This Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup is so rich and creamy! It's made with cashew cream, creamy cauliflower, and nutritional yeast and topped with tofu bacon for a delicious gluten-free meal.
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This is my last recipe for 2017!
When we get back from Christmas, I'll share my highlights and popular recipes of 2017. So it won't be until the first week of January, as we kick off my 30 day cleanse, that I will have brand new MDV recipes for y'all.
It blows my mind how quickly this year flew by.
I want to wrap up this year with a soup recipe because growing up it was a Christmas tradition to enjoy soup, Christmas cookies, and spiced apple cider on Christmas Eve.
Every year was the same (which is what is so magical about tradition). We would come home from a Christmas Eve service to a lit tree and the festively decorated house smelling of spiced cider and warm soup.
And so, to continue to tradition, I have a new soup for you. It’s a vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup. This soup recipe is warm, comforting, delicious, hearty, AND super easy to make which gives YOU more time to spend with your family this holiday season.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This creamy cauliflower soup is super simple to make. Other than the tofu bacon, it can be made in just one pot in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil - Any high heat oil will do. I recommend avocado or coconut oil.
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Cauliflower
- Dried Thyme
- Vegetable Broth
- Raw Cashews
- Salt and Pepper
- Nutritional Yeast
- Optional Toppings - I like to use coconut Bacon (recipe below), green onions, nutritional yeast, freshly ground pepper.
Pro Tip: If you are garnishing with vegan bacon, you can either get store-bought tempeh bacon, which you can buy at most well-stocked grocery stores. You’ll find it in the refrigerated section. You can also make tofu bacon at home or substitute tempeh for eggplant bacon, or mushroom bacon
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, I highly recommend a Vitamix. These blenders can be pricy, but my Vitamix is, by far, the most used gadget in my kitchen. Most other blenders are simply not powerful enough to create a cream out of cashews.
You will need a good soup pot. I love my Dutch Oven from Le Creuset for soups. Made from cast iron, they are perfect for slow cooking and simmering soups and stews. Although it’s a bit pricey, you will use it over and over again (for soups, stews, sides, bread, and even desserts!) and it will last you a lifetime.
In addition, you will need a good chef’s knife, cutting board, an immersion blender, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Step One - Make the Vegan Bacon
If you are making your own vegan bacon, start by marinating the tofu in thin strips for at least one hour.
Time Saver: Buy store-bought vegan bacon, which you can buy at most well-stocked grocery stores. You’ll find it in the refrigerated section. Step two - make the cashew cream
Step Two - Make the Cashew Cream
When it comes to cashew cream, you really should use a high-powered blender. However, if you don’t have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well.
Add all the ingredients for the cashew cream to the blender and blend for about 30 seconds until you have a smooth, delicious cream.
Time Saver - Skip this step and use non-dairy cream or unsweetened non-dairy milk instead. The soup will be slightly less rich, but good nonetheless!
Step Three – Make the Soup
In a medium soup pot, heat up oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add the cauliflower florets and thyme, stirring for 30 seconds to coat the cauliflower. Add vegetable broth and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes until cauliflower is tender.
Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove the soup from heat. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until it is smooth and creamy. Stir in cashew cream, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper.
Serving and Storing
Serving - This soup can be eaten immediately once it’s ready. It just takes about 20 minutes to cook the cauliflower. Serve with vegan bacon, fresh chives, and freshly ground pepper.
Storing - Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve frozen soup, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once it’s mostly thawed, gently reheat the soup in a small soup pot.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Vegan Corn Chowder
Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Tofu Bacon
Ingredients
Cauliflower Soup
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes
- ¾ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper, to taste
Tofu Bacon
- 4 ounces extra firm tofu, sliced into ¼" slabs
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon of pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Toppings
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- To make the tofu bacon, cut the tofu in ½" strips and set aside. Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and pour into a shallow baking dish. In a single layer, place the tofu in the dish so that each piece is fully submerged. Marinate while preparing the rest of the soup.
- In a large soup pot heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Stir in garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Add cauliflower florets and thyme, stirring for 30 seconds to coat the cauliflower. Add vegetable broth and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes until cauliflower is tender.
- While the soup is cooking, drain and rinse the cashews. Combine cashews with water and salt in a high powered blender and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- As soup continues to cook, fry your tofu bacon according to these instructions.
- Remove soup from heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Stir in cashew cream, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper
- Serve immediately with tofu bacon and toppings of choice.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Sarah says
So yummy! More involved than anticipated but worth it, especially if you have cashew cream already laying around!
Sara says
This soup looks pureed but I don't see instructions pertaining to that step. Did I miss it or is it left chunky? I'm cooking it right now!
Sarah says
So sorry! I made that adjustment in the recipe.
Jennifer Bliss says
Looks delightful! I need to try it and soon!
Shelley says
Curious if you have any substitutes for the cashews?
I have a nut allergy. This recipe sounds amazing and I would love to try it!
Sandy says
I'm going to try substituting silken tofu for the cashews. Hopefully that will make it creamy. Recipe looks delicious!