This creamy and delicious turmeric cauliflower soup is velvety smooth, full of flavor and nutrients! A vegan, gluten free, low carb soup perfect to cozy up with on chilly nights and a cinch to make!
After all the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day indulging, we’re ready for some healthy, clean eats. Raise your hand if you’re with me on this!🙋♀️
If you’re craving healthy comfort food that doesn’t sacrifice a bit of flavor, this vegan cauliflower soup has you covered. It’s generously spiced, making bland soup a thing of the past, and its creamy texture will have everyone coming back for more.
Want more delicious and vibrant vegan soup ideas? Be sure to check out our Curried Carrot Ginger Soup and Purple Cauliflower, Potato & Beet Soup!
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Why You’ll Love this Immune-Boosting Soup
It’s Delicious! – This creamy cauliflower soup has loads of flavor from turmeric, cumin and sage and a bit of crunch from toasted, spiced cashews on top.
Healthy! –Hop on the turmeric bandwagon as this incredible spice is known for its medicinal healing properties. It’s full of anti-inflammatory compounds and is a strong antioxidant to boost your immune system.
Plus, cauliflower is vitamin rich, low carb making it keto-friendly, and full of fiber to aid digestion and promote gut health.
Budget-Friendly! – This recipe uses inexpensive, basic pantry ingredients.
Easy to Make! – You just need a large soup pot or saucepan and a high-speed blender or immersion blender (stick blender) to whip up this creamy soup!
Make it Ahead! – It will last in the fridge five days and freeze beautifully up to four months.
Ingredients
Cauliflower – You’ll need about four cups cauliflower florets for this recipe.
Vegetables – Yellow onions and carrots add extra flavor along with a bunch of garlic cloves.
Spices – Turmeric is complemented by cumin and sage. Other warming spices like curry powder, ground ginger (or fresh ginger) and red pepper flakes are good options to add more bite and heat if you like.
Vegetable Broth – Stick with vegetable stock, coconut milk or almond milk to keep the soup recipe vegan. You can always use chicken broth or bone broth if that’s not a concern.
Cornstarch – Acts as a thickener when mixed with a little stock (a slurry) and added to the simmering soup.
Rice Vinegar – Added at the end for some acidity or you could also add lime juice.
Cooking Steps
Cook the Veggies – Heat olive oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the vegetables until beginning to soften.
Add Garlic and Seasoning – Stir in the garlic, turmeric and fresh sage. Cook a minute or two until aromatic.
Deglaze the Pan – Pour in vegetable stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up flavorings from the bottom of the pan.
Simmer – Bring cauliflower mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender.
Blending Time! – Use an immersion blender right in the pan or ladle soup into a high-powered blender and blend until velvety smooth. Work in batches so you don’t fill the blender more than halfway. Pour each batch of pureed soup into another pot and keep warm on medium-low heat.
Toast Cashews – An optional step but takes just a few minutes and they’re so good!
Serve – Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with toasted nuts, coconut cream and sage leaves as desired. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- A medium head of cauliflower is just right for this recipe.
- When thickening soup, never add cornstarch or flour directly into the soup. Combine it with water or broth in a small bowl until it’s dissolved. Then pour the mixture into your soup.
- When working with hot liquids, do not fill the blender more than halfway, and partially cover the hole in the lid with a dishtowel to allow steam to escape.
- A high-speed blender will puree the soup into a smoother texture than an immersion blender but the soup will still taste great!
Variations
Stovetop or Oven: Instead of cooking on the stovetop, you can roast the vegetables in the oven on a rimmed, baking sheet with olive oil and the spices.
Vegetables: Add in different veggies, like butternut squash, sweet potatoes or golden beets if you’re not worried about carbs.
Texture: If you prefer a chunkier soup, blend for less time until it's to your liking.
What to Serve with Cauliflower Soup
Here are a few thoughts on what to pair with your soup to round out the meal!
- Fresh Spinach Salad w/ Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- Baked Sweet Potato Chips w/ Avocado Lime Dip
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Pesto Whipped Ricotta
- Garlic Bread (can’t go wrong there!)
Cauliflower Soup FAQs
Cauliflower is mild and will take on whatever flavors you add to it. You want to season it generously with salt and black pepper to start then add bold spices, garlic and aromatic herbs. Plus the acidity of some vinegar, lime juice or lemon juice will brighten the flavor.
Let the soup cool completely then pour into plastic freezer bags. Lay the bags on a sheet pan so they freeze flat and take up less room in your freezer. Once frozen, remove sheet pan and store up to 4 months. To reheat, let soup thaw and rewarm on the stovetop over medium heat, or microwave.
We used turmeric powder here but you can certainly use fresh! Simply peel off the thin outer bark with a vegetable peeler or spoon then use a fine grater to grate just like ginger root. Fresh turmeric has stronger flavor so you’ll use about half the amount of dried.
You can substitute rice flour, potato starch or tapioca starch. Plus, you could add a handful of any kind of uncooked rice if not concerned with carb count. Let rice simmer in the soup for 30 minutes. As it breaks down it releases its starch which thickens the liquid it’s cooking in.
More Delicious Vegan Recipes!
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📋 Recipe
Creamy Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (almost 4 cups)
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 cups vegetable stock, divided
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
Spiced Nuts
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup cashews, walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- Coconut cream
Instructions
Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 5-quart saucepan or high rimmed sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add cauliflower, onion and carrots to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add garlic, sage and turmeric and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in 2 ½ cups vegetable stock to the pan then increase heat to bring the mixture to a boil.
- Whisk together cornstarch with remaining ½ cup stock in a small bowl until smooth and stir the mixture into the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer partially covered until cauliflower is very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and rice vinegar. Remove pan from heat.
- In batches, ladle soup into a high-speed blender. Do not fill the blender more than halfway, and partially cover the hole in the lid with a dishtowel to allow steam to escape. Process on high until smooth.
- Pour each batch of pureed soup into another pot and keep warm on medium-low heat.
- Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with spiced nuts, coconut cream and fresh sage leaves as desired. Enjoy!
Spiced Nuts
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, nuts, cumin and sage. Toss to coat.
- Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add nut mixture to skillet, and toast until lightly browned and aromatic, 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Let cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- A medium head of cauliflower is just right for this recipe.
- When thickening soup, never add cornstarch or flour directly into the soup. Combine it with water or broth in a small bowl until it’s dissolved. Then pour the mixture into your soup.
- When working with hot liquids, do not fill the blender more than halfway, and partially cover the hole in the lid with a dishtowel to allow steam to escape.
Nutrition
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Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
I've never actually added turmeric into soup, but using some totally makes sense especially when it comes to a hearty and soul-warming recipe. The soup sounds tasty and looks so smooth and velvety!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Ben! Yes, wonderfully warm flavor and silky smooth texture!