This roasted garlic soup is rich, silky smooth, and loaded with the irresistible savoriness of slow-roasted garlic. It’s really simple to make and incredibly comforting — the perfect winter pick-me-up!
Maybe you love garlic, but have you ever thought about making it the star ingredient in a soup? It sounds like a lot… but today I'm here to show you it absolutely works. This soup uses roasted garlic. Roasting mellows the flavor beautifully, so you can pack in a ton without feeling like you’re breathing fire for a week. Roasted garlic shows up in some of my other favorite recipes, like my roasted garlic gravy and roasted garlic hummus, and it’s just as magical in soup.
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Roasted garlic soup is traditionally a French creation. I can’t take credit for the idea, but I did create a killer vegan version. Like the classic, mine is thickened with an ingredient that might surprise you: bread!
I’ve put bread in soup before (check out my vegan ribollita), but this is my first time blending it up strictly as a thickener, and it works so well. And if you’ve made my vegan garlic bread, you already know that bread and roasted garlic are a match made in comfort-food heaven.
What you end up with is the garlic soup of dreams! It's mellow, creamy, hearty, and packed with flavor. If you’re a garlic lover, this one is non-negotiable. Let’s do it.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Garlic. Surprise! We're putting garlic in our roasted garlic soup. Lots of it! Use nice, fresh, large bulbs.
- Olive oil. This recipe uses a relatively generous amount of oil, so stick with good-quality olive oil.
- Shallots.
- White wine. You'll want to use a dry variety, like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Not all wine is vegan, so run your brand through Barnivore before you buy.
- Vegetable broth.
- Bread. Quality bread will make all the difference in the flavor of this soup. I like to use a nice bakery baguette, but sourdough is also a great choice. It's fine to use stale bread!
- Thyme.
- Coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk from a can is the best option for getting your soup really rich and creamy. Light coconut milk will do in a pinch, and vegan heavy cream alternative is a good choice if you have an allergy or just don't like coconut.
- Salt and pepper.
- Toppings. These are optional! I like to top my soup with a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh parsley, and croutons.
Tip: This recipe only requires half a baguette. Dice up the rest, spritz or brush it with olive oil, and optionally season it with herbs, salt, and pepper, then bake at 400° until the pieces start to brown.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Preheat the oven. You'll be roasting the garlic first, so heat your oven to 400°F.
Step 2: Prepare the garlic. First, remove just two cloves from one bulb. Set them aside for later. Cut the tops off of the remaining bulbs and drizzle them with olive oil. Wrap them loosely in foil.
Steps 3 & 4: Extract the garlic. The garlic is done roasting when it's soft and lightly browned. Open the foil and let it sit. Once it's cool, squeeze the bulbs to force the roasted garlic out.
Step 5: Cook the shallots. Heat some olive oil in a pot, then add diced shallot. Cook the shallot for a few minutes to start softening it up.
Steps 6 & 7: Prepare and sauté the garlic. Mince your reserved fresh garlic cloves while the shallots cook, then add them to the pot with the roasted garlic. Sauté the mixture briefly while mashing the roasted garlic with a fork.
Step 8: Add the wine. Pour the wine into the pot and simmer it for a few minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Step 9: Simmer. Add broth, bread, and thyme to the pot, then let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, until the bread breaks down and falls apart.
Step 10: Blend. If you've got an immersion blender, use it and blend your soup right in the pot. If not, move it to a blender, then back to the pot after blending.
Step 11: Finish the soup. Stir in the coconut milk and warm the soup back up on the stove. Season it with some salt and pepper, if desired.
Step 12: Serve. Your roasted garlic soup is done! You can enjoy it as is, or top each bowl with croutons, fresh parsley, and/or a drizzle of olive oil.
Variations
- Rosemary garlic soup. Add a sprig or two of fresh rosemary to the soup during simmering, and remove it before blending. This will infuse the soup with lots of savory flavor.
- Lemon roasted garlic soup. Finish the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon or so of zest.
- Turn up the garlicky flavor. Roasted garlic is super mild. If you want a more pungent garlic flavor, reserve a few extra cloves in step 2 and add them to the sauté mixture in step 7.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried it, but I can't see why this recipe wouldn't work using gluten-free bread.
Nope! It'll break down and blend up just like the rest of the bread.
I don't fine it to taste like coconut at all, but if you're concerned, feel free to replace the coconut milk with a vegan heavy cream alternative.
Leftover roasted garlic soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. It will continue to thicken during storage, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat it, if needed.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 4 medium garlic bulbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed, divided
- ½ cup chopped shallots (about 1 medium shallot)
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 6 ounces French bread, torn into pieces (about 4 cups or ½ of a baguette)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Croutons
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove two cloves from one of your bulbs and set them aside for later. Cut the tops off of all of your garlic bulbs. Place each bulb on a sheet of foil and drizzle with just enough oil to coat the outside, about ½ tablespoon. Loosely wrap each bulb in the foil.
- Place the foil-wrapped garlic bulbs into the oven, either directly on the rack or on a baking sheet if you prefer, and roast them for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the garlic cloves are lightly browned and softened. Open the foil and let the garlic cool for a few minutes.
- Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the bulbs to extract the roasted garlic onto a small plate or bowl. Mince the two fresh garlic cloves that you reserved in step 1.
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and set it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the shallots. Cook the shallots for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften.
- Mince the two reserved fresh garlic cloves while your shallots cook.
- Add the roasted garlic and the two minced fresh garlic cloves. Sauté the garlic briefly, stirring and mashing the roasted garlic with a fork, until the fresh garlic becomes very fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the wine and stir to combine. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, bread, and thyme. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, then let the soup cook for about 20 minutes, until the bread has softened and is falling apart.
- Remove the pot from heat. Blend the soup until smooth, either using an immersion blender, or by transferring it to a conventional blender. Always use caution when blending hot liquids.
- Return the soup to the pot if you used a regular blender. Stir in the coconut milk and warm the soup back up over medium heat.
- Ladle into bowls and optionally top each with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, croutons, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve and enjoy!
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So good. Perfect for a cold winter lunch or dinner with a salad. Easy to adapt to Whole Plant. I tasted it before the Coconut Milk/salt and pepper, and it was already amazing! Thank you so much!