Cauliflower Soup Recipe

This cauliflower soup recipe is smooth, creamy, and full of cozy roasted flavor. Roasting the cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness and gives the soup a richer taste, while a little lemon garlic butter adds a bright, savory finish. It blends up thick and velvety without heavy cream.

This creamy cauliflower soup works for lunch, as a starter, or as an easy side dish. Enjoy it with Hawaiian dinner rolls, serve it before roasted chicken, or make it part of an easy lunch with honey mustard chicken salad.

Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Soup

• More flavor from roasting: Browning the cauliflower first brings out its natural sweetness and gives the soup a deeper roasted flavor.
• Creamy without heavy cream: The roasted cauliflower blends into a thick, velvety soup with just a little mascarpone or cream cheese for extra richness.
• Easy to adjust: You can use chicken or vegetable broth and add a little more broth if you like your soup thinner.
• Simple air fryer method: The air fryer makes it easy to get browned, tender cauliflower without turning on the oven.

Ingredients Needed

Here are a few notes about what you’ll need. You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.

• Cauliflower florets: Pre-cut florets save time, but you can also cut up a whole head of cauliflower. Try to keep the pieces about the same size so they cook evenly.
• Olive oil: Helps the seasonings stick and encourages the cauliflower to brown.
• Salt-free herb seasoning: Use an all-purpose herb blend you enjoy. Starting with a salt-free blend lets you control the salt separately.
• Sea salt and black pepper: Season the cauliflower before roasting so it already tastes good before it reaches the blender.
• Lemon garlic butter sauce: My lemon garlic butter sauce adds buttery garlic flavor with just enough brightness to balance the creamy soup.
• Chicken broth: Gives the soup its savory base. Vegetable broth works well too.
• Mascarpone or cream cheese: Either one adds a little extra richness and helps give the soup a smooth finish.

How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Coat the cauliflower evenly

Toss the florets with the oil and seasonings until each piece has a light coating. You want the seasoning on the cauliflower rather than sitting at the bottom of the bowl.

Let the cauliflower get some color

Air fry the florets until they’re tender with plenty of browned edges. Don’t rush this part. Those golden spots give the finished soup much of its roasted flavor.

I use my Ninja air fryer for this step, but you can use any air fryer that comfortably holds the cauliflower. For more tips on getting the florets browned and tender, see my air fryer roasted cauliflower.

Save a few florets for serving

Before you blend the soup, set aside a few of the nicest roasted pieces. Adding them to the bowls at the end gives you a little texture and makes the soup look finished without any extra work.

Blend until creamy

Blend the remaining cauliflower with the broth, cheese, and lemon garlic butter until the soup is smooth and velvety. Give it a taste before serving. This is the best time to adjust the seasoning or add a splash of broth if you want a thinner soup.

Tips for the Best Cauliflower Soup

• Dry the cauliflower well: If the florets are wet, they’ll steam more than roast.
• Give the florets some room: Avoid packing the air fryer basket too tightly so the cauliflower has a chance to brown.
• Let cream cheese soften first: If you’re using cream cheese instead of mascarpone, softened cream cheese will blend in much more easily.
• Add broth gradually if needed: It’s easy to thin the soup after blending, so start with the recipe amount before adding more.
• Taste before adding more salt: Broth and butter sauces can vary quite a bit in saltiness.
• Be careful when blending: Follow your blender’s instructions for hot foods and work in batches if needed. I use the soup setting on my blender.

What to Serve With Cauliflower Soup

• Soup and bread: Serve it with soft Hawaiian dinner rolls when you want something buttery for dipping. For a lower-carb bread option, try my keto Parmesan garlic bread bites.
• Roast chicken dinner: Start with a smaller bowl of soup, then serve my roasted chicken recipe as the main course.
• Fish dinner: Serve the soup first, then make pan-seared halibut for a simple stovetop main.
• Easy lunch: Pair a smaller bowl with honey mustard chicken salad when you want soup and salad instead of a heavier meal.

Make Ahead & Storage

• Make ahead: You can make the soup ahead of time, let it cool, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: Warm the soup on the stovetop over low heat or microwave it in short intervals, stirring as it heats.
• Thin it if needed: The soup may thicken after chilling. Stir in a splash of broth until it’s back to the consistency you like.
• Keep the topping separate: If you saved roasted cauliflower for garnish, store those florets separately and add them after reheating.

FAQs

More Ways to Cook Cauliflower

If you have extra cauliflower, make mashed cauliflower with roasted garlic for a creamy side dish. You can also turn cauliflower rice into cauliflower rice risotto when you want something a little more substantial or cauliflower rice pilaf when you need a simpler rice-like side dish.

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