Creamy Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Onion Soup

Most “cream” soup recipes are loaded with dairy, but they don’t need to be! This dairy-free creamy roasted cauliflower soup has a smooth, lightly rich texture and delicious depth of flavor. Roasting the vegetables caramelizes them a bit, and brings out their natural sweetness. Blending them with broth and a drizzle of coconut milk adds thickness and silkiness to the consistency.

Dairy-Free Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Garnish Options

This dairy-free creamy roasted cauliflower soup recipe was submitted by reader Jen Prosini more than a year ago. It was a submission for a recipe contest that we cohosted with So Delicious. They’ve discontinued the coconut milk that Jen used, so we’ve updated the recipe, added nutrition facts and garnish options, and also have answers to some FAQs below.

What Type of Onions Should I Use?

I typically use yellow onion in soup. You could alternatively use white onions or a “sweet” varietal like Maui Onions or Walla Walla Onions.

Should I Use Regular or Low-Sodium Broth?

With this vegan cauliflower soup recipe, I would use a salt-free or low-sodium broth. It starts with a fair amount of salt on the vegetables, and you can always add more too taste. However, it’s probably delicious with regular broth too. If you only have regular broth, you can always reduce the salt on the vegetables, to 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon, and add more salt, to taste, after the soup is blended.

What is Full Fat Coconut Milk?

It is regular canned coconut milk that hasn’t been thinned or watered down. It’s the type you can find in the Asian section of most major supermarkets. This is not coconut milk beverage, which is sold in larger cartons, and is thinned with a lot of water to make it more drinkable, like 2% milk. Regular, full-fat coconut milk is richer and creamier. In reality, you can use canned coconut milk or coconut cream in this dairy-free creamy roasted cauliflower recipe.

Can You Taste the Coconut?

Some say they don’t taste it at all, while a couple said they detected a hint of coconut, but that it worked with the flavor. I don’t want to say that you won’t notice it at all in this roasted cauliflower soup, but it definitely isn’t overt.

Can I Substitute Almond Milk for the Coconut Milk?

Almond milk is far less creamy and much less rich than coconut milk. If you use almond milk or any drinkable milk alternative, this vegan cauliflower soup won’t have that rich finish. You could use more milk alternative and less broth (i.e. 1 cup broth + 2 to 3 cups milk alternative). But this will influence the taste a bit more.

Is there a Good Substitute for the Coconut Milk?

I think Dairy-Free Cashew Cream is a delicious healthy substitute for the coconut milk. It adds such a wonderful taste and consistency to soups. Alternatively, you can use a store-bought heavy cream alternative, like Silk or Country Crock. Keep in mind that the store-bought options do still contain coconut, but they do have a more neutral flavor than coconut milk.

My Blender isn’t High Speed. Do I Need to Blend in Batches?

No, you shouldn’t need to. Simply add all roasted vegetables to your blender. They shrink down enough when roasted to fit in most blenders. Then just pour in about 1 cup of the broth. Blend, and add liquid only if it becomes too thick to blend. Once smooth, scrape it into a pot. Stir in the remaining broth and coconut milk, and whisk as it heats, until combined.

Can I Use an Immersion Blender Instead?

You can! Once the vegetables are roasted, put them in a pot. Add the 2 cups broth, and blend with your immersion blender until relatively smooth. It can be hard to get soup completely smooth with an immersion blender. Add the coconut milk, and more broth as needed, and blend with the immersion blender again.

Special Diet Notes: Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, paleo, optionally vegan, plant-based, and optionally vegetarian. Just be sure to choose the broth and garnishes that suit your dietary needs.

Jen Prosini

Dairy-Free Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

5 from 1 vote

Roasting the vegetables is a great flavor enhancer in this cauliflower soup. It changes the taste of cauliflower completely, and is an easy way for the family to get their vegetables in without complaints, because it is so delicious!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Appetiser

Cuisine: American

Calories: 213

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 large cauliflower cut into florets
• 3 small onions peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth as desired
• ½ cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the cauliflower florets, onions, and garlic on your prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle on the salt, and toss to evenly coat. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer.
3. Roast the vegetables for 25 minutes, tossing once during cooking, or until the florets are quite tender and are becoming browned on the edges.
4. Place the roasted veggies in your blender or food processor. Add 2 cups broth and the coconut milk. Puree until smooth. Blend in more broth, as needed, to reach your desired consistency.
5. Pour the soup into a pot, and simmer it for a few minutes to reheat.
6. Divide the soup between 4 bowls, and top with parsley and other garnishes as desired (see notes below).
7. Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for a few days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batchCalories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 12.8gProtein: 3.3gFat: 18.2gSaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 680mgFiber: 3.5gSugar: 5.3g

Notes

Other Garnish Options: Jen also likes to garnish this soup with chopped toasted peanuts. Other options include freshly cracked black pepper, chopped chives, crushed red pepper flakes (for spice!), toasted sesame seeds, dairy-free croutons, crumbled bacon, or popped grains, like amaranth or quinoa.

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Also Enjoy My Creamy Dairy-Free Potato Soup Recipe!