Like it’s cousin, Loaded Baked Potato Soup, this Instant Pot cauliflower soup is creamy, cheesy, and smooth! But unlike potatoes, cauliflower is relatively low carb and has a slightly different flavor.

a bowl of cauliflower soup with bacon and cheese

Use my step-by-step instructions to make the best Instant Pot creamy cauliflower soup. This recipe is ready in about 10 minutes!

Before I teach you how to make cauliflower cheese soup, let me share one quick tip.

How to save time on Instant Pot cauliflower soup

If you’re like me, you’re constantly trying to get more veggies into your daily diet. But I get busy and just don’t have the time to prepare vegetables.

Washing, peeling, chopping, steaming, seasoning, roasting, etc. Vegetables can be a lot of work!

This recipe is a great way to enjoy all the health benefits of cauliflower. I have a tip to save the time it takes to prep cauliflower!

Quick Tip: Instead of purchasing a large head of cauliflower, look in your grocery store produce department where the prepared salad kits are. Look for pre-packaged bags of pre-cut and prepared cauliflower pieces. I found a bag that was the perfect size to make this soup!

two bowls of cauliflower soup with cheese and parsley

How to make Instant Pot cauliflower soup

Add cauliflower, chicken broth, onion flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and seasoned salt to the Instant Pot®.
Close the lid, turn the knob to Sealing.
Press Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust time to 5 minutes.
When the timer beeps, turn the knob from sealing to venting, then remove the lid and add the heavy cream.
Using an immersion blender or high-powered blender, blend the soup until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in cheddar cheese and serve immediately.

I love my immersion blender because I can puree the cauliflower right in the Instant Pot for less clean up! However, if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a high-powered blender. Be careful with hot ingredients in a blender! Vent the steam, or blend when cooled.

Unlike my Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe, don’t use a potato masher! Otherwise your creamy cheddar cauliflower soup will be super chunky. Ew.

How long does Instant Pot cauliflower soup last in the fridge?

If you have leftover Instant Pot cauliflower cheese soup, it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

To save time on dishes, you can refrigerate the soup in the Instant Pot liner with this silicone lid!

two bowls of bacon cauliflower cheese soup

Can I freeze Instant Pot cauliflower cheese soup?

Yes! This soup freezes well. Place cooled soup in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

When thawed, there may be some separation which is totally normal. Use your immersion blender to re-blend if needed.

Just remember that frozen liquids expand, so leave about a ½ inch of extra room in the container.

How do I add flavor to Instant Pot cauliflower soup?

My secret weapon to make every broth, sauce, and soup taste savory, thick, and flavorful is Better than Bouillon.

It’s a paste that you add into your liquid to make chicken broth and to intensify flavor. I buy the reduced sodium, organic kind at Costco.

a closeup of Instant Pot cauliflower soup

What to serve with Instant Pot cauliflower soup

Even though Instant Pot cauliflower soup is low(er) carb and healthier than potato soup, it is very filling! However, if you’d like to serve it with something, I have a few ideas.

I love a soup + salad or soup + sandwich combo!

Here’s one of my favorite salad recipes that, with the help of an Instant Pot, turns frozen chicken into a delicious, colorful, and hearty salad.

Strawberry BBQ Chicken Salad

Here’s an easy, perfect soup-dipping sandwich. This sandwich has a delightful crunch to compliment the smooth cauliflower cheese soup.

Grilled Cheese with Crispy Cheese Crust

Instant Pot creamy cauliflower soup is fantastic paired with crusty bread or served in a bread bowl. I like this bread bowl recipe, or you can usually find pre-made bread bowls in the grocery store bakery.

Mardi’s Sourdough Bread Recipe

Special Dietary Requirements

Instant Pot cauliflower soup is a great recipe for a variety of special dietary requirements!

Gluten free: this recipe is gluten free.
Dairy free: replace the heavy cream and cheddar cheese with your favorite creamy dairy substitute.
Low carb: with cauliflower as the main ingredient, this recipe is lower carb.
Keto: this is a great Keto recipe and friendly for macro-counting.
Vegetarian: replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian recipe.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup — If you like this recipe, you’ll love my loaded baked potato soup recipe!

Liquid diet recipes for jaw surgery

Recovering from jaw surgery involves a strict liquid diet. My friend had jaw surgery last year and she couldn’t chew for SIX WEEKS.

The first several weeks of recovery, my friend wasn’t allowed to open her jaw at all. So she needed lots of smooth soups and shakes to shoot behind her teeth with a syringe. Yikes.

Instant Pot creamy cauliflower cheese soup packs in nutrition without having to chew! It’s an excellent soup for jaw surgery, or even wisdom teeth removal, recovery.

Instant Pot clam chowder — Instant Pot Clam Chowder

Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Try some of my other insanely delicious, easy, and popular soup recipes!

Quick Tip: My hungry kids tend to get impatient waiting for hot soup to cool. So I just add some frozen vegetables, like corn or peas, to their soup bowls!

Mix the soup and frozen veggies together and let it sit for a couple minutes. Mix again, and it’s the perfect temperature for kids! The hot soup warms up the frozen veggies, and the frozen veggies cool down the soup.