Golden cauliflower and chickpea soup looks as delicious as it tastes. Roasted cauliflower and hearty chickpeas are mildly spiced for a warming, filling and creamy soup.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup
This golden yellow roasted cauliflower and chickpea soup packs a flavour as delicious as it looks.
See also
- Comfort food in a bowl try cauliflower cheese soup
- Pretty pale green cauliflower and broccoli soup is so creamy
- Curried cauliflower soup is enriched with coconut milk and white beans
Cauliflower on its own is fairly mild tasting, but once roasted it has a nutty toasty flavour, roasting concentrates the flavours of other ingredients.
You can skip the roasting step, but the soup is so much better when you don’t, it really is worth the extra effort.
The really magical thing about cauliflower is that once blended it makes all sorts of dishes, including this soup, creamy, with the chickpeas adding body and protein, making it satisfying and filling.
Making soup doesn’t demand exactness. You can change the recipe depending on what you have available, after all vegetables do not come in standard sizes!
I’ll tell how you how to get the perfect soup every time when you adjust the quantities. And I’ve got lots of suggestions on how to vary the spicing
I nearly always cook for two and follow the rule of cooking once and eating two or more times when making soup.
This recipe serves six, so in a two person household that’s three lunches, one on the day of making, one kept in the fridge for later in the week and one in the freezer for another day.
Why make cauliflower chickpea soup
- First, and most importantly, this is a delicious soup that tastes as great as the rich golden colour looks.
- It’s a quick and easy recipe, with seven ingredients, of which most come from the store cupboard.
- It’s an easily adaptable recipe where quantities can be adjusted, and ingredients substituted.
- Home-made vegetable soups are both very cost effective, and nutritious.
- This soup is perfect for batch cooking. Make enough for six: a couple can eat two, keep two servings in the fridge for a couple of days, and freeze the rest.
Cauliflower chickpea soup ingredients
- Cauliflower – a regular cauliflower that is a good weight and feels firm
- Chickpeas – One regular can – about 400g / 14oz. The exact amount does not matter as the size of a can can vary depending where you buy it.
- Onion & Garlic – one regular brown onion (you also use a red onion, or a few shallots), and a few cloves of garlic
- Spices – a mix of turmeric, ground cumin and coriander – this can be varied – see my notes below.
- Stock or Broth – I’ve used a vegetable stock cube but you can also use chicken according to preference.
- Olive Oil – I always prefer unrefined extra virgin olive oil.
How to make cauliflower and chickpea soup – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this cauliflower and chickpea soup recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – First prepare the vegetables ready for roasting.
- Cauliflower – Trim the stem, remove any leaves (save and steam to serve as a vegetable), and separate into bite sized florets cutting the stem into similarly sized pieces
- Onion – top, tail, peel and cut into 8
- Garlic – peel
- Chickpeas – drain and rinse
Step Two – Switch the oven on and heat to 200°C/180°C Fan / 400°F/ Gas 6
Put the cauliflower, onion, garlic and chickpeas into a large roasting pan. Add the spices, olive oil and season liberally with pepper and salt.
Mix well to ensure that everything is coated with the spices and oil. The easiest way to do this is with your hands.
Put into the oven to roast for about half an hour, giving the pan a good shake after fifteen minutes. Once cooked everything will be golden and fragrant, the cauliflower starting to brown and reduced by about a third.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
Use a large enough roasting pan so everything is spread out to one layer to ensure that it roasts and browns. If the vegetables are crowded they will steam, rather than roast.
Step Three – transfer to a pan or pot, reserving some of the roasted chickpeas and small pieces of cauliflower to use as a garnish.
Add water so the vegetables are almost covered and add the stock cube.
Helen’s Pro Tip
When making soup ALWAYS add less liquid than you think that you will need. It is better to have a soup that is too thick rather than too thin, you can always add more liquid later if needed to thin.
Step Four – Blend with a stick blender (or in the food processor or jug blender) until smooth. If you want to thin the soup, you can add a little more water.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
You do not need to spend a lot of money on a stick blender. A basic one will do. If you want to get a better one, look for one with a metal, rather than plastic, shaft.If blending hot liquid in a food processor or jug blender, make sure that the central bung is loosely fitted so that the steam can escape. Put a tea towel over the top to catch any splashes. Do not attempt to blend soup that is just off the boil.
Step Five – Once blended and the soup is smooth and creamy, with no pieces of vegetables, place on a medium heat and allow to warm up; stir the soup as it warms.
Then stir through the lemon juice, check and adjust the seasoning and serve topped with the reserved chickpeas and pieces of cauliflower.
Serving suggestion
I like to garnish soups with drizzle of oil, freshly ground black pepper and some fresh herbs to make them look appetizing.
Croutons and some crispy bacon bits would also be delicious, as well as a swirl of cream.
Variations
- Moroccan cauliflower & chickpea soup – swap the spices for ras el hanout and garnish with some pomegranate seeds for a stunning looking soup suitable for a dinner party
- Curried cauliflower & chickpea soup – swap the spices for your favourite curry powder
- Cauliflower and white bean soup – use white beans instead of the chickpeas
- Coconut cauliflower and chickpea soup – replace some of the liquid with canned coconut milk for a creamy, and richer soup
- Stir through a generous dollop of tahini
Storage and freezing
Fridge – Allow the soup to cool, pack into airtight containers, seal and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer – Cool, pack into leak proof containers, seal and freeze. Store for up to 6 months. Read more on how to freeze soup.
Reheating – Defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the countertop for a few hours. Reheat in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave. I prefer a jug, as I can lift it out easily and pour the soup into the bowls without making a mess.
Hints and tips
- Do not skip roasting the vegetables as it makes a noticeable difference to the final soup
- If you are making a batch for the freezer, use 500 ml stock for a slightly more concentrated soup that takes up less space. You can thin it when you come reheat it.
- Be careful when blending hot soup and if you use a jug blender, please don’t use the central bung in the lid as this can end in disaster!
Either remove it and cover the hole with kitchen paper and a tea towel, allowing the steam to escape from time to time as you go, or if you are making your soup to serve later, let it cool before blending.
Alternatively, do as I do and use a simple stick blender. It’s so much easier!
FAQs
If the stock cube is vegan, then yes, the soup is also vegan.
If the stock is gluten free, the recipe is also gluten free.
More soup recipes
- Another golden coloured and delicious dish; carrot and parsnip soup
- Roasted swede soup highlights the flavours of this less common vegetable
- A soup that also uses cauliflower is my broccoli and cauliflower soup
- All my soup recipes
Cauliflower & Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onions (1)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cauliflower (2)
- 1 can chickpeas (3)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- salt and pepper
- 1 stock cube / pot (4)
Optional To Serve
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200°C/180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas 6
- Prepare the vegetablesCauliflower – Trim the stem, remove any leaves (save and steam to serve as a vegetable), and separate into bite sized florets cutting the stem into similarly sized piecesOnion – top, tail, peel and cut into 8Garlic – peelChickpeas – drain and rinse1 onions, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cauliflower, 1 can chickpeas
- Put the cauliflower, onion, garlic and chickpeas into a large roasting pan. Add the spices, olive oil and season liberally with pepper and salt.Mix well to ensure that everything is coated with the spices and oil. The easiest way to do this is with your hands.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper, 1 tsp ground coriander
- Put into the oven to roast for about half an hour, giving the pan a good shake after fifteen minutes. Once cooked everything will be golden and fragrant, the cauliflower starting to brown and reduced by about a third.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a saucepan or pot, reserving some of the roasted chickpeas and small pieces of cauliflower to use as a garnish.
- Add water so the vegetables are almost covered and add the stock cube.I always add less water then I think I need, as it is easy to thin down too thick soup.1 stock cube / pot
- Blend the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth, adding a little more water if needed to thin the soup. Place saucepan on a medium heat to warm through.
- Then stir through the lemon juice, check and adjust the seasoning and serve topped with the reserved chickpeas and pieces of cauliflower.2 tsp lemon juice
Notes
- Onion (100g)
- Cauliflower – 1 x regular cauliflower (about 450g prepared weight)
- Chickpeas – drained wright 250g
- Stock cube / pot – vegetable or chicken by preference
Storage
Fridge – Allow your soup to cool and pour into airtight containers, seal and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freezer – Once cold, pack into airtight containers, seal and freeze. It will store for up to 6 months. Reheating – Defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Reheat your soup in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave. When using the microwave, I like to use a Pyrex-style jug as you can lift it in and out one handed.Tips and variations
- Do not skip roasting the vegetables as it makes a noticeable difference to the final soup. Make sure to use a large pan so they are spread out, if needed use two pans.
- If you are making a batch for the freezer, use 500 ml stock for a slightly more concentrated soup that takes up less space. You can thin it when you come reheat it.
- Swap the spices – curry powder or ras el hanout work well
- Use white beans instead of chickpeas
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