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Ultra comforting Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Thyme and Sharp Cheddar is easy to love. Simple to make and Vegan adaptable! (see recipe notes)
I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul. ~Rumi
The creaminess of this soup comes from the tender cooked cauliflower and sweet potato blending up silky smooth creating a luscious velvety texture.
The sweet potato may sound like a surprising ingredient! It lends a mild sweetness that beautifully enhances cauliflower. We are talking about white-fleshed sweet potato. It is kind of like a cross between a russet potato and a yam, with the skin a pale yellowish-brown and the inside cream-colored. It is milder than the orange-fleshed yam.
Sharp cheddar, thyme, and a touch of dijon bring it all to a heavenly delicious balance.
Ingredients in Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- shallots
- garlic
- butter or olive oil
- cauliflower
- sweet potato (not yam, or sub carrot and potato)
- sea salt
- black pepper
- thyme
- vegetable broth or chicken broth
- sharp cheddar (cashews for vegan version)
- dijon mustard
Can this be made Vegan?
Yes! Leave out the cheese. Add cashews into the broth to simmer along with the vegetables. Notes in the recipe.
How to make Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Step one
Chop shallots, garlic, cauliflower, and sweet potato.
Step two
Sauté shallots and garlic in butter or olive oil for 5 minutes, over medium low heat.
Step three
Add cauliflower, sweet potato, thyme, salt, pepper, and broth. (If making vegan, add cashews now).
Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender.
Step four
If you like a few chunks in your soup, take out a cup of the veggies, set aside.
Step five
Transfer the soup to a blender, not filling all the way to the top (you may need to do it in two batches). Be careful, hot soup can explode.
Step six
Start slow and vent the blender lid so steam pressure can escape. Blend until smooth.
Step seven
Return to the soup pot. Add cheese and dijon, stirring to melt cheese in, turn on low heat if needed to fully melt. If you saved aside veggie chunks add them back in now.
Garnish with toasted bread crumbs. ( See recipe notes).
More creamy soup recipes you may enjoy
- Creamy Spinach Soup with Mint
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Celeriac Soup
- Homemade Tomato Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Garlic & Sage
- Pumpkin Soup with Garam Masala
- Curried Zucchini Soup
- Vegan Broccoli & Cheddar Soup
- African Peanut Soup Recipe
Hope you love this soup as much as we do!
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Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Thyme and Sharp Cheddar
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ultra comforting and dreamy Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Thyme and Sharp Cheddar is easy to love. Simple to make and Vegan adaptable! (see recipe notes)
Ingredients
- 2 medium shallots, 1 cup (4 oz) sliced small
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 head cauliflower, 4 cups (1 lb) cut in to small pieces
- 1 small sweet potato (not yam), 1 cup (6 oz) cut in small chunks
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, adjust to taste
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
- 1 quart or 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar, more to taste (the stronger and sharper the cheese the less you need to use)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a large pot, or dutch oven, sauté shallots and garlic in butter or olive oil for 5 minutes, over medium-low heat.
- Add cauliflower, sweet potato, thyme, salt, pepper, and broth. (If making vegan, add cashews now- see recipe notes). Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until vegetables are fork-tender.
- If you like a few chunks in your soup, take out a cup of the veggies, set aside, and transfer the remaining soup to a blender, filling just halfway (you may need to do it in two batches) Be careful, hot soup can explode. Start slow and vent the blender lid so steam pressure can escape. Blend until smooth.
- Return to the soup pot. Add cheese and dijon, stirring to melt cheese in, turn on low heat if needed to fully melt. If you saved aside veggie chunks add them back in now. Add more broth or milk to desired constancy.
Notes
Keeps in the fridge 4 days.
The stronger the cheese the less you need. Good options: extra sharp cheddar, gruyere, comté.
Optional Bread Crumb Topping: 1 garlic clove, 2 pieces of bread- crumble together in food processor. Toast in a skillet over medium heat along with 2 Tablespoons butter (or oil) gently toast stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley.
Substitute equal parts carrot and potato for the same amount as the sweet potato.
Vegan option: add 1/2 cup of raw cashews in with the vegetables to simmer.
Vegan topping: Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 904.6 mg
- Fat: 12.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.1 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
Keywords: creamy cauliflower soup, cauliflower cheddar soup, cheddar cauliflower soup
I always make this with the caramelized onion scones (w smoked cheddar). A pair made in heaven!
★★★★★
Sounds super tasty Bowie!
I loved it! I made the stock in my instant pot and had a wonderful soup in less than 2 hours.
★★★★★
Great to hear Christy!
Mine came out a little more orange rather than white due to the sweet potato. However that did not impede up on the flavor at all. I expected this to be good. However, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it actually was. I served it at a dinner party and it was a huge hit. There was absolutely none left over. This was really a remarkably good soup. I paired it with a soft bread and it was sublime. Thank you for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Great to hear Danny, so glad everyone enjoyed! Next time if you want a less orange soup you can use a white sweet potato. 🙂
This soup was exquisite! I love cauliflower and knew it was going to be delicious. The breadcrumbs were a perfect addition; I will be sure to add them whenever we make this recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
★★★★★
Thank you Allison!
Such a complexity of flavors here, they all went together so nicely. This will be my lunch for the week 🙂 thank you Tonia!!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear Angeli!
Made this delicious soup last night, another excellent recipe – thanks Sylvia!
★★★★★
Great to hear Kimberly. So happy you enjoyed!
I made this tonight and it was delicious!!! I added a little pan fried pancetta as a topping, yum!
★★★★★
Great Lex! Yum on the pancetta!
This is fabulous! I love the addition of the sweet potato. I made this in my instant pot and it turned out beautifully. Thank you!
★★★★★
Oh perfect Brittany, thanks for sharing!
I’m interested in using the Instant Pot, would you please tell me how long to cook and what pressure? Thank you.
I would love to know exactly how you adapted it for the IP, please. 😀
Could you tell me the purpose of the sweet potato in the cauliflower soup. I’ve never heard of this before
Hi Michele, The sweet potato adds body as well as a little sweetness. It is like adding potato for texture (which you can totally use to substitute!) but sweet potatoes have more fiber and are a little lower on the glycemic index. The flavor is really nice with the thyme and dijon.🙂
I made this last night. It was amazingly good and tasty. Loved the extra bread crumble on top. The Dijon added flavor that you wouldn’t expect and paired with the sharp cheese made this a keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks Cat.
This cauliflower soup sounds scrumptious! I’ve never tried it with sweet potato so that will be my next soup go to. I love soup—especially in the winter! Thanks Tonia
★★★★★
Let us know how you like it!