Sylvie's Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup

➤ by Sylvie Fulson

This creamy vegan cauliflower soup, aka vegane Blumenkohlsuppe, is my version of Oma Gerhild’s traditional German cauliflower soup recipe.

This soup is creamy, rich, and luscious with a subtle cheesy flavor. It tastes so good and feels so satisfying. And it is packed with nutritional goodness, thanks not only to the cauliflower, but also thanks to the onion, garlic, celery, yellow pepper, and cashews!

How do you thicken up cauliflower soup?

Raw cashews! Cashews are truly amazing. They contain quite a bit of starch, more than any other tree nut, and they will thicken soups just like flour and potatoes do.

You could always use other thickening agents like cornstarch or flour, but nutritionally speaking, they have little to offer. Why not get the added benefits of a whole food with the vitamins, minerals, and fibre found in cashews instead? Makes sense to me!

And even though a potato is also a whole food high in starch and great for thickening soups, the fat content in cashews makes for a creamier, richer soup. Not to mention, they’re also a great source of protein.

While butter and cream are traditional ingredients in creamy German soup recipes, cashews make a great heart-healthy alternative.

What do cashews taste like?

If you’re not familiar with raw cashews, they have a lovely mild, buttery flavor. Which is another reason why they are so perfect for thickening soups and sauces. Because they have such a mild flavor, they can be used, virtually undetected, in any kind of dish. And the buttery flavor adds creamy richness to any recipe.

Whenever I’ve made a creamy soup for others, I’ve often been asked how I get my soup so creamy and delicious without using cream. They’re always surprised to hear that the creaminess comes from cashews.

How to make a German cauliflower soup recipe vegan?

I got the idea for this soup recipe one day while I was thinking of ideas for a vegan version of a German cauliflower soup. I knew it had to be nice and creamy. I also wanted it to be as nutritious as possible by adding extra veggies without affecting the taste too much.

I was brainstorming ideas when I remembered a simple, yet thick and delicious, “cheese” sauce I’ve made in the past as a topping for homemade pizza. This sauce consists simply of cashews, a yellow pepper, water, and salt. I don’t know what it is about yellow peppers, but both my husband and I find that when mixed with cashews, it creates a wonderful cheesy-like flavor.

I thought, I bet adding this cheese sauce to a cauliflower soup would be amazing! I decided to try it out and that’s how this vegan version of a German cauliflower soup recipe came to be. And amazing it is! Even with all the added ingredients, the cauliflower flavor really shines through.

Oma says:

• I love how Sylvie's taken my German cauliflower recipe, made some changes, added her own touch and made it vegan
• By garnishing with grated nutmeg, Sylvie's adding that extra hint of Germany to her soup that so pleases our German tastebuds

How to make creamy vegan cauliflower soup?

Start by roughly chopping an onion, two stalks of celery and one or two cloves of garlic. You can also chop the yellow pepper now and save for later.

Cover bottom of a medium-size pot with water. Add chopped onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until softened.

Add a bag of frozen cauliflower, water, and salt. Cook until the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower is cooking, make the cheese sauce by adding water, cashews, chopped yellow pepper, salt, and ground mustard to a blender. (Be sure to pre-soak cashews if you don’t have a high-powered blender.) 

Blend until completely smooth. Pour cheese sauce into a bowl and set aside.

Once the cauliflower is cooked, pour contents of the pot into the blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the blended cauliflower soup back into the pot.

Whisk in the cheese sauce. Be sure to use a spatula to get as much of the sauce as possible. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Sprinkle with some freshly grated nutmeg to serve. Enjoy!

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