Warm up with a bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup on a cold day. Packed with flavor and comforting without being heavy. Cook the ingredients together, then blend until velvety smooth.
Today's ridiculously velvety, creamy cauliflower and potato soup delivers the rich taste of classic potato with sneaking in fiber-rich cauliflower. It satisfying without feeling like you've eaten a bowl of cream—even young taste testers approved!
Many Reasons To Love This Soup
- A lightened-up version of creamy potato soup
- Creamy and velvet consistency, without using flour or cornstarch
- Wholesome main dish that can easily be made vegetarian
- One pot meal that the whole family is guaranteed to love!
- Keeps well in the refrigerator
Grab These Ingredients
- Cauliflower: You need 1 large head of cauliflower, about 5 cups of florets.
- Potatoes: You can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or even russet potatoes. I usually use Yukon gold potatoes for their texture and buttery flavor.
- Onion: A key base for the start to any soup, just like this minestrone soup.
- Broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth—it's your choice.
- Butter: 4 Tablespoons of butter adds additional flavor. If you prefer this to be dairy free or vegan, substitute with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Heavy Cream: Adds a bit of richness. You can substitute with half-and-half or whole milk. If you prefer this to be dairy free or vegan, substitute cashew cream, coconut milk/cream or leave it out.
- Cheese: You can use cheddar or Italian blend—it's your choice.
- Fresh Garlic: Adds flavor.
- Herbs & Spices: We're using the basics to season this soup with dried thyme and parsley, salt, pepper, white pepper and a bay leaf.
- Lemon Juice: To balance the flavors, the acidity from the lemon is needed. Don't worry, it doesn't taste lemony.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
This entire soup gets made in one large pot or Dutch oven. Start with cooking the onions in the butter. Once they are translucent, toss in the garlic, salt, pepper, white pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Follow that with the remaining ingredients (except the heavy cream and cheese).
Bring the soup up to a boil, then let it simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are fork-tender. Before blending, the soup will look like this:
You can use either a regular blender or an immersion blender—I prefer a blender for less appliances in the kitchen.
Toppings & Pairings
For serving this creamy cauliflower potato soup, I like to top it with fresh thyme, chopped chives or scallions, croutons, and/or even some crispy crumbled bacon.
Serve alongside a kale and quinoa salad, and crusty no-knead bread, homemade garlic bread or buttermilk biscuits.
FAQ
The term "healthy" varies for each person—what is healthy for me may not be for you. If you're looking for a lighter alternative to potato soup, this would be the healthier alternative.
Cauliflower is similar to potatoes in that it takes the flavor of what you add to it. That said, the best spices for cauliflower soup are salt, pepper, white pepper, and thyme.
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Description
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced sweet onion, (about 1 small onion)
- 3 teapoons minced garlic, (about 3-4 cloves)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped in 1-inch pieces (about 1 ¼ pounds)
- 5 cups cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head)
- 6 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a 5-quart or larger pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and turn translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, white pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant, careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add the cauliflower and potatoes. Then, add the broth, lemon juice and bay leaf. Adjust to medium-high heat and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes. The cauliflower and potatoes should be fork-tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Or allow to cool slightly, then carefully transfer the soup to a blender and puree in batches. Stir in the heavy cream and cheese.
- Serve soup warm and top with croutons, crumbled bacon, thyme, and/or chopped hives. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: This soup freezes wonderfully! Freeze in a freezer-safe container or cubes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat to serve.
- Potatoes: You can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or even russet potatoes. I usually use Yukon gold potatoes for their texture and buttery flavor.
- Blender: To keep this to a one pot recipe use an immersion blender. If using a standard blender, using a ladle, spoon the slightly cooled soup into the blender, filling no more than halfway. You will do this in batches. Remember to use a vented lid to allow the steam to escape.
Christina says
I made this recipe and my 2 toddlers devoured it! They love potato soup and this was a great alternative.