This Detox Cruciferous Soup is the kind of dish that wraps you up in warmth and comfort while deeply nourishing your body. We’ve carefully crafted this recipe to include seven vibrant, nutrient-packed vegetables, with the stars of the show coming from the cruciferous family—superfoods known for supporting your body’s natural detox process.
What makes this soup even more magical is that it’s naturally dairy-free but still has a wonderfully creamy texture, thanks to the cauliflower and cashews. It’s light yet satisfying, making it the perfect base for pairing with grilled chicken, toasted sourdough, or even a warm, fluffy baked potato. It’s not just a meal—it’s a bowl of goodness you can feel good about.
Elements of Detox Cruciferous Soup
Vegetables: The seven powerhouse vegetables in this soup—garlic, onion, leek, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and parsley—are not only packed with essential micronutrients, but they also deliver a boost of glucosinolates. These little compounds act like metabolism boosters, helping your liver work its magic in detoxifying the body. It’s a delicious way to give your system some extra support!
Bone Broth: We’ve added chicken bone broth to this soup to take it to the next level. While the vegetables naturally release their own liquid as they cook, the bone broth brings in an extra layer of flavor and nourishment. If you’re not yet a fan of bone broth, trust us, it’s worth a try! Bone broth is cooked slowly with a touch of acid, which helps pull out even more nutrients, adding protein, minerals, and collagen to your soup.
Cashews: To finish things off, we add cashews at the end of the cooking process for an extra creamy texture. These little nuts not only bring in richness but also pack in healthy fats, fiber, and protein. We love blending them right into the soup for a smooth, velvety finish, and sprinkling a few on top for a delightful crunch when serving.
How to Make Detox Cruciferous Soup
Start by assembling your ingredients and chopping the veggies. Make sure you chop the garlic first to give it time to sit and produce the maximum amount of health-boosting allicin.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-heat. Once hot, add the garlic and onions. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally until the garlic becomes fragrant and onions begin to turn slightly translucent.
Add the leeks, salt, thyme, basil, and mustard seed. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the leeks begin to soften.
Add the Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower florets to the pot. Stir gently (my pot gets pretty full at this point) and allow the vegetables to cook for a minute.
Pour the broth over the vegetables until the are mostly covered. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid.
Let the soup simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender. For me, it takes about 20 minutes. Once your vegetables are tender you can remove the pot from the heat.
Now, add the cashews are parsley. You can just toss them on the top of the soup. Cover the pot with the lid again and allow the heat and steam from the vegetables soften the cashews and parsley. This will take a few minutes.
All that’s left is to blend the soup. We either use an immersion blender (the easiest option) or a countertop blender. Blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. For us, that means very smooth. You can add a bit or water or broth if you feel the soup is too thick. However, this soup is naturally thicker, similar to the consistency of a butternut squash soup. If you use a countertop blender you will have to blend the soup in batches.
The soup is ready! We like to top ours with a bit of coconut cream (or creme fraiche) and a sprinkling of chopped cashews, herbs, and green onion. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to five days. However, this recipe makes a large amount of soup so I usually freeze half for the next rainy day.
Detox Cruciferous Soup
This soup is pure comfort in a bowl—thick, creamy, and incredibly soothing, especially on those chilly days. Made with 7 nourishing veggies, it’s packed with fiber, vitamins (K, C, B), and iron to support your body from the inside out. We call it a “detox” soup because of the powerhouse cruciferous vegetables it’s made with—these veggies are like little helpers for your liver, boosting its natural detox process. Every spoonful is a warm hug for both your taste buds and your body!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large leek, trimmed and halved, white parts thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
- 12 ounces Brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed, sliced into thin disks
- 12 ounces broccoli florets
- 27 ounces cauliflower florets
- 5 cups chicken bone broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
- 1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 1/3 cup raw cashews
- Black pepper to Taste
- For Topping: coconut cream, cashews, fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives), and chopped green onion
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Then stir in leeks, salt, thyme, basil, and mustard seed. Cook the mixture for 3-5 minutes, until the leeks begin to soften.
- Add brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower florets. Stir the pot to incorporate everything and allow the vegetables to cook for a minute. Pour in the broth, over the vegetables until they are mostly covered. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid.
- Let the soup simmer until the vegetables are tender, around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables are tender, remove the soup from the heat. Add the parsley and cashews and keep covered for a few minutes to allow the cashews and parsley to soften.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it’s completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender or food processor to blend the soup in batches. Once pureed, taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
- Portion the soup into bowls. Serve with a drizzle of cream, chopped cashews, and finely minced herbs.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Ground mustard seed plays a key role in this dish. Cruciferous vegetables, like the broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, and Brussel sprouts used in this recipe, are rich in a powerful compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane acts as an antioxidant, helping to neutralize harmful free radicals that contribute to inflammation and cancer. Studies show that adding ground mustard seed to these vegetables can boost the absorption of sulforaphane significantly. In fact, one study found that when ground mustard seed was added to broccoli, it increased sulforaphane absorption by nearly four times!
