Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.This Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry is topped with crunchy cashews and served with warm naan bread to totally hit the spot! It’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free — and will be ready in 30 minutes!
Winter is the best time for soup. Especially soups with warm spices like turmeric, cumin and cinnamon that leave you feeling full and satisfied.
This recipe, (adapted from Dr. Weil) is exactly that type of meal.
I decided to make this soup on an especially cold night and serve it with crunchy cashews and crispy naan bread, to make for a filling and satisfying meal.
This Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry is smooth and creamy without any cream. Made with coconut milk, this recipe has a nice depth of flavor. Fresh herbs and crunchy cashews give it a nice texture.
This is an easy and quick soup, and the aroma that fills your home warms the whole house! You really can’t go wrong with this recipe – it’s great as an appetizer, a side, or a light meal. At only 58 calories per cup, you can go back for seconds, thirds and even fourths!
Tools and Equipment You’ll Need for This Recipe
How To Make Spicy Cauliflower Soup – Step by Step
Step 1: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden.
Step 2: Add the cauliflower, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3: Add coconut milk, and up to 1 cup of water (use more or less depending on how thin you want your soup to be).
Step 4: Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 5: Blend the soup with an immersion blender until the desired consistency is reached. If using a standing blender, allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into the blender. Hold the lid down firmly with a clean, folded towel over it. Start on low speed and blend until the soup is smooth. Return to the pot and reheat if serving hot.
Step 6: Ladle into bowls and garnish with the cashews and cilantro before serving.
What makes this Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry healthy?
- Healthy Fats: This soup contains coconut milk instead of cream. Coconut milk in short and medium chain triglycerides, which are considered healthy fats.
- Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients: Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and nutrients including B vitamins and antioxidants which protect against inflammation.
- Rich in Choline: Choline is a nutrient that many people are deficient in. It helps with many processes in the body and protects against numerous diseases. Cauliflower is rich in choline making it an excellent source and addition to your diet.
- High in Fiber: Cauliflower is high in fiber which helps with digestion and reduces your risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Will kids enjoy this Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry?
This soup is on the spicy side and has many spices including curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon. Some kids might be turned off by the intermingling of spices. If you find this to be the case, you can make a separate batch for the kids that eliminates the spices and uses only salt – and then you can blend it with some butter and parmesan cheese for a kid-friendly version! Alternatively, if you want to introduce your kids to more spices, you can cut the amount of spices in half or more when serving this soup to your kids.
How do you thicken this Cauliflower Soup?
This soup is pretty thick on its own. It’s certainly not a watery soup. When the cauliflower is blended with coconut milk and water it creates a nice thickness. However, if you’d like an even thicker soup you can whisk together a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir it into the soup.
How long does this soup last in the fridge?
This soup is fresh and tastes best for 4-5 days in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long! Be sure to keep it in an air tight container. Reheat by placing the amount that you’d like to eat in a saucepan and bringing to a simmer on medium heat.
Can you freeze Spicy Cauliflower soup?
This Spicy Cauliflower Soup is easy to freeze and can keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Allow the cauliflower soup to cool completely before placing it in an air-tight freezer-safe container. When you freeze soup that is still warm it can cause crystallization that reduces the quality of the soup.
Top Tips For Spicy Cauliflower Soup
- If using a stand blender, allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into the blender. Hold the lid down firmly with a clean, folded towel over it. Start on low speed and blend until the soup is smooth. Return to the pot and reheat if serving hot.
- To add more protein to this soup, add one 15oz can of rinsed & drained cannelini beans at the same time you add the cauliflower into the soup. Let the beans cook with the rest of the ingredients and puree everything together. You might have to adjust the spices if you do choose to add the beans.
- If you don’t have fresh cauliflower, you can use frozen cauliflower.
- Garnish with cashews and cilantro.
- If freezing, allow to cool before placing in freezer safe containers.
Check Out These Other Delicious Soup Recipes
- Vegetarian White Bean Soup with Pumpkin
- Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
- Vegetarian Taco Soup with Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Cumin
- Healthy Cream Of Mushroom Soup by My Crazy Good Life
- 1 Pot Everyday Lentil Soup by Minimalist Baker
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Spicy Cauliflower Soup with Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into 1-inch pieces
- 15 oz can light coconut milk
- 1 cup water more or less depending on how thin you want your soup to be
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted cashews
- Salt to taste I used about 3/4 tsp
- Naan for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden.
- Add the cauliflower, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add coconut milk, and up to 1 cup of water (use more or less depending on how thin you want your soup to be).
- Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until the desired consistency is reached. If using a standing blender, allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into the blender. Hold the lid down firmly with a clean, folded towel over it. Start on low speed and blend until the soup is smooth. Return to the pot and reheat if serving hot.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with the cashews and cilantro before serving.
Notes
Top Tips For Spicy Cauliflower Soup
- If using a stand blender, allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the soup into the blender. Hold the lid down firmly with a clean, folded towel over it. Start on low speed and blend until the soup is smooth. Return to the pot and reheat if serving hot.
- To add more protein to this soup, add one 15oz can of rinsed & drained cannelini beans at the same time you add the cauliflower into the soup. Let the beans cook with the rest of the ingredients and puree everything together. You might have to adjust the spices if you do choose to add the beans.
- If you don’t have fresh cauliflower, you can use frozen cauliflower.
- Garnish with cashews and cilantro.
- If freezing, allow to cool before placing in freezer safe containers.
I’m always on the hunt for new soup recipes and this looks like a total winner! Can’t wait to try the recipe 🙂
Definitely! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
This soup is amazing to look at, I guess it’s so tasty as well. I could put cashew nuts in anything, so it’s a winner in my book.
Hooray! I could put cashews in anything too 🙂
I love nothing more than homemade soup! This is so vibrant and delicious looking. I will definitely be trying this ASAP!
Yesss!! Homemade soup is one of my favorites too! I can’t wait for you to try this at home!
We really love spicy and flavorful cauliflower dishes. This soup looks like a perfect comfort dish, I love the color turmeric gives and a lovely crunchy finish on top!
Thanks so much Alina! This really is comfort food at its best – I’m sure you will love this recipe!
I love using cauliflower in soup. It makes it so comforting.
I agree!! It gives the soup a nice mild creamy taste!
This soup definitely looks like a yummy way to warm up this fall and winter!
Thanks Phoebe! Hope you love it when you try it!
This recipe was easy, deicious and satisfying! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hooray! So glad to hear it Megan! 🙂
Heading to the farmers market and looking forward to trying this yummy recipe! Just curious about the cashew milk from the Dr Weil version… I’ve never used cashew milk, does that make it thicker and/or creamier? Maybe too heavy? Debating whether to try with or without… Will definitely be adding a few toasted nuts on top! Thanks-
Hi Catherine! Personally, I like using the coconut milk instead of the cashew milk (and just adding the cashews on top). I think the cashew milk does make it heavier – a little too heavy for me. But it is a great substitute if you don’t like coconut milk or are allergic to it. Either way, I’d pick one instead of adding both (the Dr. Weil recipe has both added). Hope that helps! Let me know how you like it!
I love different types of soup – I’ll be adding this one to my soup menu!
Thanks!
Great website- keep it up!
Thank you so much Ruth!
I love cauliflower this time of the year, will give your recipe a try looks yummy.
Thanks Meera! Let me know how this recipe turns out for you!
I made the soup last night and it turned out fabulous. I skipped the cashew, my son is allergic to nuts and added a few drops of lime juice to balance the flavors. It tasted very nice. Thanks!
Oh that’s so great! Love the addition of lime to the soup – I’m sure it brightened up the flavors really well!
I made this. It tasted good but the color was a little offputing. My husband almost didn’t try it. then he ate two bowls. It was spicy and sweet.
I could see how the color can be a little different if you’re not used to it (it should turn out the color of turmeric-ish). But I’m so glad you and your husband both tried it and liked it!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
What fantastic layers of flavor in this soup! This truly looks like a wonderful way to warm up in the winter.
Thank you so much! It really is the perfect winter soup 🙂
Oh my goodness. We made something similar to this last night for dinner. Thanks for sharing. We will have to try this recipe out!
Oh great! You’ll have to send me your version of this recipe – I’d love to try it too!
This recipe looks delicious and I would love to make it for my finace’s family when they come to dinner next, but his sister is allergic to coconut milk (I think it’s one of the other ingredients and not coconut itself, although I can’t be certain). Do you think it’s possible to substitute the coconut milk for just regular milk or would I have to use something heavier like cream?
Hi Rebekah! I’d actually suggest substituting cashew cream instead of the coconut milk. To make the cashew cream: take 1/3 cup raw cashews, put them in a blender and blend until finely ground. Add ¾ cup water and blend for 2 minutes. Pour the cashew mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon. Discard the solids. Then, when you’re making the soup, add in the cashew cream instead of the coconut milk. It should work perfectly. Hope that helps, let me know how it turns out!
Just wanted to let you know I made this a couple nights ago for my fiance’s family and it was a huge success! There were no leftovers! Thank you so much for the substitution! 🙂
Oh yayyy!! I’m so happy to hear that the cashew cream substitution worked out! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
YUM!!! I love the idea to put nuts on top. It seems like it will be really filling too….
Thanks Chloe! And yes – definitely – this soup was super filling, it was perfect for dinner. I’m sure you’ll love this recipe!
yum– you’re right, a great winter meal! i made soup last night and it was perfect to bring in for leftovers for work on this cold day in va
I LOVE eating soup leftovers the next day! The flavors just marinate even more over night, so the soup tastes even better. Let me know if you end up trying this recipe and how it turns out for you!
love coconut and cashews .. nice comforting meal !
Thanks Uma! Coconut and cashews are two of my favorite ingredients as well 🙂
Yum! this looks very relaxing and heart warming, especially on this cold winter nights.
Thanks Linda! I’m sure you will love this recipe! 🙂