Rich, creamy, packed with flavor, and easy enough for a weeknight! This creamy curried cauliflower soup comes together in just over thirty minutes and is guaranteed to warm you up on cold winter nights.
I've always been a big fan of soup during the winter (or really, year round if I'm being honest), but ever since I started baking my own sourdough bread I just can't get enough of soup. There's nothing quite like a big bowl of soup and some crusty bread for dinner!
So yes, I crafted this one so I'd have something to dip my bread in. I'm happy to say this curried cauliflower soup makes great dipping material! It's also super easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Cauliflower makes a great main ingredient for soup because it blends up super creamy, has a nice flavor, and is loaded with fiber, making your soup hearty and satisfying. I already have a couple of cauliflower soups I love on this site — my creamy vegan cauliflower soup is a great basic recipe if you'd like to keep things simple, and my blackened cauliflower soup is excellent if you're a fan of Cajun spices.
This curried cauliflower soup is in a class of it's own though! It's super flavorful and the warming spices make it perfect for chilly days.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. Feel free to substitute with your favorite high-heat oil, such as canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Spices. We're using curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Curry powders can vary quite a bit in terms of flavor and what particular spices are included, so find one you like. I like McCormick and Trader Joe's curry powders.
- Light coconut milk. Use the canned variety. Full-fat coconut milk can be used if you'd like your soup to be extra rich and creamy.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Vegetable broth.
- Cauliflower. We're using fresh cauliflower, though I can't see any reason that frozen cauliflower wouldn't work just as well.
- Salt & pepper.
- Fresh cilantro. This gets sprinkled on top for serving your soup. You can skip it if it's not your thing, or substitute fresh chives, scallions, or parsley.
Tip: The recipe gives a range of 2 to 3 teaspoons of curry powder. The amount you use will depend on your taste and the particular blend you're using. If you're not sure how much to use, start with less and add more at the end of cooking.
How It's Made
The following 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!
- First sauté some onions, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in a bit of oil.
- When the onions are tender, add your broth, coconut milk, tomatoes and cauliflower.
- Simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Test it by piercing a piece with a fork — it should go in easily.
- Take the pot off of the burner. Blend everything until smooth and creamy.
Tip: An immersion blender is a great tool for blending your soup. You don't even need to take it out of the pot! But a blender or food processor will work if you don't have one. Always be super careful when blending hot liquids.
- At this point you can thin the soup with some water if needed, adding as much as you like until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
- Season your curried cauliflower soup with some salt and black pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
- Dig in!
Leftovers & Storge
Leftover curried cauliflower soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
The soup can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Add a splash of water if it's gotten too thick during storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
I find the coconut flavor to be subtle. In fact, I find this is usually the case when combining coconut milk with acidic ingredients (like the tomatoes in this soup). But if you're sensitive to the taste of coconut/don't like it, you might be able to detect it.
You can, but the soup won't be as rich. I suggest using a variety that's very rich and creamy, like cashew milk. Consult my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing one.
It's spicy in the sense that it's heavily flavored with spices, but it's not hot. If you'd like to add some heat to your soup try using some hot curry powder or adding a bit of cayenne pepper.
More Soup Recipes
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Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup
Rich, creamy, packed with flavor, and easy enough for a weeknight! This creamy curried cauliflower soup comes together in just over thirty minutes and is guaranteed to warm you up on cold winter nights.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2-3 teaspoons curry powder (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 ml) can light coconut milk
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 large cauliflower head (about 3 pounds), broken into florets
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh cilantro, for serving
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
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Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin and turmeric. Sauté everything for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is very fragrant.
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Stir in the coconut milk, tomatoes, broth, and cauliflower.
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Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow it to simmer until the cauliflower is soft, about 20 minutes.
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Either blend the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer it to a blender or food processor in batches. Blend until smooth.
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Return the soup to the pot (if you took it out) and reheat if needed.
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Remove from heat and taste test. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking. You can also thin the soup with some hot water if it has gotten too thick.
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Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro, and serve.
Recipe Notes
I picked a few cauliflower florets out of my soup before blending and then used them as garnish.
Made pretty much according to the recipe. Result was delicious. Husband, who doesn't like cauliflower or curry, gave it a thumbs up. I ran out of thumbs for my own rating : ) It was a snap to make, flavors were well balanced, and I can imagine using it as a sauce for a veg dip or over rice or white beans, etc. Thanks!!
Yay! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks Anne!
Very delicious!! The whole family enjoyed it, even my son who gasped and wretched at the thought of eating cauliflower soup! Ha! I made it with turkey bone broth instead of vegetable broth. Thanks for the recipe! It’s a super win!
Yay! Glad it was a hit! Thanks Elsie!
I made your chipotle pumpkin black bean soup at work recently (I left a comment about how much of a hit it was) and as long as everything goes according to plan, this will be the soup I make tomorrow! I'm so excited!! I'm going to try it over baked sweet potatoes, as they serve them every Sunday but I never have anything to put on top. I'm so excited!
Oh that sounds delicious! I hope you enjoy it!
Really good recipe, have made it multiple times. The one thing I do caution is that not all Thai curry paste is the same. Sadly the regularly available brand ("Thai kitchen") near me is quite bland despite saying hot. I normally need to add an extra tsp or two (and no I don't have some crazy spice tolerance). To work around this I take a small separate frying pan and add oil then toast a tsp of the curry paste + a chopped up pepper (I use habanero) in there - then add that oil to the soup.
Sounds delicious! I'm so glad you like it!
I found the liquid to cauliflower ratio to be quite off, I had to add a lot of extra stock.
Can we use frozen cauliflower?
I haven't tried, but I don't see why not!
Fantastic! Thank you!!
Yum! I made it excluding tomatoes and it was still delicious.
Does this soup freeze well?
Yup! It should be good for about 3 months.
This is the best curry soup I have ever tasted!
Delish recipe as written.
I follow the recipe, except I use lower quantities of spices. I also keep out the cauliflower, blend everything else, then add chopped cauliflower and cook until the soup is done. Then I add one can of garbanzo beans, draining the water. This is just one way to go, the recipe is excellent as is. I now make this soup frequently!