This super easy creamy cauliflower cheese soup recipe is possibly my favourite of all the soup recipes I’ve ever tried. A delicious warming meal for a cold winter’s evening, all you need do is add a loaf of crusty bread to complete your meal.
Last Updated: 18th February 2019
Total Time Investment: 50 Minutes
After a few years with no discernible winter period, it appears Mother Nature has finally relented. We are experiencing beautiful cold, crisp days with clear blue skies during the week, and buckets of rain every weekend; most of which seems to fall just as the The Princess’s hockey game begins. However, what I really love about winter is being able to cook whatever I want, whenever I want. And that I can put soup back on our weekly menu.
When it comes to favourites, my family is very much divided. If pressed, The Princess will request minestrone. Mr Grumpy favours a hearty pea & ham. For me, I love this creamy cauliflower cheese soup recipe. Mr Grumpy doesn’t mind it, and The Princess is absolutely not a fan, so I am always guaranteed leftovers for lunch the next day.
Cauliflower cheese soup also freezes brilliantly, so I usually make a big batch and freeze it in individual portions for easy lunches. In fact, I’m such a huge fan of freezing soup that I have written a whole post about it. And make sure you grab my free guide to freezing soup from my Resource Library so you always have my handy tips on hand. Get the guide by clicking the link below or by requesting the library password at the end of this post.
Despite it’s constant appearance at our dinner table, The Princess remains firmly opposed to soup as a meal. Although to be fair to her, she doesn’t moan nearly as much as she used to when it appears on the dinner table. And I have given up trying to appease her as I think that hearty soups really are the ideal meal for busy winter days. As most soups can be made in advance, and reheat quite quickly, it is the perfect meal when family members are eating at different times. People can just warm a bowl for themselves when they come home, which makes it very easy to stagger meal times.
For me, a bowl of this creamy cauliflower cheese soup paired with a loaf of crusty homemade bread is perfect for a cold winter’s night. What about you? I’m always looking for new soup ideas, so tell me about your favourite soup in the comments below.
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Ingredient Substitutions for My Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe
- This soup is at its absolute best when made with leeks. However I will be completely honest here and admit that on more than one occasion I have used a chopped brown onion in place of the leek. Both are delicious, but if you are making it for company, use the leek.
- I make this recipe with my homemade chicken stock, because that is what I usually have on hand. To make this cauliflower cheese soup recipe vegetarian, simply swap the chicken stock for a good vegetable stock instead.
- You can replace the full fat milk with reduced fat, however the soup will not be as luscious. You could also use half & half instead of the milk, which I think would make the soup even more decadent. I have not made this soup with non-dairy milk options. If you do try a non-dairy option, please let me know how it goes in the comments below.
- I like to use a full-flavoured Cheddar cheese in this soup. It melts well and adds additional flavour to the soup. I have on occasion used Gruyere, or other Swiss cheeses, but Cheddar remains my favourite. Any melting cheese will work here though, so use what you have on hand.
- The grain mustard is delicious, but an optional extra. If you don’t like mustard, leave it out. If you don’t have grain mustard, a spoonful of Dijon instead will still add a little tang to the soup.
Equipment Required For Cauliflower Cheese Soup
You do not need a lot of fancy equipment to make my cauliflower cheese soup recipe. However I would recommend two things that will make your life so much easier:
- A good soup pot: A large, solid soup pot is a good investment if you make a lot of soup. It is so much easier to make soup in a larger pot than to constantly hover near a small pot waiting for it to boil over.
- A handheld stick blender: This soup needs to be well pureed to be at its best. The quickest and easiest way to do this is with a stick blender straight in the pot. Buy a stick blender with a removable head that will go straight in the dishwasher, and you have automatically reduced the amount of dishes you need to wash by not using a stand alone blender.
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Tips & Tricks To Make the best cauliflower cheese soup
I make this soup a lot in the winter months, and have a few tips for you to make sure your cauliflower cheese soup is as awesome as I know it can be:
- The biggest drawback to this creamy cauliflower soup can be the smell. Cauliflower belongs to the same family as cabbage, and can impart a delightful smell of wet socks to the whole house as it cooks. So let me tell you my favourite trick – add a bay leaf to the cooking soup. The bay leaf somehow banishes the boiled cauliflower smell and flavours the soup at the same time. I can’t tell you how it works, I just know that it does.
- Do not forget to remove the bay leaf before blending the soup, or you will end up with tough green bits through your soup. This is a mistake you will only make once.
- The soup will last for up to three days in the fridge, and up to four months in the freezer.
- The soup will look a little grainy and separated when defrosted. Don’t panic. It comes together again beautifully as it reheats.
- Stir frequently as you reheat the soup, as the cheese can cause the soup to stick to the bottom and burn.
- This is a great soup to make in the Thermomix. You may need to chop the potato and cauliflower into smaller pieces to ensure it all fits in the Thermomix bowl, but I have made this very successfully in the Thermomix previously.
Enjoy!
One year ago: A Lighter Tartare Sauce
Two years ago: Apple & Ginger Wholemeal Loaf Cake
Three years ago: How To Make Instant Porridge
Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below.
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Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large leek sliced
- 1 kg (4 cups) cauliflower, roughly chopped approx 1 large head
- 1 large potato peeled and cubed
- 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
- 500 ml (2 cups) milk preferably full fat
- 2 bay leaves
- 200 g (1 3/4 cups) cheddar cheese grated, or other full flavoured
- 2 Tablespoons wholegrain mustard optional
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over a low heat.
- Add the leek and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the cauliflower, potato, chicken stock, milk and bay leaves to the pot.
- Season everything well with salt and pepper.
- Bring to the soup to the boil. Take care here if you are using a small pot, as the added milk can cause the pot to boil over.
- Reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot with a lid.
- Simmer the soup for 30 minutes, or until the potato and cauliflower are cooked through and are soft.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Do not skip this step or you will end up with tough bits of bay leaf through your soup.
- Blitz the soup until smooth. I use a hand held blender to do this.
- Return the pot to a low heat and stir in the grated cheddar, (and mustard if using).
- Heat for about one minute, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with crusty bread and butter
Notes
- Do not forget to remove the bay leaf before blending the soup, or you will end up with tough green bits through your soup. This is a mistake you will only make once.
- The soup will last for up to three days in the fridge, and up to four months in the freezer.
- The soup will look a little grainy and separated when defrosted. Don't panic. It comes together again beautifully as it reheats.
- Stir frequently as you reheat the soup, as the cheese can cause the soup to stick to the bottom and burn.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on 4th August 2016. It was substantially updated on 18th February 2019 to add ingredient substitutions, a clearer tips section, equipment recommendations, nutritional information and other tweaks to improve readability.
The soup looks so nourishing, gorgeous pictures too!
Thanks Rupal. It is a good way to get cauliflower into suspicious eaters 🙂
Beautiful and delicious! Love the addition of the cheese and the directions to enjoy with lots of crusty bread and butter!! Yes, ma’am!! 🙂
🙂 Christina Loads of bread and butter are essential.
I love cauliflower and making soups with it is so satisfying. I am loving the ingredients and flavors you used here too. Soo good!
I am beginning to realise how versatile cauliflower is Meeta, although soups are a still my preferred way to use them.
Oh, man. This soup is DROOL-WORTHY. So creamy and luxurious looking.
Thanks Noor 🙂
The smell of cauliflower – I feel you! Why does something that tastes so awesome smell so… ahem… strongly?! The soup looks lovely, I can see why it’s your favourite!
Too true Luci 🙂 Although the bay leaf trick does work very well most of the time.