Cozy up with a bowl of this luxuriously thick and creamy Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Soup! Packed with veggies, this easy healthy soup makes the best lunch on a chilly day.
Last weekend I had the best fall produce in all the land at my fingertips thanks to our lovely CSA box. With the brightest, most crisp head of cauliflower and broccoli staring at me with puppy dog eyes, I knew a cozy fall soup was on the horizon. And perhaps a batch of Pumpkin Bars for good measure, obviously.
My Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup has been a fall and winter favorite around here for years, complete with a silky smooth cashew cream to take it to a whole other level of texture and flavor satisfaction. But since so many creamy vegan soups call for cashews, I wanted to make a recipe that tasted creamy and cheezy sans nuts. The cheeziness in this soup recipe comes from the nutritional yeast (high in vitamin B12 and protein) and the lemon juice, which adds much needed brightness and tang. Don’t skip it! Oh and let’s keep this between us, but if I don’t have fresh lemons, I use bottled organic lemon juice for convenience. Shhhhhh.
The thick-n-creaminess in this Broccoli Cauliflower Soup comes from a more traditional method of using flour. We’re going back to cooking basics here, people. Any flour will do. The potato helps thicken it as well. I actually used two small red potatoes because that’s what I had. Yukon or russet are fine, too—no need to peel. Just scrub them really well to get the dirt off. (If you do decide to peel, this julienne peeler is the bomb).
Now I did use a cup of unsweetened cashew milk in this Creamy Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Soup for added silkiness but you could easily sub rice, oat, or soy milk instead. True story: the only milk I had in my fridge was unsweetened vanilla almond milk, so I blended a small handful of cashews with a cup of water in my Nutribullet till creamy and voila. Problem solving like a boss.
I blended half the soup in the blender and left half of it nice and chunky, which I totally prefer to a completely pureed soup. Texture texture texture! An immersion blender would be the easiest choice here, but being the good food blogger restauranteur that I am, clearly I don’t own one. I just ordered this one so I’ll let you know the verdict! Now can we talk about how DIVINE this Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is all soaked up with a crusty baguette? UGH.
Cozy up [in your fuzzy socks] with a bowl of this Creamy Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Soup, pumpkin souffle candle ablaze and Frank Sinatra in the background. BEST DAY EVERRRRR.
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Cozy up with a bowl of this luxuriously thick and creamy Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Soup! Packed with veggies, this easy healthy soup makes the best lunch on a chilly day.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 medium head broccoli, finely chopped (florets and stalk, about 4 cups)
- 1 medium head cauliflower, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 small-medium potato, diced
- 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or flour of choice)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk (not coconut milk)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, 1/2 tsp salt, and a grind of pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potato and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add flour and stir well to combine.
- Add broth, milk, nutritional yeast and another 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with salt/lemon juice to taste until the flavors really pop.
- Use an immersion blender to blend half the soup, leaving some chunky for texture. You can also blend half in a blender, being careful as the soup will be very hot!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
This is going to be a hit with a family! A healthy, hearty vegan recipe for the cold months… mmm! :)
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Alexis says
Most definitely. Enjoy, friend!
Kitty says
So allergic to nutritional yeast. It tastes pretty icky too if I’m honest. Everything calls for it and each time I see a beautiful recipe I hold my breath as I read down the ingredient list…ugh. Any subs?
Alexis says
There’s no subs except real cheese which would be totally yummy too but you can just leave it out. It’ll still be delicious and creamy, just not “cheezy.” Enjoy!
Connie Moultroup says
I’m going to be making this tomorrow!!!!
Alexis says
Fabulous! Hope you love it as much as I do.
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
Love how this has both broccoli AND cauliflower in it! And I don’t have an immersion blender either…hope you love yours!
Alexis says
Right! It’s so nice to finally have one. I’ m always scared my blender is gonna blow up!
★★★★★
safaritravelplus says
Just looking at it makes me hungry…
★★★★★
Alexis says
Thank you! Hope you make it and love it.
Martha says
Amazing recipe! Easy to make and tastes delicious. Will be making this many more times this winter.
★★★★★
Alexis says
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, Martha! And extra thanks for the awesome rating :)
Mikayla says
This recipe is SO delicious! Love how creamy it is while being vegan, going to have to make again soon!
★★★★★
Alexis says
I love the creaminess factor, too. So satisfying!
Katie says
SO GOOD! Made last week for quick lunches + dinners. Had a bunch of fresh rosemary on hand so also tossed that in + used 1 bag of frozen broccoli vs. fresh. To give it a protein kick, I would add a hard boiled egg, quinoa or serve with TJs pita crisps. Highly recommend for a warming meal in the winter!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Thank you TONS, Katie! You made my night with your comment. Love the crunchy topping idea–so essential.
Gabre Kahan says
Making this soup now!! Decided to add a little bit of baked tofu to add some protein. Very excited to eat it!
Alexis says
Hope you loved it!
Cass Megraw says
This is maybe the best soup I’ve ever had. Just goes to show you can have a creamy and delicious soup without having to use actual cream . Thank you so much for this creation. So, so glad I found it. It will now be a staple for me whenever winter (or cold and flu) rolls around.
★★★★★
Alexis says
WOW! I am so flattered by your high praise! That means so much to me. Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe, Cass!
Shara Reiss says
Obsessed with this soup! Making it for the second time this weekend :). Since no more dairy for me…it’s perfect!
Alexis says
Hope it was even better the second time around :)
Cara Knippling says
This soup was delicious! The flavor is great and you can choose how much you want to blend for different textures. Such a great soup and so easy to make.
Alexis says
I really appreciate that, Kara. Easy is everything these days!
Julie says
AMAZING SOUP RECIPE! Can’t get over how fast I made it and the flavor is spot on. That lemon juice at the end though – ????
Alexis says
So key! Thrilled you loved it :)
Rachel says
I finally made this recipe and I’m in live with how creamy and comforting it is. I chopped the vegetables ahead of time, so everything cMe together quickly. I subbed 1/3 cup freshly shredded white cheddar for the nutritional yeast. I also made my own cashew cream. I’ll definately be making this again!
Alexis says
Mmmm good call! Thanks for the feedback, Rachel.
Kristin says
Super Creamy. I blended more than half in the vitamix. Thanks for this recipe!
Alexis says
Love the ease of the Vitamix! Thanks for letting me know you liked it, Kristin.
Emily Turner says
Absolutely loved this! So delicious, was a hit with hubby as well!!
★★★★★
Judy says
Made this last night and it was delicious. A few tweaks – didn’t use the flour, and I added some vegan cheese (ViolaLife).
★★★★★
Alexis says
Delish!
Jax says
Excellent!!!! Shared with all my friends and they loved!!!!!! No one even asked me if it was Vegan!
★★★★★
Emily says
Delicious! I subbed coconut milk because that’s all I had in hand but other ways followed the recipe as is. Perfect for a cold rainy night.
★★★★★
Alexis says
Ohhh LOVE that idea!
Edward Blocker says
I just loved it, I’m not only going to give it 5 stars. But, I’m going to share it with all my website’s followers on the social media. Thank you for giving me something useful to share it today!
★★★★★
Alexis says
That is so kind, Edward! Thank you tons :)
Faith says
Delicious and filling! I added chickpeas too and they went perfectly!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Yay, I’m so glad it worked out for ya!
Janet says
This was really good! I made some tweaks based on personal preference but overall a SUPER easy recipe to follow! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Alexis says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Janet!
b says
Great soup but may add pepper flakes for a little spice.
Didn’t have nutritional yeast so used pepperjack cheese.
Will have this all the time.
★★★★
Alexis says
That’s fabulous to hear, B! Let me know what I can do to make it 5 stars :)
Heidi says
Love this soup. Is it suitable for freezing please?
★★★★★
Alexis says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Heidi! Yes, it is–I pretty much freeze everything :)
Anne Clark says
Alexis! This looks and sounds amazing! I can’t wait to give it a try. I just love any cauliflower.
Karen says
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is blending with the broccoli made my soup green. Next time, I will use less broccoli, more cauliflower, and make sure I mostly only blend the cauliflower. Also, I put the nutritional yeast in it, but it would be good without it also.
★★★★
Alexis says
Thanks for the feedback, Karen! Glad you still enjoyed the soup despite the color.
Mary says
I made this with fresh organic vegetables, and I thought this was bland and lacked depth. I used coconut milk, which I have always subbed for dairy, and it was over powering in this recipe. I realized after the fact that one cup is just too much. Plus, I think that coconut milk is not a good choice for this particular soup. Sorry.
★★★
Mary says
Also, there are no herbs in this recipe. After I’d dished up my bowl, I added thyme and granulated garlic, and that helped a little. I think the addition of herbs during cooking would help this recipe. I avoid bread and croutons, but seasoned/garlic croutons would be a good garnish for this soup.
Alexis says
Thanks for the feedback, Mary. I can definitely see how coconut milk would be overpowering in this recipe–I never use it in soups because it’s too coconutty. I updated the recipe to suggest almond milk but I know others have used soy milk and loved it!