Creamy curried cauliflower soup is savory, spicy, and velvety smooth! Stir in some crunchy ghee-coated golden cashews to elevate this creamy soup into a more decadent meal!
Creamy soup with crunchy cashews. This my friends is texture goals. When it comes to food, the texture is just as important as taste. You need a bit of crunch to break up the monotony of creaminess, you know? The cashews stirred into the soup soften a bit but still give the soup some texture. The nuts on top keep their crunch. Combine that with creamy pureed cauliflower and well, it’s a great combination.
“I love your blog…every recipe I have tried has been delicious and has turned out wonderfully. I made this soup tonight and it was gorgeous. Rich, creamy, and yet light and clean tasting at the same time. I am glad I have leftovers for lunch!!!“
Joanne
This silky soup is definitely one for all seasons. It’s light enough for spring and summer but also hearty enough for fall or winter. Coconut milk keeps this soup light and creamy and also filling.
This recipe calls for curry powder. What’s kind of funny about curry powder is that it’s not actually an Indian blend. For example, if you ask your Indian mother where she keeps the curry powder, she will ask you what the heck you’re talking about (ask me how I know) and hand you some garam masala instead. The two are not the same. Curry powder is a British invention. I love curry powder for its flavor and convenience, not for its authenticity, which it lacks, of course. It makes life easy – I sprinkle some on veggies/meat when I don’t feel like thinking about what spices to use (hello curried butternut squash). Sometimes it’s nice to have curry powder around. You should know that curry powder is completely unrelated to curry leaves (I use the leaves for my broccoli soup).
Let’s talk about the star vegetable in this soup, cauliflower. I’m a huge fan – have been following its career for years. I’d ask for its autograph if I could. I just love its ability to soak up whatever flavor you add to it. As I’ve said before (in my masala cauliflower blog post), I think cauliflower is kind of magical. (Gosh, can you tell I’m star-struck? So embarrassing). Hopefully, you’ll think this soup is kind of magical too.
And remember, don’t skip the ghee-coated cashew topping – the crunch combined with the creamy cauli is crucial!
Ingredients
- 1 medium/large cauliflower approx. 2-3 pounds, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1- inch ginger roughly chopped
- ½ serrano pepper seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth divided
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves crushed
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Later:
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ cup cashews halved
- Cilantro leaves garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- Press saute, add the oil and once it heats up, add the onion. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until the onion starts to brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger, serrano and saute for a minute, then add the remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk to the pot.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 2 minutes at high pressure (it’ll take 5-10 minutes to reach pressure).
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
- Use the immersion blender to puree the contents of the pot, then pour coconut milk into the pot.
- Melt ghee in a small pan over the stove, add cashews and stir-fry until the cashews start to look golden. Add the ghee-coated cashews to the soup just prior to serving. Garnish with cilantro.
Stovetop Directions:
- Add the oil and onions to a dutch oven/heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and saute until the onions begin to turn golden brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger and serrano pepper and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add curry powder, fenugreek leaves, salt, pepper, turmeric. Stir-fry for a minute then add cauliflower florets and 1 cup of broth.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes – give it a stir – then cook for another 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup, then add the remaining broth and coconut milk to the pot. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Melt ghee in a small pan over the stove, add cashews and stir-fry until the cashews start to look golden. Add the ghee-coated cashews to the soup just prior to serving. Garnish with cilantro.
Just for fun, here’s my original photo from May 2014:
Susan Knopf says
I liked the soup, but mine had a soapy taste, I’m guessing from the coconut milk. Thoughts? Suggestions
Deepika Davidar says
This soup was delicious. I made it with fresh cauliflower from a local farm. Added a cap of vinegar at the end for some zing. The family loved it! A friend recently recommended your site to me. I really appreciate how you give both stove top and instant pot methods and look forward to cooking my way through more of your recipes.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Deepika, I’m so glad you and your family liked this soup! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Joanne says
I love your blog…every recipe I have tried has been delicious and has turned out wonderfully. I made this soup tonight and it was gorgeous. Rich, creamy, and yet light and clean tasting at the same time. I am glad I have leftovers for lunch!!!
My Heart Beets says
Joanne, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so glad you like my blog 🙂 And happy to hear that you liked this soup!
Kami says
Ive made this soup twice and it’s really good. The second time, I had some extra carrots on hand, so I chopped them up and threw them in with the cauliflower. I really like it with the carrots too! I also used 1.5 c bone broth and just a 1/2 c water just because I didn’t want to waste any broth. But otherwise, followed the recipe as listed and it is really good.
My Heart Beets says
Kami, happy to hear that you like my recipe 🙂 Adding carrots sounds like a great idea! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
kate veer says
Can you please put calories and breakdown. Is this suitable for Keto?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Kate! I have updated the post with nutritional info 🙂
Faith says
Made this tonight and it was husband-approved! 😀
My Heart Beets says
Faith, I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Mona says
I made this today – it is a great recipie. I used Sambar masala instead of Curry powder and it turned out fantastic…
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mona! Thank you for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Angela says
i made this today and it was delicious. i doubled it and used broccoli too.
My Heart Beets says
Angela, wonderful! I’m so glad you liked the recipe 🙂
rika@vm says
Mmmm creamy curried cauliflower soup! I’ve been looking for creamy and hearty soups like this one! Can I use coconut oil (refined) instead of avocado oil? I’ve never used avocado oil before, but I imagine it provides a nice fatty flavor.