Stunning to the eyes and comforting to the soul, our Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apples and Walnut Raisin Crumble is the perfect fall soup for cold days, holidays, or weeknight dinners that can be packed for the next day.
Perfectly white, subtly sweet, and slightly nutty, our Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apples and Walnut Raisin Crumble is an easy soup recipe that uses minimal dishes and can be made from start to finish in just over 30 minutes.
Pairing the cauliflower with a mix of fresh apples, then seasoned with cinnamon for a little spice, this soup is light in texture and color, comforting and warm as any fall dish should be. Using vegetable stock and a splash of milk gives you the comfort you're looking for on cold days without the heaviness of cream.
But the topping is what makes this soup an experience. With nuttiness from walnuts, sweetness from the raisins, and spice from the sage.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Onions
- Cauliflower
- Apples
- Cinnamon
- Vegetable Stock
- Milk
- Olive Oil
- Raisins
- Walnuts
- Fresh Sage
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground. Black Pepper
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apples Recipe Steps
Melt butter in a soup pot on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the cauliflower and apples, then season liberally with salt and pepper, and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients. Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes, just to lightly brown the cauliflower in spots.
Pour in the vegetable stock and sprinkle in the cinnamon, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the milk. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a high-powered blender and blend until creamy and completely smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds per batch.
Return the soup to the pot and heat on medium. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Walnut Raisin Crumble
While the soup is coming back up to temperature, heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add raisins and sauté for 2 minutes, until rehydrated and starting to caramelize. Add the walnuts and sage and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the sage is cooked and the walnuts lightly browned. Transfer to a small bowl until serving.
Optional: Once the crumble is done cooking, return the pan to the heat with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oil. Add 3 sage leaves per portion and fry for 30 seconds until deep green and lightly crisp. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Make it Beautiful
Serve this soup in individual portions. Pour your desired amount of soup into a bowl and drizzle with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the walnut and raisin crumble. Arrange 3 fried sage leaves on top.
How to Clean Cauliflower?
Before starting, we should talk about preparing your cauliflower for cooking. Cauliflower has lots of nooks and crannies for dirt and bugs to hide so be sure to wash it well. To do so, fill a deep bowl with water. Cut the head into florets and place them in the water to soak for a few minutes. Drain the water then rinse the cauliflower under your tap to remove any residual dirt.
Recipe Card
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Apples and Walnut Raisin Crumble
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 head cauliflower cut in small florets
- 4 apples peeled and diced (variety)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups milk
Crumble
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 24 fresh small sage leaves optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter in a soup pot on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the cauliflower and apples , then season liberally with salt and pepper, and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients. Lower heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes, just to lightly brown the cauliflower in spots.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and sprinkle in the cinnamon, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the milk. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a high powered blender and blend until creamy and completely smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds per batch.
- Return the soup to the pot and heat on medium. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the soup is coming back up to temperature, heat olive in a frying pan. Add raisins and sauté for 2 minutes, until rehydrated and starting to caramelize. Add the walnuts and sage and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the sage is cooked and walnuts lightly browned. Transfer to a small bowl until serving.
- Optional: Once the crumble is done cooking, return the pan to the heat with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oil. Add 3 sage leaves per portion and fry for 30 seconds until deep green and lightly crisp. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Recipe Notes
- Serve this soup in individual portions. Pour the desired amount of soup into a bowl and drizzle with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the walnut and raisin crumble. Arrange 3 fried sage leaves on top.
Ann says
I must admit, I'm not a big fan of cauliflower (and I don’t even know big fans personally), I think this is due to the specific smell of cooked cauliflower. Sometimes I cook cauliflower in batter or breadcrumbs, and my family and I find it quite tasty as a side dish. Despite this, your recipe caught my attention and I wanted to make this soup. I like its texture. By the way, adding apples and walnut raisin crumble is also an original idea. Though the combination is quite unusual, and I wonder what the final taste will be likr. Thank you! I will definitely try to make this soup.
Marieke says
I have never put raisins on top of soup but what an amazing addition! I love it, and the luscious creamy-ness of this soup!
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Marieke. The raisins add a nice sweetness and layer of texture. A little touch to elevate the soup in flavour and presentation.
Matt - Total Feasts says
Looks delicious, love the walnut sage crumble on top!
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Matt! The crumble adds a nice flavour and definitely makes for a beautiful presentation.
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
So many fall flavors going on in this dish! CAuliflower soup is actually probably my favorite soup. It's so creamy!
Chef Sous Chef says
Lots of complimentary flavours for sure and definitely a creamy and comforting soup!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
Fall ingredients are our favorites too! They make for comforting, cozy meals that taste absolutely delicious. As your beautiful cauliflower soup, which must taste incredible with the apples and cinnamon, plus the toppings!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Cauliflower soup is one of my faves, especially this time of year! Yours looks super creamy and totally wishing I had a bowl with some crusty bread on this cool fall day 🙂
Chef Sous Chef says
Crusty bread is a must 😉
Sadia Malik says
love the ingredient combination looks delicious and just perfect for the weather here.
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Sadia, it's one of our favourite fall soups!
Bernice says
ugh. I can't decide which I like better, BBQ season or Soup season!! There are so many great fall soups out there right now, including yours. Love the flavours, wish I had a bowl right now.
Chef Sous Chef says
Always a tough choice, but so much you can do with soup. Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Sabrina says
Yummy! This cauliflower soup is so much more than the sum of its simple parts. Rich and comforting and still healthy, thanks for this winner recipe!
Ann B says
I made this soup over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious. The walnuts and raisins added a delightful crunch to the soup and made for a beautiful presentation.
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Ann, we couldn't agree more 😉