especially for two ingredients. Added a bit of lemon juice. Better! Garnished with a little aged white cheddar and sourdough croutons from a leftover loaf. No longer vegan but delicious. I could see white beans blended in or crispy chickpeas as a garnish. Will make again.

josh

I made this and enjoyed it and got some good feedback from the fam - but I felt like there was a slight bitterness to it that I wonder if I roasted it wrong - or I’m wondering is cauliflower a bit like that - adding pepper at the end helped a lot in my opinion - any thoughts on why someone would taste bitterness? I read one of the comments is I should roast the garlic longer so maybe that was it (newbie here obviously)

Karen Zelinski

This was delicious. After reading the notes, I used 6 cups water with two tablespoons of Better than Bouillon vegetable base, a can of rinsed Great Northern beans, and a small potato. Creamy and very flavorful. Will definitely make this again.

Krista

This was great. I added 1T of better than bouillon to the water before adding the cauliflower and garlic. I thought it was going to be too watery, but it thickened up nicely as I blended it. Really easy and delicious!

michelle

AMAZING! I used chicken bone broth instead of water and the flavor was on point. Next time I will get a head start on roasting the garlic before the cauliflower.

Chapel

I made this last night and it was delicious - warm, cozy, and satisfying. My head of garlic didn't get fully roasted/caramelized (almost certainly my fault - I had it tucked in the corner of the sheet pan), so to round out that sharp edge I added about half a tablespoon of minced roasted garlic from a jar. Also: veggie bouillon instead of water, half a block of silken tofu, and buttered sourdough bread on the side.

Sal

What can I say...you can eat it, clean up is easy.

Dianne recsuliflower soup

<30 minutes at 425 degrees resulted in burned not browned cauliflower. Nasty. Tossed soup

KW, Cambridge

Very clean, but too thin. Next time I will try some of the suggestions here: using parmesan rinds, garbanzo beans (or cannellini), chicken stock, and/or potatoes.

PatC

Made it w some homemade fairly weak chicken stock. Very nice flavor.But if you’re going to save some florets for garnish I would start with about 3 pounds of cauliflower florets for six or seven cups of broth. The leaves are too fiberous—just discard them. Since I didn’t have anything else to go with it i added a few cooked canolini beans and some Swiss chard as well as a little diced hard salami that I sautéd w the charbefore incorporating. Croutons on top for some crunch. Sorry, vegans.

Amy

I followed some of the previous notes by adding raw cashews and Ras el hanout spice blend. The one change I made is I cut the cauliflower into slabs versus florets. More surface area for browing which equals flavor. It was delicious.

Marika Vaaranen

Soak raw cashews prior to starting prep, rinse, add 1/4 cup water and blend before adding to soup for extra protein and creaminess!

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Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup Recipe (2024)
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