Healthy Cauliflower Soup with Peas and Mint

Name: Healthy Cauliflower Soup with Peas, Mint, and Lemon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 large yellow onion (chopped); 2 medium green onions (chopped - both the green and white part); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 large head of cauliflower (about 800g or just shy of 2lbs before trimming the leaves and stems); 4-6 cups vegetable broth; 1 cup frozen green peas; salt and fresh ground pepper to taste; 1/2 cup plain yoghurt (full fat); 2 Tbsp finely minced fresh mint; 2 tsp fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon); extra mint, or lemon zest for garnish

by Katie Trant on Apr 30, 2021 // 23 Comments

Servings

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Jump to Recipe

4.9 from 9 votes

Healthy Cauliflower Soup! This vegetarian soup recipe uses yogurt instead of cream for a light and tangy finish. Green peas add plenty of protein, and mint and lemon add bright and fresh flavour. Quick, easy, and freezer-friendly!

Now that the seasons are shifting, so too are our soup preferences.

Gone are the cozy, carby, comforting soups of the winter months (like Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup or Miso Roasted Butternut Squash Soup), and here are the brighter, fresher flavours of spring. (Related:Six Spring Vegetarian Recipes)

This Healthy Cauliflower Soup is the perfect recipe to help bridge the seasons. It makes use of fresh spring flavours with a little hand holding in the form of frozen vegetables, greenhouse herbs, and yes, an imported lemon. What are you gonna do?!

What's in this recipe?

Here's the deal: a lot of cauliflower soups are loaded with potatoes and cream and end up being super rich and heavy. Not this soup! We're making Healthy Cauliflower Soup with a couple of simple swaps. You're going to need to grab:

Cauliflower --> A big ol' head of everyone's favourite albino cruciferous vegetable.
Peas --> We're replacing the potato with protein-packed green peas. Frozen is totally fine.
Yogurt --> Instead of cream we're going in with a bit of full-fat yogurt.
Onions --> Both yellow and spring onions in this case.
Garlic --> Don't mind if I do!
Mint --> For that fresh spring flavour.
Lemon --> A bit of optional zest for some zing!

How to make this recipe

You'll find detailed, printable instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, so just sit back and relax for now!

Step 1: First, grab your favourite soup pot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and add the yellow and green onion. Sauté for a few minutes to let them sweat it out, then add the garlic and a pinch of salt.

Step 2: While this is happening you can break your cauliflower down into florets. No need to be neat about it, we're going to blend this soup up in the end. I just hack my cauliflower in half and then use my hands to pull it apart.

Step 3: Add the cauliflower florets to the pot, and give it a good stir. Let the cauliflower cook with the onions for a couple of minutes.

Step 4: Now it's time to add your vegetable broth.

Note! This recipe calls for 4-6 cups of broth. We're going to start with 4, and if we need to add more at the end to thin it out, we can do that. It will totally depend on how big your cauliflower is, and how thick you like your soup. For the soup in these photos I ended up using exactly 5.5 cups of broth. Remember that you can always add more broth, but you can't take it away.

Add the broth, and bring the soup to a boil. Then you're going to put the lid on the pot (this is where a nice heavy lid comes in handy) reduce the eat to medium-low, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. This will take about 15 minutes.

Step 5: Once the cauliflower is tender you can add in your frozen peas. Just a minute or two to heat them through is enough.

Step 6: Now it's time to blend your soup! Once blended, stir in the yoghurt and mint leaves. Taste your soup, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and add some extra broth if you'd prefer a thinner soup.

That's it! Your Healthy Cauliflower Soup is done!

Can I freeze this soup?

You can and you should! I like to freeze it in individual portions. My husband has a three-tub-a-week cottage cheese habit, so I usually freeze my soup in empty cottage cheese containers.

How long will this soup last in the fridge?

You can pop leftover soup into an air-tight container and have it in the fridge for 3-5 days. I definitely ate some leftover soup at the 6 day mark and it was still fine, but please give it a good sniff and use your judgement if you go that far.

Can I make vegan cauliflower soup?

You sure can! Simply replace the yogurt with your favourite creamy plant-based milk and a squeeze of lemon for some tang. Alternatively you could try using plant-based yoghurt, light coconut milk, or cashew cream - though please note that I haven't tried these modifications.

Hey Nutrition Lady, is cauliflower healthy?

You bet it is!

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, in the same family as broccoli, kale, and cabbage, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. It is a great source of vitamin B5, potassium, dietary fiber, and a good source of protein, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins B1-3, and iron.

What about peas?

Frozen peas are low in fat, high in dietary fiber, and are a good source of protein , manganese, folate, vitamin B1, potassium, and phosphorous. The high fiber content in dried peas is thought to be helpful in lowering cholesterol and stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Other healthy soup recipes:

Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup with Red Lentils
Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Vegan Corn Chowder
10-Minute Vegetable Ramen Noodles

overhead photo of a bowl of cauliflower pea soup on a blue plate

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4.89 from 9 votes

Healthy Cauliflower Soup with Peas, Mint, and Lemon

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 131kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion chopped
2 medium green onions chopped - both the green and white part
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large head of cauliflower about 800g or just shy of 2lbs before trimming the leaves and stems
4-6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup frozen green peas
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
½ cup plain yoghurt full fat
2 tablespoon finely minced fresh mint
2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest about 1 lemon
extra mint, or lemon zest for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Set a large pot over medium heat.
Heat the olive oil for a minute, then add the yellow onion, green onion, and garlic to the pot, and sauté until they soften and just begin to take on a bit of colour.
Add the cauliflower and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add 4 cups of vegetable broth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender - about 15 minutes.
Now add the peas, wait a minute for them to soften and then blend the soup (I used an immersion blender, but if you don't have one you could transfer to a blender in batches).
Once the soup is well blended, taste, and season with salt and pepper.
Return to the heat, and stir in the creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt.
If you want to add extra broth to thin out the soup, do it now.
Add the mint and the lemon zest, stir well, and taste again. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of yoghurt, or a bit of lemon zest for garnish.

Notes

Nutrition values are an estimate only!
The amount of broth you need will depend on the size of your cauliflower and how thick you like your soup to be. Start with 4 cups and add extra as needed.

Nutrition

This recipe was originally published March 13, 2013. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated April 4, 2019. Most recently edited and updated April 30, 2021.

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Comments

4.89 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)