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This Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup is a great recipe to make when you’re craving something cozy, yet light and healthy. It’s the ultimate veggie-rich comfort food! All you need is 10 minutes and 7 simple ingredients to get this crockpot favorite cooking.

Cauliflower soup served in soup bowl garnished with cheese, roasted cauliflower florets and freshly chopped chives.

When I first adopted a more plant-based diet, I did not eat a lot of cauliflower. But I quickly realized that cauliflower is quite the magical health food. In addition to being an incredible source of dietary fiber and a low carb hero, cauliflower can be used to make an array of impressive meals. From Buffalo Cauliflower WingsCreamy Vegan Nacho CheeseHomemade Spaghetti Sauce, a healthier Kung Pao Chicken alternative, and a delicious pizza crust, cauliflower can really do it all. 

So if you’re craving a soup that’s just as rich and flavorful as my Traditional Vegan Potato Soup, but made with lighter, healthier ingredients, this cheesy cauliflower soup is the perfect thing! 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Dump-and-go recipe. My favorite crockpot recipes don’t have any added steps and let you just dump the ingredients in and press start. They’re the most realistic for busy weekdays and are a sure fire way you’ll skip the drive-thru line. This cauliflower soup is exactly that! 
  • Healthy comfort food. Most creamy soups are made flavorful with ingredients like heavy cream or coconut milk for dairy-free versions. And while this is delicious, I wanted to make this puréed soup creamy naturally with whole food ingredients. 
  • Freezer friendly. Looking to add more meals to your freezer for crockpot season. This crockpot cauliflower soup is a great easy recipe to add to your freezer meal rotation.

Ingredient Notes

  • Leeks: For this cheesy soup, you’ll need the white and light green parts of two leeks. Discard the remainder, or chop the dark green parts into smaller chunks and place in a freezer bag to make a Homemade Vegetable Broth! 
  • Oil: Vegetable oils like canola oil or sunflower oil are the cheapest cooking oils to use, but when it comes to a creamy vegetable soup that’s made with just a few ingredients, i recommend splurging for a more quality oil like olive oil or avocado oil. It’ll yield a richer soup with a better smooth, mouthfeel. 
  • Cauliflower: Use what you have, or what is cheapest at the supermarket. I’ve made this soup with both a fresh head of cauliflower and frozen cauliflower florets and both work well. You can even use riced cauliflower (I recommend riced cauliflower for the freezer meal version because it takes up less space). 
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic is absolutely delicious in this soup. Or if you have it, swap in some gooey roasted garlic!  
  • Broth: I typically use a low-sodium vegetable broth because it’s one of my pantry staples I always have on hand. A low sodium chicken broth or bone broth would also be great. 
  • Cheese: Cheddar cheese shreds pair best with the flavor of the roasted leeks and cauliflower. We use dairy-free, making this slow cooker cauliflower soup naturally vegan.  
  • Lemon: Fresh lemon juice helps brighten the cheesy soup and keeps it light and balanced. 

How to Make Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup

  1. Coat the leeks in oil. In the bowl of a 6 qt. slow cooker, stir together the leeks, avocado oil, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. If you are new to cooking with leeks, check out this super helpful tutorial from A Couple CooksHow to Cut Leeks
  2. Add remaining ingredients. Next, add in the cauliflower florets, minced garlic, and vegetable broth. Do not stir – ​this will make the leeks on the bottom of the slow cooker caramelize during cooking. 
  3. Slow cook. This soup can be cooked on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. I prefer to cook on low when possible – this yields a deeper flavor. 
  4. Blend until smooth. Using an immersion blender, blend the creamy vegetarian soup until a silky smooth consistency. Stir in the cheddar cheese and fresh lemon juice and allow the cheese to melt. 
  5. Season and serve. Once the cheese is melted and well dispersed in the cauliflower soup recipe, ladle into serving bowls and garnish with additional cheese, red pepper flakes and fresh chives or green onions, or as desired. Enjoy! 
Cauliflower soup after blending in crockpot bowl.

Instant Pot Instructions

If you are short on time, you can turn this slow cooker cauliflower soup recipe into a speedy Instant Pot dinner. 

Turn on the sauté function and let the Instant Pot get hot. Then, heat the 1/4 cup of oil until warm. Add in the leeks and salt and black pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the sauté function, add the cauliflower, garlic, and broth and stir to combine. Pressure cook at high manual pressure for 3 minutes, then when the time is up, manually release the pressure. Blend until smooth, stir in the cheese and lemon juice, then enjoy with desired garnishes. 

Serving Suggestions

This delicious cauliflower soup is a perfect dinner option during soup season because it’s quick to make, healthy, and easy to serve with a number of main or side dishes. 

We love to serve this soup very similarly to how we serve butternut squash soup: with sandwiches for dunking! Give it a try with your favorite grilled cheese or our favorite TTLA sandwich

A ladle of cauliflower soup in crockpot.

I don’t have an immersion blender. Can I use a regular blender?

Yes. If you do not own a handy immersion blender, you can blend this soup in batches using a regular blender. Keep in mind that hot soup expands when blended, so blend in small batches. If you do not have an immersion blender or regular blender, you can also blend in batches using a food processor, or as a last resort, mash with a potato masher until a creamy consistency. 

How can I thicken cauliflower soup?

With the added cheese stirred in, this soup is naturally rich and creamy. However, if you prefer a thicker soup, you can either add additional cheese, or stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water). Continue to heat until thickened to desired consistency. 

Creamy cauliflower soup garnished with freshly chopped chives in white crockpot bowl with ladle.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through. 

Slow Cooker Cauliflower soup can also be frozen to make a healthy freezer meal. To make, add ingredients to a gallon-sized ziplock bag in the following order: riced cauliflower, garlic, black pepper, salt, oil, leeks. Seal tightly removing as much excess air out of the bag as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months, then when ready to cook, dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Add broth (do not stir). Cook as usual. 

How to Make this Creamy Soup as Cheaply as Possible

  • Skip the fresh cauliflower. ​In most cases, fresh cauliflower is more expensive than frozen cauliflower. This is especially true at stores that charge for cauliflower heads by the pound. At my local Walmart, I can purchase 12 ounces of frozen cauliflower florets for $1.28. In contrast, 12 ounces of fresh cauliflower costs $2.57. Frozen = 50% immediate savings! 
  • Use a concentrated broth base. If you’re cooking dinner from scratch often, it’s likely that most of your dinner time favorites call for broth. It’s one of my most used pantry staples and that’s why I buy Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base at Coscto. It costs $0.09 per cup and comes in a handy jar that is much easier to store compared to Tetra-paks or glass jars. 
  • Shred the cheddar cheese yourself! ​Blocks of cheddar cheese are always cheaper than pre-shredded cheese, and made without caking agents that prevent it from melting (an added bonus!). This is true for both regular and dairy-free cheeses. 
Serving bowl of cauliflower soup garnished with toppings.
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Slow Cooker Roasted Cauliflower Soup Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Cost: $10.28 per recipe / $2.57 per serving
This Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup is a great recipe to make when you're craving something cozy, yet light and healthy. It's the ultimate veggie-rich comfort food! All you need is 10 minutes and 7 simple ingredients to get this crockpot favorite cooking.

Equipment

Ingredients
 

Cauliflower Soup

  • 2 leeks sliced (white and light green parts only) ($1.98)
  • ¼ cup avocado oil ($0.76)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste ($0.02)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste ($0.01)
  • 10 cups cauliflower florets (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds cauliflower head) ($4.80)
  • 6 cloves garlic minced ($0.36)
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth ($0.36)
  • 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese divided, dairy-free or regular ($1.26)
  • 1/2 lemon juiced ($0.29)

Garnish

  • chives ($0.44)

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a 6 qt. slow cooker, stir together the leeks, avocado oil, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
  • Next, add in the cauliflower florets, minced garlic, and vegetable broth. Do not stir – ​this will make the leeks on the bottom of the slow cooker caramelize during cooking. 
  • Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours. I prefer to cook on low when possible – this yields a deeper flavor.
  • Using an immersion blender, blend the creamy vegetarian soup until a silky smooth consistency. Stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and fresh lemon juice and allow the cheese to melt. 
  • Once the cheese is melted and well dispersed in the cauliflower soup recipe, ladle into serving bowls and garnish with additional cheese, red pepper flakes and fresh chives or green onions, or as desired. Enjoy! 
  • Cauliflower: Fresh, frozen, or riced cauliflower all work. 
  • Broth: Can use chicken broth

Notes

  • Freezer Instructions: Add ingredients to a gallon-sized ziplock bag in the following order: riced cauliflower (more compact than florets), garlic, black pepper, salt, oil, leeks. Seal tightly removing as much excess air out of the bag as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, dump contents of bag into slow cooker, add broth, and do not stir. Cook as usual, then blend and stir in cheese and lemon juice. 
  • Instant Pot option: Turn on the sauté function and let the Instant Pot get hot. Then, heat the 1/4 cup of oil until warm. Add in the leeks and salt and black pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the sauté function, add the cauliflower, garlic, and broth and stir to combine. Pressure cook at high manual pressure for 3 minutes, then when the time is up, manually release the pressure. Blend until smooth, stir in the cheese and lemon juice, then enjoy with desired garnishes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 653mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g

Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American

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5 from 1 vote
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