Flavorful and satisfying, a warm bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup is deliciously comforting on a cold day. Cook all the ingredients on the stove and then blend to get that smooth, silky consistency. You can garnish with crunchy, flavorful toppings like homemade croutons and crispy bacon.
One reader, Gwen, commented: “Just made this flavorful soup! I paired it with your recipe for homemade croutons. My husband couldn’t believe he was eating cauliflower! Most delicious. Many thanks. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Tisha, commented: “I made this on a cold winter day and it was absolutely delicious! It is now one of my favorite soups! ★★★★★“
Today’s cozy soup boasts a luxuriously creamy texture without relying on flour, cornstarch, or tons of heavy cream—just a hint of cream is optional! The secret lies in the natural thickening power of potatoes and cauliflower. Combined with savory onion, garlic, and fragrant herbs, it’s bursting with flavor.
It delivers the rich taste of classic potato soup while sneaking in fiber-rich, nutritious cauliflower—and it was a big hit with taste testers of all ages! You can serve alongside a fresh salad and a warm slice of artisan bread, for a meal that will leave you feeling satisfied, but not weighed down.
If you like the flavor and texture of New England-style clam chowder, you’ll love this creamy cauliflower potato soup. 🙂
Why You’ll Love This Soup:
- Lightened-up comfort food
- Wholesome main dish that can easily be made vegetarian
- Naturally gluten free
- Creamy consistency, without flour, cornstarch, or lots of cream
- Sneaks in nutrient-rich, high-fiber cauliflower—our young taste testers loved this soup!
- 1-pot meal
- Keeps for days in the refrigerator and reheats well
- Serve it in a bread bowl or topped with homemade croutons to level up your soup game
Ingredients You Need for Flavorful Potato Soup
On their own, cauliflower and potatoes don’t have a particularly strong flavor, so they benefit from this lineup of accompanying ingredients:
- Butter: A little butter adds the most delicious flavor, but if you would prefer your soup to be dairy free/vegan, feel free to sub olive oil instead. Note that you will lose a little flavor.
- Onion & Garlic: A key base for this soup (and many other delicious meals!).
- Lemon Juice: This may seem like a strange addition to cauliflower and potatoes, but trust me, the soup doesn’t taste nearly as good without it. An acid is definitely needed, and a little squeeze of fresh lemon makes a world of difference here, brightening up and rounding out all the flavors. The soup doesn’t taste at all lemony, and without it, the soup tastes like it’s missing something.
- Herbs/Seasonings: We’re seasoning this soup with dried thyme and parsley, salt and pepper, and a bay leaf (you’ll remove it before blending the soup).
- Broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth—chef’s choice.
- Optional Heavy Cream: For an extra-rich and creamy soup, you can stir in a little heavy cream. But the soup is still deliciously creamy without it!
Best Potatoes to Use
I use Yukon gold potatoes, but you can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or russet potatoes. I haven’t tested this with sweet potatoes, but you can certainly try it!
Make sure to peel them before chopping and adding to the pot. The starchy potatoes will cook down in the broth and, once blended, give this soup its thick, hearty texture. There’s absolutely no need for flour or cornstarch.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
You can make this whole soup in 1 large stockpot or Dutch oven. Start by cooking the onions in the butter. Once they’re beginning to release some moisture and turn translucent, add the minced garlic. Cook and stir for about a minute, and then add the salt, pepper, and herbs. Follow that up with the remaining ingredients. Yep, just toss everything into the pot! (Except the heavy cream; if you’re planning to include it, hold off till the end.)
Bring the soup up to a boil, then lower the temperature and let it simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are nice and soft. Before blending, the soup looks like this:
You can use either a regular blender or an immersion blender. The benefit of an immersion blender is you can just keep the soup in the pot for this step. If using a regular blender, you’ll need to blend in batches. You can use either of these options for this homemade tomato soup, too!
Tips for blending hot soup in a regular (not immersion) blender:
- Let the soup cool slightly before transferring it to the blender.
- Use a ladle to spoon the soup into the blender, don’t try to pour the hot soup from the pot.
- Don’t overfill the blender; fill only about halfway and blend in batches.
- Make sure your blender has a vented lid, to allow steam to escape.
If you want to stir in a little cream for extra richness, now’s the time:
Toppings & Pairings
For serving this creamy cauliflower potato soup, I like to top it with chopped chives or scallions, parsley, homemade croutons, and/or some crumbled bacon. You could also make a cheesy version by stirring in some freshly shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese.
Serve alongside a fresh green salad with homemade Italian salad dressing, and some crusty artisan bread, homemade garlic bread, or ciabatta bread (or enjoy in a bread bowl!).
If you’re looking for more lightened-up comfort food recipes, be sure to try my butternut squash mac and cheese and creamy chicken noodle soup, too! Both are warming and flavorful, but not too heavy.
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: about 12 cups
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Flavorful and satisfying, a warm bowl of this creamy cauliflower potato soup is deliciously comforting on a cold day. Cook all the ingredients on the stove and then blend to a smooth, silky consistency.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (195g) diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 4 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 6 cups (48 oz./1.4L) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups (about 700g; or 1 lb. 12 oz.) peeled and chopped potatoes (about 1-inch pieces)*
- 4 cups (about 480g; or 1 lb.) cauliflower florets
- optional: 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- optional for serving: chopped chives, scallions, or parsley; croutons; and/or crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic get too brown. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, potatoes, and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 35 minutes. The vegetables should be fork-tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Or let cool slightly and then carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender and puree in batches (see Notes for instructions). If using, stir or blend in heavy cream.
- Serve soup warm and top with chopped chives, croutons, and/or crumbled bacon, if desired.
- Keep leftovers in a large covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing: Soup freezes wonderfully! Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before eating, then reheat on the stove until warm.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | Large Pot or Dutch Oven (such as this Le Creuset Dutch Oven or Lodge Dutch Oven) | Blender or Immersion Blender
- Lemon Juice: This may seem like a strange addition to cauliflower and potatoes, but trust me, the soup doesn’t taste nearly as good without it. An acid is definitely needed, and a little squeeze of fresh lemon makes a world of difference here, brightening up and rounding out all the flavors. Without it, the soup tastes like it’s missing something.
- If Using a Standard Blender: Let the soup cool some before transferring to a blender. Using a ladle, spoon the slightly cooled soup into the blender, filling no more than halfway (you’ll need to puree the soup in batches). Be sure to use a vented lid to allow steam to escape.
- Best Potatoes to Use: I use Yukon gold potatoes in this soup, but you can use any white or yellow/gold potatoes, or russet potatoes. I haven’t tested this with sweet potatoes, but you can certainly try it!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 251.4 mg
- Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.6 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 15.8 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Another Sally win!! With all these negative degree days, soup sounded so good! I doubled the recipe and used half red potatoes and half sweet potatoes, and threw in some ground chicken. Really tasty, satisfying, and healthy!
How do you think this would taste with sweet potatoes?
Hi Aimee, We haven’t tested this with sweet potatoes, but you can certainly try it!
This was AMAZING! I included the cream (since this seems to be a controversial ingredient) and the texture was perfect. Like 1000/10, this will become a winter staple in our house.
This soup is amazing! I did not use cream. I did use a big handful of fresh minced parsley before serving. It is so flavourful, and rich. Real comfort food. Thank you Sally for another great recipe. ❤️
This soup is wonderful. It didn’t need heavy cream, it is a perfect texture from the potatoes and cauliflower. It will be perfect along side grilled cheese tonight!
This soup is delicious on its own! I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and two pieces of crumbled bacon for a little extra texture and flavor. So good!
This is delicious although I didn’t add cream but did use homemade stock.
I made this soup during a snowstorm here in Philly. It was fantastic! Perfect for a cold wintry night! Thanks for a great recipe! Actually, you’re my go-to when I want to try something new. Made your pizza dough last week. Another keeper! My favorite though is your chocolate chip cookies! The BEST! Thank you!
Very good! I don’t usually write reviews, but this soup’s flavor surprised me, it is delicious. P.S. All of Sally’s recipes that I’ve made are very good. I love the detailed directions.
Fantastic soup! I added bacon and green onion topping. My husband was very pleased with it even without chunks of potato (or knowledge of the cauliflower in the pot!). A second batch is cooking so we can pull out of freezer during the week. Highly recommend this recipe!
12/10 soup! The most creamiest and silkiest soup I ever had, even in fine-dining establishments. The flavor profile that comes out of this soup also matches a fine-dining experience. I made this for my VERY picky mother, she also had nothing but high-praise for this soup and said “this taste like something from a fancy place”.
Can’t thank you enough Sally and team for another perfect recipe! Thank you for impressing my picky mother!
Super easy and delicious! I added the heavy cream and used the immersion blender. Would definitely make again.
This soup has so much flavor! Everybody loved it! I added the cauliflower and potatoes in the blender but I left a lot of potatoes out of the blender and just added to soup because I wanted more chunks in the soup. Next time though I will put more in blender because I think it would have gotten thicker. It was still great but it was alittle thinner than I wanted. Will definitely making this again and again!
My husband was skeptical, but he was pleasantly surprised! The only thing I tweaked was adding a Parmesan cheese rind to the pot while everything cooked. I’m certain this soup would be phenomenal without it, too. I’ll definitely make this again. It was “soup”er easy!
Delicious. I made this on a cold winter day and it was absolutely delicious! It is now one of my favorite soups!
Not much flavor almost bland
Followed recipe exactly
Hoping it would have more flavor
Wow! This soup is fabulous! I made it twice already – since I only needed half a head of cauliflower, and half of a bag of potatoes per soup. I made one of the soups vegan (such simple substitutions), and both are absolutely amazing. I will make this again and again, and will definitely share!
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Could I use a crock pot to make it?
Oh my gosh, I made the soup last night and it was so delicious. The only change I did was needed a bit more salt. The soup was so creamy that I didn’t even need the cream. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Delicious! Easy to make. I halved the recipe and it was great.
This sounds great and I will try it. Years ago, I had a weight watcher recipe with cauliflower and clams that made a very good lower calorie substitute for traditional clam chowder. I may test by adding clams to just one serving to see if it works.
I made this soup last night for dinner & it was delicious!!! I had some smoked kielbasa sausage left over from another recipe I made & fried up small pieces to add on top. I also added a spoonful of sour cream to my soup & Sally this was soooo good!!! I have enough for 2 more meals for my husband & myself.
Do i need to blend or puree the soup?
Can i leave cauliflower and potatoes chopped
Hi Cecilia, we recommend blending/pureeing this soup, yes.
Oh my goodness gracious! This soup is so smooth, comforting, and delicious! (And I even omitted the cream!)
Just made this flavorful soup! I paired it with your recipe for homemade croutons. My husband couldn’t believe he was eating cauliflower! Most delicious. Many thanks.
Recipe looks great. Planning to try it today. I think I might use chicken bone broth to up the protein.
I printed the recipe and was disappointed to see that the nutrition info was not included in the printed version notes. Can that be fixed in the future?
Hi Brenda, it’s an option you can check off on the print page. Let me double check that the settings are loading properly. I hope you enjoy the soup!
If you wanted to leave some potato chunks would you just pull some out before blending and then add back?
Hi Amy, that would work. Enjoy!
Regarding protein, do you think reducing the potatoes and adding blended chickpeas would work?
Hi Barb, you can certainly try it!
Can you use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh? I love this idea to make for my senior parents, especially my dad who has trouble chewing. Great way to add veggies without difficult textures.
Yes, you can use frozen cauliflower.
Thank you!
Love this recipe! Any suggestions on how to increase the protein? Add sautéed chicken or turkey sausage?
Hi Sue! I think sausage would be great, perhaps around 12 ounces. You could cook it separately and then stir it into the soup after blending.
This was amazing! The lemon juice was a wonderful addition. Very creamy and full bodied and no need for cream. Thank you!