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This is quite possibly the best soup I’ve ever made! It’s so unbelievably creamy and barely need any ingredients! THANK YOU!
Lauren Micalizio
Golden Soup is hee-yahhh.
What exactly is golden soup, you ask? Friends, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a like-to-eat-healthy-food, but-like-to-eat-cozy-food-more, and-have-eaten-out-a-lot-lately-so-need-intervention-quickly kind of lifestyle. You know the kind. You know if Golden Soup is right for you. If it fits, you just know.
This soup has:
- turmeric (hence the big, beautiful golden-ness)
- cauliflower
- cashews
- garlic / onions
- olive oil
- salt
- squeeze of lemon juice – just trust
- crispy chickpeas and parsley and more olive oil on top
and therefore it also has the power to:
- reduce inflammation
- boost antioxidants
- make skin happy
- make tummy happy
- generally be very healing.
Bonus for the lifestyle part: it takes about 25 minutes to make, and it tastes like the most wonderful creamy goodness of winter.
If it feels like I’m selling you something, it’s because I am. I AM SELLING YOU GOLDEN SOUP.
How To Make Our Golden Soup:
And those roasted chickpeas on top? I THINK YES.
This is a gem of the wintertime.
It is delicious and lovely and good for you all while being silky, seductive, and creamy-yumo.
If you try it and love it, tag me on Instagram if you have a second it before you drink this soup down. Maybe we can swap golden soup pics? Shouldn’t be too hard – it’s basically my lunch every day. Golden Soup Goddess, that’s who I am.
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Golden Soup
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each) 1x
Description
Cozy, bright, and healing with power-foods like turmeric, cauliflower, and cashews. Topped with crispy chickpeas. Super creamy and SO GOOD.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- half an onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into about 5 cups of chunks or florets
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 tablespoon turmeric – see notes
- 7–8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- a squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a deep soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, cauliflower, cashews, and turmeric. Sauté for 10 minutes or until very fragrant.
- Simmer: Add the water (I usually start with 4 cups) and salt. Simmer until softened.
- Blend: Transfer the soup to a blender and blend into a creamy consistency. It’s best to do this in batches.
- Finish: Return to the soup pot and add any additional water (remaining 2-3 cups) if you need to thin it out. Also a good time to season with more salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Also a good time to top with spiced chickpeas and parsley and olive oil and more salt and put on your most comfy sweater and FALL IN LOVE. ♡
Notes
For the Spiced Chickpea Topping: Drain and rinse 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas. Spread them on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle chickpeas with a dusting of cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and/or any other spice combo you want. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir right on the pan, then roast for 30-40 minutes or until semi-crispy.
Turmeric: Turmeric has a strong flavor, so if you’ve never tried it before and you’re not sure you will like it, I would suggest using 1-2 teaspoons to start. If you’re a confident turmeric user, go for the full 1 tablespoon!
Blender Stains: Depending on your blender, this soup can leave a stain from the turmeric. If this happens, we recommend leaving your blender sitting in a window in the sun for a day or two which will help get rid of the stains!
Freezer Meal Version
- Freeze Together:
2 tablespoons olive oil
half an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into about 5 cups of chunks or florets
1 cup cashews
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
a squeeze of lemon juice - Instant Pot Instructions: Add three cups water before cooking. High pressure 10 mins + 7 mins natural release.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Add three cups water before cooking. High setting 4 hours.
- Final Step: Blend soup and add water to thin as needed.
- Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: golden soup, turmeric soup, healthy soup, anti-inflammatory recipe
We Love That You Loved It!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our magical cauliflower recipes page. Check it out!
What type of cashews did you use? Raw or roasted?
You can use either! I don’t notice a huge flavor difference. They’re mostly there for texture.
If they are just there for texture, would peanuts be OK? My husband is allergic to cashews.
Peanuts leave a very strong flavor, the soup will taste like peanuts and leave that butter peanut aftertaste (I learned the hard way, used mixed nuts with a predominant peanut presence).
Just wondering if I could substitute almonds for the cashews? My daughter has an allergy to cashews (and all nuts except almonds). Thanks for the recipe. I just love finding recipes like this w/ healthy ingredients and superfoods and still get that comfort food feel!
Can this be frozen to be eaten another day?
We think that’d work just fine, Nikkie! 😊
Just came across this and it looks so tasty! Do you think cashew butter would work? I have a ton I need to use up!
Great question, Wendi! We think it’d work!
This looks yum!
http://beautifullyme.in/
Didn’t see Turmeric mentioned in the notes other than as a spice for the roasted chickpeas. Is the Turmeric in the soup fresh or dried?
I’m wondering about this too Lindsay! Looks amazing and I’ve a big oul head of cauliflower in the fridge begging to be used in something 😂
there is Tumeric in the soup when you saute the garlic, onion and cashews
Updated! Good catch.
And it is dried.
Thanks!!!
Hi! First, I adore your blog. Second, what are the greens in the soup? Can’t wait to try this one!
According to the finish notes it’s parsley.
Sounds SO good! Was wondering your thoughts on using an immersion blender instead of a standalone blender? I’m nervous that the cashews won’t fully blend.. have you experimented with soaking the cashews prior to making the soup? Just curious! Can’t wait to try this one, either way!
I think it would work even if the cashews only partially blended. I made it again today and actually debated leaving it partially chunky – I think the texture would be a nice way to add variety (although I went for the fully smooth version because I love pureed soups). I think soaking the cashews would definitely help!
Cool — thank you so much!
I rough chopped cashews prior to adding to pot since I also have an immersion blender. Made pureeing a lot easier.
Hi! Longtime lover of your recipes. I had to use a bunch of turmeric, salt and lemon to develop the taste. It was pretty bland after I puréed it in this food processor. Any thoughts on where I went wrong?
Perhaps sauté onion & garlic prior to adding cauliflower & cashews? Use veg broth instead of water? Add some coconut milk? Thanks.
Hi, Sarah! Yep, we’d definitely recommend sautéing the onions and garlic to get them nice and fragrant. We think veggie broth would work well too instead of water. Love your ideas!
I used chicken broth, so delicious!
I’m glad you said this. I was thinking of using bone broth instead of water to add some protein to this soup, but wasn’t sure how this would taste. I’ve made it as the recipe calls for it before and it was AMAZING
What could you sub for the cashews that aren’t nuts? I’m allergic to all nuts.
Hi, EJ! You could try subbing in a bit more cauliflower. Enjoy!
This is delicious! Thanks. Forgot the lemon and seasoning at the end but as soon as that was added it came to life. And it was silky smooth even with just a hand blender.
Quick question… is the calorie count with the crunchy chickpeas? If not, how many extra calories is it to add those.
So glad you enjoyed the soup! The crunch chickpeas are not included in the nutrition label. We didn’t include them in the calculation because the amount of salt, seasoning, and oil will vary. My Fitness Pal is a great online calculator!
I made this the other night, didn’t soak the cashews beforehand and used an immersion blender and still got a smooth and silky soup! I think since you add the cashews at the beginning they soften up enough to be blended nicely. It was delicious!
Good to know! I made it & did soak the cashews and it turned out fine, but nice to know that I can skip that extra step 🙂
Such a delicious soup — can’t wait to make again and again! When I served it, I mixed in some shredded rotisserie chicken for extra protein.
This sounds unusual but delicious, those crispy chickpeas are getting me hungrryyyyyy!
Is there a replacement for cashews in case of allergies? Are they there to thicken the soup? This looks great!
Ruth, I bet you could use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds! You could also use chickpeas instead of putting them on top, just blend them in to get that same creamy affect as the nuts
Someone on Instagram suggested chickpeas! I thought that was a great idea! I like that the cashews have healthy fats in them that make this super creamy, so if you could replace with another nut that would be ideal.
Did you try using the chickpeas instead of cashews? I also am thinking of making this sans cashews and am wondering if that worked for you.
Going to make it tonight with coconut milk instead of cashews. I don’t know if that solves the allergy issue, but for what it is worth anyway….
Hi there, I was thinking of making this soup and also adding coconut milk. How did yours turn out? Any recommendations? Thanks 🙂
Pine nuts (not actually a nut) is a good substitute for allergy concerns. That’s what we do!
What is the note on the tumeric?
Oops, good catch! Updated!
Ooh, what a beautiful and decadently healthy soup! Definitely will have two servings–maybe even three–for a full meal!
what a nice looking soup! Completely new set of flavors for me, at least in a soup, so thank you for this recipe!
Real talk – I love holiday food season but I crave something healthy in the midst of all the butter, sugar, and carbs. I’m in dire need of a healthy dinner. I’m pinning this for later!
Oh my gosh ME TOO. I have a few of both coming up. 🙂 Gotta space out those other ones.
This is definitely the soup bomb;) I love the simple ingredients and how you use cashews. The creamy nuttiness is quite lovely for sure. Saving this for sooner rather than later:)
I can’t wait to make this! Thanks for sharing! #MN!
Had a head of cauliflower without a purpose so I just made this for my lunches this week! Great use of turmeric!
I’ve had frozen cauliflower just waiting for a purpose, and I got SO excited for this soup when you posted the teaser on your insta story!!! Cannot wait to make it!
I think I currently have everything to make this! Totally trying it this week!
Just wondering if I could use salted cashews and then omit the salt?
I love the roasted chickpea idea on top. I’m new to the roasted chickpea thing, so I am very eager to try this recipe! 🙂
Pressure cookers and vegetable juicing machines are a great way to get the mind and body to get on track with eating the right foods and getting the hormones back on a positive PH balance.
I was wondering about your thoughts on adding quinoa to this? Would that be weird?
I just did and it is awesome. I toasted the already cooked quinoa and added it on top.
I’m going to try this because I’m eating healthier now. I had weight loss surgery back in August & I’m doing wonderful & feel great. So I’m trying to find healthier foods to & not have to eat the same things all the time, I’m sure you know how boring that gets even w/other foods, so I’mmm really going to try this & I’ll let you know how I like it. Thank you for sharing it.
Hope you enjoy it, Joyce!
Wow, I never thought to add crunchy chickpeas as a topper for soup. This looks yummy!
Do you think a food processor would work? I only have a small nutraninja. Thanks!
Hi Danielle! It could work, but it won’t get it nearly as smooth as a blender will. Worth a try, though!
This looks amazing! Would it freeze?
Hi I just made this and it’s awesome, but wondering if almonds could be substituted for the cashews ? Thanks
We haven’t tried this with almonds so it’s hard to say! Cashews break down really nicely to create a velvety texture, but it might take longer or be hard for the almonds to do the same!
Looks delish – and it’s soup weather!
This soup sounds incredible! I can’t wait to try it! I love anything that has turmeric in it!
Turmeric fact: to absorb its amazing health benefits into our body you need to eat turmeric with black pepper and a healthy fat. You already have the healthy fat from the cashews, super easy and tasty to add in the black pepper. Sounds weird, I know. Just wanted to share! 🙂
Beautiful photos, as always! 🙂