Shop
My
Custom
My Cauliflower Cheese Soup Is Thick & Creamy Without Thickeners
This cauliflower cheese soup is the cauliflower version of the most popular soup recipe I have on Wholesome Yum: easy broccoli cheddar soup! I used the same method and similar components here, but swapped out the broccoli for cauliflower. Here’s why this version is just as great:
- Super cheesy & comforting – If you like my roasted cauliflower soup, this is a lot like that, but simpler to make (all in one pot, no oven!) and cheesier. And unlike the broccoli version, the texture of this one reminds me of potato soup, so it’s even more comfort food territory.
- Just 5 ingredients – Virtually all my recipes have 10 ingredients or less, but this creamy soup has only 5… plus basic oil, salt, and pepper. You probably have them all.
- Thick and creamy without thickeners – I use my signature method of blended vegetables and shredded cheese to thicken this cheesy cauliflower soup without any flour, starch, gluten, or other thickeners.
This cauliflower cheese soup recipe was the perfect starter to our dinner this week and it reminded me why it’s one of my favorite fall soup recipes. Grab your (lots of) cheese and make it with me!
Reader Review
“I had all 5 ingredients and short on time. I whipped up this recipe and gave some to my senior neighbor after he said he doesn’t like cauliflower. The following day, he came over with a head of cauliflower. That was a huge compliment and [he] said I was a great cook. Thank you for this luscious creamy goodness.” –Mari
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my cheesy cauliflower soup recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Cauliflower – You’ll need about 4 cups, which is one medium head. I used fresh, but frozen works fine, too. You can also swap half the cauliflower for broccoli, or even romanesco.
- Garlic – Fresh minced gives the best flavor, but pre-minced from a jar is fine.
- Olive Oil – For sauteing the garlic. Sometimes I use avocado oil or butter instead.
- Chicken Broth – I like homemade broth or chicken bone broth for flavor and nutrition. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian option. I recommend low or reduced sodium broth, as the cheese already has extra salt and it’s easier to adjust to your taste.
- Heavy Cream – Makes the soup rich and creamy. I’ve also used half and half, but the soup turned out a bit thinner with it. Full-fat coconut milk would also work well. I don’t recommend regular dairy milk, which will curdle too easily.
- Cheddar Cheese – Makes this a cauliflower cheddar soup, but it also acts as a natural thickener! Feel free to use other semi-firm shredded cheeses if you prefer a different flavor.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – Optional, to your taste. Depending on my broth, oftentimes I don’t need any extra salt. If you like extra heat, toss in a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne.
I kept this cauliflower cheese soup recipe super basic, but check out my variations below for other ingredients you can add.
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOW
How To Make Cauliflower Cheese Soup
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute the garlic. In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil, until it smells amazing.
- Add the broth, cream, and cauliflower. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer until the cauliflower is tender.
- Blend it up. I usually scoop out about a third of the cauliflower to have some pieces in my cauliflower cheese soup later. Then, blend the rest with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Melt the cheese. Turn the heat down and add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring so it melts in smoothly. I blend again to get it extra silky and help the cheese fully melt.
- Stir the reserved florets back in. I added an extra sprinkle of cheddar and fresh parsley for garnish.
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t have an immersion blender? I’m obsessed with my immersion blender and highly recommend it if you’re thinking about it, but a regular blender works fine. Just work in batches if the cheesy cauliflower soup doesn’t all fit, and vent the top to let steam escape. Alternatively, you can remove the cauliflower and whisk in the cheese by hand, but it doesn’t melt in as easily and your soup won’t be thick that way.
- Adjust the amount of cheese to your liking. I like mine extra thick and cheesy, so I use about 3 cups, but you can go more or less. Keep in mind that less cheese will make the soup thinner, too.
- Once the cheese goes in, keep the heat low. If it boils, the cheese can get grainy instead of melty and smooth.
- Check the thickness before returning the florets to the pot. If the soup is too thin, you can add more cheese, or simmer the blended soup to reduce it more and thicken naturally. You can also add cornstarch or a substitute whisked with a little of the broth, but I never do this.
- Want to cook it in the Instant Pot? Use the Saute function for the garlic, then add the broth, cream, and cauliflower. Set the time to 0 minutes on High pressure (yes, really zero!) and the cauliflower will be done by the time it comes to pressure. After Quick Release, you can proceed with adding the cheese and blending as usual.
Cauliflower Cheese Soup (6 Ingredients)
By
My cauliflower cheese soup recipe makes a rich, cheesy bowl in one pot, loaded with cheddar and perfect for chilly nights.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
-
Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, and chopped cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
-
Use a slotted spoon to remove about 1/3 of the cauliflower pieces and set aside.
-
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup with the remaining cauliflower.
-
Reduce heat to low. Add the shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup (56 g) at a time, stirring constantly, and continue to stir until melted. Puree again to make it smooth.
-
Remove the cauliflower cheese soup from heat. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste if needed. Add the reserved cauliflower florets back to the pot and enjoy!
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best texture in this cauliflower cheese soup, alternatives to an immersion blender, and how to make it in the Instant Pot instead of the stovetop.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. I don’t like freezing this soup because the texture separates after thawing.
- Meal prep: This soup is great to make ahead! I actually think the flavor gets even better after a day or two.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stove over low heat, stirring so it stays smooth. If it separates a bit, just give it a quick blend.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Fall Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Recipe Variations
- More veggies – Sometimes I toss in diced onions, carrots, and/or celery at the same time as the garlic. This combination is called mirepoix and adds so much flavor!
- Bacon – Crumble some cooked bacon over the cauliflower cheese soup at the end for smoky flavor. If I don’t have any precooked, I saute it in the Dutch oven first, then use the bacon grease to saute the garlic.
- Add protein – To turn this into a meal, brown ground beef, sausage, or turkey in the pot first. Remove and set aside until the end, since I don’t recommend blending the meat. This is like a thicker version of my cheeseburger soup!
- Heartier base – Swap in a couple cups of diced potatoes for some of the cauliflower. They’ll blend right into the soup for extra thickness, or you can leave them chunky.
- Crackers – I love this cheesy cauliflower soup with a crumble of buttery almond crackers over it, or just served on the side for dipping.
50 Comments
Justin
1Just made the soup for dinner. I really enjoyed it!! I’d make it again! I crumbled some bacon and put that in my bowl instead of crackers. Who would pass on bacon ??? Lol I was also going to put green onion in my bowl but was out of it.
S Arthur J
1Great recipe, thank you. As some others have done, I did add onions, celery and carrots to the garlic which I sauteed in butter. I also roasted the cauliflower before adding it to the soup and added a small pinch of cayenne pepper.
Sandra
1What a wonderful soup this is! It will be on rotation for sure during fall and winter. Did make a couple of minor changes during prep, adding 1 tsp. butter to saute the garlic. Then, at the end, added 1/2 tsp. of sea salt and coarse black pepper, which I do to almost everything that I cook. Next time, I will play with this by adding a bit of celery and a couple of fried bacon strips and topping it off with parsley. Other than that, nothing else. This soup deserves 10 stars …. it’s so yummy!
Bernice
0This soup is the best
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Bernice!
Angelica L.
0Absolutely phenomenal! It is so rich and creamy. Definitely a treat that pairs well with a chunk of good bread! I love lots of cauliflower pieces in my soup, so I only blended half. Honestly, I could have even added a little more cauliflower in the soup. I did four cups, But I should have added a few extra florets that I had.
Wholesome Yum D
0So glad you enjoyed it, Angelica! Leaving some of the cauliflower whole is such a great move. Love hearing how you made it your own!
Kate
0This is, hands down, the best Cauliflower Soup recipe I have tried. It has the perfect balance of all ingredients and the texture and flavour is perfect.
Wholesome Yum D
0Kate, that means so much. I’m really glad this one hit the perfect balance for you, thank you for trying it!
Anne Orlando
0Delicious! I sautéed the garlic, then added the cream, chicken broth and cauliflower and cooked for 4 minutes in my Instantpot. Then used my immersion blender to blend the cooked cauliflower and the cheese. It is so easy to make!
Wholesome Yum D
0Anne, that sounds wonderful. I’m glad it turned out so easy and delicious for you! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sue V
0Delicious and easy. Instead of using olive oil I used bacon grease and fried an onion. Then I added the garlic and other ingredients.
Wholesome Yum D
0That sounds like a flavorful twist, Sue! Using bacon grease and fried onion must have added such a rich, savory depth, love that idea!
Jim
0This recipe is very tasty and filling. My go to when I’m getting back on track.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Jim! I’m so glad you liked this soup.
Jayne D Tilghman
0Any thoughts on using canned full fat coconut milk? Maya, you’re my go-to for low carb recipes. Consistently amazing? Thanks for all your hard work.
Holly L
0It’s just like potato soup…so good
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jayne, Yes, full-fat coconut milk will work fine. Thank you so much, I’m so happy you like my recipes! Let me know how this one goes if you try it. 🙂
Geo
0Simple, few ingredients and easy to make love it! ❤️
Calli M
0I followed the recipe as written and the soup was delicious. I did add salt and pepper. Absolutely delicious!
Bonnie
0So wonderful only thing I did differently I roasted the cauliflower in oven. Warmed up the house this January evening!
Ruth
0Excellent. An alternative to broccoli soup! Thx!
Debbie
0Easy recipe and soup was delicious. I used regular chicken broth and just added cracked black pepper. I would recommend this recipe to all. I give it a 5 star rating!
Missy Bryan
0Delicious! My whole family loves this recipe. Thanks so much.
Marcela
0I made this today for my lunch, I added some pepper and chicken bullion, as a croutons I used Parmesan cheese crisps, I really enjoyed it!!!
V Nosella
0Tasty soup I added onion and saffron for a kick.
Bev Hipgrave
0Soup is excellent and quick, which is a plus for sure!!! Didn’t have cream so just added 1/4 cup butter to 3/4 cup of milk for each cup of heavy cream. Not as rich perhaps, but good in a pinch! Plan to add ham and mushrooms to the left overs for another meal, so obviously I would make it again!!!!
Dixie
0I made this with frozen riced cauliflower and it turned out excellent! Thank you for this one.