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Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Soup

Name: Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion; 1/2 - 1 teaspoon sea salt (, adjust depending on salt in beans and broth); 3 cloves garlic (, chopped); Drizzle of olive oil (, or broth if you don’t use oil); 1 head cauliflower (, about 2 pounds once cleaned and chopped into larger pieces); 4 cups broth (, low sodium if needed (see note)); 1 cup raw cashews (, see note); ½ cup cooked potato (, see note); ½ cup cooked white beans (, drained and rinsed from can); 1 tablespoon lemon juice; Parsley; Thyme; Vegan Parmesan; Ground black pepper; Saved browned cauliflower

By Sophia DeSantis, Reviewed by Anjali Shah on August 14, 2025

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My family loves this Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Soup made with cashews, white beans, potatoes, and sweet onion. I love how simple it is to make in one pot, which means easy clean-up and the best part, is that it is ready in just 35 minutes!

Two soup bowls with pureed cauliflower soup topped with parsley and lemon

My family is on a huge cauliflower kick lately, from vegetable au gratin for dinner to just snacking on spicy roasted Tandoori cauliflower. So as you can imagine, my pantry is stocked with this versatile vegetable, which gave me the idea to recreate one of my favorite winter-warming soups.

Table of Contents hide

👩🏽‍🍳 Why I Love This Recipe

🍽 Serving Suggestions

🧊 Storage Directions

❓Recipe FAQs

🍲 More Delicious Creamy Soup Recipes!

📋 Recipe Card

Namely, the curried cauliflower soup! While we all love the bold spices in it, I wanted something different, something creamier without spices and just the natural flavor of cauliflower shining through. This recipe is exactly that! 😉

👩🏽‍🍳 Why I Love This Recipe

Soups are my go-to when I want something warm and nourishing that my whole family will happily devour. And this one is packed with flavor from the sweet caramelized to blending them with the holy trio of cashews, potato, and white beans. It’s thick, delicious, and without an ounce of dairy!. My mouth is watering just writing about it!

The best part? This is a one-pot meal, which means less time washing dishes and more time for… Well, everything else! There are no complicated steps here, just a simple sauté of the onions, garlic, and cauliflower until they are soft and sweet, which builds a delicious caramelized flavor base. Then it all gets blended with the other ingredients until it has a smooth velvety texture.

My family has become the official fan club for this soup, bragging about it so much that I’ve had parents and my husband’s work friends texting me for the recipe. I find it so funny because they’re always shocked when I tell them it’s plant-based with zero cream. The nutty flavor from browning the cauliflower and the unbelievably velvety texture from the cashews is what makes it really stand out from other cauliflower soups I’ve tried! It’s pure comfort in a bowl, and apparently, it’s good enough to ask for the recipe without trying it. Ha!

🥘 Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make this unbelievably creamy, completely dairy free cauliflower soup:

Cauliflower: I use a whole head of fresh cauliflower because it has such a mild taste and blends up so creamy. It is really the star of this soup.

Onion: I like starting with sweet or yellow onion since it adds a nice hint of sweetness right from the beginning.

Garlic: I chop a few cloves of fresh garlic to sauté with the onion.

Broth: I usually use vegetable broth, and I like a low sodium one so I can season it just the way I want.

Raw cashews: These are what make the soup extra creamy without needing any dairy at all.

Potato: A cooked potato adds a smooth texture and makes the soup heartier.

White beans: I add these for a creamy texture along with a little extra protein and fiber.

Seasonings: I keep it simple with sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon for a fresh, bright taste.

🔪 How To Make

Sauté the vegetables: I cook the onions and salt with a little oil or broth until they are soft, about five minutes. I add the garlic and let it cook for another one to two minutes. Then I add the cauliflower and sauté it for about six to eight minutes until it starts to brown. I put the lid on the pan and let it cook for another five to seven minutes until the cauliflower is nice and soft.

Wooden spoon mixing cauliflower in a saute pan

Blend the soup: I carefully pour the cooked mixture into a blender, making sure not to burn myself since it is hot. Sometimes I save a little of the cauliflower to use as a topping when I serve the soup.

Top view of a blender with pureed white soup in it

Finish blending: I add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until the soup is completely smooth. If I use my high-speed blender, it blends until it is hot, but if not, I just warm it gently in a pan on the stove.

Spoon getting a bite of cauliflower soup from a yellow soup bowl

💭 Expert Tips

My #1 Secret Tip for making my Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Soup is to soak the cashews before blending. If the cashews are not softened, the soup can end up with tiny bits that no one really wants in a creamy bowl. I just pop them in a bowl of hot water while I am chopping the veggies, and by the time I am ready to blend, they are soft and perfect.

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

Roast the cauliflower: If I have a little more time, I roast the cauliflower in the oven until the edges turn golden. It gives the soup a deeper, slightly nutty flavor.
Adjust the broth: I start with less broth when blending, then add more until the soup is just the thickness I like.
Season at the end: I taste the soup once it is blended and adjust the salt and pepper right before serving. Sometimes a little extra lemon juice brightens it up great.
Make it ahead: The flavors deepen after sitting, so making it a day ahead can make it even more delicious.

📖 Variations

Making this cauliflower soup with different add-ins is always a must in my house since the boys get bored eating the same thing over and over. Yes, I have my share of picky eaters, so switching it up keeps everyone happy.

Herb and Garlic: I love tossing in a big handful of fresh parsley or thyme along with an extra clove of roasted garlic. It makes the whole kitchen smell amazing, and my husband always wanders in asking when dinner will be ready.

Cheesy: If I am making this for a family movie night, I stir in vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast before blending. It gives the soup a cheesy taste that makes everyone go back for seconds without me even asking.

Roasted Veggie Mix: On weekends, I roast carrots, parsnips, or sweet potato right along with the cauliflower. It adds a little sweetness and makes the soup feel extra hearty, perfect for serving with crusty bread when we have friends over.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

When it’s just me and the kids, I usually serve this irresistible vegan cauliflower soup with crushed vegan bacon, caramelized cauliflower florets, and crispy onions to sprinkle a little crunch on top. But when the whole family is here, we turn a simple soup dinner into a dipping frenzy!

I get the air fryer out and whip up a big batch of air fryer mozzarella sticks, and these super crunchy eggplant fries. They are my absolute favorite way to enjoy eggplant and are perfect for dunking into this creamy cauliflower soup. We also love it with a hearty vegan Reuben sandwich. Who doesn’t love a bowl of comforting soup with a hearty sandwich for dinner? And when I want something lighter, I make my fresh and zesty Greek vegan Farro salad for a boost of protein and healthy nutrients.

🧊 Storage Directions

Refrigeration: I let the soup cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Freezing: I freeze cooled soup in freezer safe containers or bags for up to three months.

Reheating: I warm the soup gently on the stove, stirring now and then until it is hot.

❓Recipe FAQs

What can I use instead of cashews?

If I am out of cashews, I reach for sunflower seeds or even a splash of coconut cream. Sunflower seeds blend up nice and smooth, and they keep the soup nut free if you are serving it to friends or family with allergies. Coconut cream changes the flavor slightly, giving it a subtle sweetness, but it still makes the soup rich and satisfying. I have even skipped the cashews completely on busy days and added a little extra potato, and it still turns out creamy enough for my boys to enjoy.

What kind of potato works best?

I usually go for Yukon gold because they have a naturally creamy texture and a mild taste that works so well here. But honestly, I have used everything from russets to leftover baked potatoes when that is what I had in the fridge. The potato’s main job in this recipe is to make the soup smooth and hearty, so use what you have on hand.

How can I make the soup thicker?

If I want the soup to be extra thick, I start with less broth in the blender and only add more if needed. Sometimes I blend in an extra potato or a few more white beans, which really helps to give it that hearty, stick-to-your-spoon texture. If I have roasted cauliflower on hand, I like to blend a little into the soup as well because it adds both thickness and flavor.

🍲 More Delicious Creamy Soup Recipes!

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