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.

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Curried Cauliflower Soup

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.

cauliflower and onions

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.

cauliflower

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.

Curried cauliflower soup ingredients

roasted cauliflower

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!

Thai curry soup

Curried cauliflower soup recipe - cookieandkate.com

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Curried Cauliflower Soup

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 bowls
  • Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 141 reviews

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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. valerie cordemans

    Lovely! I added some lime curry paste, which made it a ting to sour, so left out the vinegar… Perfect as it was -15C here today :)

    1. Kate

      Thanks for sharing!

  2. Melanie

    Amazing. 3 tablespoons yes, and the toppings were a great addition. Ate every last drop (but just three of us :)

    1. Kate

      Love it! Thank you for sharing, Melanie.

  3. Allison

    The BEST soup I have ever had! Thanks so much for sharing! I will most definitely be making this again

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Allison!

  4. Monique

    I timed this recipe x 8 for 32 people as I had a dinner party for 24 and wanted some left over to freeze. Everyone loved it! Two things I changed as I made such a large quantity: I passed the cauliflower through the Magimix before roasting to make it easier to blend and added smoked paprika and Chinese five spice to taste. Thank you for sharing. I think that tjis will have to be a regular starter from now on it was so popular!

    1. Kate

      I’m glad it was a hit! Thanks for reporting back, Monique!

  5. Lisa

    This turned out well. I was short on time, so I didn’t roast the cauliflower but cooked it with the onions – actually, I used leeks. So I’m sure it’s even better with roasted cauliflower. Went together super quick. I garnished with pumpkin seeds and chipped cilantro.

    1. Kate

      Thanks for sharing, Lisa! I love the garnish.

  6. Lily

    Is there a good substitute for the curry paste that would make it less spicy, nonetheless still delicious? Looking forward to trying it!

    1. Kate

      You could cut back the amount. Hope this helps!

  7. Alexis

    Used lemon instead of vinegar and added a little garlic. Came out great!

    1. Sandi

      the addition of garlic sounds splendid….

    2. Kate

      I’m happy to hear that, Alexis! Thank you for your review!

  8. Sandi

    Simple yet flavorful and down right delicious!!!

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Sandi!

  9. Pat

    This recipe is the first one I ever used with Thai red curry paste and I’ve been hooked ever since! I’ve been making it for the past couple of years. Everyone adores it, and I am asked to make it for winter staff meetings when we do a soup lunch. Thank you!

    1. Kate

      Hooray! What a great soup to share with your co-workers. Thanks for the review, Pat!

  10. Robyn C-W

    Amazing soup! My friend shared this recipe with me, and it’s one I’ll come back to again and again.

    1. Kate

      Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Robyn!

  11. Rachel

    Hi! Is it possible to transfer to a food processor instead of a blender?

    1. Kate

      That should be ok. Let me know what you think!

  12. Ali

    I love this recipe and make it all the time for my family. It’s so satisfying, easy to make, and full of flavor. Great with rice and naan. Thanks!!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Ali! Thanks for your review.

  13. tatiana khassine

    Hi Kate great recipe but it’s not vegan because thai curry paste has fish sauce in it!

    1. Kate

      Hi! You can actually find curry without fish sauce, you just have to look at the ingredients when buying. Thanks for your comment!

      1. Tatiana Khassine

        Thank you Kate. I’ve looked for it but haven’t found it yet. I’ll keep searching. Great website by the way

        1. Sharon Jouas

          FYI: Thai Kitchen makes red curry paste that is vegan.

  14. Eileen

    One of my favorite recipes :) I make it all the time ❤️

    1. Kate

      I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Eileen!

  15. Catherine

    Threw some spinach in because it was going to go off, which added a nice variation in texture (and a good way to get some extra greens). Absolutely love it. (And love this website. I have yet to cook a recipe from you that hasn’t turned out well!)

  16. Rita

    Delicious! I loved this recipe and I am making it again right now…thank you, Kate (and Cookie) :-)

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Rita!

  17. Kerry G

    This is definitely going in our winter dinner rotation! I used chicken stock instead of veggie stock (we’re not vegetarian and I wanted to add a little protein), I added a small red bell pepper with the onion because I had one that needed used up, and I omitted the wine and sugar. It was FANTASTIC! Even my 2 yr old gobbled up 2 bowls of it. I’ll have to double the recipe next time so we’ll have some leftovers. I used 3 tbsp of curry paste and didn’t find it overly spicy (it was the perfect spice level for my kids) so I might at a little squirt of sriracha to my bowl or garnish with slices of hot pepper next time.

    1. Kate

      Great to hear, Kerry! Thank you for sharing.

      1. Barbara Bevens

        Just made your curried cauliflower soup for the first time….it was excellent….hubby said you can make more of that asap….thanks for a great recipe….x

  18. Olivia

    This soup is delicious and easy to make. I wanted to make it more of a meal on it’s own, so added some cooked red lentils (1 cup uncooked) before blending for some protein. It didn’t have much impact on the flavour or texture and went a long way!

    1. Kate

      Thank you for your review, Olivia!

  19. Annie Hall

    Delicious, brought to a family meal and everybody asked for the recipe! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Annie!

  20. Priya

    Can this be made in an instant pot?

    1. Kate

      I haven’t tried it, Sorry!

  21. Jana Jamail

    Such a lovely soup for a fall evening and it’s so filling! Will definitely be making this again!

    1. Kate

      Wonderful to hear, Jana! Thanks for your review.

  22. April

    Delicious! The whole family loved it.

  23. KTV

    Good texture and simple. I found this too sweet event with the rice wine. It was a bit bland for my taste. I added more sweet curry powder and red pepper flakes and garnished with fresh basil chiffonade.

    1. Kate

      I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback!

  24. Hazel Childs

    This soup is so delicious, I’ve made it so many times and it goes so well every time. Very creamy- fantastic for taking to work for lunch!

  25. Gigi

    My daughter made this soup. The best she’s ever made! Thank you for the recipe

  26. Linda Pacini

    Made this tonight because I needed to use a head of cauliflower before it went bad. So glad I did! Exactly the taste I was looking for. Next time I will use 3 tablespoons of the Red Curry because the 2 Tablespoons gave a slight heat but nowhere close to my liking. Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll be making this again for sure!

  27. Kim Lloyd

    This is more than adapted from the Chubby Vegetarian cookbook. Seems misleading here that you said it’s authored by you – should say modified slightly but authored by The Southern Vegetarian cookbook. Please give better credit to recipes you’ve changed slightly.

  28. Kathy

    My whole family really likes this soup. Thank you!

  29. Carol

    Hi Kate!

    Could you please recommend substitutions for the Thai paste, thanks. Can I just add some chili powder (cayenne/paparika) with garlic and ginger to get the same result? Thanks.

    1. Kate

      Hi Carol, Thai chili paste has a pretty unique flavor (it contains ground chili, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, etc.). You could certainly play around with chili powder, garlic and ginger and see what happens!

  30. Melly

    Just delicious! Thank you for a smashing recipe.

  31. Allysen

    this was so delicious and easy! and surprisingly filling. I love love turmeric and cumin so I added a tsp of each when adding the curry paste.

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you loved the curry! Thanks for the review, Allysen

  32. Clark R Miller

    I’m about to make this today. Plan on adding some fresh Peruvian ginger and garlic.Will post results

  33. Kim Clermont

    Hello, Kate! I am looking to make this recipe (super excited about it really), and am wondering about the nutritional information listed…I am on a strict macro regime so I have to be very diligent about my recipes. Where does the 19g of fat come from? I am looking through the ingredients and am stunned that light coconut milk and coconut oil would give that much fat to a portion. Is it because of the wine and the stock? Could there possibly (fingers crossed :)) a misprint?
    Thanks for reviewing my question.

    1. Kate

      Hi Kim! Those do impact the fat. You can always look up the specific ingredients if you are needing to know their specific nutritional information. More on my nutritional disclaimer can be found on the blog. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!

  34. susan

    Didn’t know that adding only 1 tsp of rice vinegar would make the whole dish taste so sour and unlikeable

  35. Marian

    Roasting the cauliflower is an extra step but is SO worth it. The depth of flavour is beautiful. I have already made it again at the request of my family. A perfect comfy fall meal

  36. Laura

    Made this again last night. YUM! I always roast a peeled, chopped up sweet potato along with the cauliflower–and use the whole jar of red curry paste. Amazing, as always!

  37. Leslie

    This soup, just like all of the other recipes I’ve tried from this blog, was so delicious! I used full fat coconut milk, which made it so creamy- but not as healthy. Next time I’ll try it with the light stuff so that I won’t feel guilty eating SO much of it at once (it was hard save some for leftovers). Thank you, Kate!

  38. Angela

    This is literally the best soup I’ve ever made! Thank you!
    I used full fat coconut milk because thats what was on hand, and lemon extract olive oil instead of lemon zest. And so much curry paste :) so so good

    1. Kate

      Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Angela.

  39. Sylvia

    Love this soup. Simple to make and delicious.

  40. Rikkina

    This was so delicious! I had to use panang curry paste, but otherwise followed the recipe to a tee. I was surprised how easy it was to make. My husband raved about it (and he rarely says anything). This will definitely go into my rotation. Thanks so much!!!

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you enjoyed it, Rikkina! I appreciate your review.

  41. Meghan

    This has become my absolute favourite soup to the point that we make it for every holiday. I will admit I skip the wine, additional sugar and vinegar, and subbed lime zest for lemon because that’s what I had, but those are all pretty minor changes. It is DELICIOUS. MAKE THIS NOW!

    1. Kate

      Thank you for your review, Meghan! I’m happy you have loved it.

  42. Nathalie

    Utterly delicious.
    I know my curry paste to be OVERLY HOT and was cautious enough to reduce the amount to one (big) teaspoon. I’m glad I did! Also, I used some pickled red onion (your recipe) instead of the chives I didn’t have (and no rice vinegar to compensate the added acidity).
    Will be doing it many more times!

    1. Kate

      Wonderful to hear, Nathalie! Thank you for your review.

  43. Lori Musteric

    This recipe was so delicious. All the flavors just rolled around in your mouth. I cannot believe how wonderful vegetables can taste. Plant based for one month now and loving it. I love your recipes and the photos. Such colorful foods. Thank you

    1. Kate

      Thank you for sharing, Lori! I’m happy to hear that.

  44. Phillyeatsathome

    My daughter-in-law made this soup for us and it was amazing. I just made it myself today and it is again awesome. I agree more Thai chili paste is the way to go. I love the hit of vinegar – takes it to the next level. I wonder if lime juice might work also?

    1. Kate

      Hi! You can try some lime juice it you like. Let me know what you think.

  45. Eleanor

    This is heaven in a bowl. 10/10. We’ve been trying a lot of your recipes – this and the Thai butternut squash soup are amazing. We think this soup is Masterchef level good – the kind of soup that deserves a white tablecloth and silver cutlery. Can’t wait to try the rest. Thanks !

  46. Kona

    Hello,

    Your soup tasted amazing. I only had green curry paste and it worked out really well. Thanks for the recipe.

  47. Courtney

    Thank you! Used this for meal prep this week, so nice to have it waiting in the freezer. I used Thai Kitchen brand curry paste and used 2 Tbsp.

    1. Kate

      Thank you for sharing, Courtney! I’m happy you enjoyed it.

  48. Wendy

    Thx so much for this amazing recipe! I found myself with a Costco sized bag of cauliflower and time was running out to use it. Somehow the idea of soup in summer did not deter me, and I found your recipe. Followed it pretty much to a T (had to sub chicken broth for veggie, as I had none), and it is AMAZING! A keeper for sure! Next time I’m going to experiment with lime instead of lemon, just for fun, but seriously, WOW! This was fantastic!!!

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you loved it, Wendy! I appreciate your review.

  49. NGoodman

    Mads this tonight. It was delicious.

    1. Kate

      That’s great! Thank you for your review.

  50. Lindsay

    This soup is amazing. I used Thai curry spice powder instead of the paste and it’s divine!