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 had cauliflower soup in a hotel once years ago, so when I noticed this recipe, I thought I would try it. I made it tonight just for me, and I cannot stop eating it. Just wonderful. Thank you.
Made with milk to replace the cream and was lovely
Tried this for lunch with the addition of some celery and fresh parsley. Garnished with grated cheese and finely chopped ham. Heavenly!
Just made this after finding your recipe by chance and so glad I did! Delicious- thank you x
First time ever yesterday I made this soup.. high on list to be one of the most delicious soups I have ever made,!! I did use stilton however instead of cheddar that made it even more creamy..yum yum
Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable and I love soup so win, awin for me. Delicious.
This looks really good but I am puzzled – what would be in stock that could make it NOT gluten free?
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
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. 🙂
Yay! Glad you liked it Saz. I’ll have to get some more soups on the blog 🙂
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 🙂
Soup genius? I like that title 😀
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.
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 🙂
I do like soups and eat it pretty often! And this one looks really good! 🙂
Thanks Mila 🙂