This spicy cauliflower soup is incredibly flavorful with the perfect amount of heat balanced by creamy coconut milk. It's easy to make with simple pantry ingredients like red lentils and curry paste and it's ready in 1 hour! It's naturally gluten-free and low-carb.
This spicy cauliflower soup features cauliflower florets and lentils that have been simmered in a delicious spicy broth before being blended with coconut milk to create a velvety, silky smooth texture!
This delicious recipe is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan keto-friendly! It's also super easy to make and it's ready to eat in 1 hour!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You probably already have most of the ingredients to make this spicy soup in your pantry, fridge, or freezer!
- Onion - I used a yellow onion, but you could also use a white or sweet onion. Shallots would be delicious too.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic gives a lot of flavor, but you could also use dried. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.
- Curry Paste (This one is my favorite!) - This is what makes the soup so deliciously spicy! You could also use yellow or green if you don't want it to be as spicy.
- Cauliflower - You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower, it won't impact the soup either way. Two large (peeled and chopped) russet potatoes or sweet potatoes or 1 cup raw cashews can be used instead.
- Lentils - Red lentils are the best to use because they get very soft when cooked and easily break down when blended. The color blends perfectly with the rest of the ingredients too.
- Vegetable Broth - I always use the low-sodium version of this vegetable broth because it doesn't contain any added sugar or oil. You could also use mushroom broth.
- Coconut Milk - It's important to use canned coconut milk in this recipe because the fat adds a lot of creaminess to the soup. You can use unsweetened oat milk, but it won't make the soup texture as rich and creamy.
- Lemon - Fresh lemon juice cuts through the creaminess and brightens the flavor. You could use lime juice as well.
- Chives - This is used for garnish. You could also use sliced green onions, cilantro, or parsley.
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 until fragrant (Photo 1). Add the cauliflower florets, curry paste, lentils, water, broth, and dried seasonings (Photo 2). Let it cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender (Photo 3).
Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer it to a large blender cup (fill it less than half way) and blend it in small batches 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).
What Goes With It
I like to serve this spicy cauliflower soup with a side salad drizzled with ranch dressing or baked potatoes + a couple of slices of Ezekial bread for dipping! The following side dish recipes would also be good options to serve with it.
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- Smoky Chickpea 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 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's important to wash the cauliflower before cooking it. Soak the florets in a large bowl of water with a splash of vinegar or baking soda and swish it around to get the dirt off.
Sure! Roast the florets at 400 degrees for 25 min and then add them to the blender cup when you blend the other ingredients.
If you find that the flavor is too spicy for you, add 1 tbsp of maple syrup (add more to taste) to cut the heat.
Adding red lentils and blending the soup both help to thicken it. Also, use full-fat canned coconut milk because the texture is thicker than the type from a carton.
Expert Tips
- Don't discard the green cauliflower leaves! You can dice the leaves and add them to cauliflower curry. The leaves are 100% edible and taste just like cauliflower.
- Four ounces of curry paste gives this recipe a pretty spicy kick. If you don't like spicy food, start with half that amount and taste it before you add any more. You can always add more, but you can't take it away.
- Be extremely careful when blending the cauliflower soup. Do not blend hot, boiling, or bubbling soup. The heat building up in the blender cup can cause the top to blow off and spew hot soup everywhere. Let the soup cool down for 10 minutes, only fill the cup up one-third full, vent the lid, blend on low, and work in small batches. Learn how to blend soup safely, here and here.
Want More Cauliflower Recipes?
- Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Wrap
- Shiitake Mushroom Cauliflower Rice
- Spicy Harissa Cauliflower Steaks
- Vegetable Quinoa Lettuce Wraps
Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Blender or Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 4 medium garlic cloves sliced
- 4 oz thai red curry paste (start with half and add more to taste)
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 1 lb cauliflower florets)
- ½ cup red lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups water
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ tsp 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 onions until soft and translucent. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add curry paste, cauliflower florets, lentils, water, vegetable broth, salt, and 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.
- Take the pot off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Carefully, transfer the mixture to a large blender cup. Only fill it ⅓ of the way full. (Do not blend hot, bubbling, or boiling soup.)
- Remove the small center feeder cap from the blender lid and secure the lid on top of the cup. Fold a thick dish towel into a square and cover the feeder cap opening to catch any splatters. Hold the towel down with your hand and blend on low in small batches until it's smooth and creamy
- Transfer the blended soup back into the pot and stir in the coconut milk over medium heat. Add lemon juice and stir it in. Garnish with chives before serving.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or freeze it for 3 months.
This is delicious..I only added 2 tablespoons of the red curry paste and it’s plenty spicy. I sprinkled with cilantro and chives and next time will add shredded chicken to make a tad more filling
Thank you, Donna! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is absolutely fantastic and simple to make. Thank you Stacey for sharing 😊
Thank you so much, I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe!
Can you substitute something for the lentils or just leave them out?
Hello! No problem, you can leave the red lentils and the 1 1/2 cups of water out. The lentils just add extra protein to the soup.
My husband and I really enjoyed this soup. After heating (or reheating) in pot on stove, I put about 1-2 tsp of miso paste and took a ladle of soup and whisked it smooth in the bowl. Then I ladled some more soup into the bowl and added the chopped chives. It was amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Jen! I'm so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
Looks delicious! Any idea of the nutrition content?
Hello! I just updated the recipe with the nutrition content, I hope that helps you!
This soup is simply delicious and really easy to make. I’m going to add some chicken to the left over soup to pump up the protein.
Thank you, Jody! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Made this, was easy and awesome! I made extra roasted cauliflower and onions to use as a garnish with homemade spicy Thai cashews and it was delicious!
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup! That's a great idea for the garnish, I'm going to do that next time!
I love all things cauliflower, and I love that in the past year so many creative recipes for using it in various ways have popped up! I love a great cauliflower soup, and yours looks to fit right in with my plans for using it even more! yum.
This soup looks perfect! I know my husband will love it 😀
I absolutely adore rainbow chard in quiche or sauteed with garlic. This soup looks so creamy and comforting--loving the coconut milk in there!
I never thought to add it to quiche! What a yummy idea, thanks Kirsten!
OMG this looks soooo good! I love curry 🙂
This looks delicious and absolutely fantastic!
Love using cauliflower in different ways. Mashed, roasted, "souped"! 🙂 This soup looks great!
Me too! Thanks, Warren!
Mmmmm that looks so delicious!! I LOVE spicy thai food, can't wait to give this a try.
This soup looks delicious and pretty plus healthy what more could I ask for.
Mmm this soup looks delicious! By the way, my favourite way to eat Swiss chard is in stir fries with some fresh cracked black pepper and some garlic if you're looking for ways to use that big "bouquet" up! 😉
I definitely am, that sounds delicious, Taylor! Thanks for the recipe! =)
This sounds delish! And I love the bouquet of chard lol
Yum! And so healthy!
OMG this is just what I've been waiting for - the heat! I can't wait to try it!
I love cauliflower and am a little timid about curry anything but this looks so great I think I will need to try it!