Cream of Jalapeño Soup (Vegan)

Cream of Jalapeño Soup is a vegan soup that's made rich and creamy with slowly cooked cauliflower. Deliciously comforting with warming spices and subtle heat from the peppers, it's an easy and quick soup for a meal or first course during the fall and winter months.

There's something incredibly delicious about the heat of a jalapeño pepper mixed into creamy cauliflower.

This blend is both warming and soothing, and together they create a comforting and flavorful bite.

A few simple ingredients are cooked together in one pot, then blended and served. That's it for this magical Cream of Jalapeño Soup!

The Ingredients

• olive oil - I like this one.
• onion - Choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
• garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots, which are an indication it's old and likely bitter.
• jalapeño peppers - A good pepper should be firm, deeply colored and slightly shiny.
• ground cumin
• cilantro - Choose perky bunches that are bright green without any yellowing leaves.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

• Cilantro. If you're not a cilantro fan, you can substitute it with about 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. Fresh basil is another good option (use about 2 tablespoons).
• You can put a different spin on this soup by making it with other chile peppers. Poblanos would be my first choice after the jalapeños -- they're mild and have a slightly smoky flavor.

Recipe Tips

• Taste your jalapeños before using them to see how hot or mild they are. You can adjust the amount to use to your taste. I find that the amount listed in the recipe is perfect for medium-hot peppers. The creamy cauliflower mellows it a bit, but you'll still get subtle heat.
• The recipe calls for four to five cups of stock. The stock should go just to the level of the cauliflower in the pot, before you simmer it. You can vary the texture if you'd like to, by adding more or less. Wait until you blend it before deciding if you want to add more liquid so you can see (and taste) it first. It's also okay to add water to thin it.
• The color of your soup will vary, depending on the vegetable stock you use. A very rich and hearty stock will produce a darker, more golden-colored soup. The stock I used was on the light side. It's likely no two soups will look alike.
• For maximum heat, leave some or all of the seeds and/or membranes in the chiles.

How to Make it

- Coat the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 7 minutes.

- Cut the stems off the jalapeños and then slice them in half, lengthwise, and then remove the seeds.

Pro Tip: The easiest way to remove the seeds of a jalapeño is to use the tip of a small teaspoon, and starting at the point of the pepper, with gentle pressure, move the spoon downward towards the stem.

- Roughly chop the peppers and add them to the pan, along with the cumin. Cook until the they're are soft, about 4 minutes.

- Add the cauliflower and stir to coat it with the other ingredients. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat to low, cover and let it simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 30 minutes.

- Pour the contents of the pot into a powerful blender and add the cilantro. Blend until it’s very smooth. Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt. (Here’s How.)

- Drizzle each serving with a bit of olive oil and garnish with very thin slices of jalapeños.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this soup with homemade No-Knead Asiago Bread or a quick herb bread. The soup and bread together make a perfect cozy meal for fall and winter.

While serving this for what it is -- a soup -- is perfect, it can also be used in other recipes.

This soup is perfect for mixing into casseroles to add flavor and make them creamy. I roast root vegetables, caramelize onions, and then layer them with this Cream of Jalapeño Soup and grated Gruyere cheese. It's fantastic! In December (I love doing this with Chestnut Soup!)

It can also be used as a pasta sauce, or mixed into rice.

How hot are Jalapeño Peppers?

The jalapeño pepper heat level varies from mild to hot, depending on cultivation and preparation.

The inside membranes of the pepper carry the most heat, followed by the seeds. If they're particularly hot, I remove all of the seeds and the membranes (see above image). If they're only half as hot as I'd like, I leave some in. This is totally a matter of taste.

When working with jalapeños, or any chile peppers, you should always take a (very tiny) taste before you use them. You have to know how much heat you're adding to your recipes. No matter what most recipes call for, you can adjust the amount of jalapeño you add.

Fun Fact: Botanically speaking, jalapeño peppers are a fruit. They are actually a berry!

More Recipes with Jalapeño Peppers

• Citrus Carpaccio with Yuzu Jalapeño Dressing
• Grilled Jalapeño Pepper Jack Turkey Burgers
• Grapefruit-Jalapeño Marmalade
• Jalapeño-Lime Vinaigrette
• Jalapeño Creamed Corn

Can you make it ahead?

Yes. The soup can be made and kept refrigerated up to 4 days ahead of time. Let it cool completely before storing it. When you're ready to serve, warm it on the stove until it's completely heated through and hot.

I hope you love this creamy jalapeño soup as much as my family and I do.