Curried Cauliflower Soup
Creamy, vegan cauliflower soup made with coconut milk and spiced with Thai curry paste. This healthy, comforting soup recipe is perfect for chilly days.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 14, 2024
Did you survive Thanksgiving? Good. Me too, barely. While in Oklahoma, I ate German chocolate cake for breakfast (more than once), overdosed on queso (entirely necessary) and cheered on the karaoke singers in a smoky Oklahoma City dive bar. Now it’s Monday, which means it’s time to get back into the swing of things. I’m going to need another cup of coffee for this.
Which reminds me: I’m out of half and half for my coffee. I’m also out of fresh greens and produce, so my lunch options are looking bleak.
I really wish I had more of this Thai-spiced, roasted cauliflower and coconut milk soup. It’s a fun, dairy-free spin on classic cauliflower soup that is loaded with good-for-you vegetables and spices. It’s exactly what my body needs after all that chocolate and cheese.
I made this soup with the help of some beautiful wooden tools from my sponsor over there in the sidebar, Earlywood Designs. The rock-solid ironwood cutting board, jatoba ladle and maple sauté stick—all Earlywood. All handcrafted by Brad in Red Lodge, Montana. They are gorgeous heirloom pieces that I look forward to cooking with for the rest of my life, and I’m happy to have the chance to promote a sustainable small business.
A note on cauliflower. Even if you are not a big fan, I beg you to try roasted cauliflower. I still don’t love raw or steamed cauliflower (I’m a broccoli girl) but I absolutely love roasted cauliflower. Roasted cauliflower with a little bit of salt is, like, French fry good. Totally irresistible. And when you blend it up in a soup, it just makes the soup more creamy and hearty. Try it!
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Creamy, vegan cauliflower soup made with coconut milk and spiced with Thai curry paste. This healthy, comforting soup recipe is perfect for chilly days. Recipe yields 4 bowls of soup.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-to-large head of cauliflower (2 to 3 pounds), broken into small florets
- Up to 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste* (depending on the brand and your preferred spice level)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- Optional: ½ cup unoaked white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)**
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
- 1 to 3 teaspoons rice vinegar, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Optional garnishes: ¼ cup chopped green onions or chives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (preferably Thai), or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the cauliflower with enough oil to lightly coat it (up to 3 tablespoons). Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast until the tips of the cauliflower are golden brown, about 25 to 35 minutes.
- Wait until the cauliflower is done before starting the soup (this is a good time to prep the remaining ingredients). In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is turning translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the curry paste and lemon zest and stir to incorporate. If you’re using the wine, raise the heat to medium-high, pour it in, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Add half of the cauliflower florets and all of the stems to the pot. Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering for 5 to 10 more minutes to meld the flavors, reducing the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Let the soup cool for a few minutes. For the creamiest results, transfer the soup in small batches to a blender, blending until each batch is smooth. (Don’t fill your blender past the maximum fill line; beware of the steam escaping from the lid.) Or, use an immersion blender and blend well.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup needs more acidity, stir in 1 to 2 additional teaspoons of vinegar (it will taste fantastic once you’ve added enough). Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Top each with ¼ of the cauliflower florets and a sprinkle of green onions, basil, and pepper flakes (if using). Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Adapted from The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook.
*Thai red curry paste: I used Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste for this soup, which is vegetarian (some other Thai curry pastes contain shrimp). It’s pretty readily available in grocery stores these days and shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars. Look for it in the Asian food section, near the coconut milk.
2025 recipe edits: I revisited this recipe and made a few edits/notes. I omitted the sugar, increased the broth, verified that the soup is great without the wine, and tweaked the roasting time.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Earlywood Designs. Opinions are my own, always.
I saw your soup on Pinterest and I made it with cilantro on the top for my husband. Spicy , but delicious:) Thank you!
That’s great to hear! Thanks, Maria!
Tasty and beautiful! (I’ve nicknamed is “sunset soup” due to the beautiful colors that end up swirling around the pot). Thank you so much for sharing! Warmly, Gina
Sunset soup! I love that. Thanks, Gina!
I made this for my expended family yesterday. I made a mild version for the kids using less curry. Nobody liked it – including me. I followed the recipe, and was really excited, but it just didn’t taste good :(
Jane, so sorry to hear you all didn’t enjoy the soup. :( The curry paste is really important in this one, so I wonder if that’s why it didn’t taste good. Or maybe cauliflower and curry just isn’t for your family? I’m sorry!
Love this soup! Had to use frozen cauliflower, as we live in Africa and can’t always get fresh veg when we want it. I LOVE cauliflower but hate frozen. This was a great way to get the yumminess even with frozen. The warmth of the red curry was just delicious! So glad to have found your website. Looking forward to the apple pancakes next weekend (apples I can get here).
Thanks!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m glad to hear this soup turned out well with frozen cauliflower. Hope you enjoy the other recipes just as much!
Do you think it would taste good to put all the ingredients into a crock pot for a few hours? @Lazy cook. ;)
Hi! I’m not sure how that would work for this soup. It really benefits from the flavor of roasted cauliflower.
Thank you! I thought so. I will let you know how it worked out if I try the crock pot version.
I work at a assisted living and I do cooking demo twice a month and I saw this recipe and had to try it. I love curry and coconut and so did my residents.
Thank you
Thank you! So glad you all enjoyed it!
This is the best damn soup I have ever tasted. I have made it several times and it never disappoints. I usually end up roasting the cauliflower for longer than called for, but I enjoy the time to work on other tasks when I get home from work, while dinner is partially cooking. (: Thanks for the excellent recipe, Kate (and Cookie!)
Woohoo! Thanks, Liz!
So excited to eat this tonight. A perfect soup on a stormy night in New England. Now if only my photos looked as good as your recipes taste! Very thankful to have found your website. Love the recipes.
Thank you, Lori! I’m really glad you found my site!
Wow. At first I raised an eyebrow at the light coconut milk. You couldn’t have been more spot on. The freshness of this soup just dances in your mouth. Which is why I may eat the entire pot in one night =/
Thanks, Margot! :)
This was so quick and easy to make, and is so yummy!
Thank you, Jamie!
My husband FLIPPED over this soup. He kept saying, “This is like something from a five star restaurant!” I did make a few changes–tho not on purpose! I didn’t think I would get out to the store for curry paste and coconut milk, so in the early stages I added 5-6 chopped garlic cloves and one or two chopped white carrots as we (oddly) had them on hand. But then the rest of the soup came together. It was indeed STUNNING. Regarding spicy-factor: I put in only 1.5 tablespoons of curry paste and it was as hot as I could stand it. (Though husband said that is what won him over–the spiciness of it :)
Hooray! Thank you, Fay!!!
I have made this soup several times and not only do I love it, my husband asks for it regularly. Most men are meat and potatoes, especially mine, so that says a lot! We love Tia food and the hotter, the better. To increase the spice we add jalapeño and red pepper flakes to this recipe but we stick true it. I have made it for friends and they were “wowed.” This recipe is a MUST try!! Love it!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Thank you for letting me know, Deanna! So glad you all have been enjoying it. I love spicy food so your version sounds amazing to me!
What kind of a blender do you use? I found that the magic bullet just didn’t do the trick, and the soup, although DELICIOUS, was a chunky texture instead of the smooth texture in your fabulous pictures. Any suggestions?
Obsessed with this recipe! Used olive oil instead of coconut, and also added celery and carrots with the onions. Thank you for sharing!
This soup is too good – just finished making it for the second time tonight. I stumbled upon your blog just before Valentine’s Day (mushroom risotto!) and I sure wish I had found you sooner :)
Hello! I just found your blog this week and I’m in love. I’ve been cooking from it daily and have been amazed with everything. I made this soup tonight and while the flavor profile is outstanding, my version isn’t much of a soup. It’s more like oatmeal. I started with an immersion blender then transferred it all to a food processor but it is still quite thick. I think I need more liquid but I’m afraid I’ll dilute the flavor. Any advice?
Delicious!!!!
Delicious!
This was maybe the best thing I have ever tasted in life. We left it slightly chunky…gorgeous! I want to give it a 6 star – ******(looks like I’m swearing;) Thanks so much!
5 Stars! I altered it a bit due to heat sensitivity, using just about 1.5 T. of the red curry paste, and added about 1 T. garam masala spice mix to up the flavor and about a cup of sweet potato in lieu of the sugar as someone suggested. I also sautéed a chicken breast with some Thai spice seasoning and stirred in the cubed chicken at the end. Topped it with chopped green onion and cilantro from my back yard, and ate with some warm naan bread to sop it up. Sooooo good, thank you Kate!
Just made this. Really didn’t like it. The cauliflower give it an unpleasant texture and there is a very unpleasant after taste. Won’t be trying it again
Made the curried cauliflower soup. Did not use the wine (didn’t want to open a large bottle of wine for just 1/2 cup) It is delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Hi Kate & Cookie, I am so excited for stumbling across your blog. This is the 2nd recipe I have cooked of yours in the recent weeks – you are so on the money. This is another winner ! We just love the use of the roasted cauliflower. I replaced the lemon with a bunch of kaffir lime leaves from our tree. Your recipe is so delicious. Thank you !!!
This was fantastic!! I made this after a weekend of too many cocktails and finger foods. I needed something comforting and easy to make. I love your thai red curry and I have added this to my list of favourites as well. Thank you for posting. I love getting a new recipe!
Joanne
Toronto, Ontario
I thought this recipe looked fantastic so I eagerly tried it. Sadly it was not edible. Partly because I used too much curry but it also had an overwhelming sour taste even before I added the vinegar. I did not use the fresh lemon but the equivalent for lemon juice, usually this works fine. It was so disappointing.
Made this recipe last week, but without the rice vinegar and wine, and it was AMAZING. Comfortingly creamy, rich in flavour, but still feels like a light meal. Preheating my oven right now to make another batch!
Would this freeze well?
Yes, I believe so!
Just made this soup! As a roasted cauliflower fan, I was really excited to try it because it also has so many of my other favorite elements…. the spicy, the green, the lemon, etc.. one thing I added to make it somewhat tangier was some of the juice of the zested lemon. It definitely gave it a brighter note and was very delicious! The only suggestion I would make to others who try it is be patient and give the immersion blender time to smooth it out. That’s one thing I will do next time to improve on that desired texture. Thanks for this recipe and all the others I can’t wait to try. I’m amped up for autumn!
Thanks, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup!
I just made this tonight so tatsy and cleansing :) thanks for the recepie
Thanks, Tara!
Can’t wait to make this cauliflower soup. Your site and style are totally inspiring.
check your red curry paste, many made with dried shrimp paste, therefore not for vegetarian use
I have now made this recipe about 5 times and love it. I always double it! I think I may be addicted. I make just a few tweaks–red onions instead of yellow because I prefer the flavor. I add the juice of the lemon. I add a touch of red pepper because I like heat. I also add some minced garlic, also just because I think everything needs garlic. I am roasting a yellow pepper with my cauliflower tonight. We’ll see how it goes. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Thank you, Jen! Glad to hear you’re loving this one! Your version sounds stellar.
Hello –
Made this over the weekend we celebrated our Thanksgiving. Fantastic!!!!.
Have you ever tried freezing this?
Joanne
Thank you, Joanne! I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I bet it would freeze well since it’s dairy free.
Silky smooth tasty soup. Thank you
Hi
I would like to try this soup but using a can of coconut milk has so much calories…can I use the half can and add more stock instead?
Tried out this soup tonight – easy with so much flavor! I’m only cooking for two, so I’ll be freezing half and taking a small serving with my lunch tomorrow, very excited to show off my yummy food. My carnivore boyfriend was left a little bit hungry, so we’ll probably do some grilled chicken on the side for him next time.
I am about to finish up my curry soup & realized i just bought the green curry paste. Will it make a different soup?
Hmmm, I’m not really sure! I think it will still be really tasty, although it’ll be a different color.
Made the soup, added ginger and garlic, sauteed some red peppers and sliced jalapenos to put in at the end, omg, so good! Thank you
This soup is exquisite. I’m a great fan of soup and Thai food, and this as good as any I’ve ever had from my favorite Thai restaurants. I made one substitution in the recipe, and it turned out well: I left out the sugar and I grilled a cubed sweet potato along with the cauliflower and pureed it into the soup. Thanks for this recipe: a new family favorite.
This was absolutely delicious. Only changes I made were to swap chicken broth for the veggie broth and eliminate the basil as I didn’t have any. A definite keeper.
Do you have any of the nutritional information for this recipe. Like calories, etc?
Thanks :)
Made this cauliflower soup today, was delicious! Improvised a little, added some chicken tenders and a can of rotel tomatoes because I had no peppers! Didn’t add any sugar either, used whole coconut mil.Was too hungry to blend and ate it with cauliflower chunks! Oh my!!! Will do again!
Super yummy! You were right about the red curry paste, – at least three tablespoons :)
Thanks so much for sharing!
This won’t make your day, sorry. I am an experienced cook and followed the instructions as written. Family hated it…the mistake for me is using the wine and vinegar. I should have noticed that most people commenting had not even made the recipe. Honestly it tasted awful…..we chucked it.
I take issue with Ms. O’Brien’s “experienced cook” text review. She is apparently not an “experienced” reader as she states most reviewers of this recipe had not actually prepared the recipe which is, in fact, far from the truth. I only try recipes reviewed by tried and true, er, try-ers, and my experience on this site is that most recipes have overwhelming consistent feedback from folks who have made the recipes at least once. I dislike snark on websites, especially an innocuous food one, but here I am knee-jerking over a blatantly misleading review. If you don’t like the dish, then don’t like it. Just don’t add your own unrelated misconception. At best, it’s not a bit helpful. By the way, this soup is outstanding. Like many other reviewers, I nixed the wine and sugar since the rice vinegar is sweet and I rarely have any form of alcohol on hand. We all know our own palates and, pun intended, should follow our guts in search of taste nirvana. For my part, I am so grateful to have stumbled onto this site. Results from at least a dozen highly reviewed dishes have all been simply delicious – something most welcome when the goal is to eat things without eyeballs. Thank you!
This was delicious!
This soup was AMAZING. I just finished arguing with my boyfriend over who gets the leftovers. Three-ish tablespoons (even being a little heavy handed) with the chili paste was the perfect amount of heat. I skipped the white wine entirely since it wasn’t on hand and didn’t miss it. Will definitely be making again and again.
This soup is delicious! But just so you know many Thai red chili pastes have shrimp paste as an ingredient.
Thanks, Kerry. I haven’t seen that. I use Thai Kitchen since it’s readily available, and it doesn’t have shrimp paste.
Very easy, fast and delicious!
I’ve made a lot of your recipes, and this is my first post. As usual, I appreciate your instructions. Written as if you know I am a beginner and need you to make it “step by step” Thank you for that! This soup worked out perfectly for me, but I learned from a previous recipe, and used 1/3 or the Curry paste recommended. Either you really like it hot or I have some crazy paste here. With 1 TBSP is perfect for me!
You’re welcome, Shawn! I work really hard to make the directions clear and easy to follow, so I appreciate that. Glad you figured out how to tone down the heat for your tastes!
This soup looks incredible! Any chance I could make it a day early & also double it for a dinner party of 6? :)
Yes, I think you could!