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This creamy, vegan cauliflower potato soup with peas is chunky, hearty and full of nutrition and flavour. This recipe is gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free and low in fat.

Bowl of cauliflower potato soup with peas on a white background with a beige napkin.

Equipment Needed

To make this creamy potato soup, you’ll need a:

  • Stock pot. A 4-6 quart stockpot is perfect for making this soup.
  • Blender or immersion blender. A Vitamix will produce the best result but any blended will work. You can also use an immersion blender right in the soup.

Ingredients Needed

This soup is easy to make with basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  1. Vegetable basics. For the base of this soup, I used onions, garlic, celery and carrot. The onion and garlic are must-haves but if you’re missing celery or carrot, you can use a bit more or less of either.
  2. Vegetable broth. I used vegetable bouillon cubes but any store-bought or homemade broth works.
  3. Cauliflower. You’ll need a few cups of fresh cauliflower for this soup.
  4. Potato. I used russet potato in this soup but red and Yukon gold potato also work well.
  5. Herbs. I used dried parsley and thyme for seasoning but you can play around with seasonings to create different flavours. Sage, rosemary and oregano all work well. You could also add a bay leaf as it simmers, just make sure you remove it before blending.
Two bowls of chunky cauliflower potato soup against a white background.

How to Make Cauliflower Potato Soup

I made this soup stovetop but it can also be made in an Instant Pot. I’ll include the Instant Pot instructions after this section. This soup is easy to make and will take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Let’s go over the steps.

Step 1: Saute the veggies, then add the herbs.

The first step is to cook up the carrot, onion, garlic and celery for 6-7 minutes with a pinch of salt and pepper to create a flavourful base for the soup. You can saute using a few splashes of water, vegetable broth or 1 tbsp of olive oil. I used 1/4 cup vegetable broth.

After those have softened and become fragrant, stir in the dried thyme and parsley and cook for a few more minutes.

Onions, carrot, celery and garlic in a soup pot with a wooden spoon.
Saute the carrot, onion, celery and garlic in water for 6-7 minutes.
Onions, carrot, celery, dried herbs and garlic in a soup pot with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the thyme and parsley and cook for a few more minutes.

Step 2: Add the chopped cauliflower, potato and broth.

Next is to add the chopped cauliflower, peeled and cubed potato and vegetable broth. Now that you’ve added everything to the pot, you’ll simmer it, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the potato and carrot are tender.

Quick tip: I like to stock organic vegetable bouillon cubes in my pantry so I’m always ready to make soups, stews and chili.

Chopped cauliflower and potato with broth and veggies in a soup pot.
Add the chopped cauliflower, cubed potato and stock and simmer until the potato, carrot and cauliflower are tender.

Step 3: Blend half the soup.

Once the soup is cooked, either use an immersion blender right in the pot, or carefully scoop about half of soup into a blender. Blend until smooth then pour it back into the pot with the unblended portion.

Do I have to blend the soup?

No, blending is not required but it does create a beautifully creamy but hearty soup with bites of potato and veggies in every bite.

Chopped, cooked vegetables and broth in a Vitamix ready to be blended.
Scoop out 1/3-1/2 of the soup and blend until smooth.
Blended cauliflower potato soup in a Vitamix.
Once smooth, pour the blended portion back into the pot.

Step 4: Stir in the peas and serve!

The final step is to stir in 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas and season with salt and pepper. Now the soup is ready to enjoy!

Do I have to add peas?

No, you sure don’t! If you’re not a fan of peas, you can leave them out or substitute them with corn.

Stir in 1 cup of green peas.

A white bowl of chunky cauliflower potato chowder sitting on a beige dish towel on a white surface.
Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Instant Pot Method

Want to make this soup in an Instant Pot? No problem! It’s super easy. Here’s how:

  1. Add the carrot, onion, garlic and celery to the Instant Pot with 1/4 cup broth or water and use the “Saute” setting to cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring often.
  2. Stir in the herbs and cook a few more minutes.
  3. Add everything except the peas and seal the lid, making sure the Venting Knob is set to “Sealing”.
  4. Press “Pressure Cook” and set the timer to 10 minutes.
  5. When the timer beeps to indicate cooking has finished, carefully move the Venting Knob to “Quick Release” to let the pressure out.
  6. Once the Float Valve drops, open the lid and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Cauliflower Potato Soup Recipe

This creamy soup is easy to make in under 30 minutes and always a hit. It’s hearty and filling with tender bits of cauliflower, carrot and potato in every bite. The green peas add another layer of texture and add some brightness to the soup.

How to Serve

Enjoy this soup topped with fresh chopped chives, parsley or green onions and a piece of crusty bread or toasted sourdough.

How to Store

This soup can be store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Healthy Vegan Soup Recipes

Loving this creamy potato soup? You might like these too:

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Bowl of cauliflower potato soup with peas on a white background with a beige napkin.

Cauliflower Potato Soup with Peas

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 23 mins
  • Total Time: 33 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop, Blender
  • Cuisine: Vegan

This chunky but thick and creamy soup is full of flavour and nutrition but also healthy and low in fat! Enjoy with a big slice of toasted sourdough bread for a filling and delicious plant-based meal.

★★★★★

4.8 from 6 reviews

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups diced white onion (1 medium onion)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1.5 cups chopped celery (3 medium ribs)
  • 1 heaping cup peeled and chopped carrot (3 medium carrots)
  • 1/2 tsp each dried parsley and thyme
  • 2 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 2 heaping cups peeled and cubed potato (1 large russet potato)
  • 4.5 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • spritz of fresh lemon juice, optional
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery to a soup pot with 1/4 cup vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until they start to soften and become fragrant, about 6 minutes.
  2. Stir in the dried herbs and cook for a few more minutes.
  3. Add the potato, cauliflower and broth and simmer lightly for 15 minutes until the veggies are tender.
  4. Carefully scoop about half the soup into a blender and mix until smooth. Make sure you allow the steam to escape as you blend. Pour back in the pot with the remaining, unblended soup. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot until you reach your desired consistency.
  5. Stir in the green peas, give it a spritz of fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  6. Serve right away or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

See post for Instant Pot method.

Keywords: creamy potato soup, oil-free, gluten-free, low fat, healthy, vegetarian, dairy-free

This recipe was originally published November 22, 2016. I updated it September 2019 with new photos and a revised recipe. The originally recipe called for parsnips instead of potato, both options will work if you’d like to try parsnips or a mixture of parsnip and potato.