The Best Simple Cauliflower Soup
This is the simplest of cauliflower soups. And it is so incredibly good. The ingredient list is shorter than short, and if you have a great yellow curry paste on hand (or even just a good one), it is worth making.
This is the simplest cauliflower soup. And it is so incredibly good. The ingredient list is shorter than short, and if you have a great yellow curry paste on hand (or even just a good one), it is worth making.
The way it works is the following. Cook some onions and a bit of garlic in some olive oil. Toss in a few chopped potatoes. Add a bunch of cauliflower, and then flare it our with a jolt of curry paste. Cover the ingredients with water and let it all simmer until tender. The last step is to use a blender to blitz it until smooth into a beautiful cauliflower soup. 
Best Method for Blended Soups?
I love the super silky texture you get from blending this soup in a high-speed blender, but a hand-blender is B+ level good as well. So, don't sweat the equipment side of things too much. Also, make sure your ingredients are tender. Not overcooked, but notably tender.
Have Fun with Toppings
I get a little crazy with soup toppings, but you don't have to. This one is good simple and straight too. Here cauliflower soup is topped with toasted pine nuts, fried shallots, and hemp seeds, and more of the yellow curry paste whisked with a bit of shallot oil. You could also season this with a favorite Indian spice blend, for another take. Or a simple showering of fresh herbs. Play around!
Variations
A number of you have left comments with tweaks you've made to the recipe, and I love this! For example, Anna said, "I had a head of cauliflower to use. I didn’t have white or yellow potatoes so I used a sweet potato and left the skins on. Used a couple tablespoons of spicy Vindaloo curry powder. The soup turned out SO GOOD! And it’s a beautiful color from the sweet potato." Nisa noted, "To make it a little heartier, we added moong dal (hulled yellow mung beans)."
More blended soups
Don't stop at cauliflower soup. You can make other blended soups using a very similar approach. This post is just the latest in a long-running series of love letter recipes to simple pureed soups, including (get ready ;) carrot soup, asparagus soup, green soup, tomato soup, also this broccoli soup. What I'm saying is, blender soups forever. Or, if you want to browse all my favorite soups in one spot, all the soup recipes live here.
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Simple Cauliflower Soup
I love the super silky texture you get from blending this soup in a high-speed blender, but a hand-blender is B+ level good as well. So, don't sweat the equipment side of things too much.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 3 tablespoons yellow curry paste, or more to taste
- 3 small new potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large head of cauliflower florets, ~1 1/2 lb.
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1/2 - 1 cup cashew milk or coconut milk
- 1 lime
- croutons, or (as pictured) toasted pine nuts, fried shallots, hemp seeds, and more of the yellow curry paste whisked with a bit of shallot oil
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Pour the olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, stir in the onion, and garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes, just long enough for things to soften up. Stir in the curry paste, potatoes, cauliflower, and salt, and allow to cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add 4 1/2 cups of water, and bring just to a boil. Dial back the heat and simmer just long enough for the cauliflower and potatoes to get tender throughout, another 5-10 minutes.
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Immediately remove the soup from heat, and transfer to a high-speed blender (in batches, if necessary). Alternately, you can use a hand blender directly in the pot. Stir in the cashew milk. And here's the make or break step - add more salt if needed, and a good amount of fresh lime juice. Adjust until the seasoning is balanced and just right. It should taste bright and sharp, and delicious. Serve sprinkled with any/all of the suggested toppings.
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Comments
This soup was incredible! I have been looking for something to do with my cauli other than roasting and turning into "hummus". I came across this recipe as a rare thunderstorm hit Southern California.. I was inspired to make something coxy and warm..
Thanks Pamela!
Love this recipe! I'm about to make it again because of how good it tasted. My 8mo baby and two toddlers loved their "yellow soup" and asked for it again. Glad for the tasty nutrition that this contains!
Love this. xx!
The soup sounds wonderful, but I do not have any yellow curry paste. Can I use red or green curry paste instead?
Hi Jan - It might make the color a bit odd or dull, but yes! flavor-wise you should be a-ok.
I just made this for Christmas, and it's amazing. The guests won't arrive for two more hours, and my sister and I keep "sampling" the soup -- it may not make it to the final spread! Delicious.
The best kind of soup ;) xx!
This was so good!! To make it a little heartier, we added moong dal (hulled yellow mung beans) cooked in chicken broth and also finely chopped cauliflower and onions (held back from the original portions and caramelized in a separate pan). Another twist: substitute a small sweet potato for one of the white potatoes for a touch of sweetness.
Perfect timing - I had a head of cauliflower to use. I didn't have white or yellow potatoes so I used a sweet potato and left the skins on. Used a couple tablespoons of spicy Vindaloo curry powder. The soup turned out SO GOOD! And it's a beautiful color from the sweet potato. Thank you, Heidi!
This was "simply" the best ever! I happened to have 2 batches of your yellow curry recipe stocked in the freezer & as a result, this was effortless & the best cauliflower curry soup ever. Husband agreed! Thank you!
HS: Thanks for the nice note Carol!
Ooh, yasss! Love this. I happen to have had a can of yellow curry paste in the cupboard for many months and wasn't sure what I'd make with it. In other news, that turmeric yellow stain on your marble counter is giving me a mild heart attack! I hope it survived the photoshoot, lol...
I made this tonight, adding a Serrano pepper and roughly a tablespoon of finely chopped ginger. My husband — known for not liking soups all that well — had three bowls.
Hi thank you for this great sounding recipe. Would almond milk work instead, or just coconut milk as the better alternative to cashew milk? And can I make curry paste from curry powder and water?
HS Hi Fielding, here's my thought on almond milk. If you make your own, and make it on the thick side, yes. But I don't love almond milk from the carton for this, it's a lot thinner and often has a weird texture from thickeners...I'd opt for a bit of coconut milk instead if you don't want to make cashew milk. And either way, you don't actually need much.
I LOVE your soup recipes! Just confirming when you say coconut milk you mean the thick, canned milk, not the coconut milk beverage that comes in the carton. Thanks!
HS: Yes, exactly!
This sounds lovely. Since I don’t have any of your yellow curry paste on hand, would a store bought version work in its place? Or specific spices to replace the paste? I have tons of cauliflower in the frig and this sounds perfect for this grey day in the PNW.
HS: Hi Andrea - yep....you can just use any curry paste or curry powder you like. Just add as much or as little as you like!
Every week when I get home from the market, I chop the stalks off vegetables like broccoli and/or cauliflower, and the green tops off leeks and cook them, separately or together, into vélouté--a thick, velvety soup. It's nice to change it up, and the addition of curry paste and coconut milk will be a welcome embellishment. I use the stalks because since vélouté is blended, you don't notice whether it's the stalk or the flowers. The tops get cooked--often steamed, sometimes roasted--as sides during the week.
do you make the cashew milk yourself? if so can you give me a few tips, do you use raw cashews? i have not made my own nut milk, wondered if you used store bought or home made in this soup. I am excited to try it!
HS: Hi Eve - blend 1 part raw cashews with 2 parts water in a high speed blender until silky smooth - no need to strain. Or if you have a "regular" blender, soak the cashews for an hour or so, and then blend them. Decide if it is smooth enough, and if not strain through cheese cloth. Hope this helps! -h