Cauliflower Chowder
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A creamy, low carb, hearty and cozy soup, loaded with so many good-for-you veggies. Perfect for those chilly nights!
Featured Comment
I’ve been making this recipe since it was first published – I can’t believe it’s been 10 years! I also can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed it until now. Follow the recipe and it’s perfect. No one is ever disappointed, there are never leftovers, and I can feel moderately good about getting more vegetables
why i love cauliflower chowder
- Perfect for soup season, ski season, post-holiday season, and blustery winter season
- Oh-so-velvety with all the sneaked in vegetables that even the pickiest of toddlers will love
- Packed with cauliflower, a great source of antioxidants that’s high in fiber and low in calories
tips and tricks for success
- Grab pre-cut cauliflower. To cut down on prep time even more, use pre-cut cauliflower florets.
- Blend, baby, blend. With the help of an immersion blender or a countertop blender, the soup will yield an even creamier, smoother consistency.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of thyme leaves, some crispy bacon or roasted cauliflower will certainly take your soup to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Mix it up. Add carrots, corn, russet potatoes (this will help thicken up the chowder even more!) or even your favorite blend of seafood.
what to serve with cauliflower chowder
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Cauliflower Chowder: Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t have an immersion blender?
A countertop blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec) or food processor should do the trick! When using a countertop blender, cool the soup slightly and blend in batches.
How can I make this vegetarian?
You can omit the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Is this freezer-friendly?
We do not recommend freezing this as milk-based soups tend to separate when frozen.
Cauliflower Chowder
A creamy, low carb, hearty and cozy soup, loaded with so many good-for-you veggies. Perfect for those chilly nights!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat in the stockpot.
- Melt butter in the stockpot. Add garlic, onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barely crisp-tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth and milk, and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower are tender, about 12-15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and parsley, if desired.
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WOW!!! This recipe is delicious. Will definitely be a regular in my house. Thanks for the amazing recipe 🙂
I have to say, I’m a bit skeptical of “healthier” recipes but this soup was fantastic! It’s rich and creamy and packed with flavor! I will definitely be keeping this on the fall soup rotation. Thank you!
I’m on a low carb diet and would like to avoid using flour. Any suggestions for an alternative to thicken the soup? Thanks!
You can try omitting the flour but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
Try pureeing some of the cooked veggies with the chicken broth and adding it back in to thicken the soup.
Just pureeing some of the cauliflower itself should help w/thickening.
Ha! Now that you’ve spent a year in the Bay area, you know bikini weather is only later in the year, if it really exists, but you’ll get used to it in a couple years! It took me 4 before I realized there ARE seasons and I could tell when they began.
I love using cauliflower and a chowder sounds great. I’m planning this for after next grocery run, but will, as others have done, use gluten-free arrowroot, agar agar, or corn or potato starch to thicken instead of using flour [I’ve gone overboard with trying various paleo products].
Can I make it in the crockpot? Well, I’m sure I can, but cook the cauliflower ahead of time, or no? I’ll only have it in for a couple hours. Thank you!!!
Haley, please understand that it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to the slow cooker method without further recipe testing. I recommend using your own judgement to convert this recipe to utilize a slow cooker.
The nutritional facts says 30 grams of fat per serving…is that right? That’s like eating a piece of cheese cake. I must be reading this wrong. Can someone tell me why I am seeing the fat for one serving as 30 grams….it can’t be. Looks fantastic!
Thank you so much for pointing that out, Kerri. The numbers have been updated.
Made this tonight! It was good but felt it needed a little more flavour, so added some old cheddar and a little parmesan, and it was divine. I also pureed the soup, which I think also helped to take it to another level. Enjoy! 🙂
Your additions sound amazing, although they definitely add a bit more calories than listed here in the recipe!
I’m wondering if I could make this using frozen cauliflower as the base instead of fresh? I much prefer fresh, but I have a household of 7 to feed and I could make it so much cheaper and much more if frozen would work. Would there be anything else that would need to be done? Perhaps a bit less liquid? Can’t wait to make it! So ready for soup weather!
You can certainly substitute frozen cauliflower but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish as further recipe testing is needed. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Just made this for lunch and it was amazing! I added a little bit of basil and threw in some cheddar cheese at the end. Thank you for the great recipe! 🙂
I could eat soup everyday and I’m always looking for new recipes. This one looks really good. I’m gluten-free, so I will try thickening it with half and half and eliminate the flour.
Janet, I made it with almond flour and just a pinch of tapioca starch…it was perfect!
I’m definitely going to use almond flour. I live this soup. Thanks for the tip.
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How would you put this together if you wanted to cook it in a crockpot?
Missy, it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe like this to the slow cooker method. I recommend using your own judgement to convert this recipe to utilize a crockpot.
I’m making this as I type and I’m confused by the whisking part. How can I whisk the flour/milk/broth when the pot is full of uncooked cauliflower?
I’m using the same pit as I used for the bacon to get all that flavour (drained most of the fat). Also am going to add chunks of tilapia at the end to make it a meal. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to taste it!!
Peeler, you can still whisk everything together even with the cauliflower still in the pot. If all else fails, feel free to stir everything together with a silicone spatula.
I’m in the process of making this soup. Smells good and I have a yen for some more depth of flavour.
Q.?
What do you think about my adding an 1/8 tsp curry powder?
I’m personally not a fan of curry powder so I am a bit partial towards this question!
Great recipe! I added a teaspoon or so of sriracha hot chili sauce and a tablespoon of half-n-half to give it a bit of a kick. Very nice soup.
I did everything almost exactly the same but I used a box of swanson cream starter (my new favorite cooking cheat) instead of milk to save some time (and I didn’t have milk), and the chicken broth. I also added a small bag of shredded white cheddar cheese too! Yum! Very versatile recipe, next time I make it (which will be very soon), I may add some shredded chicken and wild rice. Even could add some diced tomatoes and serve it over pasta or with a baked potato!
Riquisimo el ensopaso!!!! Lo hize ayer y lo recomendo por los dias de inverieno muy frios!!!
I just bought all the ingredients to make this. Do you know if it’d freeze well?? It’s just me at home and I’m sure it’ll taste great, but I don’t want to be eating it every day for a week, haha.
Unfortunately I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. There were no leftovers to freeze!
Bookmarking to make!!
Since folks asked (and I was curious) I put the ingredients in MyFitnessPal to get at least a rough estimate on the nutrition facts and this is what came up (disclaimer: I am not a dietitian or nutritionist, the results came auto-calculated from MFP):
I calculated the recipe as 4 servings as described in the recipe (I used pre-cooked bacon for the calculation)…
Per serving:
231 Calories
10g Fat
5g Saturated Fat
27g Carbohydrates (20 net Carbs)
7g Fiber
11g Sugar
11g Protein
That’s much closer to what I got than what it states above. Thank you for posting! I thought I might be going crazy, haha.
I love the recipe, it’s absolutely delicious. Great with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top!
Such a delicious soup! Just to make it a little thicker, I removed half the veggies, blended the rest with an immersion blender, then added the veggies back in. Next time (to REALLY hide the fact this is cauliflower from a picky husband), I will blend up the entire thing, top with bacon and cheese, and call it ‘loaded baked potato soup’. He’ll be none the wiser, but I know we’re eating healthy! 🙂
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Unfortunately I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. There were no leftovers to freeze! 🙂
Sounds yummy…..gonna pin and try!
Where did you get the turquoise dish in the first picture? Love it!! Been looking for something like this. Thanks
I found it at Anthropologie a couple years back.