Ever since I made this vegetarian buffalo dip a few years back, I’ve had so much fun sharing creative new ways to use your go-to buffalo sauce.
This deliciously creamy buffalo cauliflower soup is a combo between my famous cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup and my buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese, and OMG it’s truly lick-the-bowl good. This glorious soup is thick, spicy, savory, and of course, packed with veggies thanks to the cauliflower.
I’ve included a few easy ways to customize it by adding protein or some amazing toppings and garnishes, too. Any way you make it, you’re guaranteed to love it. It’s the perfect weeknight lunch or dinner and would make a great cozy game day dish!
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Ingredients in this buffalo cauliflower soup
This buffalo roasted cauliflower soup uses super simple ingredients that come together to create delicious, bold flavors in this soup. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetables: for the base of the soup, you’ll be roasting up cauliflower with a whole head of garlic and sauteeing a yellow onion.
- Olive oil: you’ll need some olive oil for cooking up those veggies.
- Broth: feel free to use vegetable broth or chicken broth to help the soup come together.
- Seasonings: we’re just using salt and pepper to bring out all of the flavors in the soup.
- Buffalo sauce: feel free to use mild or medium buffalo sauce, depending on how spicy you like your meals!
- Cheese: you’ll be stirring in sharp cheddar cheese for extra rich, savory flavor.
- To garnish: I like topping my bowl with scallions, chives, and a little extra buffalo sauce and cheese. SO GOOD.
Customize your soup
There are a few great ways to jazz up this buffalo cauliflower soup recipe and make it your own! Here’s what I can suggest:
- Make it creamier or richer. Feel free to substitute 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of broth for an extra creamy soup, or bump up the richness by adding 1/2 cup of heavy cream in place of 1/2 cup of the broth.
- Try a thicker soup. If you prefer a thicker soup, start with 3 cups of broth.
- Add a boost of protein. I love to mix in cooked, shredded chicken to create a protein-packed chicken buffalo cauliflower chowder! It’s perfect for game day, and you can even use shredded rotisserie chicken for ease.
- Add bleu cheese. This soup would be amazing with my homemade Bleu Cheese Yogurt Dip swirled on top!
Can I make it dairy-free or vegan?
Sure! Simply use your favorite vegan/dairy-free cheddar cheese shreds in place of the regular cheddar cheese. Easy!
Learn how to roast a head of garlic
One of the key components of the flavor in this buffalo cauliflower soup? The wonderful roasted garlic! Roasting garlic brings out a natural, caramelized-like sweetness that pairs deliciously with the savory elements in the soup. Here’s how to do it:
- Peel off the outer papery layers of the garlic head, leaving the skins on the individual cloves.
- Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the cloves so that you can see the individual cloves.
- Place the head in some tinfoil, drizzle the top with olive oil, and wrap it loosely in the foil.
- Then roast it up with the cauliflower florets!
Creamy buffalo cauliflower soup in 4 simple steps
- Roast the veggies. Toss your cauliflower florets on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper, add the prepared head of garlic to the pan, and roast them both together.
- Cook the onion. While the cauliflower and garlic are cooking, saute the onion in a large pot or dutch oven with a little olive oil until it’s translucent.
- Blend the soup. Add the roasted cauliflower and garlic with the cooked onion to a blender with broth, salt, and pepper. Blend it all up until it’s nice and smooth, then pour the mixture into the pot over medium heat.
- Cook, top & devour. Bring the soup to a simmer, then stir in the buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Let the soup simmer and come together, taste, and add more buffalo sauce if you want it spicier. Serve it up with extra cheese, scallions, chives, and extra buffalo sauce!
What to serve with this buffalo cauliflower soup
- Your favorite crackers or my 4-Ingredient Paleo Crackers
- Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins
- Slices of toasted, crusty bread (my no-knead artisan bread is PERFECT)
- The Best Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Eat
- The Best Fluffy Moist Cornbread Recipe Ever
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: let the buffalo cauliflower soup cool completely and place any leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
- To freeze: this soup should freeze well! Allow it to cool completely and place it in freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw the soup completely before reheating it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Tools you’ll need
Get more of my kitchen essentials here!
More soup recipes you’ll love
- Lightened Up Cheddar Cauliflower Broccoli Soup
- Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
- Healing Ginger Coconut Chicken Brown Rice Soup
- Vegan White Bean & Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- The Best Minestrone Soup
Get all of my soup recipes here!
I hope you love this cheddar buffalo cauliflower soup! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Cheddar Buffalo Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or sub chicken broth if not vegetarian)*
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to ⅓ cups mild or medium buffalo sauce, depending on your heat preference
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- To garnish:
- Extra shredded cheddar on top
- 1 to 2 scallions, sliced (green part only)
- Chopped chives
- Buffalo sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the veggies: Add cauliflower florets to the pan, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper; toss to combine. For the garlic: peel and discard the outer papery layers of the whole garlic head. Leave the skins intact of the individual cloves. Using a sharp knife, cut ¼ inch off from the top of the cloves so that the individual cloves of garlic are exposed. Place garlic in a medium piece of foil and drizzle the top of the garlic with olive oil then loosely wrap in the foil and place on the pan with the cauliflower. Roast cauliflower and garlic for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cauliflower is nice and golden, tender and caramelized.
- Cook the onion: While the cauliflower is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add diced onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Blend the soup: In a large blender add the onion, roasted cauliflower, roasted garlic, broth, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute, then add back to the pot and place over medium heat. Tip for the garlic: allow it to cool enough to touch then simply squeeze out the roasted garlic from the skin.
- Finish it off: Bring soup to a light simmer over medium-low heat, then stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, taste and add more buffalo sauce if you want to kick it up. Buffalo sauces can vary in spice and flavor so start small and increase to suit your preferences. Garnish extra grated sharp cheddar cheese, scallions, chives and a drizzle of buffalo sauce. Serve with crusty toasted sourdough or your favorite bread of choice. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 9th, 2024, and republished on October 28th, 2025.
This soup was SO good. I’m not usually an all veggie soup lover but this was perfect with crusty bread as a side. I loved the addition of roasted garlic. My husband and I nearly finished it, so if you’re feeding a larger family I’d double it!
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed!
This was such a great soup! As a lover of anything Buffalo, I was so excited to try this one and it lived up to the hype! Such a great balance of flavors! It feels decadent without feeling heavy!
So glad you loved it!
So delicious and cozy!!
Glad you enjoyed!
This was SO good. I added in a cup of red lentils to blend with everything and it was excellent. Will definitely make again.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Another incredible flavor bomb recipe, Monique! I used bone broth and Whole Food’s Garlic Buffalo sauce, and paired the roasted garlic, it was sooo savory and rich. Perfect for a fall night 🙂
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
This is such a good soup!! It’s easy, healthy and just the right amount of spicy. Tonight was my fourth time making it – we’re just a little sick and it was just the right amount of comforting and sinus clearing all at once.
Amazing! So glad you love this one!
I just made this soup. Holy Moly!!! I did not expect the flavor that came from these ingredients. 10/10 will make again.
So glad you loved it!!
I’m a big fan of all the soups but this one makes the top 3. Worth breaking the blender out. So flavorful. I used 4 TBS of buffalo, chicken broth, some shredded rotisserie chicken for added protein and a tablespoon (really) of heavy cream I had in fridge.
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
This was so flavorful and delicious! The roasted garlic, cheddar, and buffalo sauce create the most amazing layers of flavor. It was so creamy too. I used 2 bags of frozen cauliflower instead of fresh.
One of our new favs! Great idea to use up frozen veggies, too.
Can nutritional yeast be subbed in for cheddar cheese? And if so, how much? – Thanks!
Hi! I’m not sure how the texture and flavor will come out with nutritional yeast so I’m not 100% I can recommend it. Let me know if you give it a try!
This was DELICIOUS and such a sneaky way to get everybody to eat cauliflower! Added cashew milk in place of one cup of broth to make it creamier. The fam loved it!
Absolutely! Glad it was a hit 🙂
Hi I’m from UK and don’t know about buffalo sauce. Do you have a recipe ?Thanks
Hi! This is what buffalo sauce is – I’d suggest asking your local grocery store what brands they carry! I don’t have my own recipe for it, but you should be able to find one with a quick Google search if you’d like to make your own 🙂
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had cheddar buffalo cauliflower soup before also it is raining here in Singapore everyday perfect for raining days in Singapore and after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
This is the perfect rainy day meal! Hope you love it, Ramya 🙂
Hi there, I’ve got a whole bunch of frozen cauliflower to use up, do you think I could use it instead of fresh? Thanks so much for a delicious looking recipe!!