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Ready in just 30 minutes, this cauliflower leek soup is a crowd-pleaser of a recipe that you’ll want all season! It’s all made in one pot, and you can easily make it dairy-free or vegan, so everyone can enjoy.
save this recipe!I’m a sucker for cauliflower and soup (basically cozy cauliflower comfort food). We’ve done slow cooker cauliflower soup with cashews and classic creamy cauliflower soup, but this one is the fastest recipe yet (ready in 30 minutes!), plus it brings in leeks extra flavor
- One Pot: No one likes a complicated recipe.
- Customizable: You can swap the cream cheese for cashews to make it vegan!
- Nutritious: As a nutritionist I’m often looking for lighter dinner options that still feel decadent. This one is a low carb soup that’s also high fiber thanks to all that cauliflower!
Reader rating
“This worked exactly as written. Thank you for a great recipe. It’s delicious!” —Cindy
key ingredients
This recipe list is short because each one packs a flavorful punch. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cauliflower: Feel free to chop up a whole head, use prechopped, or even use frozen.
- Leek: They have a lot of layers, so be sure to clean them after you chop them up (or buy pre-washed). To dice it, remove the leaves, slice lengthwise down the middle, then thinly slice.
- The basics: For the base of the soup, we need olive oil, fresh garlic, and Italian seasoning.
- Vegetable broth: Use any kind you like or make your own veggie broth!
- Cream cheese: I love using this for extra creaminess that helps balance the tang from the leeks. You can swap this for cashews that have been soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to make it dairy-free and still a blender-friendly soup.
Adjust the consistency
Everyone has a different preference for the texture of their cauliflower soup. I like mine a bit thicker, but if you like yours a bit thinner, add a few spoonfuls of hot water until you reach your desired consistency.
Does your soup taste bland?
This is the number one complaint I hear about cauliflower soup. And the answer is always this: add more salt! Soups are a large volume of liquid, so they actually need a good amount of salt to distribute the flavor throughout.
freezer prep soup
Once the healthy creamy cauliflower soup is cooled, you can transfer it to freezer-safe containers either in a gallon ziploc or individual servings. This will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw before reheating.
Easiest Cauliflower Leek Soup (30 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, 4 to 5 cups of florets
- 2 large leeks
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 L
- ½ cup cream cheese, can use vegan cream cheese, 90 g
- hot water as needed for consistency
Instructions
- Prep: Cut 1 large head cauliflower into florets. Wash and slice 2 large leeks from the white until the light green portion. Discard the dark green ends.
- Saute: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot, then add the sliced leeks and 4 cloves garlic (minced). Cook until leeks are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Simmer: Add in cauliflower florets, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, and 4 cups vegetable broth. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in ½ cup cream cheese.
- Blend: Puree the mixture until smooth using either a handheld immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a countertop blender (never tightly lid hot mixtures when blending–make sure to leave the lid cracked so steam can escape!).
- Adjust: Add a splash of hot water as needed to reach a nice soupy consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper is desired. Serve warm, topped with shredded cheese and croutons!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!love leeks?
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Mine tastes a little bitter what did I do wrong how can I fix it please ?
Hi Maggie! Leeks tend to get more bitter the closer you get to the dark green ends so it sounds like perhaps you could have just cut up a little too far into the dark green portion. You can balance out bitterness by adding something creamy and something salty. So try adding in a bit more cream cheese and/or salt to balance it out, or top it with some grated cheese. A little acidity could also help, so you could try adding the tiniest splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to help balance out that bitterness.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Thank you for a great recipe. It’s delicious.
I’ve always looking for a good plant based recipe, that is low-carb
Thanks for making it and sharing Cindy!
Turned out delicious! My only sub was that I used chicken broth since it is what I had on hand. I love baked potato soup but I’m eating a lower carb diet at the moment, so this is a wonderful fill-in. Crumble bacon bits and sliced green onions might even send it over the top!
So happy you loved it Liz, happy eating!
Followed the directions but used chicken broth. Excellent!
I’m thrilled to hear it, Christy! Happy eating!
My kinda recipe – easy, quick, nutritious & delicious!!!!
Thanks Ali, so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Can Greek Yogurt Substitute for Cream Cheese?
It can but it might make the soup a little more tart. If using yogurt to also be sure not to add it until you remove the soup from the heat because yogurt breaks easily when heated.
Thank you so much!
I was going to make this for my dinners this week, and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve loved all the recipes I’ve gotten ofd LEL. Out of curiosity, I was wondering if this would be considered a lower cholesterol meal? It might be a silly question, but I’ve been trying to find more low chol. recipes to make:)
Yep, this one should be lower in cholesterol because the cream cheese is the only thing adding cholesterol! If you wanted to make it zero cholesterol, you could use a vegan cream cheese.
Do you have nutrition facts for this?
Thanks for pointing out that those are missing. We just added them in. Happy eating!
Easy to make. Added thyme, seasoning salt, parsley flakes
Added a couple slices of toasted sourdough bread…… Delicious!!
So glad it turned out well, thanks Cliff!
Soup is delish. I added some white beans cause I had left overs & foe additional protein. Parsley sprinkle for serving. No additional salt for me as the broth was enough & I what my sodium levels.
Good enough for company & will make again!
So glad it turned out well, thanks Suz!