Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe (2024)

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Creamy Soups

This smooth, creamy cauliflower soup with sharp cheddar cheese is absolutely what you want on a chilly day. It's ready in under an hour. Serve with some crusty bread and a side salad!

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated September 29, 2023

22 Ratings

16 Creamy Soup Recipes for Soup SeasonFEATURED IN:

Every fall, when the days get shorter and the nights colder, at some point I reluctantly give up wearing shorts and flips flops. Did you know there are only two real seasons here in Sacramento? Flip flop and shorts season, and jeans and socks season.

It's when your feet tell you, "Hey, put on some socks!" that you know autumn has truly arrived. That's when the soup pot comes out and you look forward to filling it with something warm and comforting.

It's still flip-flop season here, at least during the day, but the chilly weather will be coming soon (if not already where you are). So we're cooking up new soup recipes.

A Light and Creamy Soup

We made this cauliflower cheddar soup the other day, and wow! Okay, now I don't feel so bad about saying goodbye to summer. It's smooth and creamy without any cream. It's packed with cauliflower and uses just enough cheddar cheese to give it flavor, but not so much that you think you've swallowed a brick.

A teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce swirled in at the end helps intensify the cheese flavor.

How a Clever Cook Thickens Soup (or Stew) and Makes It CreamyREAD MORE:

Keep Your Cores

When you cut your cauliflower into pieces, don't discard the core! The core is just as delicious as the florets themselves and since we're pureeing this soup, no one will even know they're there.

What to Serve With This Soup

This soup begs to be served with some crusty bread for dipping. Some garlic bread or garlic knots would also work well.

If you'd like to turn this soup into more of a meal, add a salad on the side. Try this Radicchio Salad with Chickpeas, Olives, and Parmesan or this simple Kale Caesar Salad.

How to Store and Freeze This Soup

Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to five days, or can be frozen for up to three months.

To freeze, let it cool completely, then transfer it to freezer containers or bags and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat directly from the freezer over low heat on the stovetop. If the soup looks at all separated when you warm it up, just blend it in the blender again.

More Easy, Comforting Soup Recipes

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Carrot Ginger Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Quick and Easy Hamburger Soup
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time60 mins

Servings6to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
See Also
Ina Garten's Go-To Dinner Recipes
2 cups sliced onion
1 1/2 cups sliced celery (about 2 to 3 ribs)
1/2 cup sliced carrot (1 small carrot)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
6 cups chicken stock
6 cups roughly chopped cauliflower (see How to Cut and Core Cauliflower)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Method

Sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic:
Heat butter in a large 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or thick bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots.
Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the onions are softened. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more.
Add the potatoes, stock, cauliflower, bay leaves, thyme, salt and black pepper:
Heat on high and bring the stock to a simmer. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender.
Purée until smooth:
Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves. Either using an immersion blender or a standing blender, purée the soup mixture until completely smooth.
Add the cheddar cheese and Worcestershire:
Slowly add the grated cheddar cheese, continuing to purée the soup as you add the cheese, until completely blended. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Creamy Soups
Vegetables

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
289	Calories
13g	Fat
31g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	289
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g	16%
Saturated Fat 7g	33%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 619mg	27%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 5g	16%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 43mg	215%
Calcium 205mg	16%
Iron 2mg	9%
Potassium 829mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.