Flavorful and satisfying, a warm bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup is deliciously comforting on a cold day. Cook all the ingredients on the stove and then blend to get that smooth, silky consistency. You can garnish with crunchy, flavorful toppings like homemade croutons and crispy bacon.
Cozy up with a bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup, alongside a fresh salad and a warm slice of homemade artisan bread, for a meal that will leave you feeling satisfied, but not weighed down.
If you like the flavor and texture of New England-style clam chowder, you’ll love this creamy cauliflower potato soup!
Why You’ll Love This Soup:
- Lightened-up comfort food
- Wholesome main dish that can easily be made vegetarian
- Naturally gluten free
- Creamy consistency, without flour, cornstarch, and lots of cream
- Sneaks in nutrient-rich, high-fiber cauliflower—our young taste testers loved this soup!
- 1-pot meal
- Keeps for days in the refrigerator and reheats well
- Serve it in a bread bowl or topped with homemade croutons to level up your soup game
Ingredients You Need for Flavorful Potato Soup
On their own, cauliflower and potatoes don’t have a particularly strong flavor, so they benefit from this lineup of accompanying ingredients:
- Butter: A little butter adds the most delicious flavor, but if you would prefer your soup to be dairy free/vegan, feel free to sub olive oil instead. Note that you will lose a little flavor.
- Onion & Garlic: A key base for this soup (and many other delicious meals!).
- Lemon Juice: This may seem like a strange addition to cauliflower and potatoes, but trust me, the soup doesn’t taste nearly as good without it. An acid is definitely needed, and a little squeeze of fresh lemon makes a world of difference here, brightening up and rounding out all the flavors. Without it, the soup tastes like it’s missing something.
- Herbs/Seasonings: We’re seasoning this soup with dried thyme and parsley, salt and pepper, and a bay leaf (you’ll remove it before blending the soup).
- Broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth—chef’s choice.
- Optional Heavy Cream: For an extra-rich and creamy soup, you can stir in a little heavy cream. But the soup is still deliciously creamy without it!
Best Potatoes to Use
I use Yukon gold potatoes, but you can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or russet potatoes. I haven’t tested this with sweet potatoes, but you can certainly try it!
Make sure to peel them before chopping and adding to the pot. The starchy potatoes will cook down in the broth and, once blended, give this soup its thick, hearty texture. There’s absolutely no need for flour or cornstarch.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
You can make this whole soup in 1 large stockpot or Dutch oven. Start by cooking the onions in the butter. Once they’re beginning to release some moisture and turn translucent, add the minced garlic. Cook and stir for about a minute, and then add the salt, pepper, and herbs. Follow that up with the remaining ingredients. Yep, just toss everything into the pot! (Except the heavy cream; if you’re planning to include it, hold off till the end.)
Bring the soup up to a boil, then lower the temperature and let it simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are nice and soft. Before blending, the soup looks like this:
You can use either a regular blender or an immersion blender. The benefit of an immersion blender is you can just keep the soup in the pot for this step. If using a regular blender, you’ll need to blend in batches.
Tips for blending hot soup in a regular (not immersion) blender:
- Let the soup cool slightly before transferring it to the blender.
- Use a ladle to spoon the soup into the blender, don’t try to pour the hot soup from the pot.
- Don’t overfill the blender; only fill about halfway and blend in batches.
- Make sure your blender has a vented lid, to allow steam to escape.
If you want to stir in a little cream for extra richness, now’s the time:
Toppings & Pairings
For serving this creamy cauliflower potato soup, I like to top it with chopped chives or scallions, parsley, homemade croutons, and/or some crumbled bacon. You could also make a cheesy version by stirring in some freshly shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese.
Serve alongside a fresh green salad with homemade Italian salad dressing, and some crusty artisan bread or ciabatta bread (or enjoy in a bread bowl!).
If you’re looking for more lightened-up comfort food recipes, be sure to try my butternut squash mac and cheese and creamy chicken noodle soup, too! Both are warming and flavorful, but not too heavy.
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: about 12 cups
Category: Dinner
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: American
Description
Flavorful and satisfying, a warm bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup is deliciously comforting on a cold day. Cook all the ingredients on the stove and then blend to a smooth, silky consistency.
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic get too brown. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, potatoes, and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 35 minutes. The vegetables should be fork-tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Or carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender and puree in batches (see Notes for instructions). If using, stir or blend in heavy cream.
- Serve soup warm and top with chopped chives, croutons, and/or crumbled bacon, if desired.
- Keep leftovers in a large covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing: Soup freezes wonderfully! Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before eating, then reheat on the stove until warm.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | Large Pot or Dutch Oven (such as this Le Creuset Dutch Oven or Lodge Dutch Oven) | Blender or Immersion Blender
- Lemon Juice: This may seem like a strange addition to cauliflower and potatoes, but trust me, the soup doesn’t taste nearly as good without it. An acid is definitely needed, and a little squeeze of fresh lemon makes a world of difference here, brightening up and rounding out all the flavors. Without it, the soup tastes like it’s missing something.
- If Using a Standard Blender: Let the soup cool some before transferring to a blender. Using a ladle, spoon the slightly cooled soup into the blender, filling no more than halfway (you’ll need to puree the soup in batches). Be sure to use a vented lid to allow steam to escape.
- Best Potatoes to Use: I use Yukon gold potatoes in this soup, but you can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or russet potatoes. I haven’t tested this with sweet potatoes, but you can certainly try it!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 251.4 mg
- Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.6 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 15.8 mg
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