Creamy Paleo Cauliflower Soup with Bacon
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Bacon and cashews are blended right into this paleo cauliflower soup recipe, making it super creamy and delicious.
This paleo cauliflower soup is one of those recipes that surprises people in the best way. It’s rich, deeply flavorful, and unbelievably creamy — the kind of soup that makes you do a double take and wonder where the cream is hiding. (Spoiler: there isn’t any.)
The texture is silky and comforting, like you poured in a splash of whipping cream, even though the soup is completely dairy-free. And then there’s the bacon — blended right into the soup for smoky depth, with extra sprinkled on top because that part is non-negotiable. It’s cozy, satisfying, and absolutely worthy of seconds.
Ingredients in paleo cauliflower soup
Raw cashews – when raw cashews are blended in a high-speed blender they mimic heavy cream. It’s a great trick to reduce or eliminate dairy without sacrificing flavor. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, use cashew butter instead.
Bacon – we like to use sugar and nitrate-free bacon.
Onion – we use a white onion for mild flavor, but you can use a yellow onion if that’s what you have on hand.
Garlic – soup always tastes better with garlic!
Cauliflower – use a medium-sized cauliflower head. Since we’re blending it, you can use the white part of the stem, too!
Bone broth – We use our homemade chicken stock but you can use beef bone broth instead for a richer flavor.
Thyme, black pepper, and salt – to season the soup
Where to find paleo bacon?
The only problem with bacon is that it is often cured with nitrates and sugar. Most of us who lean towards a paleo lifestyle try to avoid those two things as much as possible.
And if you’re doing a round of Whole30, they’re definitely out.
Luckily, it is possible to find paleo/Whole30-compliant bacon. Well-stocked health food stores (such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s) often carry some. You’ll find it less often at your regular grocery store. Also, check local farms or your farmers’ market!
Paleo Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews (see notes)
- 10 ounces bacon (sliced into 1-inch pieces – sugar-free if needed)
- 1 white onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium head of cauliflower (chopped)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Chopped chives and black pepper (to garnish)
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a jar and cover them with hot tap water.½ cup raw cashews
- Cook the bacon until crispy in a large pot over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.10 ounces bacon
- Add the onion to the pot and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.1 white onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the cauliflower, chicken stock, thyme, and pepper to the pot and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft.1 medium head of cauliflower, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Drain the water from the cashews and add them to your high-powered blender. Add half the bacon and half the soup and blend on high until smooth. Pour the soup into a new pot then blend the remaining soup and add it to the pot. Bring to a simmer and season the soup to taste with sea salt.Sea salt
- Serve the soup topped with the remaining bacon, some chopped chives, and a little black pepper.Chopped chives and black pepper
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Could I use an immersion blender to mix it?
I don’t think an immersion blender will be strong enough to blend the cashews properly. If that’s all you have, blend them in a small container with a little of the soup. Then strain the liquid to remove any bits of cashews before you add it to the pot. The soup itself can be blended with an immersion blender.
Great soup, loved it. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe looked so good to me, but I think all that pureed cooked bacon screwed it up completely. My puree was way too thick and grainy with the consistency of hot cereal, not soup. Perhaps omit the bacon except as a garnish. Also I think the cashew cream would come out better if you soak the cashews overnight, drain them and blend them with a little fresh water and after that add them to the soup. Was this recipe actually tested?
All of our recipes are tested several times prior to sharing them. From your description, it sounds like you used a regular blender. A high powered blender 9as indicated in the recipe) is needed to get the super creamy texture that makes this soup special. If you don’t have one, use cashew butter. See the notes in the recipe card for more info on that.
what can you substitute if your allergic to tree nuts?
Regular cream would work, too. Adding a potato with the cauliflower will help to make it more creamy, too. 🙂
Do you have any idea of the calories per serving? Soup is delicious.
Loved it.
Yay!!!
I JUST started Paleo this week and I had a lot of Cauliflower in and I knew I wanted to make a soup. Low and behold your site came up and this was THE BEST SOUP I have ever had and there’s no dairy! It is delicious and easy. What’s funny about it too is that no one would ever know that it had a cashew base if you didn’t tell them. Thank you! This could win an award.
Awww that makes me so happy to hear! Using cashews for different cream sauces is one of my favorite tricks!
That is right. Cashews are high in fats!
Can you freeze this soup?
This soup freezes really well!
Made it today, easy and very tasty. Thanks
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe!
Looks delicious. I’m allergic to raw cashews, but can eat them when cooked. Do you believe it would hurt the recipe to cook the soup a little longer once the cashews have been added?
Not at all! You can definitely simmer the soup longer to cook the cashews. Or you could add them to the pot with the stock to save some time. 🙂