Learn to make Instant Pot cauliflower soup! This healthy cauliflower and white bean soup is very thick and creamy while also being vegan and dairy free. You’ll love how easy this cauliflower soup Instant Pot recipe is to make, and all the possibilities for toppings. Make Instant Pot loaded cauliflower soup, Instant Pot broccoli cauliflower soup, or tons of other variations!
This creamy cauliflower soup is loaded with protein-packed cannellini beans, aromatic garlic, and rich coconut milk. I’m not the biggest fan of cauliflower, but this Instant Pot cream of cauliflower soup makes me want to eat my vegetables.
What’s amazing is how creamy this cauliflower soup is without cream. There are two secrets here for making the best Instant Pot vegan cauliflower soup.
The first is the use of full fat coconut milk. This provides a creamy mouthfeel, similar to using heavy cream.
The 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 and absolutely delicious.
Let this cream of cauliflower soup Instant Pot recipe become your new favorite way to use cauliflower. Though it makes a lovely side dish, you may just want to have it as the main course!
Jump to:
- ⭐ Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Benefits
- 🥘 Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
- 🍽 Equipment
- 🔪 How to Make Cauliflower Soup in the Instant Pot
- ⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
- 🔥 Stovetop Directions
- 🌡️ How to Reheat and Freeze Cauliflower Soup
- ❓ How do I add flavor to cauliflower soup?
- 📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 👩🏻🍳 Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- The Disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
- Cauliflower Soup Topping Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Benefits
Why make this cauliflower soup Instant Pot recipe? Here are some reasons I love this recipe, and I think you will too:
- Under 30 minutes: Using a pressure cooker, your hands-on time for making this soup is under 30 minutes. Using canned beans and pressuring cooking the cauliflower are huge time savers!
- Vegan Cauliflower Soup: Use vegetable broth in this recipe to make your cauliflower soup vegan. (If you don’t want a plant based or vegetarian recipe, you can also use chicken broth.)
- Cauliflower Soup with Protein: This cauliflower soup gets a boost of plant based protein from the white beans.
- Gluten Free Cauliflower Soup: No gluten? No problem! Depending on the toppings and broth you use, this is a cauliflower soup gluten free recipe.
- Simple Cauliflower Soup: This soup recipe uses simple ingredients that can be found in most major grocery stores. You shouldn’t need to make a special shopping trip for this one!
- Customizable: Check out the “How do I add flavor” section for lots and lots of ideas for customizing cauliflower soup.
- Delicious: Taste is subjective, but IMVHO cauliflower served this way is super tasty. Even if you don’t typically enjoy this cruciferous veggie, you may want to give this soup recipe a chance.
🥘 Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
To make four servings of the basic Instant Pot cauliflower soup recipe, you need:
- Fresh cauliflower head
- Canned cannellini beans
- Vegetable broth or chicken bone broth (low sodium broth)
- Coconut oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Canned coconut milk
As always, precise quantities of ingredients are located in the recipe card at the end of the article!
I don’t recommend substituting dairy milk for the coconut milk in this recipe, because the cow’s milk may curdle. However, since the coconut milk adds coconut flavor to this soup, you may want something else if making loaded cauliflower soup. You might be able to use plain soymilk or almond milk, but the results will be less creamy.
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 and canned beans tend to be pretty salty already.
🍽 Equipment
You need an Instant Pot, a good knife, and an immersion blender or food processor to make this recipe. I use a Crock-Pot express crock programmable multi-cooker with a 6-quart capacity. (No worries though if you don’t have a pressure cooker, I’m providing directions for stovetop cauliflower soup too!)
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 Cauliflower Soup in the Instant Pot
Begin by preparing the veggies. Chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm), and mince the garlic cloves. Chop the cauliflower into 1” pieces (2.54 cm).
Melt the coconut oil on high saute in the Instant Pot. Add the onions and garlic and soften for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown them.
Drain a can of cannellini beans well. Add the cauliflower florets, beans, broth, and coconut milk to the pot. Stir.
If you’ll be adding salt, you can do it now.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam vent.
⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
What’s the cauliflower soup Instant Pot cook time? 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.
I thought the soup was perfect at this point. If you feel it’s too thick, you can stir in a little milk or broth to thin it.
After the cauliflower soup is cooked, it’s time to add the toppings. I have a recipe for my favorite cauliflower soup topping in the recipe card below. Don’t add the toppings until right before serving, as they will get soggy if sitting around in the soup.
🔥 Stovetop Directions
After chopping the veggies, melt the coconut oil in a Dutch oven. Soften the onion and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir them constantly and do not let them brown!
Add the cauliflower and white beans to the pot. Cook them for an additional 5 minutes to soften them. Again, you do not want the ingredients to brown, so make sure to keep them moving around.
Add the broth and coconut milk to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and then turn the heat down to medium-low.
Let the soup cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables get very tender. Stir the soup occasionally while it cooks.
Puree the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender until very smooth. You can put the soup back in the pot and gently reheat it if it becomes too cool.
🌡️ How to Reheat and Freeze Cauliflower Soup
You can keep leftover Instant Pot cauliflower soup in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat your portion in the microwave, and top right before serving.
To reheat, cover the soup with a paper towel and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. You can also reheat the soup on the stovetop (or use high saute on the Instant Pot).
I haven’t tried freezing this soup, but you should let the soup chill before putting in the freezer. This will help prevent ice crystals from forming in the container with the soup.
❓ How do I add flavor to cauliflower soup?
Wondering how to serve cauliflower soup? I’m sharing my favorite cauliflower soup topping in the recipe card below. The savory granola goes great with the coconut flavors in the soup!
If topping the soup another way, you may want to make it with a neutral cooking oil and an alternative to coconut milk. (That said, IMHO, the coconut flavor is mild enough here that you could make a loaded soup with it.) Here are some ideas for cauliflower soup toppings:
- Croutons
- Pine nuts
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Leeks
- Steamed broccoli
- Shredded carrots
- Shredded cheese (sharp cheddar cheese would be delish!)
- Parmesan cheese
- Chives
- Green Onions
- Caramelized onions
- Pesto
- Sour cream
- Ham
- Chickpeas
- Sausage
- Tempeh
- Crispy Tofu
- Chicken
- Ham
- Pesto
- Croutons
- Parmesan cheese
- Tempeh
- Chickpeas
- Sausage
- Chicken
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Roasted red peppers
Maybe don’t add everything on this list to the soup at once. Haha
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of Instant Pot cauliflower soup has 403 calories, 24.4 grams net carbs, and 15.2 grams protein. This is for cauliflower soup prepared with chicken broth and full-fat coconut milk without optional toppings.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). When served as a main course, the cauliflower soup with toppings is a tasty 574 calorie meal.
If you are on Weight Watchers and need to lighten this dish up, swap the full-fat coconut milk in the soup for low-fat coconut milk. Another option is to skip the soup toppings. A serving of the cauliflower soup without toppings is under 500 calories.
FAQs
To make low carb cauliflower soup, you need to omit the beans. You can experiment with using additional cauliflower plus cream cheese for creaminess. If you go this route, I’d add some chicken or another low carb protein on top.
This cauliflower soup recipe is thickened by pureeing the ingredients with an immersion blender. Another way to thicken cauliflower soup that is vegan is to blend in cashews or almonds. Xanthan gum is one of my favorite thickeners for soups, because it can thicken at any temperature.
The amount of liquid needed for Instant Pot soup will vary by recipe, so just follow the instructions! Make sure the level of the foods/liquids stays between the minimum and maximum fill lines on the pot for the best results.
In short, depending on how it’s prepared, I do think cauliflower is a good choice for weight loss. Cauliflower is a very low calorie and low carb food. It provides a lot of filling volume and fiber relative to its calories. In general, adding more non-starchy veggies to your diet when you want to lose weight is a smart move.
👩🏻🍳 Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Looking for more soups to make in the Instant Pot? Try these next:
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The 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 wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup (Vegan, Dairy Free, Creamy!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups cauliflower, chopped 1.5 lbs; 680 grams (about one small head)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (8 ounces; 227 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons coconut oil
- 15½ ounces cannelini beans (439 grams; canned, drained)
- 3 cups low sodium broth Vegetable broth or chicken bone broth
- 13½ ounces coconut milk (400 mL; full fat)
Instructions
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Directions:
- Chop the cauliflower into 1” pieces (2.54 cm). Chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm), and mince the garlic cloves.
- Melt the coconut oil on high saute in the Instant Pot. Add the onions and garlic and soften for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are not looking to brown them.
- Drain a can of cannellini beans well. Add the cauliflower florets, beans, broth, and coconut milk to the pot. Stir. If you’ll be 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!
- If you feel the soup is too thick, you can stir in a little milk or broth to thin it. I thought it was perfect.
- Add any soup toppings you wish, and serve immediately.
Stovetop Cauliflower Soup Directions:
- After chopping the veggies, melt the coconut oil in a Dutch oven. Soften the onion and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir them constantly and do not let them brown!
- Add the cauliflower and white beans to the pot. Cook them for an additional 5 minutes to soften them. Again, you do not want the ingredients to brown, so make sure to keep them moving around.
- Add the broth and coconut milk to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the soup cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables get very tender. Stir the soup occasionally while it cooks.
- Puree the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender until very smooth. Add any toppings you wish right before serving.
Video
Notes
Cauliflower Soup Topping Recipe
- ¾ cup rolled oats, dry
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashews
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons ghee, melted (for vegan: substitute coconut oil or vegan butter)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup crunch or freeze-dried apples (I used crushed Trader Joe's crunch-dried honey crisp apples)
Terrified Amateur says
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?
Summer Yule says
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. 🙂