A healthy, easy and deliciously complex vegan cauliflower soup made lusciously creamy with celery root and bright with fennel and ginger. It’s quick and light, making it a great weeknight dinner or lazy weekend lunch.
Soup weather has officially arrived!!!
And of course for my cauliflower soup I choose to use…purple cauliflower! Cause that’s my jam. <3
And if ya don’t know that by now…then ya def should! When given the option between the purple and non-purple version of a veggie…I’ll always be the gal going for the purple.
The other day, I was chatting with some catering clients on the phone about the menu for their upcoming event. They asked me: does your food really taste as good as it looks? Well…I sure like to think it does! Try this recipe and you can be the judge :).
Why this Recipe Works:
- Roasting the cauliflower in high heat caramelizes the exterior, bringing out a touch of nuttiness for greater depth of flavor.
- The addition of fennel brightens up the soup and the ginger adds a kick of spice to balance out the rich flavor.
- This soup tastes even better the next day and freezes well (so feel free to double or even triple the quantity to have leftovers).
- The addition of celery root luscious creaminess to this dairy-free soup and brings earthy buttery notes.
Cauliflower, Celery Root and Fennel Pair Beautifully.
One of the most effective ways to pack depth of flavor into a soup is to take the extra step of roasting your veggies before adding them to the pot.
I’m going pretty hard on sharing all my purple-licious food recipes first cause I want you all to know that YES my food DOES taste as good as it looks. And I’m gonna let ya in on a little secret: purple cauliflower taste just like non-purple cauliflower (any difference is *very* subtle). So if you’re having a hard time imaging a purple soup not only looking damn good but actually tasting good too then just think of it as a Cauliflower, Celery Root & Fennel soup. That’s sounds yum, right? Right.
How to Make this Recipe
- Preheat oven to 450 F and chop all your veggies.
- Roast the cauliflower and sweat the onion, followed by celery root, fennel, ginger and garlic and sauté.
- And roasted cauliflower, celery root to the onion pot.
- Simmer for 25-30min.
- Puree.
- Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with any toppings your heart desires and enjoy!
Please see my (quasi) step-by-step guide with the corresponding pics below.
Celery root is one of the most underrated veggie… prob cause it’s looks so gnarly…. hehehe.
I’m also gonna let ya in on another little secret if you’re trying to get your soup to look exactly how mine does in the pic. Veggie stock tends to be brownish, so I’ll drain the soup in a colander before blending it up for the pic, then pour the rest of the stock back in. That’s purely an aesthetic strategy so that the veggie stock doesn’t dilute purple color of the soup. Disregard if you’re not too color-concerned (or if you’re not using purple cauliflower, which is a totally valid option!) I obviously completely understand if you don’t have a purple-itis like I do 🙂
I’m keeping it simple and using fresh ginger and garlic and skipping spices, but feel free to have fun playing around with different spices if you’d like and let me know about it in the comments below.
Cooks Tips:
- It’s crucial to roast the cauliflower at high heat to get the full depth of flavor.
- Veggie stock can easily be swapped for chicken or beef stock or even water if you’re really in a pinch.
- If you don’t have a blender and immersion blender will work or stain liquid out and put all the veggies in a food processor then stir the liquid back in (hey, not perfect but if ya don’t have a blender I still want ya to be able to make this soup).
- Once cooled you can store this soup in the fridge 3 days or freeze in suitable containers for 3-6 weeks.
- You can add red pepper flakes to add a kick of spice
- If you're using purple cauliflower, adding a splash of vinegar will turn the soup purpler!
The base is cauliflower, celery root, and fennel, and the aromatics are onions, garlic, and ginger.
I’m giving you permission to leave out the fennel or celery root if you forgot to pick it up and use only 2 of the 3 aromatics if ya need to. Just don’t leave out the cauliflower or it won’t really be a cauliflower soup at all. Have fun. Play. Make soup on a cold day and stay cozy.
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Let’s make waves in the kitchen!
Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower about 1.5 pounds, cored and cut into florets
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 1 celery root about .5-1 pounds, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
- 1 bulb fennel about 1 pound, cored, stalks removed, and cut in 1-inch dice
- 2-inch piece ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups veggie stock
- kosher salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees. Chop all your veggies.
- Once the oven is hot, toss the cauliflower with 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer and roast, for 20 minutes total, flipping cauliflower with a metal spatula halfway through.
- Heat olive on a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and sauté over medium-low heat for about 10 min, stirring occasionally, until tender and barely starting to brown. Stir in celery root, fennel, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add cauliflower, veggie stock and salt to pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 25-30minutes, until veggies are tender. Remove from heat.
- Working in batches, puree soup in a blender, until very smooth,
- Pour blended soup into a large saucepan and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Laddle soup into bowls, sprinkle with any topping your heart desires and enjoy.
Notes
- It’s crucial to roast the cauliflower at high heat to get the full depth of flavor.
- Veggie stock can easily be swapped for chicken or beef stock or even water if you’re really in a pinch.
- If you don’t have a blender and immersion blender will work or stain liquid out and put all the veggies in a food processor then stir the liquid back in (hey not perfect but if ya don’t have a blender I still want ya to be able to make this soup).
- Once cooled you can store this soup in the fridge 3 days or freeze in suitable containers for 3-6 weeks.
- You could add red pepper flakes to add a kick of spice
- If you are using purple cauliflower, adding a splash of vinegar will turn the soup purpler!
Definitely the BEST soup ever.
Yummieeee ?????
You really are too cute!!! Thank you Jacqui! ???
This looks amazing! I'm giving it a try for sure, thanks for sharing!
Absolute pleasure!!! Thanks so much for the feedback and please let me know how it turns out :). ??
Making this soup is especially fun because of the way you teach us to experiment with the colors and toppings to make a work of art that tastes delicious.
YAYA!!! That’s the plan!!! I’ll all about experimenting in the kitchen and food as art :). ???
I LOVE all the colours of cauliflower. I have an orange cauliflower soup. This purple version is so pretty. I wish they were available all year long. I get them at the market in the fall.
Awesome Gloria thanks so much for the feedback! And I'd love to see your orange cauliflower soup :).
This cauliflower soup is absolutely stunning! I love celery root but I never thought of adding it to cauliflower! That is brilliant! Your soup looks so scrumptious!
Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback Elaine!!! Really appreciate it! And the celery root does indeed pair wonderfully with the cauliflower :).
What an amazing color! So so pretty! Sounds like such a heart and comforting soup, look forward to trying it!
Thank ya so much Carrie!!! I’m def a very colorful food kinda gal :). And it sure is hearty and comforting! Would love to hear your thoughts after ya nake it :). 💜😘
This is the prettiest cauliflower soup I have ever seen! I am sure it tastes as good as it looks! Such a comforting and filling soup.
You are too kind Denise! And yes I mus say that it does taste as good as it looks! Thank you so much :). 💗💜🌱
That first picture alone has me absolutely sold! If it tastes half as good as it looks, I'm sure I won't want to miss it! Looks like some amazing comfort food for me to try sometime soon! 🙂
Thanks so much for the feedback Amy! And I must say that yes it definitely does taste wayyy more than half as good as it looks :). Please let me know how it goes when ya make it... I'd absolutely love to hear!
I've never heard of purple cauliflower before, looking forward to try this out soon.
Yesss!!! In Cali I regularly see purple, orange/yellow, green and white. Good lucking finding purple by you! Crossing fingers and toes you’ll score some :). 💜💜🌱
This is by far the most gorgeous cauliflower soup I've ever seen! The pop of colors are amazing and so pretty! I wish all my bowl of soups were presented so pretty 🙂
Wowie!!! The most gorgeous cauliflower soup you’ve ever seen... I’ll take it! Thank ya so much Jo :). 💜😘
Oh this is simply gorgeous! I haven't seed purple cauliflower here in Mexico but will for sure keep my eyes peeled for it next time I am in Canada! Such a pretty soup - how could anyone not be tempted!
You are too kind Kiki!!! Have spent much time in Mexico and having seen any purple cauliflower there either... let me know if ya have more luck in Canada :). Can also make this soup with any color of the cauliflower rainbow :). 💛💚💜
This is the most beautifully styled soup I've ever seen -- simply stunning! I recently bought purple cauliflower because I thought my three year old would be amazed with a purple vegetable, but he refused to eat it because he insisted cauliflower is supposed to be white, ha!
First of all thank you so much Julie for the super sweet words on my soup!!! And 2nd of all....show you 3 year old the pics of my yellow/orange, white, green and purple cauliflower and let me know what he says! Cauliflower def comes in more purple than just white.... hehehe :). 💛💚💜
There is so much about this whole post I love so much! The recipe look and sounds amazing for one but your photos are all so eye catching! I love all the colors you have! The soup is such a pretty purple!
Thank ya so much Kelsey!!! Really appreciate the feedback! Am def a very colorful food kinda gal.... especially purple :). You can make this soup with any type of cauliflower but I love using purple when I can find it! 💜🌱
This is amazingly beautiful! And yes, as a chef, I concur that roasting the cauliflower brings out the best flavour notes. Great recipe!
Thanks ya so much Chef! Happy to hear you concur :). Really appreciate the feedback!
Looks so beautiful and luscious! Can you please share what you have used on top for presentation? Is that circles of radish arranged on top? And what are the purple and orange coloured sprinkles?
Yes absolutely! Those are radishes and the sprinkles are salt and bee pollen :). And thanks so much for the super sweet feedback Samia!
Is that garnish radish? How did you get it that color?
Yep they're purple radishes called ninja radish. They came in that beautiful color! Often easier to find them in farmers markets instead of supermarkets.