Creamy Vegan Cauliflower & Kale Soup

Name: Creamy Vegan Cauliflower & Kale Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium white onion, diced; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup celery, sliced; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; 5 cups cauliflower florets; 1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed; 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth; 3 packed cups kale; Juice of half a lemon

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Sep 28, 2023 1 comment »

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Check out the color of this vibrant green cauliflower kale soup! Made in one pot on the stovetop, it’s a creamy vegan soup packed with nutritious vegetables. A can of white beans adds a welcome boost of plant-based protein. This soup gets incredibly smooth and creamy when blended up. Ready in 30 minutes or less, and makes for excellent leftovers.

hand spooning a bowl of kale cauliflower soup surrounded by two more soup bowls and pieces of bread

Here on the East Coast, soup season lasts for several months!

As a Registered Dietitian, I love making soups that are loaded with veggies, whole grains, and legumes – like my hearty farro vegetable soup.

When I’m craving a SUPER nourishing soup, I make this creamy cauliflower and kale soup.

In addition to cruciferous veggies cauliflower and kale, this soup also has white beans blended into it – adding plant-based protein and dietary fiber.

More pureed vegetable soup recipes to try: creamy broccoli leek soup, roasted pumpkin apple soup, curry cauliflower buttercup squash soup, and creamy vegan asparagus soup.

You’re going to love how this velvety smooth soup makes you feel!

It’s made in one pot on the stovetop and takes just about 30 minutes to prepare.

This recipe makes 4 servings. It’s vegan, gluten free, nut free, and dairy free.

Ingredients

Here is everything you need to make this creamy vegan soup:

Cauliflower: When shopping for cauliflower, look for a firm and heavy full head with little to no brown spots or bruising.
Kale: This leafy green comes in several varieties, including curly kale, lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale, and red kale. I recommend using curly kale for this recipe.
Canned white beans: Blending white beans into this soup adds plant-based protein and enhances the velvety smooth texture. You can use any white bean variety, such as cannellini, Great Northern, or Navy.
White or yellow onion: Onion helps build layers of flavor in this soup.
Vegetable broth: Use your favorite store bought broth, or homemade if you prefer.
Garlic: Garlic pairs well with all the ingredients in this soup.
Celery: Celery, when cooked with onion, helps to add complexity of flavor.
Lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brings a fresh, bright, and zippy flavor to balance out the savory notes of this soup.
Red pepper flakes: These add just a *touch* of heat. Add more if you like it spicy!
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Kitchen tools needed

Large pot
Chef’s knife, 6 or 8 inch
Cutting board
Measuring spoons
High powered blender

Can I use an immersion blender to blend this soup? You can absolutely use an immersion blender. However, I find that soups don’t get as velvety smooth unless I blend them in this high-powered blender.

Vitamix Blender

This high powered blender is a versatile workhorse! I use it for smoothies, purees, soups, grinding grains, and more. It makes the smoothest pureed soups and is well worth the investment.

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Step-by-step instructions

chopped vegetables on an orange cutting board — 1. Dice the onion and celery and mince garlic.

cooked onion and celery in a pot — 2. Cook onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil on the stovetop in a big pot.

cauliflower kale soup in a pot before being blende — 3. Add red pepper flakes, cauliflower florets, white beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until cauliflower is fork tender.

cauliflower kale soup in a blender before being pureed — 5. Transfer the soup to a blender using a ladle. You may need to do this in two batches.

blended cauliflower kale soup in a blender — 6. Blend on high for about 1 minute, until everything is completely smooth.

cauliflower kale soup pureed in a pot with a wooden mixing spoon — 7. Wipe the pot clean, then pour the soup back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt to taste.

Portion the soup into bowls, then top with freshly cracked black pepper if desired.

Storage

Just like most soup recipes, this cauliflower kale soup makes great leftovers. It can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To reheat the soup, you can put it individual portions into microwave-safe bowls and microwave for one to two minutes until heated through.

You can also reheat it on the stovetop in a pot over medium heat. Stir regularly and heat for about 5 minutes.

How to freeze soup

Let the soup cool completely. Put soup into a freezer-safe baggie, or a glass or plastic airtight container.

Leave about an inch of extra space in the container, as the soup may expand when frozen.

Label the container with the date, and put it in the freezer.

Defrost soup overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as instructed above.

It’s best to use frozen soup within 3 months of freezing it.

bowl of green cauliflower kale soup with a silver spoon

Serving suggestions

This soup is fairly light, so you can pair it with something else to make it a more filling meal. Try it with a green salad, grilled cheese sandwich, garlic bread, or just a hunk of your favorite crusty bread.

Kale nutrition benefits

Kale is truly a nutrition powerhouse! One cup of chopped raw kale provides:

2.8 grams of dietary fiber (10% of your daily needs)
2 grams of plant-based protein
170 mg calcium (13% of your daily needs)
1.1 mg iron (6% of your daily needs)
161.47 mcg Vitamin A (18% of your daily needs)
62.6 mg Vitamin C (134% of your daily needs)
261.3 mcg Vitamin K (218% of your daily needs)
0.616 mg manganese (27% of your daily needs)

Kale has beneficial plant compounds including antioxidants and glucosinolates. These compounds help keep us healthy by fighting off inflammation, promoting heart health, and reducing the risk of certain diseases.

three bowls of green cauliflower kale soup with hunks of bread

Cauliflower nutrition benefits

Cauliflower is a very healthy food to include in your diet. One cup of raw cauliflower provides:

2.1 grams of dietary fiber (8% of your daily needs)
2.1 grams of plant-based protein
60.99 mcg folate (15% of your daily needs)
0.714 mg pantothenic acid (14% of your daily needs)
0.197 mg Vitamin B6 (12% of your daily needs)
51.6 mg Vitamin C (57% of your daily needs)
16.6 mcg Vitamin K (14% of your daily needs)

Cauliflower and kale are both cruciferous vegetables. These veggies have a beneficial plant compound called sulforaphane, which has anti-inflammatory effects and helps protect our cells.

White beans nutrition benefits

White beans blended into this soup add a lot of nutrition benefits!

One half cup of white beans has 7 grams of dietary fiber (22% of your daily needs) and 10 grams of plant-based protein.

White beans have lots of vitamins and minerals:

0.18 mg thiamin (15% of your daily needs)
101.7 mg folate (26% of your daily needs)
39.05 mg choline (7% of your daily needs)
2.08 mg iron (12% of your daily needs)
5.4 mcg selenium (10% of your daily needs)
67.5 mg magnesium (16% of your daily needs).

Additionally, white beans are a good source of potassium, copper, and phosphorus.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!