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Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

You’re going to love this cozy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup. In this easy recipe, carrots, apples, cauliflower, and spices are blended into a light and comforting vegan cream of carrot and cauliflower soup without the heavy cream!

A bowl of the creamy cauliflower and carrot soup seasoned with red pepper flakes.

Who would have thought cauliflower would play a pivotal role in modern healthy cooking? These days, cauliflower isn’t just cauliflower. It’s rice, pizza crust, gnocchi, and soup!

Today we’re using it to make a thick and creamy cauliflower carrot soup with a satisfying velvety texture.

I usually make this tasty soup when the weather begins to cool down. Something about the leaves turning yellow makes me crave warm, creamy plant-based soups.

Imagine garlic and ginger-spiced cream of carrot soup sweetened with apples. Better yet, instead of imagining, gather your ingredients, and let’s make a batch of this delicious soup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • This creamy cauliflower carrot soup is 100% dairy-free and vegan.
  • This recipe is super quick and easy to make and is great for beginners.
  • The soup combines sweet and savory flavors.
  • It’s a great clean-out-the-fridge soup.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Olive Oil: You will need a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to saute the aromatics and keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  • Onion: This soup is all about building flavor with whole food ingredients. Onions are the first layer of savory flavor. You can use any onion (shallots, yellow, red, or white).
  • Carrots: This wouldn’t be cauliflower and carrot soup without carrots!
  • Apples: for subtle tang and sweetness. I used Granny-smith, but feel free to use any sweet, tart apple.
  • Cauliflower: Fresh is best, but you can also use frozen cauliflower florets. Before adding frozen florets to the soup, microwave them covered with a paper towel for 1 to 2 minutes to loosen them up and drain the excess moisture.
  • Vegetable Broth +water: Use low sodium vegetable broth to avoid sodium overload.
  • Dry Seasonings: garlic powder and dried ginger for a bit of zing!
  • Crushed Red Pepper: to garnish and for subtle dry heat.

How To Make Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

  1. Cook the carrots and onion: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to caramelize.
  2. Simmer, then cool: Add the stock and water to the pot. Then, add the apples, cauliflower, garlic powder, and ginger. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and let simmer until the veggies are cooked and fork-tender (about 20 minutes). Turn off the heat and let it cool.
  3. Blend and reheat: Once the soup is cool enough to handle, pour it into a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pot and return to a simmer over medium heat. Alternatively, you can use an emersion blender.
  4. Serve: Turn off the heat, ladle into deep bowls or mugs and top with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. See below for more serving ideas.

A bowl of the cauliflower and carrot soup standing on a white board. Top view.

Recipe Tips

Add celery & garlic – Stir diced celery and minced garlic with the carrots and onions to enhance the flavors.

Use roasted cauliflower and roasted carrots – Instead of sauteing the carrots and simmering the cauliflower, roast them on a sheet pan first and then blend.

Let cool before blending – Let the soup cool before blending. If mixed while hot, it may be too thin and liquidy rather than thick and creamy.

Immersion blender – With an immersion blender, you won’t need to transfer the soup back and forth between the pot and blender.

Variations & Serving

Do you have an excess of veggies to use? Clean out the fridge and add them to your cauliflower and carrot soup:

  • Leafy greens – Add a handful of green leafy veggies like kale or spinach as soon as you turn off the heat. The residual heat will soften the leaves, so they blend with everything else.
  • Green veggies – Cook green bell pepper, celery, or zucchini with carrots and onion. Replace half of the cauliflower with broccoli florets.
  • Potatoes – You can easily add potatoes or sweet potatoes to the soup. Dice them small and saute them with the carrots and onions.
  • More vegetables – In addition to carrots, you can add parsnips, turnips, kabocha squash, butternut squash, or celeriac.

Check out the list below for serving ideas:

  • Swirl with “cream” – Garnish with something cool and creamy to compliment the warmly spiced soup. Swirl a dollop of coconut cream, non-dairy sour cream, or dairy-free Greek yogurt to keep things vegan. Otherwise, sour cream or regular Greek yogurt is great.
  • Toppings – Before serving, garnish carrot and cauliflower soup with some crunch – croutons, pepitas, chopped pistachio, etc.
  • Fresh herbs – Serve this creamy soup garnished with fresh chopped parsley, cilantro, dill, or basil.

Storing & Freezing

  • Storing: Keep the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Let cool to room temperature before storing.
  • Freezing: Let the soup cool to room temperature and then pour into a freezer-safe jar or container, leaving some room at the top for expansion. Secure the lid and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.

Cauliflower and carrot soup in a bowl with a silver spoon on the left.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make cauliflower soup that isn’t bland?

This carrot and cauliflower soup is a good place to start. It isn’t bland at all! To add even more flavor, lightly season the carrots and onions with salt and pepper while they saute. Season again with salt and pepper once the soup is blended.

What other spices go well in creamy carrot cauliflower soup?

Warm, cozy spices compliment the flavor of sweet carrots. Make it spicy with smoked paprika, cumin, or chipotle chili powder. Make it extra spicy with a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can add curry powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg to warm things up.

More Healthy Soups You’ll Love

Creamy Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup Recipe

Yield: 6 portions
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

This creamy soup is light and satisfying. The sweetness of apples combines perfectly with ginger and makes the soup flavorful and comforting.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 green apples such as Granny Smith, cored and chopped
  • 1 cauliflower ( about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), cut into florets
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried ginger
  • crushed red pepper to serve

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to caramelize.
  2. Add the vegetable stock and water.
  3. Place the apples and cauliflower into the pot. Add the garlic powder and ginger and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
  4. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool.
  5. Once the soup is cool enough to handle, blend it using a blender or a food processor. Bring the blended soup to a simmer one more time and turn off the heat.
  6. Serve with crushed red pepper.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1/6 of recipe
Amount Per Serving Calories 135Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 137mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 6gSugar 13gProtein 3g

Nutrition facts provided on this website are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a qualified health care provider for personalized diet advice and make sure that each of the ingredients is allowed in your diet.

Did you make this recipe?

If you tried this recipe, please give it a 5-star rating! To do this, click on the stars above. You can also leave a review or comment below. And don't forget to tag me @mariaushakova.blog if you share a picture on Instagram!

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marlafamilyfreshcooking

Monday 15th of September 2014

This soup sounds wonderful. Pinned!

Maria Ushakova

Monday 15th of September 2014

Hey Marla! Thank you for checking out my blog and mentioning my recipe in your Carrot Cashew Ginger Soup! I am a big fan of your food photography :)

Meinhilde

Friday 29th of August 2014

I love your ornate flatware! Tomiko and I live in Toronto too, and even though it's starting to feel like fall, we really wish summer would stick around for a bit longer!

Maria Ushakova

Friday 29th of August 2014

Thank you! Great to know that you are from Toronto too :) I just checked out your blog - it's awesome! It looks like the weekend will be nice so hopefully it will feel like summer for a few more days :)

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