This easy Curried Cauliflower Soup recipe is healthy, vegan, veggie-packed, low-fat AND low-carb, paleo/whole30, and packs a deliciously warm and spicy punch! You can make it in 30 minutes with only 5 ingredients in 1 pot. It’s such a great way to fill up on a low calorie food!
I love how smooth and velvety the base of this soup is- the pureed cauliflower gives it a creamy base without any added cream.
With only five ingredients, this soup is cheap to make, takes very little prep time, and very little clean-up time as well!
And some grated zucchini stirred in at the end not only adds even more healthy veggies to this soup, but also gives it a little bite and texture, making it feel more filling.
This soup is perfect for a light lunch, or as a side with dinner, paired with a sandwich or panini. Heck, I’ve even eaten it for breakfast- such a healthy way to start the day! You’re going to love this easy, low-calorie density recipe.
How to make curried cauliflower soup
Just sauté some onions, add broth and cauliflower, cook, puree, and stir in some grated zucchini! Here are the details.
- Start by sautéing some onions and curry powder in olive oil. This will soften the onions and bring out their natural sweetness, and also help bring the oils out in the curry powder, making it as flavorful as possible.
- Add some vegetable broth (or chicken stock, if you prefer) to the pot, along with cauliflower florets. The smaller the florets are, the shorter time it will need to cook.
- Once the cauliflower florets are cooked and tender, after about 15 minutes or so, use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot. Alternatively, you can use a standing blender (but I do recommend buying an immersion blender if you don’t already have one!).
- Finally, stir in some grated zucchini and let it cook for a few minutes more, until the zucchini has softened a bit. Taste and adjust for seasoning, and you’re good to go!
What kind of curry powder should I use?
Curry powder is a blend of spices with a yellow hue.
Curry powder comes in all different kinds. There are some that are very spicy, and some that are mild. Some have lots of warming, aromatic spices like ginger and cinnamon, and others are more simple and traditional.
Almost all of them include turmeric, which gives it its bright yellow color.
You can even make your own curry powder!
Long story short: you can use any curry powder you want. But if you’re unfamiliar with its flavor, I recommend being cautious when adding it to the soup. If it’s very spicy and flavorful, you may only need a little bit. If it’s bland and mild, you may need double what the recipe calls for.
And if you aren’t sure, you can always add more at the end when you’re finished cooking!
How to turbo boost the flavor in this soup
I purposefully created a minimalist, 5-ingredient recipe, but if you’re feeling extra fancy, you can certainly add more ingredients to make the soup more flavorful! Here are my suggestions:
- Add more aromatics, such as minced garlic and minced fresh ginger, to the onions when they are sautéing.
- For a richer texture and taste, try substituting a can of full-fat coconut milk for 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
- Add toppings, such as Greek yogurt, homemade mint chutney, toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds, or chopped bacon. I topped mine with some fresh cilantro, extra veggies, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Can I freeze it?
Yes! Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days and in your freezer for up to 6 months. It keeps beautifully, but you may have to give it a little stir if the ingredients have separated a bit.
Other recipe recommendations
- For more curry powder yumminess, try this curried chicken salad with apples and raisins and this slow cooker butternut squash soup with curry and ginger.
- Cauliflower is such a versatile veggie- if you love it’s low-carb deliciousness, try this roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and raisins or this rosemary infused potato and cauliflower mash.
- If you’re craving Indian-inspired cuisine, try this easy chicken tikka masala or this oven broiled tandoori chicken.
- My favorite velvety smooth soups are this Irish potato leek soup, roasted vegetable soup, and this carrot ginger soup.
- For more turmeric goodness, try this ginger turmeric butternut squash soup or this slow cooker turkey breast.
Be sure to check out all my soup recipes and all my other low carb recipes, too!
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion quartered and sliced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder see notes
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets (about 24 oz.)
- 2 medium zucchini grated
- lime wedges, fresh cilantro, extra cauliflower and zucchini, plain yogurt, sunflower seeds, etc. for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the sliced onion in the olive oil (1 tablespoon) and the curry powder (1 tablespoon) over medium heat until onions are softened and curry power is fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth (4 cups), the cauliflower florets, and the kosher salt (1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to desired consistency (or a standing blender in batches). Stir in the grated zucchini and simmer for 3-5 more minutes, until zucchini is softened a bit.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with extra veggies, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a garnish of fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- Boost the flavor: this recipe is simple and minimalist, but delicious. But for an extra boost of flavor, try adding some minced garlic and fresh ginger with the onions. You can also add a can of coconut milk in place of 1 cup of the broth for a richer, creamier consistency.
- For an extra-smooth consistency, omit the grated zucchini.
- Curry powders vary greatly in type and spice level, so you may need to use more or less than 1 tablespoon. If you aren't familiar with the curry powder you are using, start with 1 teaspoon and add more if needed after pureeing the soup.
- Store in your fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- Recipe adapted from "Curried Cauliflower Soup" on Noom's recipe database.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Penny
So delicious and easy to make.
I added ginger, garlic and lost of lime juice at the end.
The Zuchinni is great in the soup. Next time I would blend a little less so there are some yummy chunks of cauliflower left.
So good.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Adrienne Liss
I’ve made this soup in the past and it was so simple to make and so delicious. When I feel I have to eat light, this is my go to soup. I actually use a bag of cauliflower rice that I keep in the freezer vs cutting up a cauliflower head myself. Plus all the ingredients are just easy to have on hand this way.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Suze
Major yum! I had a head of cauliflower to use up and was craving a fall soup. This is a winner, easy and delicious. Added coconut milk, garlic and ginger per other comments, and had no zucchini on hand, but shredded in some carrot for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love your additions!
Joyce
I love this recipe! Good for breakfast or a fast lunch. I subbed in tomatoes and also sun dried tomatoes for the zucchini. It was delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and love the idea of adding tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes!
Sherry Meegan
This soup is AMAZING! I took a few liberties (accidentally) and it still turned out perfect!
First of all, I had this recipe mixed up with a similar recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry (also by Elizabeth Lindemann) so I had a bit of a rocky start. I thought I was supposed to use coconut oil instead of olive oil so I did (and I’ll do it again!). Secondly, I thought I was supposed to use a purple onion but my only purple onion was spoiled so I ended up using the right onion (phew!). Then, I thought I was going to be using canned coconut milk so I already had the can open before I realized that was supposed to be for the OTHER recipe. Well, that worked out bc I ran out of veggie broth and just substituted the rest with coconut milk (about 3/4 c). What a happy accident THAT turned out to be! (I will definitely ALWAYS sub one cup of coconut milk for one of the cups of broth now! It was DELICIOUS!)
My other subs were just laziness, not stupidity. Instead of using a head of fresh cauliflower, I just thawed two small bags of frozen florets in the fridge the night before. I used about four cups and stashed the rest back in the fridge. As for the zucchini, I had another recipe for this soup and it called for 2 cups zucchini so I split the difference and only used one medium, about three cups. I also didn’t grate it properly (again, pure laziness), I just ran it through my mandoline slicer with the shred teeth on and it turned into zucchini-width julienne strips, which I added as directed and then used my stick blender to blend a little more. I like mine a little chunky anyway so this worked out fine. BEST curry soup EVER!
I’m definitely adding this one to my faves list and it’s going into the weekly rotation! I can’t wait to share it with my mom!
Now that I’m almost out of cauliflower but I still have a zucchini left over, I’ve been eyeing those bags of mixed root vegetables in my freezer…
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing all your substitutions!
Natasha Gauthier
Really yummy recipe. I added some crumbled fetta when i served it and it added some yummy saltyness.
Very happy :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Love the idea of topping the soup with crumbled feta! Thanks for the suggestion, and glad you liked it :-)
Denise Hartman
Awesome! Yummy as is!! Easy, quick and healthy to! Thanks!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Ici
It was amazing! I added a little grated ginger and garlic. If I wanted it fancier some coconut milk, or a sprinkle of raisin or peanuts or cilantro would be so good.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yum I love all those suggestions! So glad you liked it.