Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
on Oct 05, 2020, Updated Jul 14, 2026
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This Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup is creamy, comforting and packed with nourishing vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato and carrots. Made with turmeric, fresh ginger and creamy coconut milk, this easy vegan soup comes together in about 30 minutes and is perfect for meal prep, cozy weeknight dinners or freezing for later.
5-Star Review
Wow!!! Just made this and it is so good. I used full fat coconut milk so it is creamy. I immersion blended to almost smooth. Garnished with roasted chick peas and cilantro as suggested. Perfect for a crisp fall afternoon.
Why You’ll Love Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
This creamy cauliflower sweet potato soup has been a reader favourite since I first shared it in 2017. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Perfect for topping: Finish each bowl with roasted chickpeas, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime or crunchy seeds for extra flavour and texture.
- Creamy without dairy: Blended cauliflower, sweet potato and coconut milk create a rich texture without any cream.
- Quick and easy: Ready in about 30 minutes using simple pantry staples and everyday vegetables.
- Warmly spiced, not spicy: Fresh ginger and turmeric add warmth and flavour without making the soup hot. Add cayenne or chili flakes if you’d like more heat.
- Nutritious and satisfying: Naturally rich in fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants from colourful vegetables and turmeric.
- Perfect for meal prep: The flavour gets even better after a day in the fridge, and it freezes beautifully for easy lunches or dinners.
- Easy to customize: Swap the coconut milk for cashew cream, add chickpeas or white beans for extra protein, or use butternut squash instead of sweet potato.
- Naturally allergy-friendly: Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free (when made with coconut milk).
- One pot, minimal cleanup: Everything cooks in a single pot before blending, making cleanup just as easy as the recipe itself.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this soup. Below is an overview of the ingredients and any substitutions you can make.
- Broth: Any store-bought or homemade carton or cubes work. I usually just use bouillon cubes since they’re easy to keep on hand in the pantry.
- Coconut Milk: You can use full-fat for a rich, creamy soup or swap it for light coconut milk to reduce the fat in the recipe. Cashew cream can be used as a substitute.
- Ginger: If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, use 1 tsp ground ginger.
- Turmeric: If you don’t have turmeric on hand, mild yellow curry powder also works.
- Veggies: The recipe calls for carrot, cauliflower and sweet potato but the amounts don’t have to be exact. If you’re short on one, add a little more of the others.
How to Make Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
Step 1. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, cauliflower and sweet potato to a large soup pot with 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth. Saute over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are beginning to soften. This should take 7-10 minutes. If the mixture is getting dried out or starting to stick, add another splash or broth.
Step 2. Stir in the turmeric and cook for a few more minutes to toast the turmeric.
Step 3. Add the broth and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook uncovered until the vegetables are fork tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk.
Step 4. Either transfer 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup to a blender and process until smooth or carefully use an immersion blender right in the pot to blend some of the soup. If blending in a blender, be sure to let the steam escape as you blend. If you want a completely creamy soup, feel free to blend it all.
Step 5: Pour the blended soup back into the pot and serve right away topped with roasted chickpeas, fresh cilantro and a dash of lime.
Expert Tips
- Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Cook the turmeric for 1-2 minutes before adding the broth. This helps bloom the spice and creates a deeper flavour.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest texture. Light coconut milk works well if you prefer a lighter soup. Both.
- Blend to your preferred consistency. Blend only half the soup for a thicker soup with texture, or blend everything for a silky smooth finish.
- Taste before serving. A squeeze of fresh lime juice and an extra pinch of salt brighten all the flavours.
FAQs
No, turmeric and ginger add warmth and color rather than heat, so it’s mild enough for most palates. If you want more kick, stir in a bit of curry powder or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
No. An immersion blender right in the pot is the easiest option. You can also transfer part of the soup to a regular blender in batches (let the steam escape as you blend), or skip blending altogether for a chunkier, more stew-like soup.
Yes, no need to thaw first. Just add a few extra minutes to the simmer time so everything cooks through.
Yes. Swap in cashew cream or unsweetened plant milk for less richness.
Mild yellow curry powder is a good substitute if you don’t have turmeric on hand.
Yes, stir in a can of chickpeas or white beans, serve it over cooked lentils or top with crispy tofu or tempeh. The roasted chickpea topping adds a bit of protein and crunch.
Roasted Chickpea Option
Crispy roasted chickpeas are an optional topping that add some fun crunch and texture. To make:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Add 1 can of drained, rinsed and dried chickpeas to a baking pan and and drizzle with 1/2 tsp olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper, or any spices you like such as cumin, curry powder etc.
- Roast for 30-40 minutes.
- Use some for the soup then let the leftovers cool completely on the pan before storing for later use.
Storing and Freezing
- Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Let cool then store in a freezer-safe container (or multiple single-serving containers) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Microwave or stovetop, stirring often, until heated to your preference.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium white onion, 300 g, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp peeled fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 1 large or 2 small carrots, 160 g, peeled and diced
- 4 cups small florets of cauliflower, 400 g
- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato, 350 g
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup canned coconut milk, shake well if fresh can (see notes)
- 1 pinch black pepper, or to taste
- sea salt, to taste
- lime juice for serving, optional
- cilantro for serving, optional
- roasted chickpeas for serving, optional (see notes)
Instructions
- In a soup pot over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, cauliflower and sweet potato in 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth until until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Add a splash more broth if it's starting to stick.
- Add the turmeric, stir well and cook for a couple more minutes. Add another splash of broth if needed.
- Add the rest of the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook uncovered until the vegetables are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- For a creamy but chunky soup, carefully transfer roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour back into the pot with the rest of the soup. You can also just use an immersion blender right in the post to blend some of the soup. If you prefer a completely smooth soup, blend it all into smooth.
- Serve right away topped with fresh chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and roasted chickpeas, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published December 30, 2017.
WOW! I made this soup last week, it was super easy, filled with delicious veggies and is so satisfying. I also added parsnips along with the carrots which worked beautifully. The leftovers freeze perfectly which is an added bonus for meal prep. Deryn, I don’t think your recipes ever let me down, thank you!
So glad to hear that! Love the parsnips in there. And thank you for making my recipes!
De-Li-Cious! Making for the second time today. Will make regularly.
Delicious! I puréed all of the soup and added roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. My husband and daughter and I loved it!
I’m making your soup for my work lunches next week. There’s not an ingredient in this that I don’t LOVE. 🙂
However, I’m confused. Why does your pictures show garbanzo beans, but it’s not mentioned in the recipe? I love garbanzos as well.
It’s in the notes section of the recipe! Enjoy!
I forgot to get coconut milk…can I substitute something for it?
I’d make a cashew cream by blending some raw cashews with water. If you don’t have cashews, you can just omit the coconut milk and use some extra broth to adjust the consistency.
I just finished making this in a crazy rushed morning and am so excited for my lunch and dinner today. Thank you for making this so simple! I didn’t have any coconut milk and wasn’t sure about regular milk so I just used vegetable broth and worked perfectly.
That’s great, Olivia! I hope you enjoy lunch and dinner!
This was sooooo good. Thanks for the brilliant recipe 🙂
I’m so happy you liked it!! Thanks for the rating!
About to make this soup, but I have no blender of any sort. I’m thinking it should still taste fine without the blending but just wanted to ask your opinion. I could use riced cauliflower instead of cauliflower flourets to make it seem a bit more blended?
I would probably keep the cauliflower chunky but it’s up to you. Riced cauliflower would also work if you prefer. Do you have a food processor? That works for blending too! Either way, I think it will still be good without blending. Let me know how you make out!
Made this recipe exactly as you have it written for dinner tonight and it was so, so good. I don’t really like cauliflower, and for some reason I haven’t been loving sweet potatoes lately either, but the flavor of this soup was still amazing. I loved the crunchy roasted chickpeas tossed in there too. It is cozy and hearty but doesn’t leave you feeling heavy. Perfect winter dinner.
Ah, that’s awesome, Bethany! So glad you liked it even though you’re not a big cauliflower fan! I love the chickpeas on it too, so satisfying. Thanks for your comment!
I just made it! I loved it! Thank you!
So glad to hear it!