This vegan cauliflower soup is incredibly creamy and flavorful with the perfect amount of heat, and it's naturally gluten-free, oil-free, and low-carb. It's easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and it's ready in just 45 minutes!
This spicy vegan cauliflower soup features cauliflower florets and red lentils that have been simmered in a delicious curried broth before being blended with coconut milk to create a velvety, silky smooth texture! Tender cauliflower florets and creamy coconut milk perfectly balance the spicy red curry, it's a delicious combination!
This recipe is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan keto-friendly! It's also super easy to make and it' ready in 45 minutes!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You probably already have most of the ingredients to make this soup in your pantry, fridge, or freezer!
- Cauliflower: You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower, it won't impact the flavor either way.
- Vegetable Broth: I always use the low-sodium version of this vegetable broth because it doesn't contain any added sugar or oil.
- Red Curry Paste: This is my favorite red curry paste, it has the most delicious, spicy flavor!
- Canned Coconut Milk: It's important to use canned coconut milk in this recipe because the fat adds a lot of creaminess to the broth.
- Lentils: Red lentils are the best to use because they get very soft when cooked and easily break down when blended. The red lentil color blends perfectly with the rest of the ingredients too.
How To Make It
In a 6-quart dutch oven or large pot, saute the sliced onions until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook a few more minutes until fragrant (Photo 1). Add the cauliflower florets, curry paste, red lentils, water, broth, and dried seasonings (Photo 2). Let it cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender (Photo 3).
Carefully transfer the vegetable mixture to a large blender cup and blend it until it's smooth and creamy (Photo 4). Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and stir in coconut milk and lemon juice (Photos 5 & 6).
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this spicy cauliflower soup with a salad or baked potatoes with a couple of slices of Ezekial bread for dipping! The following side dishes would also be good options to serve:
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- Smoky Chickpea Lavash Wrap
- Avocado Arugula Tomato Salad
- Quinoa Spinach Salad with Mango Dressing
How To Store It
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Can I Freeze it?
Put the vegan curry cauliflower soup in an airtight container and freeze it for 2-3 months for the best quality.
How to Reheat it
From the Fridge: Reheat leftover soup in a bowl in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a small pot on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
From the Freezer: When you're ready to reheat the soup, take it out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to defrost for 24 hours and then you can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Substitutions & FAQ
- Cauliflower Substitute: Two large (peeled and chopped) russet potatoes or sweet potatoes or 1 cup raw cashews can be used instead.
- Canned Coconut Milk Substitution: You can use unsweetened almond or cashew milk, but it won't make the soup texture as rich and creamy.
- Can I use roasted cauliflower? Sure! Roast the florets at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and then add them to the blender cup when you blend the other ingredients.
- I added too much red curry and now it's too spicy, how do I fix it? If you find that the flavor is too spicy for you, add 1 tbsp maple syrup (add more to taste) to cut the heat.
Success Tips
- 4 tbsp of curry paste gives this recipe a spicy kick. If you don't like spicy food, start with 2 tbsp of curry paste and taste it before you add the last 2 tbsp. You can always add more, but you can't take it away.
- Don't discard the green cauliflower leaves! You can dice the leaves and add them to yellow cauliflower curry. The leaves are 100% edible and taste just like cauliflower.
- Use canned coconut milk (not coconut milk from a carton) to make the soup extra thick and creamy.
- Store the leftover vegan cauliflower soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
Want More Vegan Cauliflower Recipes?
Bomb Ass Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Roasted Lemon Garlic Cauliflower Steaks
Low-Carb Shiitake Mushroom Fried Rice
Vegan Red Curry Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 3 medium garlic cloves sliced
- 4 ounces thai red curry paste (about 4 tbsp)
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 1 lb cauliflower florets)
- ½ cup red lentils
- 1 ½ cups water
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- (1) 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (1 large lemon)
- 1 tbsp chives sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the sliced onions in 3-4 tbsp vegetable broth until soft. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add 4 tbsp red curry paste, cauliflower florets, ½ cup red lentils, 1 ½ cups water, 4 cups vegetable broth, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper to the pot. Bring the soup to a low simmer and then reduce the heat to medium. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower and red lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the soup to a large high-powered blender cup and then blend it on high until the soup is completely smooth. You may need to work in batches depending on how large your blender cup is.
- Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir in the coconut milk over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice and stir it in. Garnish with chives before serving.
Notes
- 4 tbsp of curry paste gives this recipe a spicy kick. If you don't like spicy food, start with 2 tbsp of curry paste and taste it before you add the last 2 tbsp. You can always add more, but you can't take it away.
- Don't discard the green cauliflower leaves! You can dice the leaves and add them to another recipe. The leaves are 100% edible and taste just like cauliflower.
- Use canned coconut milk (not coconut milk from a carton) to make the soup extra thick and creamy.
- Store the leftover vegan cauliflower soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally shared on 3/01/2016, but I updated it with new pictures on 8/03/2020.
really easy and yummy. I was low on broth and my onion was rotten so I used what I had and upped the curry paste a little (I like spice!). I also roasted the cauliflower for 25 minutes and threw it at the same point in the recipe as the original. Feels like this would be easy to customize with whatever you have on hand.
this was really delicious!
Thank you! I'm so happy you liked ti!
Amazing. Didn’t have red lentils so I used regular and I used almond milk instead of coconut for a lower calorie version but it was still super creamy like you want a soup like this to be. Absolutely delicious.
Thanks, Larry! I'm so glad you liked it!