The Almond Eater

This creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup recipe is made with cauliflower, almond milk and tempeh and topped with crispy kale chips for added texture. 

It’s SOUP SEASON!! I mean, kind of. It’s September, which means it’s a strong mix of warm and cold. However, I was (ok, still kind of am…) sick a couple days ago when I made this recipe and it absolutely hit the spot. 

I know—how can cauliflower POSSIBLY hit the spot—I sound like one of those people. I don’t really know when cauliflower became so trendy—it’s been awhile and it’s still going strong—but I imagine there was a time when people only ate cauliflower as a side. Weird! Now there’s cauliflower pizza and cauliflower rice and cauliflower meatballs and now cauliflower soup. 

Look at me defending cauliflower. But it IS comforting and creamy and vegan and just… good. 

Have you ever tried tempeh? I tried it for the first time about a month ago and fell in love. While I do eat meat, I think tempeh is an excellent substitute, especially for bacon, which is why I opted to use it in this soup recipe. Everyone loves potato soup with bacon, so this is the vegan version of that but with cauliflower (HI veggies!) and tempeh. 

Note: you can use whatever kind of tempeh you want and/or have on hand, but I do recommend using flavored tempeh vs. plain. I used the smoky “fakin’ bacon” kind and it worked great. 

I also topped this soup recipe with kale chips because why not?! Kale chips are underrated in my opinion, but they add a great texture to this soup, though they do get soft once they’re fully immersed in the soup, so it’s best to keep them on top of the soup if possible. 

I hope you enjoy this cauliflower soup recipe as much as I did! 

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Tempeh

This creamy vegan cauliflower soup is made with cauliflower, filled with tempeh and topped with crispy kale chips.

• Author: Erin
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 6-8
• Category: lunch
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: soup

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 32 oz. vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk*
• 2 heads of cauliflower, chopped with leaves removed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4-8 strips flavored tempeh, cooked
• 2 cups kale, stems removed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Then, add garlic and celery and cook for an extra 2 minutes.
3. Add broth, milk and cauliflower, cover skillet and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
4. Meanwhile, place kale on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and cook for 5-10 minutes or until kale is crispy but not burnt. It cooks quickly, so be sure to check every few minutes. One cooked, place kale aside.
5. At this point, you’re also going to want to cook the tempeh if you haven’t already. I cook mine in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.
6. Once soup is done, place HALF of the soup in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour mixture back into the skillet and stir in the cooked tempeh.
7. Pour soup into bowls and top with kale chips. Season with extra salt and pepper if desired.
8. Enjoy!

Notes

*or dairy free milk of choice

Keywords: cauliflower soup, vegan cauliflower soup, soup with tempeh