This creamy Keto Cauliflower Soup is velvety smooth and delicious, and it takes only a few short minutes to make in the Instant Pot. It’s healthy, low carb comfort food at its finest. Stovetop instructions included too.
This Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup might just be the Best. Dang. Soup. I. Have. Ever. Made.
Is that an exaggeration? Possibly but at the moment, it’s how I really feel. It’s so velvety, so rich, and chockfull of creamy goodness. It’s a classic “loaded recipe”, with bacon, sour cream, cheese, and green onion. But so much healthier than the potato version!
This keto-friendly is the perfect comfort food on a chilly, blustery day, when all you want to do is curl up with a good book or movie. And I plan on doing just that all winter long!
Easy Keto Cauliflower Soup
This recipe gets rave reviews from everyone who tries it, even the cauliflower haters. It really has the right consistency to mimic potato soup. And with the bacon, cheese and toppings, it’s hearty and satisfying.
If you follow the Instant Pot instructions, the soup cooks very quickly and easily. But the stovetop version comes together quickly as well. And because everything is cooked in one pot, clean up is easy too!
It has only 5.7g net carbs per serving, so it’s a healthy and delicious option when you need something warm and comforting. It’s the edible equivalent of a cozy blanket on a chilly day.
Reader Testimonials
Here’s what readers say about this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup:
“This soup is absolutely delicious! Even my teen sons devour it. Full of fat, so it’s filling and it really fulfills any baked potato cravings you may have. Super easy to make.” — Stephanie
“This was one of the best soups I’ve had since starting keto 2 years ago. Thanks for your hard work on your recipes.” — Pat
“This soup is incredible! That flavor is amazing. It snowed here today so this soup was perfect for dinner! Thank you for sharing it with us all!” — Sharon
Ingredients
- Bacon: Cooking bacon in the pot first has two functions. The bacon bits become the crisp topping for the soup, and the grease in the pot is used to sauté the veggies. This provides velvety texture and amazing flavor.
- Cauliflower: You will need about 1 pound of cauliflower florets for this recipe. And you can use fresh or frozen cauliflower, as they both cook easily and quickly.
- Sour cream: Loaded potatoes always have sour cream, and so should your soup! It provides a wonderful, creamy consistency.
- Shredded cheese: You can use cheddar or Monterey Jack. Or something more interesting, if you prefer. I love the color that a little orange cheddar gives the soup.
- Green onion: This garnish adds additional color and flavor to make the soup resemble loaded baked potatoes. You could also use chopped chives.
- Bone broth: Use good quality broth for all your keto soups. It can be homemade or store-bought.
- Aromatics: Onion, celery, garlic
- Salt and pepper
Step by step directions
I love using my Instant Pot for this recipe, but I have also included stovetop directions in the recipe notes.
1. Cook the bacon: Place the chopped bacon in the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, leaving as much of the bacon fat in the pot as possible.
2. Sauté the veggies: Add the onion, celery, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Turn off the sauté function.
3. Cook the soup: Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, then add the cauliflower. Lock the lid onto the pot and make sure the vent is sealed. Set the manual function on high for 5 minutes (it will take 5 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure).
4. Add the sour cream: When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the vent. Remove the lid and stir in the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
5. Blend: Blend with an immersion blender until smooth or transfer to a full size blender or food processor (you may need to work in batches).
6. Garnish: Serve the soup topped with the remaining cheese, the bacon, and the green onion.
Expert tips
Cooking the vegetables in the leftover bacon grease gives this soup its velvety rich consistency and also adds flavor. But if you want a vegetarian cauliflower soup, simply sauté the veggies in butter or oil. You will need about 3 tablespoons.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in a regular blender or a food processor. You may need to work in batches, depending on the capacity of your appliance.
Stovetop Option: Not everyone has an Instant Pot, nor any interest in getting one. So you can also make this keto cauliflower soup on the stovetop. Follow the instructions for cooking the bacon and vegetables in a large pot over medium heat. Add the broth and cauliflower and bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 minutes. Follow the remaining steps as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
This creamy cauliflower soup is low carb and keto friendly. It has 8g of carbs per serving and 2.3g of dietary fiber. So it has 5.7g net carbs per serving.
You shouldn’t need any extra thickeners such as flours or starches for this keto soup recipe. The cauliflower provides a thick consistency already, and the sour cream and cheddar cheese contribute to the rich, creamy consistency. Don’t add too much broth, as it does water it down.
Freshly made, this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup can last for up to 6 days in the fridge. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
More delicious cauliflower recipes
- Cauliflower Risotto
- Slow Cooker Pepper Jack Cauliflower
- Keto Shepherd’s Pie
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Creamy Cauliflower Salad
- Cauliflower Fritters
Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 head medium cauliflower (about 1 ¼ pound) cut into florets
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar divided
- 1 green onion
Instructions
- Place the chopped bacon in the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, leaving as much of the bacon fat in the pot as possible.
- Add the onion, celery, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Turn off the sauté function.
- Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, then add the cauliflower. Lock the lid onto the pot and make sure the vent is sealed. Set the manual function on high for 5 minutes (it will take 5 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure).
- When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the vent. Remove the lid and stir in the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth or transfer to a full size blender or food processor.
- Serve the soup topped with the remaining cheese, the bacon, and the green onion.
Valerie says
Delish and easy to make. I always have home made turkey broth on hand and this makes for a quick and satisfying soup.
Sarah Morgan says
Loved the soup but made a double batch. Can leftovers be frozen?
Carolyn says
Absolutely!
Sharon says
This soup is incredible! That flavor is amazing. It snowed here today so this soup was perfect for dinner! Thank you for sharing it with us all!
Patricia says
Fantastic soup! Love soups during this time of year in chilly Michigan. Had a very large cauliflower (used 3/4) of it. It has a wonderful taste and texture. Thank you for this instant pot recipe!
Jan says
It was cold and raining here today and this soup hit the spot tonight. I am so thrilled to have this recipe because I will be making this over and over this winter. I plan to freeze self serving batches to eat on a whim. Thank you Carolyn!
Linda says
Thank you, for this recipe, cool here in Ontario today, great day for soup making..
Thank you, again
Alexis Sprague says
Outstanding and delicious recipe!!! Will have to make again and again!
Marsha says
To be perfectly honest I was not sure about this as I’m not a huge cauliflower fan. But I love soups, especially for lunch. They are so filling. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s quite good. It’s a more bland soup so I’m thinking of how to give it a kick so some days I can have ‘calm’ and some days I can have ‘spicy’. I’ll be making this all through the winters.
Rise Donlon says
This is an excellent recipe. You can play with it to customize after you make it the first time. I am in the middle of making my third pot in a little over a month. It’s August in the Central Valley. My whole family loves this soup.
Samantha Schwind says
Hi again! I commented almost 3 years ago about this amazing soup and it’s a recipe I often return to. But I’ve now perfected a Whole30 version so thought I’d share. Basically, just leave out the sour cream and cheese and use sugar free bacon. Blend it up and it is just as divine. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be a chunk of crusty French bread and butter. But, well, that ain’t happening ????
Esther Robison says
I’m making this today yum !!
Debbie says
Added some Pancho’s cheese dip (available in the South) and some red pepper flakes for some extra flavor and a little kick. Loved it!
Connie says
This soup is perfect for a cold rainy day which we had today. Easy to follow but I did add a couple of things, my 13 year old asked me to add goat cheese as that is the only way I can get him to eat cauli. mash, couple dashes of smoked paprika and couple dashes of cayenne pepper. Was a big hit with two young teenagers.
Faith Mathe says
Best cauliflower soup! Did kick it up a notch with 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Very good. Will be a staple in my house for cold winter nights.
Natasha says
I can’t eat bacon so I used turkey bacon and I left it in the pot when I added the onion/garlic/celery. I also accidentally let it naturally vent for too long but it wasn’t an issue. Also, I accidentally (yes I’m not always savvy in the kitchen) added too much chicken broth but I just put in a bit of xanthan gum in the end after puréeing it and it thickened up perfectly.
I’m going to try other cheeses just like others were suggesting.
Also, I grated some parmigiana reggiano on top and put a dash of Louisiana hot sauce and it was amazing!
Della says
Holy Cow! This was amazingly delicious! We made this exactly as written–except we doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers. This will be a “go-to” in our house. Thanks for sharing!
Linda says
Absolutely delicious! And unbelievably easy–perfect on a cool, blustery fall day! Thank you for sharing!
Lisa says
Holy cow, I knew this was probably going to be good (because I’ve had great success with all your recipes), but “the best soup I’ve ever made” really is well-deserved praise. I bought the biggest head of cauliflower I could find (and it was HUGE, I’ll probably use 2 regular heads next time, or 3 small ones) and roasted it ahead of time at 425F, 15 minutes on each side. I don’t know if pre-roasting it made a big difference, but it came out exceptionally delicious!
Char PIERCE says
Best Cauliflower soup I have ever had. Made according to recipe and an making it the 4th time thus year. Taking to a sick friend.
Cherie Curtis says
OMG–Carolyn–you are the BEST! …and so is this soup! The best I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!