Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Garlic, Tahini and Smoky Crispy Chickpeas
A silky vegan roasted cauliflower soup blended with a whole head of sweet roasted garlic and tahini, then topped with smoky paprika crispy chickpeas.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Garlic, Tahini and Smoky Crispy Chickpeas is a vegan lunch recipe made with cauliflower, whole head of garlic, olive oil. It takes 65 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 440 calories, 14 g of protein and 12 g of fiber.
You roast the cauliflower hard until the edges brown, and that's where most of the flavor comes from. A whole head of garlic goes in the oven at the same time and turns soft and sweet, so you can use all of it without the soup tasting harsh. Tahini makes it creamy without any cream, and a little lemon at the end keeps the nutty, toasty flavors from tasting flat. The chickpeas roast on a second tray at the same time and give each bowl some crunch.
A base vegetable + cooking method (oven-roasted cauliflower and whole garlic blended silky with tahini, topped with smoky crispy chickpeas, instead of a simmered broccoli 'cheddar' soup thickened with potato and white beans) take on our Nut-Free Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup with White Beans and Potato.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 lb907 gcauliflower, cut into 1½-inch florets (1 large head)
- 1 50 gwhole head of garlic
- 3 tbsp41 golive oil, for roasting
- 1¼ tsp7.5 gfine salt, divided
- ½ tsp1.2 gblack pepper
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil, for the onion
- 1 medium110 gyellow onion, diced
- 4 cups960 gvegetable broth, plus more to thin
- ¼ cup60 gtahini, well stirred
- 2 tbsp31 gfresh lemon juice
Smoky Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 can240 gchickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted very dry, 15-oz can
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil, for the chickpeas
- 1 tsp2.3 gsmoked paprika
- ½ tsp1.1 gground cumin
- ¼ tsp1.5 gfine salt
To Serve
- 2 tbsp7.6 gfresh parsley, chopped, to serve (optional)
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil, for drizzling (optional)
Kit: 2 rimmed baking sheets, aluminum foil, large pot or Dutch oven, blender or immersion blender
Tips
- Dry the chickpeas well with a towel, peeling off any loose skins. Surface moisture is what keeps them from getting crisp.
- Don't crowd the cauliflower. If your sheet is small, use two trays so the florets brown instead of steaming.
- Tahini can turn slightly bitter if boiled, so blend it in off the heat and rewarm the soup gently.
Swap ideas
- Use 2 tbsp white miso in place of ½ tsp of the salt
- Gives a deeper, savory, slightly cheesy flavor.
- Use sunflower seed butter instead of tahini
- Still nut- and sesame-free and creamy, with a milder, slightly earthier flavor.
- Use a pinch of cayenne or ½ tsp chili powder with the smoked paprika
- Gives the chickpeas a spicy kick against the mellow soup.
- Add 1 diced Yukon Gold potato with the onion and simmer 15 minutes
- Makes the soup thicker and more filling, with a slightly milder cauliflower flavor.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
440kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 4 g 20%
- Sugars
- 10.2 g
- Sodium
- 1677 mg 73%
- Potassium
- 1081 mg 23%
- Calcium
- 186 mg 14%
- Iron
- 4.9 mg 27%
- Vitamin C
- 120 mg 133%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Cauliflower, raw, Garlic, raw, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black, Onions, raw, Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve, Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type), Lemon juice, raw, Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Spices, paprika, Spices, cumin seed
Method
Heat the oven to 425°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Toss the cauliflower florets on a rimmed baking sheet with 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and the pepper, then spread them out in one layer. Slice the top ¼ inch off the garlic head, drizzle the cut side with a few drops of oil from the tray, wrap it in foil and set it on the sheet.
Roll the dried chickpeas around on the second baking sheet with 1 tbsp olive oil, the cumin and ¼ tsp salt. Put both trays in the oven, cauliflower on the upper rack and chickpeas on the lower.
Roast for 30–40 minutes, stirring both trays halfway through. Pull out the chickpeas when they're deep golden and rattle on the pan, usually 25–30 minutes. Toss them right away with the smoked paprika so the residual heat toasts it without burning. The cauliflower is done when the edges are well browned and a knife slides in easily. The garlic is done when the cloves are soft and squeeze out easily.
While everything roasts, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt, stirring now and then, until soft and pale gold, 8–10 minutes.
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the pot and add the roasted cauliflower (save a few small browned florets for topping if you like) and the broth. Bring to a simmer, then cook 5 minutes so the flavors come together.
Take the pot off the heat and add the tahini. Blend until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes in a countertop blender or 3–4 minutes with an immersion blender. If you use a countertop blender, work in batches, fill it no more than halfway and leave the lid vent open with a towel over it so steam can escape.
Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust with salt, pepper or more lemon. If it's thicker than you like, thin it with broth or water, ¼ cup at a time, and rewarm gently.
Ladle into bowls and top with the smoky chickpeas, any reserved florets, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Storage: Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It thickens as it chills, so thin it with a splash of broth when you reheat it. Keep the chickpeas separately at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days. Recrisp them in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes.
Questions
- How much protein is in vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas?
- Each of the 4 servings has 14 g of protein, 12 g of fiber and 440 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 50 minutes of cooking, so 65 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas ahead?
- Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It thickens as it chills, so thin it with a splash of broth when you reheat it. Keep the chickpeas separately at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days. Recrisp them in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes.
- What can I substitute in vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas?
- Use 2 tbsp white miso in place of ½ tsp of the salt — gives a deeper, savory, slightly cheesy flavor.. Use sunflower seed butter instead of tahini — still nut- and sesame-free and creamy, with a milder, slightly earthier flavor.. Use a pinch of cayenne or ½ tsp chili powder with the smoked paprika — gives the chickpeas a spicy kick against the mellow soup.. Add 1 diced Yukon Gold potato with the onion and simmer 15 minutes — makes the soup thicker and more filling, with a slightly milder cauliflower flavor..
- Does vegan roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic, tahini and smoky crispy chickpeas contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 6, 2026 ·American
