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This cauliflower cheese soup recipe with beer is creamy with a rich, complex flavor and has a ton of vegetables! It comes together in under an hour and rivals anything you’d get at a restaurant.
It comes as a surprise (actually more of a shock) to most people when I tell them that the food scene in Buffalo is actually pretty fabulous. But I kid you not!
The gamut ranges from fish fries to roast beef on weck. Buffalo wings and chicken finger subs (which I literally can’t find anywhere else! Believe me, I’ve looked). Killer doughnuts (including Pączki) and the best coffee ever, to name just a few Buffalo specialties.
One of mine and Mike’s top two restaurants when we lived in Buffalo was Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. My absolute favorite thing to get there was their beer cheese soup, which they make with smoked Gouda and their own ale. There are almost no words for that soup.
Replicating it has been on my list of things to try for a while. However, I wanted to put a slightly different twist on it with the addition of cauliflower. I’m even tempted to call it a “healthy” twist. Just remember though, healthy is a subjective thing, a “relative word”, as my mom likes to say, lol.
The result is a rich, creamy soup with a lovely balanced flavor profile. Sweet earthiness from the just-starting-to-caramelize vegetables. Smoky, salty flavor from the smoked Gouda and hickory smoked sea salt. Umami from the Worcestershire. Finished with fresh scallion for mild onion flavor and crunchy homemade croutons for texture. It’s sure to be a new favorite!
Smoky Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe with Beer
I did a quick online search to discover that the fabulous Mark Bittman already has a great version of cauliflower beer cheese soup featuring ale and Cheddar. (I should have known because that man literally knows how to cook everything).
I appreciate the fact that there is no need to reinvent the wheel, so my recipe is largely adapted from Mark’s with just a couple significant differences. Namely, he uses Cheddar and bacon, and I use smoked Gouda and hickory-smoked sea salt. Also, I add just a smidgen of Worcestershire sauce because I love it in nearly all things cheese-related!
Thanks to Mark and I, and most definitely Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, I’d say this soup is practically perfect. Or at least my version of perfect, and might just hold the spot in my heart as favorite cheese soup. Don’t hold me to that though, it’s so hard to be a monogamous cheese soup lover!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter – We cook the aromatic vegetables down in butter until they’re just starting to caramelize. The butter adds richness to this soup because we don’t use any cream (or even milk!).
- Onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and cauliflower – I told you this soup has a lot of vegetables! Looking at it, you’d never guess, but they bump up the nutrition and add a ton of flavor.
- Ale – Go for a pale ale or a Belgian ale here, and avoid hoppy ales (such as IPAs), which can make the soup overly bitter.
- Vegetable stock – Or chicken stock for deeper flavor.
- Bay leaf – Adds complexity to the broth. Just remember to remove the bay leaf before you blend the soup!
- Dijon mustard – For sharpness to cut through the richness and help create balance.
- Worcestershire sauce – This fermented condiment adds savory depth. You can use vegan Worcestershire sauce to keep this dish vegetarian.
- Hickory-smoked sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper – We keep the spice list short, but it packs a punch. You can omit the cayenne pepper if you like, but the amount this recipe calls for is there to enhance the flavor, not make this soup spicy-hot.
- Smoked Gouda cheese – This cheese is rich and buttery with a smoky, subtly sweet flavor. Of course if you prefer you can use a good sharp English Cheddar instead of Gouda.
- Tapioca starch – Similar to making fondue, here we toss the shredded cheese with a little bit of tapioca starch to help prevent separation and thicken it a touch. Cornstarch will also work well; see the Notes in the recipe card below.
Optional Toppings:
- Croutons – I used my paleo sandwich bread to make homemade croutons, but sourdough rye bread would also work great here. If you aren’t sure how to make homemade croutons for soup, I give instructions in my Czech garlic soup recipe.
- Fresh scallion – Adds a pop of green color and mild onion flavor to brighten up the dish.
- Black truffle oil – For rich umami flavor.
- Cracked black pepper – Adds a punch of sharp flavor to help cut through the rich creaminess.
Instructions
- Create the base flavor. Add the butter, onion, carrot, and celery to a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Cook (uncovered) until the vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize in spots, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Simmer. Stir in the cauliflower, ale, stock, bay leaf, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; turn the heat down slightly so it doesn’t boil over, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.Remove and discard the bay leaf. Carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender.
- Add the cheese. Toss the Gouda and tapioca starch together in a bowl.Turn the heat on low under the soup and stir in the cheese a handful at a time until melted (don’t let it come up to a boil). Taste and add regular salt (not more hickory-smoked sea salt) to taste.
- Serve. Add any of the optional toppings you like and enjoy!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing and Reheating Instructions
- Put the cooled soup in freezer-safe containers (for single servings, Amazon has some great glass food storage containers). Label the outside with the date and contents. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- When you want to enjoy the soup, thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan on the stovetop until steaming, stirring occasionally. (Don’t let it come to a boil.)
Tips For the Best Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Don’t rush cooking the vegetables for this soup. We want them to start to caramelize so their sweetness develops and helps balance the ale’s bitterness.
- To make this soup even richer, reduce the vegetable stock to 2 1/2 cups. After incorporating the cheese, stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add 1 teaspoon of regular salt + 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika.
You can use more vegetable stock (or chicken stock), and add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice right before serving.
More Delicious Recipes with Beer
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Cheddar Dill Beer Bread
- Beer Battered Onion Rings
- Obatzda (German Beer Cheese Dip)
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Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe with Beer
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium-large onion chopped
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 large stalk celery diced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium head cauliflower chopped into florets
- 3 cups ale
- 3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock for deeper flavor
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce use vegan Worcestershire to keep this dish vegetarian
- 1 teaspoon hickory-smoked sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot sauce (more or less to taste)
- 8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese shredded
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch aka tapioca flour (see Notes to use cornstarch instead)
Optional Toppings:
- Croutons I used my paleo sandwich bread to make homemade croutons; sourdough would also be great
- Fresh scallions thinly sliced
- Black truffle oil
- Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Create the base flavor. Add the butter, onion, carrot, and celery to a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Cook (uncovered) until the vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize in spots, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Simmer. Stir in the cauliflower, ale, stock, bay leaf, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; turn the heat down slightly so it doesn’t boil over, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.Remove and discard the bay leaf. Carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender.
- Add the cheese. Toss the Gouda and tapioca starch together in a bowl.Turn the heat on low under the soup and stir in the cheese a handful at a time until melted (don’t let it come up to a boil). Taste and add regular salt (not more hickory-smoked sea salt) to taste.
- Serve. Add any of the optional toppings you like and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional toppings.
- Recipe Adaptation: Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman’s recipe for Ale, Cheddar, and Cauliflower Soup.
- Croutons: I used my paleo sandwich bread recipe to make homemade croutons for topping this soup. If you aren’t sure how to make homemade croutons for soup, I give instructions in my Czech garlic soup recipe.
- Tapioca Starch: Instead of tapioca starch, you can use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Put the cooled soup in freezer-safe containers. Label the outside with the date and contents. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- When you want to enjoy the soup, thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan on the stovetop until steaming, stirring occasionally. (Don’t let it come to a boil.)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on April 1, 2016 and updated on March 13, 2026.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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This one goes on the menu for this week, for sure… it looks yummy!
I never realized how much of a “foodie” city Buffalo is until after my daughter moved to Colorado. The first time we visited your cousin in Denver, she warned us not to expect much from the food. “It’s not up to our standards” she said.
Here in Buffalo and Western New York, we’re spoiled by Chefs who compete with each other for more and better flavors, and we don’t even know what we have until we go somewhere else.
I used sharp cheddar cheese for this dish and it came out wonderfully. All the flavors worked so well to create such a comforting dish. I’m a huge cheese lover and would love to try this dish out with other cheese varieties next time,what do you recommend? Thanks for sharing.
Rach, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! I bet the sharp Cheddar was great in this dish; you could try it with any cheese that melts well, like Fontina or Gruyere. You could also try it with different kinds of Cheddar, like smoked Cheddar or sharp white Cheddar. Let me know how it goes if you play with the recipe!
This sounds–and looks-absolutely ah-mazing. I love the idea of subbing cauliflower in this version. Got to try it soon!
Wait, beer AND cheese? I am SO in! I know my husband will love it, too :D
Gorgeous dish! I love the smoked Gouda with the cauliflower. I need to make this soon!
What a Fantastic combo for soup! It looks absolutely amazing!!
This looks amazing, Faith! And I think it’s genius to substitute bacon with smoked gouda and hickory smoked salt. I’m not sure I’ve had beer cheese soup, but I love cauliflower in soup. This is definitely on my to make ASAP list…
Have a great weekend, Faith!
While I’ve only been to Manhattan, I know there is more the New York and must revisit someday. Smoked Gouda is THE best! The oil drizzle and croutons here sucked me into these beautiful photos. That cauliflower is a great way to introduce some “healthy” aspect to this one! Have a great weekend.
What a delicious flavor combination Faith! It’s still cold with snow here so this is perfect.
I am still trying to trick my fiance into eating cauliflower. He’s like a child. I may try this, as he DOES like beer :)