Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup

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Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup is an herbaceous, earthy, comforting soup that features thyme and sage, roasted cauliflower, and garlic. It’s the perfect prep-ahead meal, the leftovers are to die for, and it’s ready in under a few hours! {Paleo}

Spiriteds, is it cozy soup season yet? Because I am ALL IN, thanks to this Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup. It’s the stuff comforting, slurpy dinners are made of. It’s the perfect paleo soup recipe to usher in cooler weather and wardrobe layers. And then the soup to enjoy throughout the rest of the season!

Also, people talk about swimsuit bodies and sweater bodies, and I’m over here wondering if soup bodies are an actual thing. If they aren’t, then there’s a new club in town. And perhaps I’m the first and only member, but that’s okay. Because if not me, then who? And if not now, when? What’s a soup body, you ask? Whatever the hell our bodies look like, that’s what. How do we feel about slurping our way through this bowl of goodness at our first meeting? We’ll garnish it with garlic slivers, mini leafy greens, and roasted cauliflower.

Also, and let’s just be real here, if a soup can taste like a warm hug, then this recipe is it. Excuse me while I get a spoonful or thirty of Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup. It is literally a family-favorite recipe. FOUR OUT OF FOUR OF US LOVE IT. Yes, our spirited family is on board AND ASKING FOR SECONDS AND THIRDS AND FORTY-FOURTHS.

So, Spiriteds, are you ready to simmer your own batch of Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup? If yes, then let’s do this! Let’s get our simmer ON!

Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup is

• Paleo-friendly
• Herbaceous
• Filling but not heavy
• Quick and easy to make
• Perfect for leftovers

Side note: To keep this recipe paleo, we thickened the soup with tapioca flour and used almond milk and homemade broth.

Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup ingredients

• Coconut oil. Enough to cover the bottom of the sauté pan or rondeau pot.
• White onion. I love white onion in this recipe, but any color will do.
• Fresh garlic. If you LOVE garlic, then consider cutting 2-3 more garlic cloves into slivers and sauté them in a slug of olive oil and several pinches of sea salt. Add them as a garnish to the finished soup just prior to serving.
• Sea salt. Usually a little se salt goes a long way. However, I add more than usual to this recipe because it goes well with the cauliflower and enhances the overall flavor.
• Heads of cauliflower. Start with tow medium-to-large heads of cauliflower. If you want to sauté several florets for garnishing, then either reserve some florets or purchase a third smaller head, break the cauliflower into thin florets, and sauté them.
• Broth. Homemade Vegetable Broth is ideal for a vegetarian or vegan option. Bone, beef, and turkey broths are additional options if you don’t need your recipe to be free of animal products.
• Almond milk. Because we’ll add flavors to the soup, an unsweetened and unflavored almond milk is excellent in this soup.
• Tapioca flour. Use to thicken the soup, it’s important to stir it in quickly so it doesn’t seize up on you before it dissolves.
• Dried herbs: thyme and sage.
• Coarse black pepper. Not just an afterthought, coarse black pepper is particularly tasty in this soup. I often add more of it before adding extra sea salt for flavor. It really REALLY shines. 

How to make Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1. To a large sauté pan add the coconut oil, white onion, garlic, and sea salt and sauté on MEDIUM heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the diced onion becomes translucent and the garlic begins to deepen in color.
2. Then add the cauliflower florets to the pan and sauté them until they turn a light yellow color and begin to soften slightly. If desired, reserve a handful of cauliflower florets to later add as a garnish
3. To a large measuring cup, add the broth, almond milk, and the tapioca flour. Stir until combined. If the tapioca flour begins to seize up, that’s okay. Transfer the liquid and as much of the tapioca flour to the sauté pan as you can. Scrape any remaining tapioca flour from the measuring cup and transfer it to the sauté as well. Stir the liquid until the vegetables in the pan are evenly covered. Then add the the bay leaves, dried thyme, and dried sage. Stir until evenly distributed in the pan, cover, and simmer on MEDIUM for about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer two cups of soup (avoid gathering up the bay leaves) to a high-speed blender and purée. Pour the puréed soup back to the sauté pan and simmer covered another 30 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves, season the soup with sea salt and coarse black pepper, garnish with sautéed cauliflower florets, and serve. ENJOY
6. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and consume within about 3-4 days.

Recipe tips and tricks

• The trick to creating dairy-free creaminess is in puréeing two cups of the soup in a high-speed blender and transferring it back to the soup. Along with the tapioca flour, this thickens the soup’s consistency and also makes it creamy.
• This is an excellent weekend soup. Consider prepping it on Thursday evening and simmering it either that night or on Friday, and you’ll have a soup to last you through the weekend. Alternatively, prepare it on Sunday for the week ahead.
• If you want to add fresh herbs to your soup for added flavor, then absolutely go for it. Depending on the herb, you may want to remove them before serving. Sometimes sage leaves get slimy or soggy and thyme sprigs are sticklike choking hazards. For any that are sticklike, count how many you add so you know how many to remove. If you do include fresh herbs, then, as with the bay leaves, scoop around sticks and stems when pulling two cups of soup to be puréed.

More slurpy comfort recipes in a bowl!

If it’s creamy dairy-free soups you’re in the mood for, then you’ll love these eats! They are savory, herby, creamy, and totally dairy-free.

• Dairy-Free Homemade Creamy Vegetable Soup
• Cinnamon, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
• Creamy Roasted Garlic and Onion Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Dairy-Free Creamy Broccoli Soup

Side note: I was inspired by a few recipes when I was dreaming this beauty up! Namely, Ali’s delectable-looking Creamy Cauliflower Soup over at Gimme Some Oven, and Roasted Cauliflower Soup over at Damn Delicious. Today’s recipe has been paleo-ized, made dairy-free, and is vegan-friendly.

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always remember I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup

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Dairy-Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup is a healthy comfort food recipe!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 7 cups 1x
• Category: Soups and Stews
• Method: Stovetop and blender
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 heads cauliflower, broken into medium-sized florets
• 4 cups bone broth (paleo) or vegetable broth (vegan or paleo)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• Coarse black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. To a large sauté pan add the coconut oil, white onion, garlic, and sea salt and sauté on MEDIUM heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the diced onion becomes translucent and the garlic begins to deepen in color. 
2. Then add the cauliflower florets to the pan and sauté them until they turn a light yellow color and begin to soften slightly. If desired, reserve a handful of cauliflower florets to later add as a garnish.
3. To a large measuring cup, add the broth, almond milk, and the tapioca flour. Stir until combined. If the tapioca flour begins to seize up, that’s okay. Transfer the liquid and as much of the tapioca flour to the sauté pan as you can. Scrape any remaining tapioca flour from the measuring cup and transfer it to the sauté as well. Stir the liquid until the vegetables in the pan are evenly covered. Then add the the bay leaves, dried thyme, and dried sage. Stir until evenly distributed in the pan, cover, and simmer on MEDIUM for about 30 minutes. 
4. Transfer two cups of soup (avoid gathering up the bay leaves) to a high-speed blender and purée. Pour the puréed soup back to the sauté pan and simmer covered another 30 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves, season the soup with sea salt and coarse black pepper, garnish with sautéed cauliflower florets, and serve. ENJOY!
6. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and consume within about 3-4 days.

Notes

• The trick to creating dairy-free creaminess is in puréeing two cups of the soup in a high-speed blender and transferring it back to the soup. Along with the tapioca flour, this thickens the soup’s consistency and also makes it creamy. 
• This is an excellent weekend soup. Consider prepping it on Thursday evening and simmering it either that night or on Friday, and you’ll have a soup to last you through the weekend. Alternatively, prepare it on Sunday for the week ahead.
• If you want to add fresh herbs to your soup for added flavor, then absolutely go for it. Depending on the herb, you may want to remove them before serving. Sometimes sage leaves get slimy or soggy and thyme sprigs are sticklike choking hazards. For any that are sticklike, count how many you add so you know how many to remove. If you do include fresh herbs, then, as with the bay leaves, scoop around sticks and stems when pulling two cups of soup to be puréed.