Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup is a simple yet flavorful soup that's perfect for chilly nights. It's warm and cozy and incredibly easy to make! This soup comes together with just a few wholesome ingredients in about 30 minutes. I like to top mine with yogurt, sambal and cilantro. But if you're vegan, you could leave off the yogurt or use plant based yogurt!
Table of Contents
This Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup is inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in New Smyrna Beach.
If you ever come to visit, you have to check out Cafe Verde. It's an eclectic eatery with a beautiful lush outdoor dining area that's located right on Flagler Avenue.
We eat there at least once a week and it's one of my top choices for lunch and dinner on my New Smyrna Beach Best Restaurants Guide!
Their Indian Spiced Cauliflower Soup soup is incredible! It's so flavorful, creamy, rich and delicious.
Since I love their soup so much, I figured I'd make my own version that's inspired by them so you can enjoy even if you're not in the area.
Although theirs is much creamier and slightly sweeter, my rendition is still super flavorful and delicious.
While I don't have their exact recipe, I'd image you could use another can of coconut milk and some more sugar and it would be pretty spot on!
To make it, all you need is some cauliflower, carrots, onions and curry powder, turmeric and garam masala. And you could use whatever light version of stock (chicken or veg) you have on hand!
The whole things takes about 30 minutes to make and it's so so SO good!
I like to top ours with a scoop of greek yogurt, some sambal chili paste and fresh cilantro for garnish. You could even add a squirt of lime if you're into that sort of thing!
So let's get to it!
Ingredients & substitutions
(scroll down to the bottom for the exact recipe and printable recipe card)
- olive oil - I used olive oil but you could use a neutral oil like avocado, grape-seed, or vegetable oil.
- carrots - any variety of carrots will do! I chopped up whole big ones but you could even use shredded or diced baby carrots. Oh, and sweet potatoes could work, too!
- onion - I always use vidalia onions because I'm in the south and they're just better, but you could use white, yellow or even red if you're in a pinch! Just know that the red onion might change the color of the soup!
- cauliflower - a whole head of cauli is the star of the show! But you could also use cauliflower rice if you have some on hand!
- yellow curry powder - just plain ole' curry powder works well but if you have madras variety of curry powder, just know it'll be more spicy than the regular kind.
- turmeric - I love turmeric because it is so good for you and it gives this soup its beautiful color... but if you don't have any, don't sweat it. You could leave it out since the curry powder has it in there, too! It just won't be the same color.
- garam masala - This is one of my favorite Indian spices in the world! It's warm and cozy and I use it a ton in my cooking. If you don't have any, you should def buy some because you will become obsessed!
- veggie stock - If you're making this soup vegan, go with veggie stock. But if you don't care, you could use chicken stock, too!
- water - nothing really to say about water! lolz
- coconut milk - This is my favorite brand of coconut milk. You just want to make sure you're using the full fat version unless you're trying to to do the lite version on purpose.
- brown sugar - Regular white granulated sugar will work too if you're in a pinch!
- yogurt - Greek yogurt is what we use but you could use plant based coconut yogurt if that's your jam!
- sambal chili paste - Sriracha would also work just fine!
- cilantro - nothing like cilantro but if you have the soap taste gene, leave it out! Maybe swap for mint if you're fancy!
How to make Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup
Making this soup is super easy!
To begin, grab a large soup pot and add olive oil to the bottom.
Then add your diced carrots and onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook it down for 5 minutes until the veggies have softened and they're beginning to get a little color on them.
Next, add your spices and stir them around so they get toasted by the heat. This will make them more flavorful so be sure to do that!
Now, add your cauliflower bits and a little more salt and stir everything up.
Follow up with the stock and a little bit of water and bring to a roaring boil. After 10-15 minutes, the cauliflower should be tender and soft.
Now grab your immersion blender and blend about 75% of it. You want there to be some chunk for texture. And if you don't have an immersion blender, you could totally just pour most of it in a food processor or blender and blitz until creamy!
Once it's creamy, it's time to add your coconut milk and your brown sugar. Stir everything up and turn the heat down to medium-low. You don't want your coconut milk to be cooked too long or at too high of a temperature.
Taste one more time and add a little bit of salt and pepper if necessary.
Pour the soup into bowls and then top with sambal, yogurt and cilantro if desired!
What to pair it with
When I'm eating the original version of this soup at Cafe Verde, I always eat it with a big kale salad or steak tacos (try this steak picado recipe i just put out!)
But at home, I'd pair it with this chicken shawarma plate!
For more cauliflower recipes, check out this honey garlic cauliflower, these buffalo cauliflower tacos or this turmeric cauliflower salad!
Save the recipe for later
If you're a big time pinner like me, you probably already know what to do!
But if you don't, you can either follow me on pinterest for tasty daily inspiration or you could hover over any of these images and click the "pin it" or "save" button then save it to whatever board it fits!
Video
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a8mLgbVu94[/embedyt]
Recipe
Recipe
Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large carrots diced
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 head cauliflower finely chopped
- 4 cups stock veggie or chicken
- 1 cup water
- 1 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- optional -cilantro, sambal and greek yogurt for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add diced carrots, onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook down for 5 minutes until the veggies have softened and are beginning to get a little color on them.
- Next, add curry powder, turmeric, garam masala and stir. Toast the spices for 2-3 minutes to make them more flavorful.
- Now, add cauliflower and a little more salt and stir everything up and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add stock and water and bring to a roaring boil. After about 10-15 minutes, the cauliflower should be tender and soft.
- Blend 75% of the soup using an immersion blender but leave a little chunk for texture. (And if you don't have an immersion blender, you could totally just pour most of it in a food processor or blender and blitz until creamy!)
- Now add your coconut milk and your brown sugar. Stir everything up and turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour into soup bowls and then top with sambal, yogurt and cilantro if desired!
Jamie
Made this tonight and it’s so good! Perfect for a cold night!