Vegan Cauliflower Soup is one of our favourite healthy soups to enjoy during the cold Fall and Winter months.
Our homemade roasted Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup recipe is quick and easy to make, ready to serve in under 1 hour!
Spoon through a bowl of our Vegetarian Cauliflower Soup recipe featuring flavourful garlic, onion, coconut milk, lemon, nutmeg and paprika.
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What Is Soup?
Soup is a liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but can also be served cold like gazpacho), that is prepared by combining meat or vegetables with stock or water.
Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavours are extracted, creating a rich broth.
Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Soups generally have more liquid (broth) than chunkier and heartier stews.
In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two groups: clear soups (bouillon and consomme) and thick soups (purees, bisques, veloutes).
Purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream.
History of Soup
Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers, such as clay pots. To boil the water hot rocks were used.
The word soup comes from French soupe (broth), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa (“bread soaked in broth”) from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop”, a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.
The word restaurant (meaning “restoring”) was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as a cure to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for eating establishments.
In America, the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, and it included several recipes for soups and bisques.
English cooking dominated early colonial cooking; but as new immigrants arrived from other countries, other national soups gained popularity. In particular, German immigrants living in Pennsylvania were famous for their potato soups. In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien, a refugee from the French Revolution, opened an eating establishment in Massachusetts called The Restorator, and became known as the “Prince of Soups”.
Where To Eat Vegan Cauliflower Soup
If you live in a large city in North America you’ll likely have access to plenty of soup-specific restaurants. We also love to visit local, family-run diners and cafes that offer menus specializing in “soups, sandwiches and salads.”
In Toronto, popular restaurants that serve soup include RaviSoups, Soup Nutsy, United Bakers Dairy, Cafe Polonez, Saffron Spice Kitchen, Santouka Ramen, Sansotei Ramen, Kenzo Ramen, Kinton Ramen, Ajisen Ramen, Maison Selby, Pho Vistro, Pho Hung, The Golden Turtle, Maha’s, Pai, Sabai Sabai, Khao San Road, One Love Vegetarian and Fabarnak.
If you’re looking to sample vegetarian soups try slurping through the menus at vegan restaurants like Fresh Restaurant, Rosalinda, The Hogtown Vegan, Doomie’s and Planta.
My Family Loves Cauliflower Soup
My family has a tradition of eating soup and salad for lunch on Sunday’s after getting home from church. Soup is such an simple and brainless meal to serve a busy family with kids.
My dad would often make cream of tomato soup and serve a bowl with grilled cheese sandwiches and pickles. Our family also loved slurping through bowls of Butternut Squash Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup.
Some of the fondest memories of my childhood spent in Toronto, Markham, Oakville and Muskoka are cozying up to a bowl of homemade soup with gourmet crackers, artisanal cheese and sourdough bread.
During October in Ontario we’d often visit popular Fall Fairs in Norfolk County, Niagara and Prince Edward County to go on fun rides, run through corn mazes and purchase fresh local fruits and vegetables at the peak of harvest season.
Onions, garlic and cauliflower are available in abundance year round in Canada but we especially love to serve this savoury soup in the Fall at Thanksgiving.
During the colder months of the year my family love to bake creamy broccoli and cauliflower casserole. My sister and dad have a particular penchant for dishes featuring broccoli and cauliflower.
This roasted cauliflower soup was an instant hit thanks to its healthy and flavourful vegan ingredients.
Is Roasted Cauliflower Soup Vegetarian or Vegan?
Our roasted cauliflower soup is vegetarian and vegan friendly.
We use vegetable stock for the broth, olive oil to roast the cauliflower and coconut milk to add a creamy and rich texture.
If you’re not vegan but practice a vegetarian diet you can adjust the recipe by substituting butter for olive oil and cream for coconut milk. You may even want to garnish the soup with aged cheeses like Parmesan, Applewood Smoked Cheddar, Grizzly Gouda, Stevenson’s Red Leicester Cheese, Rocinante Iberico, Vache Maigre, Gruyere, Piave Stravecchio, Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Ossau-Iraty Brebis, Mimolette, Manchego or Beemster XO.
Vegan Cauliflower Soup Health Benefits
Our Vegan Cauliflower Soup recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of leeks can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Cauliflower provides a high quantity nutrients per calorie – it’s rich in fibre, cancer-fighting phytochemical, and bone strengthening vitamin K.
A rich source of phytochemicals and vitamin C, lemons help boost your immune system and neutralize free radicals that cause disease and skin aging. Lemons also protect against heart disease and help improve blood flow to the brain.
Paprika is rich in vitamin A, capsaicin, and carotenoid antioxidants. These substances may help prevent inflammation and improve your cholesterol, eye health and blood sugar levels.
Nutmeg is said to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, reduce insomnia, increase immune system function and improve blood circulation.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup Tips
This healthy vegan soup recipe is quick and easy to make at home. We’ve included a few tips for first time soup makers!
- Use a large cast iron dutch oven with a high rim to reduce splatter when cooking.
- In our recipe below we suggest using an immersion blender to puree the cooked vegetables but you could also use a heavy duty Vitamix.
- We suggest using a high quality rubber spatula spoon when making soup so you can easily stir, scrape down the side of the pot and sip to check if it needs to be seasoned further with more salt before spooning into bowls.
- We’ve included coconut milk to our recipe to add a richness to the soup. If you’re looking to reduce calories in your diet you could substitute for more vegetable stock.
- Our recipe calls for roasted cauliflower, which adds an additional flavour element and texture to the soup. If you’re time crunched or don’t have access to an oven you can always steam or boil the cauliflower florets before blending them into the soup.
- If you’re fridge and pantry are full of vegan ingredients you might also want to substitute olive oil for vegan butter and garnish the soup with your favourite shredded vegan cheese.
- Additional vegan friendly garnishes that taste and look great on this soup include smoked nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, chopped freshly plucked herbs, grated pear and apple and olive oil fried croutons.
What To Serve with Vegan Cauliflower Soup
There’s nothing more comforting on a cold day then cozying up to a bowl of soup with a fresh salad, gourmet crackers, artisanal cheeses, sourdough bread, savoury muffins and homemade pickles.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party you might want to serve our Vegan Cauliflower Soup as an appetizer before serving heartier mains. We love serving this soup with Osaka Okonomayaki, Calgary Ginger Beef, Keto Jalapeno Poppers, Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu, Cheesy Polenta, Vegetarian Roti Canai Curry, Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Old School Cheese and Onion Pie, Green Onion Cake, Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs, Baked Chicken Cracklings, Homemade Savoury Pickle Pie, Indian Crepes, Vietnamese Crepe Bánh Xèo, Tartiflette Reblochon or Ricotta Gnocchi.
After dinner why not dazzle your guests with one of our popular desserts such as Oat Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies, Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe or Cinnamon Babka For Chocolate Lovers.
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Storing Soup
If you have leftover soup you can store the soup base in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. To reheat simply zap it in the microwave or simmer in a small saucepan on the stove.
We love doubling our soup recipes so can store leftovers in the freezer and save time on cooking in the kitchen. We suggest storing leftover soup in Pyrex freezer safe containers that have a snug lid so there’s not spilling. My mother often uses old glass pasta sauce jars to store soup in the freezer.
Be sure to let your soup reach room temperature before storing it in the freezer. If you add a hot jar of soup to a cold freezer it will significantly reduce the interior temperature and potentially spoil your food.
How To Make Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
- French knife
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- baking sheet
- oven
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Large cauliflower (2 lb) cut into florets
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Spanish onion finely minced
- 3 Garlic cloves finely minced
- 4 cups Vegetable broth
- 1 cup Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg ground
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly and evenly coated. Arrange cauliflower in a single layer across the pan, ensuring none of the florets are touching. This ensures the cauliflower roasts rather than steams when baking in the oven.
- Sprinkle cauliflower with salt then bake for 25-30 minutes. Toss the cauliflower after 15 minutes in the oven.
- Remove roasted cauliflower and let cool. Reserve 4-5 roasted cauliflower florets to garnish the soup with later.
- In a Dutch Oven or large pot, warm the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the vegetable stock and coconut milk.
- Add roasted cauliflower to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and let cool for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blitz the soup until velvety smooth, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, nutmeg and paprika and blend again. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish bowls of soup with roasted cauliflower floret and a sprinkle of chopped parsley or chives.
Nutrition
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