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Creamy Fennel Roasted Cauliflower Soup (Vegan)

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Creamy roasted cauliflower soup is a healthy comfort food that will warm you up on a chilly day! Made with a hefty dose of fennel for bone density, anti-inflammatory properties, and gut health, this vegan cauliflower soup is also gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and low carb.

vegan cauliflower soup with fennel

 

Thought you should know that this roasted cauliflower soup post is sponsored by my friends at Bob’s Red Mill. They’re awesome to me, so thanks for being awesome to them in return!

We did it!  We made it to Fall and all of a sudden the temps dropped. It’s a crisp 70F with a low of 45F. Ohhhhh it on, and soup weather is so here! Plus all the seasonal veggies. LOVE LOVE LOVE me some squash, persimmon, cauliflower, fennel, carrots, sweet potato… I could go on!

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Well, maybe just a little. The whole focus of this post? Is SOUP! How to make “cheesy” vegan soup (that’s also paleo friendly).

  • How to sneak in extra veggies to soup
  • How to make a CREAMY bisque-like soup (without the dairy)
  • How to thicken soups with grain free starches, like arrowroot and tapioca starch/flour

Yep, Soups on! You ready?

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY FENNEL ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

a bowl of roasted cauliflower soup topped with fresh herbs

How to Make CREAMY Vegan Soups

First up, let’s talk VEGAN soup recipes.

3 bowls of vegan creamy roasted cauliflower soup

 

Have you ever tried to make a “cheesy” or creamy plant based soup, but were disappointed that it didn’t have that thick, creamy consistency you expected? I feel ya. Creamy soups are usually made with heavy cream and cheese. If you’re eating dairy free and/or vegan, obviously, those ingredients aren’t options.

Never fear… help is here!

Making Creamy Fennel Roasted Cauliflower Soup

There are some important but simple, plant-based ingredients that will create a thick, creamy vegan friendly soup.

packages of Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast, tapioca and arrowroot

 

INGREDIENT ONE:

To make creamy vegan soups, you need to start with a creamy nut milk base. Obvious choices would be:

  • almond milk
  • cashew milk
  • coconut milk

INGREDIENT TWO:

Another vegan product I use in this roasted cauliflower soup is nutritional yeast. Obviously Bob’s Red Mill is our favorite! I use nutritional yeast  to add a “cheesy” taste, and for the health benefits. It’s a great cheese replacement for pesto, sauces, and pizza toppings too!

What are the health benefits of this “cheesy” flake? Oh, lemme tell ya!

Nutritional yeast delivers protein and B vitamins, both of which are important for a vegan and vegetarian diet.

a package of nutritional yeast flakes

INGREDIENT THREE:

Arrowroot starch or tapioca starch will help thicken the soup naturally. No need for corn starch or a grain here. Both of these starches are naturally gluten free, grain free, and legume free!

Timing is key with these ingredients, though. If you add the plant based thickener too late in the making of the roasted cauliflower soup, it won’t have that chowder-like texture you want. And if you add it too early, you’ll end up with a consistency that I can only call vegan roasted cauliflower soup wet concrete. Haha!

Alright, let’s put it all together now.

sheet pan full of roasted fennel and roasted cauliflower

  • Spice your cauliflower and fennel
  • Roast
  • Blend and mix 
  • Cook and watch it thicken… ahhhh! 

a bowl of vegan roasted cauliflower soup thickened with nutritional yeast

 

 

Print

Creamy Fennel Roasted Cauliflower Soup

★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay Cotter
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This creamy roasted cauliflower soup is made with a hefty dose of fennel for bone density, anti-inflammatory properties, and gut health. This vegan cauliflower soup is also gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and low carb.

Scale

Ingredients

To ROAST

  • 1 lb cauliflower  (small 1 head) or 1 lb florets
  • 1 fennel bulb/ sliced
  • 2 –3 tbsp olive oil (extra to garnish)
  • 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp Smoked paprika or regular paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • Salt/Pepper

Soup Base

  • 3 cups veggie broth
  • 8 to 10 ounces almond or coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter (or clarified butter/ghee if not vegan)
  • Thyme sprigs (extra for garnishing)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
  • 3–4 tbsp Nutritional yeast. (see notes for substitutes)
  • Optional non dairy cream or coconut cream to top.
  • Sea Salt/peppercorns to garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450F. Cut cauliflower into pieces or florets.
  2. Slice off the stem of the fennel and cut lengthwise into sections.
  3. Toss cauliflower and fennel is  2 to 2.5 tbsp olive oil, balsamic, and spices and spread out evenly on baking sheet.
  4. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning over veggies halfway. Remove from oven and carefully place all ingredients into a blender. If you don’t have a blender, set aside and see notes.
  5. Add 1 pint of vegetable broth to blender (3 cups) and blend until combined. Next add in your 8 ounces of almond or coconut milk and blend again until you get a creamy base. The more milk you add, the thinner the soup base will  be. Set aside.
  6. In a large stock pot place a few sprigs thyme, garlic, butter, and sauté for 3 minutes on medium.
  7. Next add your roasted cauliflower fennel soup mix to the pot the butter and garlic.. Scrape the blender with a spatula to get everything out. Add a dash more salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
  8. Reduce and then slowly mix in 1 tbsp arrowroot starch, whisking while you add.
  9. Lastly, mix in nutritional yeast (3-4 tbsp) and simmer for another 15 minutes.
  10. Serve with thyme and oregano on top to garnish
  11. Optional: drizzle olive oil and non dairy milk or coconut cream. Salt and peppercorns to garnish.

Notes

  • If you don’t have nutritional yeast and can handle dairy, Parmesan can be substituted, but it will not have the same health benefits. And if you don’t have arrowroot starch, potato starch or tapioca starch may be used.
  • If you don’t have a blender, you can use an immersion blender. I recommended adding the ingredients into pot, after the cauliflower/fennel is roasted, little by little and blending with immersion blender. The starch will be added last before you boil again.
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: stove
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: soup, creamy soup, vegan soup, cauliflower, roasted vegetables, paleo, low carb, dinner, dairy free

Okay, have I convinced you?

beautifully garnished bowls of creamy cauliflower soup garnished with fresh herbs, black peppercorns and a drizzle of olive oil

Creamy soups, creamy cheesy vegan soups, extra thick and extra healthy —> they do exist and can easily be made right in you kitchen. Mwah!

Bring on the soup season!

Keep up with the compassionate, fun-loving Bob’s Red Mill on social media. They are full of gluten free inspiration! Facebook, Twitter   Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

 

Cheers,

LC

Related Posts

Photo of Lindsay Cotter of Cotter CrunchHi, I’m Lindsay!  Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of Nourishing Superfood Bowls, and meal plan guru! I’d love to know you more! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and drop a comment below.

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  10. Jennifer Blake says

    September 25, 2018 at 2:12 PM

    Oh my goodness the roasted cauliflower in this soup is so fantastic. For some reason I have been craving cauliflower a lot lately so this is a must!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Madison Smith says

    September 26, 2018 at 4:17 AM

    Hi…Lindsay…Your soup is really awesome & looks sooo yummy and creamy, i will can’t make this soup….Thanks for sharing…and keep shard your new amazing ideas…..!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Cassie Autumn Tran says

    September 29, 2018 at 5:36 PM

    GAHHH nutritional yeast makes EVERYTHING more flavorful! I live for adding it to all my savory dishes. Heck, I’ve seen cinnamon roll recipes with nutritional yeast for the cream cheese frosting. Anyways, this looks like a fantastic and comforting soup recipe that I would love to dig into! Roasted cauliflower adds the perfect smokiness and depth that would taste a million times more delectable than just boiled cauliflower too!

    Reply

  14. Dorcas Walters says

    October 4, 2018 at 5:26 AM

    The recipe says – if you don’t have a blender see notes – but there don’t seem to be any…?
    I haven’t found any nutritional yeast yet but am planning to try this & hoping my son will eat it – he won’t eat soup with lumps in!

    Reply

  16. Heather B. says

    October 9, 2018 at 1:56 PM

    I just printed out this recipe and I’m looking forward to trying it! It sounds delicious and looks gorgeous too. Just a note, however, for something you might want to correct in your recipe: A pint is actually equivalent to 2 cups, so I would simply delete your references to the pint and simply list the vegetable broth amount as 3 cups.

    Reply

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