My creamy cauliflower soup with cheddar is thick, rich and luxurious.
The perfect comforting dinner on a cold day with a wedge of fresh bread.
Just 7 ingredients and 25 minutes are all you need for the best cauliflower soup you'll ever eat.
In typical Kitchen Sanctuary style, I'm going all-in with cream AND cheese to make this soup taste luscious and rich. I'm not trying to make a diet soup that 'tastes creamy but with no cream' or 'fills you up with no fat'.
This is just a great tasting, hearty soup that will leave you sighing with happiness whilst you eat.
Back in my youth, I used to work at a fried chicken shop where we'd get a free meal during each shift. There was a sandwich shop across the road that did the best cauliflower soup ever. If that soup was on special, I was straight over there. Yes, a 17-year-old who preferred cauliflower soup to fried chicken and chips. It really was that good.
It was that soup I had in mind when I made this recipe.
I told Chris I was making cauliflower soup for lunch, and received a look of dismay and an unintelligible, displeased grunt. I could see his brain figuring out what he could have for his real lunch later.
So I made it.
...and he finished every last drop. Then requested it for lunch the next day too.
It tasted just like the soup from the sandwich shop.
What do we need?
How to make this cream of cauliflower soup
**Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post**.
- We start by chopping up the cauliflower. I use 3 medium cauliflower for this - which is enough to make 10 servings of soup. That's lunch for a few days and a few portions for the freezer.
- Fry chopped onion in a little olive oil in a large sauce pan (you'll need plenty of room for that cauliflower, so make sure it's a big pan). Add in cauliflower, stock and garlic salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take off the heat and whizz using a hand blender. Put back on the heat, add in cheddar cheese and cream and stir until he cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and a few chives.
It's now on my go-to list of soups and will be making a regular lunchtime appearance.
25 minutes to lunchtime happiness.......
What to serve it with
You can serve this cheesy cauliflower soup with:
- Homemade Artisan Bread
- Topped with Crispy Bacon
- For a more substantial dinner why not serve them alongside Garlic Mushroom Stuffed Rolls or these Stuffed Cheesy Breads with Spinach and Bacon
I don't like cauliflower, what can I use instead?
You can replace the cauliflower with broccoli for an easy swap and make Cream of Broccoli Soup.
If you're looking to use up multiple vegetables, you could also pile in a selection of veggies such as carrot, leek, sweet potato and onion (it's best not to mix green veg with red or orange veg, as you'll get murky looking brown soup). Simmer for 5 minutes longer if using carrot, as it takes a little longer to soften. Then blend, as with the cauliflower soup and add in the cream and cheese.
More fantastic soup recipes
Still hungry for more Soups? I've got a whole category devoted to soups here. Try my....
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Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions - peeled and chopped
- 3 regular heads of cauliflower - outer leaves discard, chopped into small florets
- 5 cups (1200ml) hot vegetable or chicken stock - - either homemade or use 3-4 stock cubes with water. Use bouillon for gluten free
- ¾ tsp garlic salt
- 250 g mature/strong cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup (180ml) double/heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, and fry the onion gently for 4-5 minutes until it starts to go translucent. Add in the cauliflower, stock and garlic salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, take off the heat and whizz using a hand blender. Put back on the heat, add in the cheese and cream and stir until he cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and black pepper and a few chives if you wish.
Video
✎ Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published in September 2014. Updated in August 2018 with new photos and additional tips. Updated again in November 2020 for housekeeping and with a video.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Katy says
Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable and I love soup so win, awin for me. Delicious.
Miriam says
This looks really good but I am puzzled - what would be in stock that could make it NOT gluten free?
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Miriam, if you are making the stock from stock cubes some of them (including popular brands) contain gluten. Always best to check the label 🙂
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Saz says
Hi Nicky,
I finaly tried this soup as well and again : great success !! You are so good with soups, it's completly uncanny. Thank you, this just became one of my winter "routine" soup : easy, warm and delicious. 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Yay! Glad you liked it Saz. I'll have to get some more soups on the blog 🙂
Saz says
well, so far i've tried 4 of your soup and loved every single one of them. You're such a soup genius i wouldn't mind discovering more soups of yours ! But now I have to be bolder and try non-soup recipes 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Soup genius? I like that title 😀
Jovana says
I made this today but instead of using cheddar I used Parmesan. My hubby hates, hates cauliflower. He LOVED this...
His exact words were: "If you had told me before I met you that I'd be eating cauliflower soup, I'd have called you crazy!"
Was a total hit. Didn't have any chives but I definitely think it would have elevated the dish... 🙂 Thank you so much.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how it went Jovana, I'm glad your husband enjoyed it. Sounds like the parmesan was a hit. I'll try that next time 🙂
milkandbun says
I do like soups and eat it pretty often! And this one looks really good! 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Mila 🙂
Phillip || SouthernFATTY.com says
I’ve been on a cauliflower kick lately. Tryyyying to ea ta bit better, and it seems like it can be used for so many things! This looks delicious.
Nicky Corbishley says
It sure can. I love that you can make cauliflower rice or soup and it tastes sodifferent from normal boiled cauliflower. I guess the cream and cheese aren't so good for the health kick though 🙂
Lori says
Sounds so delicious Nicky! And I love the name of your blog!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Lori 🙂
Amy says
Cream and butter are sacred words in my house for sure 🙂 I made a vegan creamy cauliflower soup but sometimes you just need some dairy cheesy goodness. I can't wait to make this one very soon 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Excellent, hope you enjoy it Amy. I've never tried a vegan version. I guess using something like almonds or coconut milk to give it the creaminess would work. I do like my double cream though 🙂
Raquel @ My California Roots says
I love it when I surprise my fiance with foods he thinks he won't like! It's one of my favorites. I've also done it with cauliflower soup - which is now one of his favorites, too! This looks delicious!
Nicky Corbishley says
Ha ha it's a good feeling 🙂
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
It sounds delicious, I'm a big fan of cauliflower so I'm looking forward to making your soup!
Nicky Corbishley says
Excellent! Hope you enjoy it Fida 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Cannot remember the last time that I made cauliflower soup! Thanks for reminding me how delicious it is. You can definitely consider that i will be recreating your creamy version.
Nicky Corbishley says
Hope you enjoy it Thalia 🙂
Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
Sometimes you just gotta go for the full cream version. Life is too short not to! This soup looks really good, rich, creamy, and soul satisfying. Perfect for the colder months coming up. Thanks for the recipe, have pinned to make soon!
Nicky Corbishley says
Yep, a little of what you fancy certainly does you good. Thanks Katie, I hope you like it.
lapetitepanierel says
Nicky, I love your food and this one is superb 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Thankyou Linda 🙂 🙂
ahu @ ahueats says
Such a fall classic - love cauliflower soup!
Nicky Corbishley says
Yup, it's definitely going on my regular lunch list 🙂
apuginthekitchen says
That sounds like a great soup. I certainly don't mind some cream and butter, the ratio is low compared to the other ingredients. Looks totally yummy!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Suzanne, it was totally yummy 🙂