Roasted Cauliflower Basil Soup is a comforting bowl of hearty vegetables and aromatic herbs and spices. This soup is both vegan and gluten-free, and while it’s warming enough to be perfect for a cool winter night, it’s also not too heavy for the warmer months. 
In some places around the globe you can see the seasons change. From leaves that are stunningly red when the weather cools, to bare trees, to the sun shining through the clouds, and to vibrant, colorful blooms and intense heat.
In Los Angeles where I live — other than the Liquid Amber trees in my neighborhood — and slight changes in the temperature, the changing seasons are mostly noticeable in the foods I’m eating. As I cook through the year in my kitchen, I move from rich soups and creamy pies, to slow roasting all day and and sampling gorgeous citrus, to lovely salads, and finally to sweet stone fruits and fresh, flavorful herbs.
This fall-like Roasted Cauliflower Basil Soup would certainly warm you up on a cold winter night, and it’s brightened greatly with fresh basil, also making it a nice fit in the spring and summer. And really, no matter the season, it’s a delicious, rich, flavorful and comforting bowl of soup. Who wouldn’t want that any day?
When soups are puréed like this Cauliflower Basil Soup, they can become incredibly rich and creamy. And dreamy! I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who tasted it, who wouldn’t think there was cream in it. And I think that’s pretty impressive for a vegan soup.
The cooking technique to achieve this is quite simple, and it can be done with almost all vegetable you choose to use in a puréed soup similar to this one. The secret: potato!
Enjoy every last, delicious spoonful of this Cauliflower Basil Soup.
(Here are a few additional way to thicken soups — for all diets.)
A comforting bowl of hearty vegetables and aromatic herbs and spices, this soup is both vegan and gluten-free. It's warming enough to be perfect for a cool winter night, it's also not too heavy for the warmer months.
- 3 1/4 pounds cauliflower about 2 heads
- 7 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3/4 cup peeled white potato roughly chopped (about 4-ounces)
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Yes, you read that right. The very high heat is crucial in making this so delicious!)
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Pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil on a baking sheet and set aside.
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Trim the greens and the root off of the cauliflower and cut it into approximately half-inch slices, placing them on the oil-coated baking sheet as you go. (You won’t have perfect slices, because many of the flowerets will break into pieces.)
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Flip the cauliflower pieces over so both sides are coated with the olive oil. Then, generously spinkle with salt and pepper.
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Roast in the preheated 500 degree F oven until the underside of the cauliflower is very brown, about 15 minutes. Use metal kitchen tongs to flip the pieces over and sprinkle this side with salt and pepper. Then brown this side as well, about 10 more minutes. (We're caramelizing the cauliflower, which is the key; it brings all the natural sugars — and flavor — to the surface.)
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While the cauliflower is roasting, coat the bottom of a large soup pot with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium-high heat.
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Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
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Add the potato and cook for another couple of minutes.
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Then add the roasted cauliflower, along with any remaining oil from the baking sheet.
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Pour the vegetable stock over all of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
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Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (The potatoes should be very tender when it's done.)
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Add the basil leaves and nutmeg and mix them in.
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Turn the heat off and use an immersion or standing blender to puree the soup until it's as smooth as possible. (It will be relatively thick and creamy when it's done.)
Now sure exactly how to season to taste? Here's how.
The final color on your soup might vary, depending on the richness of the stock you use.
Since it is snowing in half the country right now, this soup is perfect timing! Soup is comforting no matter what time of year and your soup looks so inviting. I will be buying cauliflower at the farmer’s market tomorrow to make this.
About how much basil should be used?
Hi Rob, thank you so much for asking, as I somehow left it out of the ingredient list!
I’ve edited the recipe to include it now, thanks to you.
It’s 2 cups packed basil leaves (about 2 average sized bunches). Hope you enjoy the soup! 🙂
Valentina – this soup looks amazing both from the ingredient stand point and your beautiful photo. And it looks so rich, when it is really very light and healthy!
Thanks so much, David! That’s exactly what I was hoping for — rich and creamy, but still healthy. 😀
Such a delicious and flavorful combo. Loved it.
Thanks so much!
The roasted cauliflower alone sounds good, I would have a hard to making that and having enough left for the actual soup. It all sounds like a great meal for a winter day.
Thanks, Kristi. I’ve actually had that happen to me! 🙂
Roasting cauliflower gives such a fabulous flavour. Together with the other ingredients, makes for a very tasty and hearty bowl of goodness.
I love cauliflower and make cream of cauliflower soup all the time! Roasting and using basil sounds sooooo good! Love this!
Thanks, Patty. Hope you try it!
This must have such an incredible, deep flavor after roasting the cauliflower. Love a good soup recipe for cold winter days!
Thanks so much, Julie! Yes, it’s very warming. 🙂