Kale and Cauliflower Soup
on Mar 08, 2021, Updated Nov 17, 2025
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This healthy and delicious kale and cauliflower soup is easy to make with 8 simple ingredients and is ready to enjoy in 30 minutes.
Featured Review
This is a great soup. Real comfort food. It is also quickly made and super healthy. I actually used my immersion blender on all of it and added some nutritional yeast. YUM!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Janis
Why You’ll Love Kale and Cauliflower Soup
This wholesome recipe will be a go-to recipe when you’re short on time but still want something nourishing and comforting. Here are a few reasons to love it:
- You’ll need just 30 minutes and 8 simple ingredients.
- It’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free and sugar-free.
- It’s low in fat, carbs and calories.
- It’s a budget-friendly recipe.
- It has a delicious creamy texture.
- It stores well so is great for meal prep and batch cooking.
Cauliflower is an excellent ingredient for making healthy soups. Once blended, it helps to achieve a creamy texture without the heavy cream. You can also try it in Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Soup, Creamy Cauliflower Wild Rice Soup and Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup.
Ingredients
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Onion: White or yellow onion both work.
- Herbs : The recipe calls for dried parsley and ground thyme, adjust to your preference or try additional herbs like oregano.
- Vegetable Broth: Any store-bought or homemade vegetable stock or bouillon powder/cubes works.
- Kale: Can be substituted with spinach or chopped Swiss chard.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
How to Make Kale and Cauliflower Soup
Step 1. Saute the onions and garlic in a large soup pot over medium heat in 2 tbsp of vegetable stock until they start to soften and become fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Step 2. Stir in the chopped carrots, parsley and thyme. Cook for few more minutes, adding another splash of stock if needed if the pot starts to dry out.
Step 3. Add the broth and chopped cauliflower and bring the soup to a light simmer. Simmer lightly for about 12-15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
Step 4. Turn off the heat and carefully scoop half of the soup into a blender, leaving some pieces of cauliflower and carrot behind. Blend the soup until smooth then pour back into the pot.
Step 5. Stir in the chopped kale and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the kale to soften. Season with salt and pepper, if needed, then serve right away with fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Notes from Deryn
- This soup is quite light and low in calories. For a heartier soup, stir in 1-2 cups cooked rice, white beans or chickpeas when you add the kale.
- Vegan sausage also makes a good addition if you want to add protein and substance to the soup. Brown the sausage in the pan first, then remove and proceed with the recipe. Stir the sausage back in when you add the kale.
- I like to add a good amount of fresh lemon juice with the kale to help brighten up the flavours. You can also just add lemon with each serving.
- Celery makes a good addition if you want to add an additional veggie. Add 1 cup when you add the onions and garlic.
- For “cheesy” soup like my vegan cauliflower wild rice soup, blend in up to 1/3 nutritional yeast when you blend the soup.
Storing
- Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Let cool then store in a freezer-safe container in one batch or in individual portions for up to 3 months. Thaw as needed in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated to your preference, adding a little broth or water to adjust the consistency if it’s thickened substantially.
If you try this Kale and Cauliflower Soup or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave 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. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
More Recipes to Try!
Kale and Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large white or yellow onion, diced (390 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, 175 g, approx. 1.5 cups chopped
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 head of cauliflower, 775 g, approx. 7 cups chopped
- 4 cups lightly packed, chopped, de-stemmed kale (120 g)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh lemon juice for serving, optional
Instructions
- Saute the onions and garlic in 2 tbsp of broth or water in a large soup pot over medium heat until they start to soften and become fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped carrots, dried parsley and ground thyme. Cook for few more minutes, adding another splash of stock if needed if the pan starts to dry out.
- Stir in the vegetable broth and chopped cauliflower and bring to a light simmer. Simmer lightly, uncovered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Turn the heat off then carefully scoop about 1/2 of the soup into a blender, leaving some pieces of carrot and cauliflower behind. Blend until smooth and creamy (make sure you allow steam to escape when blending) and then pour the blended soup back into the pot and mix with the remaining soup.
- Stir in the chopped kale. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow kale to soften.
- Serve right away with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 14, 2015.
This was so easy and yet so delicious!! I pureed all the cauliflower, was too lazy to take out and put back in, the texture is great none the less. Thank you very much!!
Very happy to hear you enjoyed it!
So delicious! I made this soup for dinner and really to prep for my cold work weekend and put some away in the freezer. I have 4 kids from 1-5 and they’re super picky. Hardly even like chicken soup. Decided to let them just taste it without forcing them to eat it for dinner and good god they ate it and loved it. I’m still in shock haha ! Thank you so much for this recipe !
That’s amazing! So happy it was kid approved! …and picked kids at that! Very happy to hear you all enjoyed it. Thanks a lot for the comment and rating!
I was very delicious ? I didn’t get a chance to try the next day soup, it was completely devoured. Thanks so much.
Haha, that’s awesome!! At least it was enjoyed fresh!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times so far and find it delicious, filling and nutritious. I like to add frozen peas at the very end and they give off a slight bite of texture!
This is a staple recipe for me now. Thank you!
Ooh fun..great idea to add some peas! I’m so glad to hear you like this recipe! It’s one of my faves too, so easy and yummy! Thanks for your comment.
Can I add other greens to this soup?
Like collard greens and spinach.
I have a lot of green veggies in my frig,
Love to add but don’t want to ruin the flavor 🙂
Ya! Just throw a few handfuls in after blending, will be fine.
Nice. I only blended 2 cups of the finished product and I cooked the kale longer. I dislike chewy kale. After that I added 1/2 C of Quesadilla shredded cheese with 1/2 C half n half and the soup was nice and creamy w/out being gloppy. I did add some rosemary I dry and grind to a powder and some white wine. Great soup with a few minor tweaks for myself. Used 4 cups of chicken bone broth I make myself so only use 4 cups of cauliflower I roasted before hand. Only one carrot to cut some carbs out and added 2 stalks of diced celery. Great starting point you can alter for your own personal taste. Thank you for posting..I appreciate it.
Took me 3 days to eat it all but I liked it better every day. Thumbs up!
Thank you for the feedback, Trish!! So happy you enjoyed the soup. I really appreciate the comment.
So yummy! Mine wasn’t thick and creamy though. I used an emmersion blender. Any suggestions?
Did you follow the recipe exactly as written? I’ve made it lots and it’s always perfectly thick. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour at least!
To the person who asked for calories, I put the info in on a nutritional calculator online and got this information.
Calories 95
Total fat 1.5 grams
Sodium 818mg
Carbohydrates 13.4 grams
Dietary Fiber 3 grams
Sugar 4.1 grams
Protein 7.8 grams
Thank you so much for adding that!
I added french (green) lentils….adding a boost of protein and fiber. I love this recipe. Mahalo (thank you) from Hawaii.
Ooh, sounds yummy with lentils added!! So happy you liked it! I’m heading to Hawaii for vacation next week, can’t wait!
I made this soup last night and I can’t believe how much flavor it has, this has been added to my favorites soups. I did add a few potatoes. So yummy. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it! Sounds great with some added potatoes. 🙂