Creamy Cauliflower Leek Soup
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This creamy cauliflower leek soup has a luxurious taste and texture. Our vegan 30-minute recipe begins with oven-roasted cauliflower, leeks and garlic. It’s finished in a Dutch oven, blended until smooth, and garnished.
Not only is creamy cauliflower leek soup healthy, hearty and savory, it’s also warm, comforting and deeply satisfying. It’s the perfect dish to enjoy during cold-weather months and on cool crisp evenings.
This is a rustic vegan soup, but if you don’t have dietary restrictions you can use parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast. For individual servings, you can add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cooked crispy bacon.
This easy soup recipe is an ideal solution for busy families who crave healthy delicious meals. Add nourishing cauliflower leek soup to your meal plan rotation. Double the recipe to have an extra lunch or dinner at the ready.
Made with fresh ingredients, this creamy silky soup transforms any meal into a special occasion. For dinner parties it’s an excellent choice as a first-course. For a complete one-bowl meal, serve it with crusty artisan bread.
🛒 INGREDIENTS
This hearty vegan soup comes together quickly and will feed a family of 4.
All you need for this easy recipe are some fresh veggies and herbs, and basic pantry staples.
- Medium head cauliflower
- Leeks
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Vegetable stock
- Unsweetened coconut cream
- Fresh thyme
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Nutritional yeast (optional)
👩🏻🍳 EASY INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
Missing an ingredient for this creamy cauliflower leek soup? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.
It’s convenient and money-saving to use ingredients you already have on hand! Especially during stay-at-home times.
- Leeks: Use potatoes, peeled and cubed.
- Garlic cloves: Use garlic powder or granulated garlic to taste.
- Olive Oil: Substitute with truffle oil or avocado oil. Walnut oil is also delicious. But whenever using an ingredient with nuts, it’s important to make absolutely certain that no one who will be eating is allergic to nuts.
- Vegetable Stock: Sub with vegetable broth or chicken broth. In a pinch, use bouillon dissolved in hot water.
- Unsweetened coconut cream: Use unsweetened coconut milk instead.
- Fresh Thyme: Substitute with fresh rosemary.
- Nutritional Yeast: This ingredient is a flavoring agent with a cheesy nutty taste. It greatly enhances the earthiness of the leeks. You can leave it out, or replace it with parmesan cheese or white miso paste.
📖 RECIPE STEPS
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
- STEP 1: Core the cauliflower. Trim and discard the stems and leaves. Break the cauliflower florets into 1-inch pieces. Trim and slice the leeks. Arrange veggies in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- STEP 2: Roast 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove tray from oven.
- STEP 3: Transfer oven-roasted veggies to a large Dutch oven. Add vegetable stock, coconut cream, freshly-minced thyme, and nutritional yeast.
- STEP 4: Bring the soup to a boil. Cook until the cauliflower florets are super tender and begin to fall apart.
- STEP 5: With an immersion blender, puree cauliflower leek soup until smooth. (If no immersion blender, use a high-speed countertop blender.) Once mixture is velvety smooth, cook 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, or until the soup is completely warm and cozy.
- STEP 6: Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste. Drizzle the surface of the creamy cauliflower leek soup with a swirl olive oil. Add a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Serve with croutons or rustic artisan bread.
🤔 RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly asked questions when making creamy cauliflower leek soup, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Leeks tend to be a bit sandy. To clean them well, remove the green tops and the outermost layer. Cut leeks directly down the center, keeping the root intact. Rinse the cut side under cold running water. Fan out the layers so you can remove the dirt from between them. Pat leeks dry between paper towels. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
To increase the flavor profile, add sautèed shallots to the soup before blending. Or infuse olive oil with fresh thyme. In a skillet on stovetop, combine 1 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup fresh thyme. Cook 5 minutes over low heat. Blend half of the thyme oil with the cooked soup. Reserve remaining flavored oil for drizzling over the surface of the soup.
It’s easy to do! Squeeze lemon over the top and stir it in.
If the soup is thin, continue simmering on stovetop to reduce it slightly. This soup will continue to thicken as it cools. If needed, you can also thicken it up by adding a bit more nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese.
Serve with homemade croutons or crusty bread for dipping. This soup is also a wonderful side for roasted Cornish hen, salmon and asparagus, crab cake sandwiches, Southern baked mac and cheese, and strawberry spinach salad.
When stored in airtight container in the fridge, it can stay fresh with a good texture for up to 3 days, or for several months when frozen. Rewarm soup on stovetop. Add more vegetable stock, as needed.
Cut rustic bread into small cubes. Put them aside. Add olive oil and fresh thyme to a skillet over low heat. Cook 5 minutes with oil simmering gently. Add bread to the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat, tossing often, until pieces are golden blonde. Transfer to a board to cool.
MORE DELICIOUS SOUP RECIPES
If you enjoy roasted cauliflower leek soup, you’ll want to try these delicious recipes ASAP. Each soup is nutritious and filled with vibrant flavors.
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Alphabet Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Wonton Soup
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After serving this recipe at a dinner party, guests said it was the best cauliflower leek soup they’ve ever tasted. Although I made double the amount needed to serve the group, not a drop was left in the pot.
If you agree this creamy vegan soup is savory and delicious, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero! Share it with a friend.
CAULIFLOWER LEEK SOUP
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
This creamy (vegan) cauliflower leek soup is healthy, savory and luxurious. It’s garnished with swirls of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Serve with rustic artisan bread or homemade croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cored and broken into 1-inch florets
- 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
- 3 whole cloves garlic, husks removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnishing
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- FOR SERVING: Rustic artisan bread or croutons
Instructions
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
- Arrange cauliflower, leeks and garlic cloves in a single layer on the prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove tray from oven.
- Transfer oven-roasted veggies to a large Dutch oven. Add vegetable stock, coconut cream, freshly-minced thyme, and nutritional yeast. Bring soup to a boil. Cook until the cauliflower florets are super tender and begin to fall apart.
- With an immersion blender, puree cauliflower leek soup until smooth. (If no immersion blender, use a high-speed countertop blender.) Once mixture is velvety smooth, cook 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, or until the soup is warm and cozy.
- Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste. Drizzle the surface of the creamy cauliflower leek soup with a swirl olive oil. Add a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Serve with croutons or rustic artisan bread.
Notes
HOW TO PREP LEEKS FOR THIS SOUP: Leeks tend to be a bit sandy. To clean them well, remove the green tops and the outermost layer. Cut leeks directly down the center, keeping the root intact. Rinse the cut side under cold running water. Fan out the layers so you can remove the dirt from between them. Pat leeks dry between paper towels. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
HOW TO STORE CAULIFLOWER LEEK SOUP: Transfer cooled soup to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Rewarm soup on stovetop. Add more vegetable stock, as needed.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
CAULIFLOWER LEEK SOUP 👉🏻 JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Have you ever experienced the savory flavors of cauliflower leek soup? Was it at a restaurant, in a friend’s home, or on stovetop in your own kitchen? Would you like to try this delicious recipe? Share your thoughts below.
Such a perfect soup recipe! Comforting and really easy to make!
I can’t wait to make this delicious recipe again! I love cauli soup, but before this I had never tried it with leeks! So good.
Super delicious and loved that it’s dairy-free as my partner is doing Whole30 at the moment. Texture is fantastic!
We loved the flavors of the cauliflower and leeks together! A super satisfying soup that was really easy to make! Loved it!
Such a great soup recipe! So tasty. It has all the savory flavors I was hoping for. Will definitely be making this regularly. So great to have lots of ways to use cauliflower!