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My Instant Pot cauliflower soup is packed with bacon and cheddar to make it thick, creamy, and delicious! I’m not the biggest fan of cauliflower, but this soup makes me want to eat my veggies. You’ll love how easy this cauliflower soup Instant Pot recipe is to make, and all the possibilities for toppings. Though it makes a lovely side dish, you may just want to have it as the main course!
This pureed cauliflower soup is loaded with protein-packed cannellini beans, which makes it deliciously creamy without cream cheese. My second secret for ultra creamy cauliflower soup is pureeing the veggies.
After cooking, blending this cauliflower white bean soup gives it a super smooth texture. It’s silky, so tasty, and my new favorite way to use cauliflower.
⭐ Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
To make the basic Instant Pot cauliflower soup recipe, you need:
- 6 cups fresh cauliflower (one small head)
- 4 slices bacon (not the thick cut kind)
- 15½ ounces canned cannellini beans (439g)
- 1 medium onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken bone broth (low sodium broth)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (113g)
- Soup toppings (cheese shreds, chopped chives)
Get a printable recipe card at the end of the article!
If you’re using homemade broth and no salt added beans, you may want to add salt to this recipe. Otherwise, I would skip it, as store bought broth, bacon, and canned beans tend to be pretty salty already.
It’s important to keep the food between the min and max fill lines on the Instant Pot when pressure cooking. If your pressure cooker has a different capacity than mine, you may need to halve or double the recipe so it fits. This may impact the total cooking time.
➕ How to Make Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
Chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm) and mince the garlic cloves. Chop the cauliflower into 1” pieces (2.54 cm). Set aside.
Place the bacon strips in a single layer in the Instant Pot and set it to high saute. Cook the bacon to your liking (flipping as needed). Chop or crumble the cooked bacon and set aside. Leave 1-1½ tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot.
Add the onions and garlic and soften for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown them.
Drain a can of cannellini beans well. Add the cauliflower florets, beans, broth, cream, and black pepper to the pot. Stir. If you’re adding salt, you can do it now. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam vent.
Pressure cook cauliflower soup for 8 minutes on high (“beans/chili” setting). Then quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid.
The veggies in the soup should now be very soft. Blend them until completely smooth using an immersion blender. If blending in the Instant Pot, be careful not to scratch the sides of the pot!
The immersion blender only took 1-2 minutes to completely blend the soup silky smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can let the soup cool and bit and blend it in a food processor.
Stir the cheddar cheese into the hot soup, allowing it to fully melt.
Ladle the soup into bowls and add the crumbled bacon and any other toppings you wish. Don’t add the toppings until right before serving.
Why is my cauliflower soup tasteless?
Try roasting the cauliflower before making the soup if you want to add another layer of flavor. You can also add herbs and spices such as dried thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, chili flakes, or turmeric to this basic recipe.
Cauliflower Soup Storage
Keep leftover Instant Pot cauliflower soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, and top right before serving. You can also reheat the soup on the stove top (or use high saute on the Instant Pot).
Watch How to Make It!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups cauliflower, chopped 1.5 lbs; 680 grams (about one small head)
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped (8 ounces; 227 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 15½ ounces cannelini beans (439 grams; canned, drained)
- 3 cups low sodium broth vegetable broth or chicken bone broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (113 grams)
- soup toppings (optional; cheese shreds, chopped chives)
Instructions
- Chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm) and mince the garlic cloves. Chop the cauliflower into 1” pieces (2.54 cm). Set aside.
- Place the bacon strips in a single layer in the Instant Pot and set it to high saute. Cook the bacon to your liking (flipping as needed). Chop or crumble the cooked bacon and set aside. Leave 1-1½ tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot.
- Add the onions and garlic and soften for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown them.
- Drain a can of cannellini beans well. Add the cauliflower florets, beans, broth, cream, and black pepper to the pot. Stir. If you’re adding salt, you can do it now. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam vent.
- Pressure cook cauliflower soup for 8 minutes on high (“beans/chili” setting). Then quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid.
- The veggies in the soup should now be very soft. Blend them until completely smooth using an immersion blender. If blending in the Instant Pot, be careful not to scratch the sides of the pot!The immersion blender only took 1-2 minutes to completely blend the soup silky smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can let the soup cool and bit and blend it in a food processor.
- Stir the cheddar cheese into the hot soup, allowing it to fully melt.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and add the crumbled bacon and any other toppings you wish. Don’t add the toppings until right before serving.
Equipment
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). My cauliflower soup gets a boost of plant-based protein from the white beans. Depending on the toppings and broth you use, this is a gluten free recipe. To make it low carb, swap the beans for cream cheese. Coconut milk can be used in place of the heavy cream, but it will impart a coconut flavor. Nutrition information below is for one serving of cauliflower soup without toppings except bacon.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
❓ How to Add Flavor to Cauliflower Soup
Need more ideas on how to serve cauliflower soup? Here are some ideas for cauliflower soup toppings:
- Croutons
- Pine nuts
- Leeks
- Steamed broccoli
- Shredded carrots
- Parmesan cheese
- Green Onions
- Caramelized onions
- Chickpeas
- Tempeh
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Pesto
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Roasted red peppers
Maybe don’t add everything on this list to the soup at once. Haha
👩🏻🍳 More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Looking for more soups to make in the Instant Pot? Try these next:
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂
Oh, Summer, how clever! Your food knowledge’s only rival is your skill in assembling it the most pleasing, and innovative, way possible. Add more than a touch of whimsy, and you’ve made your family the most fortunate in five counties. And zounds, do they eat well!
I totally missed out on the April Fool’s connection when I tried banh xeo a couple weeks ago. Drat! Mind if I shamelessly steal the notion to use in all future discussions?
Oh, so did I! The banh xeo would have been absolutely perfect for today! Maybe you can play a little prank on someone next year. It’s probably best if they haven’t already seen what you’ve been cooking up on your website. 🙂