In my opinion, Czech Květáková polévka is the best cauliflower soup ever. It is incredibly creamy and silky-smooth. Even without cheese or bacon, this recipe packs a ton 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 1/2-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 1/3 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 1/3 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 1/3 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 1/3 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
Czechs usually eat their květáková polévka on its own. Sometimes they throw a handful of white bread croutons into the soup.
This cauliflower soup is thickened with roux. Czechs usually use a roux to thicken their soups or sauces. The foundation of the roux is comprised of flour fried with butter. The soup is also partly thickened with the cauliflower added and mixed to the end of cooking.
Czech cauliflower soup is seasoned with salt and pepper, and with a little touch in the form of freshly ground nutmeg. Don’t add too much nutmeg though, one or two pinches is more than enough for the entire pot of cauliflower soup.
More Czech soups to enjoy:
- Česnečka – clear garlic soup
- Bramboračka – famous Czech soup with potatoes and mushrooms
- Gulášovka – goulash soup from beef, spiced with paprika
Or browse the category with all Czech soup recipes.
Tried this recipe?
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Květáková polévka – Czech Cauliflower Soup
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 cups water
- ¾ stick butter unsalted
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- spring onion to serve
Instructions
- Clean cauliflower: Remove the outer leaves of 1 medium cauliflower and break it into small florets. Slice the main stem and the smaller stems into pieces about ½-inch (1 cm) in size. Thoroughly wash the prepared cauliflower in water.
- Blanche the cauliflower: Place the cauliflower in a pot, add 5 cups water, and season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the cauliflower is tender but still slightly firm (al dente), which takes about 5-7 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.
- Take ⅓ of the cauliflower away, put these pieces immediately in a bowl with icy water. You stop the cooking process this way, and 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. You will mix it in a soup later. You will use the clear cauliflower broth for the soup in a few minutes. Reserve the cauliflower broth for later.
- Make roux: Peel 1 large onion and roughly chop it. In a pot with a thick bottom (I love my Dutch oven), melt 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it becomes lightly golden.
- Reduce heat to low, add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- 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 add the rest at once and mix it in.
- Add the cauliflower florets, don’t forget to save those ⅓ cauliflower chunks which you’ve 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.
- Remove the soup from the stove. Pour in 2/3 cup heavy cream and stir it. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, salt to your liking. Do not cook anymore!
- Use an immersion blender to puree the cauliflower thoroughly in the soup. Add the remaining butter and let it melt into the soup. Then, add the reserved ⅓ of the cauliflower florets, let them heat up in the hot soup, and serve.
- As a final touch, sprinkle a few finely chopped green herbs, such as spring onion or chives, over the soup when serving.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 4-6 portions.
- The roux does the heavy lifting for you: the cauliflower soup will be creamy with a velvety texture and thickened. It is important to cook the roux for at least 15-20 minutes until it perfectly combines with the soup and its floury taste disappears.
- Use freshly ground nutmeg to spice up the cauliflower soup at the end. Nutmeg is better than mace.
kristena
Another winner!
I didn't have nutmeg, but wanted that full flavor, so I roasted the cauliflower first instead. It was delicious.
Petra Kupská
Thank you very much for your feedback! Roasting the cauliflower ahead of time is a great tip to get even more flavor into the soup. Thanks for mentioning that!
Marla
I'm making this today...next will be the garlic soup (a personal fav of mine from a visit to the Czech Republic a couple of years ago). Thank you!!
Petra Kupská
Thank you very much for your comment, Marla! 🙂 Czech-style cauliflower soup tastes delicious, and it’s an opinion of my whole family. I hope you will love it, too! Garlic soup (česnečka) is definitely worth trying, easy and so tasty. All the best, Petra
Sarah
I have made lots of different cauliflower soup recipes, but this one is definitely unique. The roux makes it so thick and velvety! Don't be afraid to add more salt than what is called for during the cooking. Cauliflower really takes a lot of salt. So delicious!
Erin
I had the most amazing cauliflower soup while in the Czech Republic- I’ve tried many other recipes but this one is the closest I’ve found to it! So yum!
Eva
Děkuji za super recept, normálně dělám tuto polévku bez cibule ale musím uznat že s cibulkou je lepší! Zdravím z Velké Británie!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Moc děkuji za komentář, Evo! 🙂