I might be taking some liberties calling this a chowder, but it is a thick and creamy soup with large chunks of veg. In our version here, sweet potatoes and roasted cauliflower are the stars with a supporting cast of serious flavor.  I typically load my wholesome vegan soups up with spices and umami-rich add-ins, and this one is no different.

The recipe itself is relatively simple to prepare, but we add the following to the base for that extra flavor sparkle: dried herbs, miso, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, grainy mustard, miso, and lemon. I can admit that this recipe looks like a ton of ingredients! If you’ve cooked any of my soups before, I’m willing to bet that you have these ingredients on hand already.

I also take the extra step to roast the cauliflower so that we get the crucial bump of caramelization. The extra effort is worth it, I promise you. I did try a version with cauliflower cooked directly in the pot, but it didn’t have the same punch.

Another note from my kitchen: If you have liquid smoke on hand, adding a few drops at the end really enhances the smoky vibes! Not 100% necessary, but enjoyable if you love the smoke like me.

If you’ve made some of the vegan soup recipes on my site before, you know that puréeing a portion of the finished soup for a creamy texture is one of my favorite party tricks. We utilize that technique here along with a boost of non-dairy creamer. The finishing texture is so lush, but still vibrant and 100% feel-good.

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Creamy Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Chowder

This vegan creamy cauliflower and sweet potato chowder is cozy and vibrant at the same time. It's a naturally gluten-free and satiating stew that is flavored with garlic, spices, grainy mustard, miso, and lemon. Roasting the cauliflower brings an extra dimension of deep flavor.

5 from 69 reader reviews

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups small cauliflower florets (from ½ of a medium head of cauliflower)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, divided
• 2 medium shallots, small dice (about ½ cup diced shallots)
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon capers, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups chopped sweet potato)
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy creamer (see note)
• 1 teaspoon light miso
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)
• chopped chives, for garnish

Equipment

• Blender

Notes

• You can make this soup on a meal prep day and keep it sealed in the fridge for up to 5 days. This soup is also freezer-friendly!
• I used an unsweetened oat-based creamer as my “cream.” Any unsweetened and rich non-dairy milk is good here. If you like, you can make your own cashew-based cream by blending ⅓ cup soaked (for at least 2 hours) raw cashews and 1 cup of water until completely smooth.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place all of the cauliflower on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add the garlic powder and ½ teaspoon of the smoked paprika. Toss to coat and roast in the oven until golden brown on the edges and tender, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed, Dutch oven-style pot over medium heat. Pour in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallots to the pot and sauté until very soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots, and sauté for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• To the pot, add the following: the remaining ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika, garlic, capers, dried thyme, tarragon, sweet paprika, ground cumin, cayenne, and nutritional yeast. Keep stirring and sautéing for another minute, or until the garlic is very fragrant.
• Add the tomato paste and mustard to the pot and sauté for another minute or so, just to get the raw tin-like flavour out of the tomato paste.
• Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat. Season liberally with salt and pepper again.
• Add the vegetable stock and non-dairy creamer to the pot and stir. Place a lid on top so that it's partially covering the pot. bring the chowder to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the pieces of sweet potato are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Check in on the pot here and there and stir up the chowder.
• Once the sweet potatoes are tender, carefully ladle about 1/3 of the chowder into an upright blender. Add 1/3 of the roasted cauliflower to the blender as well. Blend this mixture until completely smooth and add it back into the pot. Add the remaining roasted cauliflower back into the pot as well. Stir it up!
• Bring the finished chowder to a boil and stir in the miso, lemon juice, and liquid smoke (if using). Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish the chowder with chopped chives and enjoy!

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Soup

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword: cauliflower sweet potato soup, sweet potato chowder