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
- 1200 ml (5 cups) 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 (8.8 oz) mature/strong cheddar cheese plus some extra to sprinkle on top
- 180 ml (2/3 cup) double/heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
To Serve:
- black pepper
- chives chopped
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.1 tbsp olive oil, 2 large onions, 3 regular heads of cauliflower, 1200 ml (5 cups) hot vegetable or chicken stock, 3/4 tsp garlic salt
- 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 the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper.250 g (8.8 oz) mature/strong cheddar cheese, 180 ml (2/3 cup) double/heavy cream, salt and pepper
- Serve with a sprinkling of cheese, black pepper, and a few chives if you wish.black pepper, chives
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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.
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 🙂
Sounds so delicious Nicky! And I love the name of your blog!
Thanks Lori 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
Ha ha it’s a good feeling 🙂
It sounds delicious, I’m a big fan of cauliflower so I’m looking forward to making your soup!
Excellent! Hope you enjoy it Fida 🙂
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.
Hope you enjoy it Thalia 🙂
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!
Yep, a little of what you fancy certainly does you good. Thanks Katie, I hope you like it.
Nicky, I love your food and this one is superb 🙂
Thankyou Linda 🙂 🙂
Such a fall classic – love cauliflower soup!
Yup, it’s definitely going on my regular lunch list 🙂
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!
Thanks Suzanne, it was totally yummy 🙂