This easy Buffalo Cauliflower Soup Recipe is made without cream or roasting the cauliflower, and with a heat kick. It’s amazing on a chilly day!
We also curve our spicy cravings with air fryer buffalo cauliflower and Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.
Table of Contents
I’ve made buffalo chicken chili, buffalo chicken tacos and healthy buffalo chicken dip but a hot bowl of buffalo cauliflower soup really warms the body on a cold day.
Every bowl of this soup is rich, lusciously creamy, and delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Naturally creamy: Cream of cauliflower soup without any heavy cream.
- Buffalo lovers’ dream: Hot wings craving killed with good for you vegetable soup.
- Easy: No need to roast cauliflower because it’s simply not my life past 17 years. One reader reported roasted cauliflower doesn’t puree well. Even better, more excuses not to roast it.
- Quick: Ready in 30 minutes, it’s the perfect appetizer or quick weeknight meal.
- One pot meal: We cook, simmer, and blend all in one pot. This is one of the easiest soup and stew recipes in the iFoodReal collection!
- Healthy: Lighter, gluten-free, and vegetarian. It could also be vegan if you use nutritional yeast instead of blue cheese.
Ingredients for Cauliflower Soup
Make cauliflower soup with a handful of pantry supplies and fresh vegetables, it’s so simple!
- Cauliflower: For quick prep time, here’s how to cut cauliflower.
- Onion: Choose yellow onion or white onion for their sweeter flavor.
- Carrots: Loaded with nutrition and helps form the creamy base of the soup.
- Butter: Gives the base a soothing taste.
- Broth: Vegetable broth or chicken broth ties everything together.
- Milk: Any milk of choice, regular or plant-based will work.
- Hot sauce: Adds the spice to spicy cauliflower soup. I like Frank’s Red hot sauce.
- Seasoning: I kept it simple with a dash of garlic powder.
- Chickpeas: An easy way to add healthy goodness to your bowl. I love using Instant Pot chickpeas but a 14 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained is also good. Or substitute with corn, fresh or frozen.
- Garnish: Optional, but crumbled blue cheese and green onion are the perfect finish.
How to Make Buffalo Cauliflower Soup
Here’s a quick step-by-step overview how to make buffalo cauliflower soup. All it needs is a quick sauté, simmer, and blend.
There’s also a full recipe card below.
- Sauté vegetables: Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat and melt butter. First cook the onion for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add cauliflower and carrots, and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Simmer: Pour in vegetable broth and milk, stir, and cover with the lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10-12 minutes until vegetables are fork tender.
- Blend: Remove pot from heat and add hot sauce and garlic powder. Puree until smooth using an immersion blender.
- Finish the soup: Gently stir in chickpeas or corn and serve hot garnished with blue cheese crumbles and green onion.
Tips for Best Results
These pro tips make this the best version of cauliflower soup you’ll ever try!
- Omit chickpeas or puree them: If you don’t have chickpeas or not a fan, you can omit them. Or if you prefer a velvety smooth soup, puree them with the rest of the veggies.
- Don’t skip the blender: For a silky smooth texture the soup must be blended. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can transfer the soup to a high-speed blender, then transfer back to the pot and stir in chickpeas.
- Use butter: Sautéing with butter adds a rich, savory flavor you won’t get from oil. Keep in mind butter burns easily, so make sure to cook on medium heat, stir, and watch. In a pinch, you could use olive oil.
- Don’t skip the garnish: The blue cheese adds a salty kick without adding salt, and the green onion adds both color and flavor. These garnishes bump this healthy soup from good to blown away delicious!
Topping Ideas
There are many other toppings that add flavor and texture, here are a few ideas:
- Sourdough croutons
- Lemon zest or a splash of lemon juice
- Red pepper flakes
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- Crispy bacon
- Fresh parsley or basil
- A dusting of spices such as cumin, thyme, paprika, or curry powder
- Tortilla strips
What to Serve with Cauliflower Soup?
We’ll often eat this creamy soup with a big piece of garlic bread or pampushky.
An easy cucumber and tomato salad, roasted mini peppers or crispy air fryer sweet potatoes would make a delicious side as well.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Allow soup to cool and transfer to an airtight container, it will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze for up 3 months without worrying about milk separating, it’s a pretty creamy and thick soup.
Reheat: Rewarm soup on stovetop over medium-low heat.
FAQs
Sure, you will need about 1.5 pounds or 5-6 cups of frozen cauliflower florets.
Yes, stir in some greens like spinach or kale with chickpeas or corn. You can also replace some of cauliflower with cubed sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash or chopped broccoli.
Cannellini beans are the best substitute for chickpeas, they can also be pureed in the soup.
Yes, omit milk in the recipe and use 14 ounces can of light or full-fat coconut milk.
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes
- Roasted cauliflower recipe
- Air fryer cauliflower
- Cauliflower stir fry
- Cauliflower pizza crust
- Cauliflower stuffing
- Buffalo chicken bites
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Healthy butternut squash soup
- Thai chicken butternut squash soup
- Instant Pot potato soup
- Healthy chicken wild rice soup
- Healthy broccoli cheese soup
Buffalo Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 2 cups milk plant-based or regular
- 1/4 cup hot sauce like Frank's Red
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 14 ounces can chickpeas rinsed & drained or 1 1/2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles for serving
- 2 tablespoons green onion finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat large pot on medium heat and add butter to melt. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cauliflower and carrots, cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add vegetable broth and milk, then stir, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook soup for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Remove soup from heat and add hot sauce and garlic powder. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth.
- Add chickpeas or corn and stir. Serve soup hot garnished with blue cheese crumbles and green onion.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Freeze soup for up to 3 months.
Can I blend the chickpeas with the soup to ‘hide’ them for a kid who’s a picky eater?
Sure!
This soup is sooooo good! I was hesitant in making it at first but I’m so glad I did. I used corn kernels instead of chickpeas, which I think comes down to personal preference. I highly recommend!
Love this cauliflower soup! Just made it. Don’t have an immersion blender but regular blender was fine. Used whatever hot sauce I had and have chives instead of scallions but it is amazing. Look forward to finding other recipes.
Love hearing how much you enjoyed this cauliflower soup, Erin. I hope you enjoy my other soup recipes too!
I used 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of the hot sauce which gave us plenty of heat. The blue cheese crumbles added an extra tang. Seal of approval from my husband who is more of a cheese sandwich man for lunch.
Awesome Jane!