Author: Lisa Childs
Comments: 2
Category: Dairy Free Instant Pot Recipes
Published Date: May 20, 2021
Updated Date: January 12, 2023
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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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Here’s an easy, perfect soup-dipping sandwich. This sandwich has a delightful crunch to compliment the smooth cauliflower cheese soup.
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.
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.
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 Soup Recipes
Try some of my other insanely delicious, easy, and popular soup recipes!
- Instant Pot Hot and Sour Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Super Simple Miso Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Ham Chowder
- Instant Pot Clam Chowder
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Ham Chowder
- Egg Drop Soup
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
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.
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion diced (or use 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2-2 pounds cauliflower florets (about 6-8 loosely packed cups)
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded (I used half of an 8 oz block of cheese, shredded)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Press the Saute button and adjust to high.
- Add butter. After it is melted, add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes or until browned.
- Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add cauliflower, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and pepper.
- Close the lid, turn the knob to Sealing.
- Press the 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 (if you use a blender, blend the soup in small batches), about 3 minutes. Stir in cheddar cheese and serve immediately.
PRODUCTS WE LOVE
NOTES
- You can make this cauliflower soup dairy free by substituting olive oil for butter and omitting the cream and cheese. Simply blend the cauliflower and enjoy!
- For a vegetarian version, replace chicken broth with water or vegetable broth and do not top with bacon.
- If you’d like, you can serve this soup with cheese, bacon, sour cream, chives, or other toppings you enjoy.
Hi Lisa! Can I use frozen cauliflower florets?
Author
Hi Tina! I haven’t tried it but it should work just the same!