Czech Cauliflower Soup Recipe

In my opinion, Czech květáková polévka is the best cauliflower soup ever. Super creamy, silky smooth, and although this recipe doesn’t call for any cheese or bacon, the soup is full of flavor.

What is Czech Květáková polévka?

Květáková polévka is a white blended soup made from cooked cauliflower, fried onion, smoothed with heavy cream, and thickened with roux. It contains only a few ingredients, it’s easy to make, absolutely delicious, and still healthy.

Pronunciation

I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word "květáková polévka".

No Roasted Cauliflower, Please!

You don’t need to roast the cauliflower for this soup, which saves a lot of time.

Luckily, you don’t have to worry that the soup is bland, either. The soup gains its flavor from the onion fried in butter, with the final spicy touch secured by adding a pinch of ground nutmeg.

MY TIP: Try another great Czech soup: Pórková polévka (Leek potato soup)

Ingredients

This cauliflower soup needs a few ingredients to make the magic happen. Let’s have a look at the shopping list:

• Cauliflower; fresh, medium-sized
• Yellow onion; peeled, roughly chopped
• Unsalted butter; to sauté the onion
• All-purpose flour; we will make the roux out of it, which will thicken the soup
• Heavy cream; containing at least 30 % fat
• Water; will be used to make cauliflower vegetable broth
• Salt, Pepper
• Nutmeg; the only spice that makes the Czech cauliflower soup tick

Grab some fresh herbs for the final topping. I used the green part of spring onion, but chive is also a good choice.

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

Instructions

STEP 1: Prepare cauliflower

Remove the cauliflower's outer leaves. Take cauliflower apart into small florets. Slice the primary stem and the smaller stems into pieces whose edge should be about ½-inch (1.25 cm) in size. Wash the prepared cauliflower thoroughly in cold water.

STEP 2: Cook cauliflower

Put the cauliflower in a pot, pour in water, season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender to bite (al dente). It takes about 5-7 minutes, depending on the cauliflower pieces' size.

IMPORTANT! Take ⅓ of the cauliflower away, put these pieces immediately in a bowl with icy water. You stop the cooking process this way, and the cauliflower pieces won’t be slushy. You will put this cauliflower in the soup at the end.

Transfer the rest of the cauliflower to a clean bowl carefully. This cauliflower will be mixed in the soup later.

You will use the clear cauliflower broth for the soup in a few minutes.

STEP 3: Make a roux

Peel the onion and chop it roughly. In a pot with a thick bottom (I love my dutch oven), melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and fry for 5 minutes while stirring. The onion should be lightly golden. (picture 1)

Reduce heat to low, add all-purpose flour, cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. (picture 2+3 above)

Get cauliflower broth on hand. Start adding the broth to the roux in small batches while whisking properly to avoid lumps. Once you’ve added about a half of the broth, you can pour in the rest at once. Stir the soup.

STEP 4: Cook the soup

Add the cauliflower florets to the soup. Don’t forget to save the ⅓ of the cauliflower chunks you put in cold water before! Bring to a boil, reduce heat, take the lid off the pot and allow the soup to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

STEP 5: Finish the soup

Remove the soup from the stove. Pour in the heavy cream and stir it. Add ground pepper, a pinch or two of freshly ground nutmeg, salt to your liking. Do not cook anymore!

Puree cauliflower in the soup with an immersion blender properly. Let slide in the remaining butter; it melts in a soup.

Only now:

Add the ⅓ of the cauliflower you’ve set aside earlier, let it heat up in a hot soup, and serve.

As the final step, sprinkle the served soup with finely chopped green herbs (spring onion or chive are some good choices).

Cook’s tips

• The roux does the heavy lifting for you: the cauliflower soup will be creamy with a velvety texture and thickened. It’s important to cook the roux for at least 15-20 minutes until it perfectly combines with the soup and its floury taste disappears.
• The ⅓ of cauliflower you put in a soup at the end can’t be overcooked. A great tip is to place the cooked pieces in a bowl with icy water. The cold water cools them down and stops the cooking, and the cauliflower florets remain tender to bite.
• Use freshly ground nutmeg to spice up the cauliflower soup at the end. Nutmeg is better than mace.

FAQs

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Or browse the category with all Czech soup recipes.