This easy vegan broccoli and cauliflower soup is the perfect lunch recipe or light dinner for the warmer spring weather, and is so simple to make. With lots of vegetables, but no cheese, it is a vegan, gluten-free (without croutons) and low histamine soup.
Come the colder weather, soup always seems like a good idea and can be made with so many different flavours and ingredients. My turmeric chicken soup feels so cosy and my butternut squash and apple soup is such a favourite. Love cauliflower in your soup? Then you may also like to see my parsnip and cauliflower soup which is perfect for the winter months.
I often think of this broccoli soup as a pick-me-up for when a lot of greens and veg seem to be a good idea. Healthy but tasty at the same time is always a winner!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's bursting with healthy veg! With broccoli, cauliflower and leeks or white onion, you get plenty of vitamins for lunch or dinner.
- Easy to make - soup is super simple, and perfect for both a weekend lunch or a light dinner.
- Perfect for meal prep - soup can easily be made in larger batches and then frozen for busy days when you want an easy meal.
Ingredients
This may seem like a longer list of ingredients, but most are vegetables and then pantry staples. You will need:
- Olive oil: both to initially fry the vegetables and for the croutons as well.
- Leeks (or white onion) and garlic: for lots of flavour, and the typical base for a soup.
- Broccoli and cauliflower: the main vegetables for the soup - you will get your quota of cruciferous veggies with this recipe!
- Vegetable stock and coconut milk: I suggest using homemade stock if you find it difficult to tolerate store-bought.
- Thyme and bay leaves: both add a lovely flavour to this cosy soup.
- Macadamia nuts: these give the soup a little more substance (and a source of protein), and perhaps it is just me, but I feel they add a slight cheesy flavour too.
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
Step by step instructions
This healthy soup has just a few steps and is very easy to make:
- In a jar that can be sealed, add the macadamia nuts and cover with fresh water. Set aside for 30 minutes, then rinse with fresh water.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pan, and add the leeks (or white onion), garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Fry on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Watch for any signs the garlic is burning!
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower, and cook, stirring often. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, pour in the coconut milk and macadamia nuts and cook on a very light simmer. Season with salt and pepper, if using.
- If you are including the croutons, then make these in a pan with suitable bread for you.
- Blend the soup so it is creamy and delicious!
How this soup is dairy-free yet creamy
This recipe uses broccoli and cauliflower along with thyme, bay leaves and coconut for a smooth and indulgent lunch or light dinner. Serve with some of my seed crackers to make it a more substantial meal.
Coconut nut milk is used instead of cream or cheese to keep it dairy-free. It is still creamy, but feels a little lighter than if we were to use cheese and means that is suitable for a vegan diet too.
Macadamia nuts
I've been using macadamia nuts more and more lately, as they have a lovely creamy taste and are a low histamine nut on the SIGHI list. So many of my low histamine friends on my Low Histamine Kitchen Instagram seem to be big fans of them too.
As well as giving a little touch of protein to this soup, they also help to thicken it slightly. Perhaps it is my imagination, but I feel as though they give a hint of a cheesy taste too. Let me know if you feel the same!
Make sure you don't use salted ones though as it would completely change the taste.
More soup recipes to enjoy:
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Broccoli and cauliflower soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for the croutons
- 1 cup leeks or ½ white onion
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 4 cups broccoli roughly diced
- 2 cups cauliflower roughly diced
- 2.5 cups vegetable stock
- ½ can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon thyme + more for the croutons
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup macadamia nuts
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
For the garnish
- ½ slice bread sliced into cubes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a jar that can be sealed, add the macadamia nuts and cover with fresh water. Set aside for 30 minutes, then rinse with fresh water.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pan, and add the leeks (or white onion), garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Fry on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Watch for any signs the garlic is burning!
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, pour in the coconut milk and macadamia nuts and cook on a very light simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if using.
- Make the croutons by adding a touch of oil to a pan, and sprinkling the bread with some more thyme. Fry for 3-4 minutes until crispy.
- Either use an immersion blender or transfer the soup mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth. If it is thicker than your preference, add some more vegetable stock.
- Transfer to your bowls and top with the croutons and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to rinse the macadamia nuts after the soaking time.
- If the soup looks too thick then add a touch more vegetable stock.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- leek, which scores 1 and has a ? as a liberator. You can swap for white onion if you prefer.
- vegetable stock will have variable scores.
- black pepper which scores 2.
- sesame seeds, which score 1.
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