This creamy, coconut curry cauliflower soup recipe has a silky texture, so much flavor, it can be made nice and spicy, and is completely vegan! With only 8 main ingredients, you’ll be amazed how delicious this simple recipe is.
And if you want to add a little crunch to your soup, I’ll also show you how to make easy, perfectly crunchy, perfectly tasty little garlic croutons to serve on the side!
I love this soup for an impressive, cozy first course! For parties where I have a lot of prep to do, there’s nothing better than having a soup I can just whip up in an hour from start to finish, and simply heat and serve at dinner time. I love to pair this soup with my garlic and sage Cornish game hens or roasted duck with blackberry balsamic reduction sauce.
And for my friends and family with more plant-based diets, this is such a winner! It’s totally vegan and can even be made gluten-free by simply roasting up a few tiny pieces of cauliflower to sprinkle it with, instead of croutons.
How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
For the Soup
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Chop 1 head of cauliflower into florets, slicing large pieces in half.
2. Peel and slice the tops off of 6 garlic cloves.
3. Toss cauliflower florets and garlic with 3 tbsp. olive oil.
4. On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay cauliflower flat sides-down and make sure the garlic is on the foil – not on top of the cauliflower. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until flat sides are nice and brown.
5. While cauliflower and garlic roasts, slice a medium-side red onion and add it to a stockpot.
6. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the pot and sauté until brown. About 15 minutes. Cover until cauliflower and garlic are finished.
NOTE: If you don’t have an immersion blender, and will be using a standing blender instead, simply add all of the following ingredients to your blender and blend until creamy. Then, add blended soup to the stockpot and simmer for 10-15 minutes until hot, and serve.
7. Once cauliflower and garlic are ready, add them to the pot with onions, 13.5 oz. canned coconut milk, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 tsp. red curry paste, 2 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp. to make it spicy), and a good sprinkle of fresh pepper.
8. Use an immersion blender (or blend in your standing blender) until all ingredients are perfectly creamy. Turn heat to medium, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until hot, and serve.
For the Croutons
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Slice pieces of baguette into about 20 half-inch cubes. Pour 1 tbsp. olive oil onto a plate or a bowl, and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Dip the sides of each bread cube into the oil, making sure not to saturate. Bake for 7-10 minutes and serve.
A Few Common Questions
About 5 days. If you don’t finish it in time, it will freeze and reheat perfectly.
It will shock you just how creamy cauliflower becomes when blended with coconut milk. I’ve made soups with cheese and sour cream that were nowhere near as creamy as this soup! That’s all there is to it. Nothing but blended cauliflower and canned coconut milk.
Yes. Simply use 2 tbsp. of curry powder and give it a taste to see if it needs more. Curry powders can really range in strength, so start with 2 tbsp. and add more by the tsp. until it’s perfect.
I’ve made this soup with curry powder and 4 tbsp. was the sweet spot. Although, since red curry paste has a few other ingredients, you may want to add a few sprinkles of coriander and paprika to add a little more excitement with the curry powder.
A Few Tips
1. Make sure to use canned coconut milk, not coconut cream or cream of coconut.
Coconut cream and cream of coconut are very sweetened and used for desserts and cocktails. Canned coconut milk is simply unsweetened coconut milk that has a layer of coconut cream on the top. Also, be sure to use canned coconut milk, instead of bottled coconut milk. It will be too thin for a soup like this.
2. This is a very thick, creamy soup recipe, so if it’s a little too creamy for you…
Simply add another ½ cup of vegetable broth to thin it out.
3. To get perfectly crispy roasted cauliflower
Make sure to slice each big floret in half so they have a nice flat side to lay on the foil-lined baking sheet. This will ensure you get a beautifully roasted side, and all that fantastic flavor into your soup. After 30 minutes of roasting at 400 F., check to be sure the cauliflower is nice and brown on the bottom. It can take between 35-45 minutes to get it just right.
And for more cozy recipe inspiration, take a look at these winter recipes!
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Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- cutting board and sharp knife
- large mixing bowl and spoon
- foil-lined baking sheet
- large stock pot
- immersion blender or standing blender
Ingredients
- 1 head
cauliflower
– large (or 2 small) - 6
garlic cloves
- 5 tbsp.
olive oil
- 1 medium
red onion
13.5
oz.can of coconut milk
- 2 cups
vegetable broth
- 2 tsp.
red curry paste
¼
tsp.cayenne pepper
– or 1 tsp. to make it spicy- 2 tsp.
salt
- fresh pepper – a good sprinkle
For the Croutons
- 6 slices baguette – sliced into ½ inch cubes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- garlic powder – just a sprinkle
- salt – just a sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Chop 1 head of cauliflower into florets, slicing large pieces in half. Peel and slice the tops off of 6 garlic cloves. Toss cauliflower florets and garlic with 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large mixing bowl.
- On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay cauliflower flat sides-down and make sure the garlic is on the foil – not on top of the cauliflower. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until flat sides are nice and brown.
- While cauliflower and garlic roasts, slice a medium-side red onion and add it to a stock pot. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the pot and sauté until brown. About 15 minutes. Cover until cauliflower and garlic are finished.
- Once cauliflower and garlic are ready, add them to the pot with onions, 13.5 oz. canned coconut milk, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 tsp. red curry paste, 2 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp. to make it spicy), and a good sprinkle of fresh pepper.
- Use an immersion blender until all ingredients are perfectly creamy. Turn heat to medium, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until hot, and serve.
For the Croutons
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Slice pieces of baguette into about 20 half-inch cubes. Pour 1 tbsp. olive oil onto a plate or a bowl, and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Dip the sides of each bread cube into the oil, making sure not to saturate. Bake for 7-10 minutes and serve.
Sue
Any suggestions on what I could sub for the coconut milk—allergies in the house—and, hopefully, still keep at least some of the creaminess? Maybe mix some mild white beans with another plant milk, corn starch, or? I’m cooking challenged, so substitutions are not my thing!
Genevieve Morrison
Unfortunately, I’m not sure what would work as a substitute for both the creaminess and the coconut flavor. If you’re not concerned about it being vegan though, you could always substitute heavy cream and perhaps add coconut flakes before you puree the soup.
Anonymous
Super delicious! Made this for me and my husband and we loved. Will definitely make this again!