This Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup is topped with caramelized garam masala cauliflower, it's extra creamy, and the ultimate comfort food! Some of the cauliflower is roasted while the rest of the soup simmers on the stove. It's gluten-free, easy to make vegan, and freezer-friendly!
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Why You'll Love This Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup
Extra creamy and flavorful - This soup has a seasoning mix I don't use often (but really should), which is garam masala. A while ago, I shared these Garam Masala Roasted Pecans, but haven't really cooked with it since, so it was time to bring it out again! It brings so much warmth and depth to the soup, and it pairs so well with the cauliflower. The soup is creamy on its own, but I also add cream to make it extra luscious!
Easy to make and freezer-friendly - While this soup requires both the stove and the oven, it's still really simple and easy to make! Everything is done in one pot on the stove while the cauliflower topping roasts in the oven, so both get done at the same time. The soup freezes really well, and it's just as delicious once reheated!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - You'll need a large cauliflower. Part of it is going to simmer with the rest of the soup, and the rest of it will roast in the oven with garam masala spice.
- Sweet potatoes - Look for firm sweet potatoes without any visible dark spots, big scratches, or mold.
- Aromatics - You'll need a mix of yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and tomato paste. I use a similar base for most of my soups; it always adds a ton of flavor. I often like to pre-chop everything and freeze it for soups.
- Spices - The cauliflower is roasted with garam masala and fine sea salt. Garam Masala gives it a ton of flavor, and it's something a little different and unexpected. It's not a spicy spice at all; it just adds a lot of warmth and flavor. It's usually a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon. It can also contain fennel seeds, star anise, bay leaves, or nutmeg.
- Avocado oil - I always use refined 100% pure avocado oil for roasting, but you can use any neutral vegetable oil you have. I don't usually roast with olive oil because it has a lower smoke point, but it can work in a pinch as well.
- Heavy cream - I add a little bit of heavy cream to the soup to cut through the sweetness of the sweet potato and to make it extra creamy. You can skip it, but I highly recommend it! You can always use a non-dairy cream instead, just make sure it's unsweetened.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it dairy-free - The recipe calls for heavy cream to make it extra creamy and smooth. You can either skip it completely or add a small can of coconut milk instead! I would start with ½ cup and add more to taste. The whole thing might be too overpowering, so start small!
- Add some croutons - If you want to double up on the toppings, you can serve the soup with these garlicky Sourdough Croutons!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and add about 4-5 cups to the baking sheet, setting 2-3 cups aside to add to the soup later.
- Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tablespoon avocado oil and toss to coat. Season with 2 teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and toss again to evenly coat.
- Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet, making sure it has enough space, and roast it in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Flip the florets halfway through.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large soup pot and add finely diced onion and the remaining ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt.
- Cook the onion for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to give them time to brown.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds just until fragrant.
- Add diced carrots, diced celery, tomato paste, and the remaining ½ teaspoon garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add diced sweet potatoes and reserved cauliflower florets.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of vegetable broth and then add the rest. There should be enough to cover the vegetables. Add bay leaves.
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- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
- Remove the bay leaves and add freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. You can add some of the roasted cauliflower to the soup here or leave all of it for garnish.
- Blend the soup carefully using an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add heavy cream and blend again or stir. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, lemon juice, or garam masala.
- Serve the soup in a bowl garnished with the roasted cauliflower and a sprinkle of fresh chives or parsley. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Freeze your leftover veggies - Whenever I buy celery and carrots, I often don't use up all of it before it goes bad, so I like to chop them and freeze them for soups. You can do this with onions and garlic as well. It saves you so much time in the kitchen, and you don't waste any food!
- Roast extra cauliflower for leftovers - Depending on the size of your cauliflower and how much you blend into the soup, you may want to get an extra cauliflower head to roast later or the next day to have extra toppings for the soup! It's honestly the best part, and I could eat the whole pan in one sitting!
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerator - Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Wait for it to cool down completely before closing the container with a lid.
Freezer - You can also freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. I like freezing soups in these Souper Cubes! They're made from silicone, and they're great for freezing exact portions. Once frozen, you can transfer the frozen bricks of soup to a ziplock bag or vacuum-seal them for longer storage.
Reheating - Reheat the soup in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Be careful and lower the heat if needed, as it may splatter. If your soup is frozen, defrost it in the fridge overnight first or reheat from frozen with a splash of water.
FAQs
Yes, but be very careful. Always use a regular high-speed blender, one that has the little lid you can keep slightly ajar. Never use something like a Nutribullet that's fully closed to blend any hot liquid because it might explode due to the hot steam!
Yes, you can use coconut milk or any non-dairy cream instead of heavy cream if you prefer. Start small with ½ cup and add more to taste. Make sure your vegan creamer or cream is unsweetened.
Similar Soup Recipes
If you want to try other similar blended soups, check out the four linked below! The broccoli one is actually just like this one and has broccoli florets on top instead of croutons! To see all the latest ones, head over to Soup Recipes!
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Print📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup is topped with caramelized garam masala cauliflower, it's extra creamy, and the ultimate comfort food! Some of the cauliflower is roasted while the rest of the soup simmers on the stove. It's gluten-free, easy to make vegan, and freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower (approx. 7 cups florets)
- 3 tbsp avocado oil, divided (or other cooking oil)
- 2 ½ tsp garam masala, divided
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups diced sweet potatoes (2 medium sweet potatoes)
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth (or more as needed)
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Fresh herbs for garnish (chives, parsley, or cilantro)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and add about 4-5 cups to the baking sheet, setting 2-3 cups aside to add to the soup later.
- Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tablespoon avocado oil and toss to coat. Season with 2 teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and toss again to evenly coat.
- Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet, making sure it has enough space, and roast it in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Flip the florets halfway through.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large soup pot and add finely diced onion and the remaining ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt.
- Cook the onion for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to give them time to brown.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds just until fragrant.
- Add diced carrots, diced celery, tomato paste, and the remaining ½ teaspoon garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add diced sweet potatoes and reserved cauliflower florets.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of vegetable broth and then add the rest. There should be enough to cover the vegetables. Add bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
- Remove the bay leaves and add freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. You can add some of the roasted cauliflower to the soup here or leave all of it for garnish.
- Blend the soup carefully using an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add heavy cream and blend again or stir. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, lemon juice, or garam masala.
- Serve the soup in a bowl garnished with the roasted cauliflower and a sprinkle of fresh chives or parsley. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Vegetable broth: I recommend starting with 4-4 ½ cups of broth here if it covers the vegetables, or more as needed. If your cauliflower or sweet potatoes were extra large, you may need to add more to have enough to cover them. If it wasn’t, I don’t recommend adding more than 5 cups, or you risk the soup being too thin and the roasted cauliflower sinking to the bottom when serving the soup. You can always add more broth or water when you’re blending it.
Storing: Store the soup in an airtight jar or a container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Allow it to cool completely before closing it with a lid. You can also freeze it preportioned in a freezer-safe container for 3-5 months.
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