There's a reason cauliflower and blue cheese soup keeps turning up on menus every autumn. Roast the cauliflower first and it goes from watery to genuinely savoury; then blitz it with a good crumbly Stilton and you've got something far more special than the sum of its parts.
This one's ready in under 45 minutes, needs nothing more than a saucepan and a blender, and is naturally vegetarian. Velvety, roasted, and with a proper cheesy punch, it works just as well for a quick lunch as it does as a soup course before a bigger dinner.
Jump to:
- Recipe Highlights
- Ingredients and Substitutes
- Best Blue Cheese for Cauliflower Soup
- Before You Begin: How Do You Prepare Cauliflower?
- Step-By-Step Method
- What To Serve With Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup?
- Tips For Best Results
- Storage
- More Creamy Soup Recipes
- Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
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Recipe Highlights
TASTE: Nutty, roasted cauliflower meets sharp, salty Stilton.
TEXTURE: Silky and velvety underneath, with just enough crumbled cheese on top to bite into.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: One pan, one blender, 45 minutes, done. Proper comfort food with almost no faff.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Here's everything you'll need for this creamy cauliflower soup recipe:
- Cauliflower: one whole head, about 900g (2lb), cut into small florets. We use the stalk and outer leaves too rather than binning them, and often make this soup with cauliflower left over from Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks.
- Olive oil: or another neutral oil, such as vegetable or sunflower.
- Brown onion: red onion or shallots both work as a swap.
- Garlic: fresh is best, but ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove will do in a pinch.
- Vegetable stock: for chicken stock cube dissolved in water, or homemade vegetable broth, if you're not keeping this meat-free.
- Double cream (a.k.a. heavy cream): creme fraiche or full-fat sour cream both work as a substitute.
- Stilton: the crumbly, punchy blue cheese that makes this soup what it is. More on why below.
- Parsley: fresh thyme leaves work well too.
Find the full ingredient quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
Best Blue Cheese for Cauliflower Soup
It really does come down to personal taste, but Stilton is our go-to here, and that's not just British loyalty talking. Of all the blue cheeses I love (and Basajo is right up there as one of my absolute favourites), Stilton is the one that earns its place in this soup because of its texture, not just its flavour. It's crumbly rather than creamy, so it blends beautifully into the base while still holding its shape when crumbled on top.
That's also why a very soft, creamy blue like gorgonzola isn't the best fit here. It's a lovely cheese, but it tends to melt into the soup rather than holding together when crumbled, so you lose that bit of contrast on top. If Stilton isn't available, Shropshire Blue or Danish Blue are good crumbly alternatives. We use Stilton in this recipe as well as in our Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup!
If you're a fellow blue cheese lover, have a look at our favourite blue cheese recipes below for more inspiration (start with Romaine Wedge Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing):
Before You Begin: How Do You Prepare Cauliflower?
Good prep makes for better soup, and it only takes a couple of minutes. Pull off and discard any damaged or discoloured outer leaves. Don't bin the rest of the leaves or the stalk though; chop them up and roast them alongside the florets, since they add flavour and stop anything going to waste.
Cut the head into small, even florets so everything roasts at the same rate, and tuck the leafy veggie bits underneath the florets so they don't catch and burn before everything else is done.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower (florets, stalk and leaves) out in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 20 minutes, until browned at the edges.
Why Roast Cauliflower?
Roasting condenses the flavour as the water in the cauliflower evaporates, which is exactly what you want in a cauliflower soup recipe. The Maillard reaction adds caramelised, savoury notes on top of that, giving the soup a depth of flavour you simply don't get from boiling cauliflower straight in the stock. It's a five-minute extra step that changes the whole dish.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and sauté gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute, until fragrant. Don't let it catch, or it'll turn bitter.
5. Tip the roasted cauliflower into the pan with the onions, pour in the vegetable stock, and bring to the boil over high heat.
6. Once boiling, reduce to low-medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft, soft enough that a knife slides through with no resistance.
7. Blend the soup until silky smooth, using a hand blender (immersion blender) directly in the pan, or in batches in a countertop blender if that's what you've got. Take care, as the soup will be hot.
8. Take the pan off the heat, pour in the cream, and add half the crumbled Stilton. Blend again briefly, just until combined.
9. Divide the soup between bowls, top with the remaining Stilton and a scattering of parsley, and serve while it's properly hot.
What To Serve With Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup?
This soup makes a great starter for a dinner party. Serve it in smaller portions topped with crispy sourdough croutons for a bit of texture against the smooth soup.
For a more filling lunch, pair it with crusty bread. Our sourdough baguette or sourdough ciabatta are both excellent for mopping up every last bit.
Tips For Best Results
- 🥣 Blend a little longer than feels necessary. An extra 30 seconds turns a good soup into a properly silky one.
- 🧀 Add the cream and cheese off the heat. Stirring dairy into soup that's still at a rolling boil is the fastest way to end up with a split, grainy texture instead of something smooth.
- 🥓 Try it with crispy bacon. It's not in the recipe as written, but a handful of crispy bacon bits scattered over the top alongside the Stilton is a genuinely good addition, if you're not keeping this one meat-free.
- 🌿 Play with the toppings. A pinch of nutmeg stirred through, or a scattering of crispy onions or extra fresh herbs, all work well if you fancy changing things up. Our Celeriac Soup toppings are also worth borrowing here.
- ⚖️ Adjust the consistency to taste. Simmer it a little longer, before adding the cream, if you want it thicker. Loosen it with a splash of extra stock or water if it's too thick.
- 🧊 Blend in batches if you're using a countertop blender. Overfilling it with hot soup is how you end up wearing it instead of eating it.
Storage
This soup keeps well, which makes it a good one to have in your back pocket. Once it's cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It also freezes well for up to 3 months. If you can, freeze it before adding the final crumble of Stilton on top, and defrost it fully in the fridge before reheating. Cream-based soups can look slightly split when they're first reheated after freezing, but a good blitz with the hand blender once it's hot will bring it back together.
Reheat gently in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, rather than blasting it on high, which is what tends to cause the split in the first place.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
What is it going to be next? Try our Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup, Celeriac Soup With Brown Butter, Crispy Sage and Hazelnuts or Pea and Feta Soup, or have a look if you can find your new favourite soup recipe below:
Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Liquidiser or Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head about 900g (2 lb), cut into florets
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove thinly sliced or minced
- 500 ml (2⅛ cups) vegatable stock
- 50 ml (3½ tablespoon) double cream or heavy cream
- 150 g (5.5 oz) stilton or your favourite crumbly blue cheese
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower florets in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 20 minutes, until browned at the edges.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, until fragrant.
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the pan, pour in the vegetable stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft.
- Blend the soup until silky smooth, using a hand blender directly in the pan, or in batches in a countertop blender.
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the double cream and half the crumbled Stilton, then blend again briefly to combine.
- Divide between bowls, top with the remaining Stilton and a scattering of parsley, and serve.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Make the full soup up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, then reheat it gently on the hob before serving. It's one of those soups that tastes just as good, if not better, the next day, once the flavours have had time to settle.
es, it freezes well for up to 3 months. Freeze it in an airtight container before adding the final crumble of cheese on top, then defrost it fully in the fridge and reheat gently, stirring well as it warms through.
This almost always happens when cream or cheese is added while the soup is still at a rolling boil. Take the pan off the heat before stirring in the cream and blue cheese, then blend gently rather than on the highest setting, and it should come back together smooth.
Creme fraiche or full-fat sour cream both work well if that's what you have in the fridge, though the soup will taste slightly tangier than with double cream. Whichever you use, stir it in off the heat to avoid curdling.
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