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Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Soup (No Cream)

Sep 26, 2022 | 0 comments

You’d never guess that this lusciously creamy roasted cauliflower cheese soup uses no cream at all! It’s silky smooth, ultra cheesy and the perfect bowl of good for you comfort for cooler nights. It also uses every day ingredients, comes together in less than an hour and is super hands off.

Close up of roasted cauliflower cheese soup in a white bowl with gold spoon inside.

Right, I know cauliflower soup may not sound very exciting, but I promise this one is SERIOUSLY tasty. Cauliflower and cheese is a classic combination, and it’s easy to see why.

This soup is unbelievably creamy… with no cream in sight. So many recipes for cauliflower soup add loads of cream or potato to make it creamy, but I truly don’t think it needs it. Cauliflower, when soft and tender, blitzes into a beautifully smooth texture that combines with the cheese to make the best, creamy, luxurious soup that’s still pretty healthy and low carb too.

It comes together in under an hour and is incredibly easy. I’m roasting the cauliflower (and a whole head of garlic) to really intensify the flavours, and that’s the part that takes the longest. But all you have to do is throw it in the oven and forget about it for 30 minutes and I do think it’s worth it. You just don’t get gorgeous caramelisation and flavour if you just simmer it. The rest of it comes together in 20 minutes and again, is really straightforward.

The soup is delicious by itself, but of course adding some lovely fresh bread is always a good idea. I love it with my easy no knead focaccia or Vogels style bread. I also love adding a couple of parmesan crisps on top for a little crunch!

Ingredients

Everything you need for this soup you’ll easily be able to find at the supermarket.

Ingredients for roasted cauliflower cheese soup laid out on a grey marble background.
  • Cauliflower. We’ll use one large head of cauliflower – that’ll equal roughly 4 cups of florets. Don’t throw away the stem, you can chop it up and use it. The recipe includes the step of roasting the cauliflower which will intensify its flavour, BUT, you can skip this step if you’re running low on time. Instead, just add the florets to the pot with stock, onion and garlic and simmer for 15 minutes until tender. You’ll also need to add another teaspoon of salt.
  • Cheese. Go for your favourite! I find a strong cheddar or a creamy blue cheese is perfect in this soup.
  • Vegetable stock. You can also use chicken stock, or water (though you’ll need to add a little more salt in this case).
  • Onion. You can use a white, brown or red onion here or a large shallot.
  • Garlic. The recipe uses a whole head of roasted garlic which is cooked alongside the cauliflower. Roasting the garlic brings out its sweetness and tames down the sharpness of raw garlic. If you’re skipping the roasting step, you’ll need to add 3 crushed garlic cloves to the pot when you cook the onion.
  • Salt. Because cauliflower is mild, you do need to make sure you’re using enough salt to really help to bring out the flavour.
  • Lemon juice. Along with salt, acid is key for bringing out the flavour of the cauliflower.

How to make it

Start by roasting your cauliflower. Chop your cauliflower into bite sized florets, then add to an oven dish or a lined oven tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and toss to combine. Chop your whole head of garlic in half, so the cloves are exposed, then drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminium foil. Pop into the oven along with the cauliflower. Roast the cauliflower and garlic for 30 minutes at 220C fan, until the cauliflower is tender and charred around the edges and the garlic is soft. Put aside about 1/4 cup of roasted cauliflower florets to top the soup with when you’re serving.

PRO TIP: I find it’s easier to cut through the cauliflower stem, then break off the florets with your hands, rather than try to chop them up. One of my biggest pet peeves in the kitchen is all the little cauliflower bits that go everywhere when you chop them and this avoids that.

Meanwhile, add the diced onion to a large pot and cook until starting to soften, then add the stock, roasted cauliflower and garlic (and enjoy squeezing the roasted cloves from their skin!) Bring to a simmer and then cook for another 15 minutes, until the cauliflower easily breaks apart with a fork. At this point, turn the heat off and let the soup cool for a few minutes, before transferring to a blender along with the lemon juice, more salt and a little nutmeg. Blitz until SUPER smooth and creamy. You can also do this with an immersion (stick) blender in the pot itself, but the result won’t be quite as creamy.

Pour it back in the pot then add the cheese and stir to melt into the soup. Give it a taste, and add any more salt. Cauliflower does need quite a lot of seasoning so do taste and add more salt or lemon juice if you feel like something is missing. It’s most likely salt or acid! Add a tiny bit at a time if you do add more as it’s very easy to overdo it and tricky to fix.

Top the soup in your bowls with the reserved cauliflower florets, more cheese and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Got a question?

Can this soup be made vegan?

Yes it can – you’ll just need to switch out the cheese. Either leave it out, or try a good vegan cheese.

Can I freeze the soup?

Yes! It freezes really well. I like to freeze in single serve portions in zip lock bags for easy storage and quick defrosting. You can defrost on the stove top, in the microwave, at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

What cheese should I use?

You can really get creative! I love using a strong cheese so you can really taste it – a good strong cheddar, blue cheese, parmesan or manchego are all delicious in the soup.

Like this recipe? Here are some other warming favourites you might enjoy

If you make this recipe I’d love you to leave a comment below!

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Close up of roasted cauliflower cheese soup in a bowl with another bowl just out of frame, on a grey marble background.

Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Soup (No Cream)


  • Author: Kate Alexandra
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

You’d never guess that this lusciously creamy roasted cauliflower cheese soup uses no cream at all! It’s silky smooth, ultra cheesy and the perfect bowl of good for you comfort for cooler nights. It also uses every day ingredients, comes together in less than an hour and is super hands off.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the soup – 

  • 1 large cauliflower
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I like using a strong cheddar and a little blue cheese)
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

To serve – 

  • Reserved roasted cauliflower florets and leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chilli oil or olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled cheese

Equipment – 

  • Blender or immersion (stick) blender

Instructions

  1. Roast the cauliflower. Start by heating your oven to 220C fan. Chop your cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Don’t throw the stalk or leaves away! Chop the stalks up to roast, and set aside the small leaves.  Add the cauliflower florets and chopped stalks to an oven dish or baking paper lined oven tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Give the cauliflower a good mix so it’s well coated in the oil and salt. Cut the whole head of garlic in half, so you’re cutting across the cloves. Drizzle the exposed cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then wrap it in a piece of aluminium foil. Transfer the cauliflower and garlic to the oven, then roast for 30 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be slightly charred on top and the garlic to be soft and squeezable.
  2. Cook the onion. While the cauliflower and garlic are roasting, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot over a medium heat, then add the diced onion and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, as the onion starts to soften. If you find it starts to burn, add a splash of water (1 tablespoon) and that will slow the cooking down. Once the onion is soft, add the stock.
  3. Simmer the soup. Remove the cauliflower and garlic from the oven, then set aside about 6 florets to garnish your finished soup. Transfer the rest into the pot with the onion and stock. Leave the garlic to sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly before squeezing the cloves out of their skins and adding them to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. While the soup is simmering, add the set aside cauliflower leaves to the now empty oven dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast for 5 minutes then set aside.
  4. Blend the soup. You can use either an immersion blender or a stand blender for this step – I prefer a stand blender because I find you get a smoother result, but just go with whatever is easiest for you. If you’re using a stand blender you’ll want to let the soup cool slightly (5 minutes) before adding it to the blender. Blitz for a couple of minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and the ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg then blitz again until super smooth and creamy. 
  5. Add the cheese. Pour the soup back into the pot, then add the cheese and stir so it melts into the soup. Taste, and add a little more lemon juice or salt if it needs it – the salt level will differ based on the cheese you use so taste it and see. If it tastes like something is missing, it needs a little more salt and lemon juice. Add little bits at a time as it’s very easy to add too much and then it’s very hard to save. Divide between bowls, top with a little more crumbled cheese, the reserved cauliflower florets and leaves, then drizzle with chilli or olive oil.

Notes

SAVE TIME: I love the added flavour you’ll get through roasting the cauliflower, HOWEVER, you can skip this step if you’re low on time. Just add the florets straight into the pot with the onion and stock and simmer for 15 minutes until soft and tender. If you’re doing it this way, add 3 crushed garlic cloves to the pot along with the onion.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: This soup keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 7 days so you can use it throughout the week – it makes a wonderful lunch. You can also freeze the soup. I like to portion it in zip lock bags for easy storage and quick defrosting. You can defrost in a pot on the stovetop, in the microwave or let defrost at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Category: soups
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: british

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl

Keywords: cauliflower soup, creamy cauliflower soup

Welcome!

I’m Kate, the creator behind Dished. I love creating flavour packed, simple (ish) recipes for you, designed for every day and special occasions.

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