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One bite of Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower soup, and you’ll know you need more! After years of making it at home, I’ve fine tuned the recipe and now declare it is BETTER than Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheddar Soup! Please try this at home, folks 😉

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

Oh yes, it’s the time of year for all things soup. You are going to love this tried and true creamy cauliflower cheddar soup. It’s the perfect blend of creamy, spicy, and comfort food all at the same time. 

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

What is so amazing about this Wisconsin cauliflower cheddar soup?

Besides being a creamy bowl of cheesy goodness, it’s a tasty way to get some more veggies into your life. It’s really hard to say “no” to the kids who BEG for more vegetables, right? And my kids simply love this silky, creamy soup. 

 

The last time I made it, I heard, “Mom.  This is better than Zupas Cauliflower Soup!”.  And just like that, the title for this post was born – and I had officially picked a favorite child. 😉

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

So, if you are craving that creamy, cheesy Zupas copycat cauliflower soup, I have the perfect recipe for you. It’s been tweaked a bit to create the perfect consistency and calories for my happy place, and I know you are going to love it, too.

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

Zupas Cauliflower Soup Ingredients (my copycat version)

  • Butter
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Milk
  • Chicken Broth
  • Cauliflower
  • Pepperjack cheese
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Dijon mustard
  • Extra salt and pepper to taste
Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

Making Your Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheddar Soup:

  1. Melt the butter in a large pot. 
  2. Add onions and garlic, and saute until tender.
  3. Mix in the flour and scrape up the bits on the bottom to create your roux. 
  4. Pour in the broth and water, and stir.
  5. Stir in chopped cauliflower, cover and simmer. 
  6. Remove from heat, add in milk and stir. 
  7. Pour the contents into a blender and blend until smooth.
  8. Return to the pot, and stir in the cheese and mustard, mixing until creamy smooth.
  9. Serve with warm, crusty bread.  

And there you have it, the best Zupas Cafe copycat cauliflower soup ever. 

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

It is slide-down-your-throat, and warm-your-insides good and the perfect comfort recipe for a chilly evening.

Garnish it all pretty like for serving, or simply top with a little more cheese. If you are like me, you’ll gladly skip on the crushed up crackers because that might possibly ruin the effect.

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup.

You can find the printable recipe below, but I am so accustomed to creating step by step DIY tutorials, I have to do some of that as well. Be sure to read my tips for success below.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 – Melt your butter (or oil if you choose) in a large stovetop pot. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they begin to brown. You can also put the lid on and let them sweat until more tender.

saute onions and garlic

2 – Lower the heat and add the flour and stir. I like to scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavor of the crispy onions into the soup.

Saute onions and garlic

3 – Add the water, broth and salt. Hold off on the milk, as it is easier to prevent burning the bottom of the pan and scorching the liquid without the milk.

Then you’ll add your chopped cauliflower florets and bring the mixture to a simmer. It helps to cover the pot.

Simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, which should take about 15 minutes.

Simmer cauliflower
simmer cauliflower until fork tender

4 – Now you can remove the pot from the heat and add the milk.

Pour in milk and warm

5 – Transfer the contents into a blender, or if you have a REALLY good immersion blender, you may be able to get it creamy enough. I find the blender to be fool proof. I also add the pepper jack cheese at this point, because my kids don’t like to see the pepper flakes in their soup.

“Ewe. What’s that?!” I know – so lame.

I blend about half of the soup at a time, to prevent any mishaps with the blender.

blend up soup in blender

6 – Put it all back in the pot and add the cheese and mustard and some pepper. Stir until it is all melted in and silky smooth.

Stir in cheese until melted

That’s it! The best soup you will ever have . . . or is that going to far?

You might know if I am sharing a recipe around my home and DIY blog, then I am pretty passionate about it. You might enjoy seeing Instant Pot recipes over on my sister Marci’s side of TIDBITS.

While I happily make this on the stovetop, I am sure she could find a way to convert it to a Instant Pot recipe. Game on Marci!

For more delectable Fall soup recipes, be sure to hop around to my friends blogs to see what comfort food they cooked up – linked below.

Catch more of this Holiday series called “Tastes of the Season” in the posts I’ve shared previously, all with a different theme:

Let me know which soup is calling your name!

Easy Slow Cooker White Bean and Ham Soup by Ella Claire & Co. | Creamy Cauliflower Soup by Tidbits | Butternut Squash Minestrone by Nest of Posies | Light Creamy Mushroom Soup by The Chronicles of Home | Corn Chowder by On Sutton Place

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup by Live Laugh Rowe | Apple and Celeriac Soup by Inspired by Charm | Chicken Gnocchi Soup by Tidy Mom | Chicken and Dumplings by House 214 | French Onion Soup Bowls by Shabbyfufu

Sausage Tortellini Soup by My 100 Year Old Home | White Chicken Chili by Rooms For Rent | Roasted Pumpkin & Garlic Soup by Home Made Lovely | Healthy Halibut Chowder by Town and Country Living | Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup- Japanese Udon by Happy Happy Nester

Creamy Low-Carb Roasted Cauliflower Soup by Summer Adams | Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup by Zevy Joy | Butternut Squash and Pear Soup by Nick + Alicia | Harvest Lentil Soup by French Country Cottage | Creamy Asparagus Soup with Bacon and Lime Creme Fraiche by My Sweet Savannah

A warm bowl of creamy cauliflower soup and a slice of homemade brean

Better than Zupas Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Created by TIDBITS & COMPANY
Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
I’ve fine tuned the recipe and now declare it is BETTER than Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheddar Soup!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • 1 medium size onion coarsely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups whole milk can substitute half and half or other milks – but I prefer whole milk for this recipe
  • 1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
  • 1 large head of cauliflower chopped into florets
  • 1 cup pepperjack cheese
  • 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add butter to pot and melt.
  • Add chopped onions and garlic into pot and saute for about 5 minutes or until beginning to brown.
  • Lower heat and add flour and stir.
  • Slowly add water, broth, salt and chopped cauliflower.
  • Simmer covered until cauliflower is fork tender, which takes about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add milk. 
  • Transfer contents into a blender in comfortable batches and blend until creamy smooth.  I also add my pepper jack cheese into the blender, so the pepper flakes in the cheese are also blended up.
  • Pour soup back in pot and add mustard, sharp cheddar cheese and pepper.  Stir together until cheese is melted and soup is smooth.
  • Serve immediately, or warm when ready to eat. 
  • Top with some garnish, cheese, or just gobble it up silky smooth.  Oh, so very good!
A warm bowl of creamy cauliflower soup and a slice of homemade brean

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7 Comments

  1. So finally got around to making your cauliflower soup. First time having and really enjoyed it. Very filling. Thank you

  2. This IS better than Zuppas (we don’t have Zuppas in Tennessee, so I loved finding this recipe)! I’ve made this soup three times but the most recent was Wednesday night before Thanksgiving with my girls home for the holiday. It was a big hit, EVERYONE loved it! To save time, I made the recipe through step 5 (simmering cauliflower) then stored in the refrigerator until I was ready to serve it. Worked great and was so easy to throw together as family was gathering for a meal together! Thank you!

  3. Wiuld love an instant pot recipe for this. Also pepperjack and sharp cheddar are impossible to get in the Netherlands. Would any older cheeses work?

    1. Hi Carolina –

      I think using Goudse kaas would be wonderful. Maybe mix the younger and the older kaas to get a nice combination!

      LL