It's officially soup season so we are celebrating with a big bowl of Healthy Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Carrot Soup! This creamy soup is dairy-free, gluten-free, and flavored with curry powder for a flavorful & delicious vegan soup to cozy up with during Fall & Winter!
*Recipe shared September 2018 and updated September 2020*
It's no surprise that soup season is my absolute favorite time of year. When you have options like my Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup, Mushroom Wild Rice Soup, and this healthy roasted cauliflower carrot soup- you are bound to love soup season too!
Steps to make carrot cauliflower soup
First, roast the vegetables
What makes this carrot cauliflower soup so good is roasting the vegetables before blending them with coconut milk and other ingredients.
For this recipe, I sliced the carrots into 1-inch pieces and then cut the cauliflower into florets. Then season the veggies with avocado oil, curry powder, garlic powder red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper before baking.
My biggest advice for this soup is to make sure to NOT undercook the vegetables. If you don't cook them until they are browned and starting to crisp, they won't blend well. Cooking the veggies at 400F for the full 30-35 minutes makes the roasted carrots and roasted cauliflower soft and easy to blend into a truly creamy soup.
P.S- for this recipe, I used my NordicWare Aluminum Baking Pans!
What curry spice works best in this recipe?
Ultimately, the curry spice you use in this recipe will affect the flavor of the soup so make sure to use a curry spice you know you like!
I used Spice Hunters Curry Seasoning which is a mixture of cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cloves, red pepper, and black pepper.
You can likely find recipes online for homemade curry spices with these ingredients, but I personally prefer to buy them premixed. The reason for this is it helps me save money and reduce waste from buying large amounts of spices I don't cook with often (like cloves and coriander).
P.S- If you are looking for another recipe to make with curry spice, try out my Vegan Chickpea Tomato Curry or my Eggplant Lentil Curry next!
Blend the roasted veggies & coconut milk
Once the carrots and cauliflower are cooked, let them cool, then add them to a blender with the coconut milk. Blend until completely smooth and no chunks remain!
I'm still on the hunt for a great immersion blender, but I use the Kitchenaid K400 Blender which works great for soups. It's also the blender I used to make my Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup so at this point it's basically my go-to soup blender!
Add veggie broth and simmer
The last step to making this soup is to add the blended veggies & coconut milk to a large soup pot with the veggie broth. The veggie broth helps to thin out this soup so it's not too thicken and also gives it a better flavor.
For this recipe, I used my Lodge Dutch Oven (sage green color if you're wondering!) to cook the soup and I used Pacific Foods Veggie Broth which is SO good and flavorful. If you're looking to make your own veggie broth, check out this recipe.
Best soup toppings
When it comes to soup toppings for this carrot cauliflower soup, I am a BIG proponent of crispy chickpeas!
If you are looking for a really good crispy chickpea recipe I recommend topping this soup with my easy Roasted Sriracha Chickpeas. You could also follow that recipe but season the chickpeas with curry powder instead to match the flavors of the soup.
Overall, a CRUNCHY or FRESH topping works best to give this soup more texture. Other good soup toppings include:
- Pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
- Fresh herbs (I used oregano, but any works)
- Hemp seeds
- Pomegranate or Crispy Kale (like I added in my Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup recipe)
- Homemade croutons or fresh breadcrumbs
FAQ & Substitutions:
Can I make this carrot cauliflower soup oil-free?
Definitely! You can boil or steam your veggies until they are soft and ate the seasoning directly to the soup. Alternatively, you roast your veggies on parchment paper or in a glass container without oil.
It doesn't taste quite as good (because there is less caramelization), but it still works. If the seasoning isn't sticking while you are trying to keep it oil free, try adding a little lemon juice or tamari to the veggies to help the seasoning stick.
Is there a substitute for coconut milk?
Keep in mind, coconut milk is what makes this vegan carrot cauliflower soup SUPER creamy.
However, if coconut milk is not accessible to you or you cannot eat it for other reasons, try subbing with unsweetened/unflavored soy milk or oat milk. I highly recommend either of these dairy alternatives as they are creamy and don't have as strong of a flavor as options like almond or hemp milk.
How do I store roasted carrot cauliflower soup?
Leftover soup will keep in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. When freezing soup, I recommend storing individually as you will have to defrost it before eating.
I hope you enjoy this comforting and Vegan Roasted Carrot Cauliflower Soup! Plus, get excited for even more soup recipes to come this winter.
-TSG
More healthy vegan soup recipes you will love:
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Vegan Roasted Carrot & Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 cup chopped carrots about 2 carrots rinsed & chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 3 cups chopped cauliflower mostly tops, discard leaves and thick stems
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil any oil works but make sure it can withstand high heat
- 1 ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric optional
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes optional, for spiciness
Soup Ingredients
- 14 ounces can coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder optional, add for more curry flavor to soup
- 3 dried bay leaves for flavor
- salt & pepper to taste add more or less to flavor soup as it's cooking
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Chop the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and rinse and the carrots. Add them to a large baking sheet and toss with the avocado oil, curry powder, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, black pepper, and optional red pepper chili flakes.
- Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are soft inside and beginning to brown and crisp on the outside. Remove the vegetables from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
- Once the vegetables have cooled add to a blender with the can of coconut milk and blend until you smooth and no large chunks of vegetables are left. (If using an immersion blender, blend together with broth and tomato paste directly in pot).
- Next add the blended vegetables and coconut milk to a large soup pot along with the vegetable broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves Stir and bring to a boil Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 5-10 minutes until warmed throughout.
- Remove the soup from the heat, remove the bay leaves, and serve in small soup bowls. Then, garnish with the toppings of your choice. Good options include fresh oregano, toasted pumpkin seeds, crispy baked chickpeas, croutons, or a side of garlic bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. When freezing soup, I recommend storing individually as you will have to defrost it before eating.
- To make oil free, dry roast the vegetables on parchment paper or in a glass container instead. Veggies may need a little lemon juice or tamari to help seasoning stick.
- There is not a great substitute for coconut milk here (it provides the ultimate creamy flavor), but if you are okay with a less creamy soup sub 1:1 for soy milk or oat milk (unsweetened/unflavored)
- I topped this soup with curry roasted chickpeas based off my Sriracha Roasted Chickpeas recipe (just sub curry powder for sriracha and add in 1 teaspoon more oil)
Renae says
I really enjoyed the flavors and the textures of this soup. I love cauliflower but never had it blended in a soup and this definitely has me hooked. Thanks for sharing!
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Kate says
Simple and yummy recipe
Megan says
Thank you!
Joy says
Hi I just want to say that this is the best soup I have ever made. Even my husband who isn't vegan tried it and enjoyed it. It is so full of flavour and the texture is spot on. I will be definitely be making this again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Megan says
Thank you so much for sharing-It made my day 🙂 So glad you could both enjoy it!
Joy says
Best soup I have ever made that includes the many years I wasn't vegan. Excellent texture and plenty of flavour.
Sunshine says
This soup is incredible!!! The texture... the spices... the thickness... spot on perfection. If it were feasible to make this so I could eat it every day, I probably would. My only problem with it is trying to eat LESS in a serving so I can have MORE throughout the week! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Alisha says
Loved this recipe. Simple to make, and so flavorful. Didn’t change a thing! 🙂
Lynn says
This soup was delicious! This will be going in my recipe file. 😉
Kathleen says
Hi. This sounds yummy. But I am always puzzled when a recipe calls for a “can of coconut milk.” I am familiar with canned coconut cream, which is very thick, and with coconut milk, which is the consistency of dairy milk and comes in cartons. I am not familiar with coconut milk in cans. Can you clarify this for me?
Megan Horowitch says
I have used Thai Kitchen and Edward and Sons canned coconut milk for this recipe. It does have coconut cream in it that rises to the top, but the rest of the milk in the container in more watery. Many brands also sell coconut cream and I don't recommend using that for this recipe.The coconut milk that comes in cartons is usually to thin. If you're only able to find a carton of coconut milk and coconut cream you could try mixing the two for this recipe for a similar result. I'm not sure where you are located, but I am only aware of canned coconut milk brands in the United States so maybe it is named differently elsewhere. Hope that helps!
Rae says
This is one of the best soups I've ever made! We sprinkled roasted chickpeas, pomegranate arils, and cilantro. First time I've ever made a soup and not had leftovers for days because my husband and I kept going back for seconds.
Megan Horowitch says
Love the sound of all those toppings! So glad you both loved it 🙂
Kayla says
This recipe is amazinggggg. I always dump the curry powder in because I love it strong and did sourdough croutons. But nothing I would change about it. KEEPER!:)
Heather says
I am obsessed with this soup, I’ve made it twice in 3 days! Super simple recipe and ingredients. I’m so happy I cane across this one, it’s definitely going to be a staple in my kitchen!
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Thank you so much for the feedback Emily! I'm so glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Emily says
This was so good! Perfect on a cold night. Coconut curry is a fabulous combo, and the crispy chickpeas made a great topping (and snack). There are a lot of steps in this recipe (I made my own curry powder), but all simple & didnt take me long to whip up on a weeknight. Thank you for posting!
Liz says
This soup is AMAZING! I make it almost every week for my toddler and I because we just can’t get enough of it! Also, I added in a head of roasted garlic and it was ??
ShortGirlTallOrder says
A head of roasted garlic sounds SO good! I will have to try that next time too 🙂
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
This sounds so delicious and looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
mhorowitch8 says
You're welcome Nicole, Hope you enjoy!