Instant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup is thick, creamy, and luscious with a fraction of the calories of many other indulgent versions. It's so easy to whip up in the pressure cooker and can be hot and ready on your table in less than 30 minutes!
A few months ago, my sister Cami (the creator of the DIY and Home Decor side of TIDBITS) posted the most beautiful Cauliflower Cheese Soup.
The pictures alone had me drooling!
To my dismay, her recipe required a pot and a stovetop. What the Wha!!!
I immediately sent her a text asking why in the world she didn't use her pressure cooker!
Oh, right, because the Instant Pot isn't the ONLY way to cook dinner . . .
Perhaps that's just what happens when you think about, talk about, and write about pressure cooker recipes all day and all night.
So I begged her to let me Instant Pot-atize her soup and try and put my own lighter and less indulgent spin on it.
We had a good laugh over the fact that her readers had already asked her for a lighter Instant Pot version, so she gave me the green light!
Four testers later, I finally got it!
Luckily my kids love this soup because we ate it for 2 weeks while I tweaked the recipe, and no one complained.
We ate Cauliflower soup in Bread Bowls, with Breadsticks, with sausage, with fish crackers, and finally, with mini gnocchi (or as my kids call them, Pinocchis, haha!)
And guess what, we still want MORE!!! That is always a good sign!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- Cami's recipe originally called for making a roux which I knew wouldn't work well in the pressure cooker, so I nixed that step and added a big handful of garbanzo beans instead – trust me, it works! You get the same creamy richness without the hassle of a roux!
- Lighter in calories, but not in creaminess – I swapped the cream for low-fat milk and decreased the amount of cheese without it having a huge impact on the taste or texture.
- Comforting, wholesome food that warms you from the inside out and can elevate your mood no matter the day you had.
- Dinner under 30 – always a plus.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- Saute onions and garlic in melted butter until soft
- Add broth, beans, cauliflower, and dry mustard
- Cook for 8 minutes
- Blend until VERY smooth
- Pour back into the pot
- Stir in milk and cheese until melted
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR MAKING HEALTHIER CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- To make this meal even quicker, buy already washed and chopped cauliflower from the produce or freezer section of your grocery store.
- To keep it flavorful with less cheese, make sure to use EXTRA sharp cheddar cheese. If you want even more cheesy flavor, add a shake of nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese.
- Don't nix the garbanzo beans. I mean, you caaaannn, but they really do an incredible job of making this soup taste indulgently rich. Plus, extra fiber and protein!
- At least once, just please, serve it in these Bread Bowls. You will be flying high in happy dinner land for sure!
- Use a blender for this one. As much as I love my immersion blender, my Vitamix worked magic on this one. It made a surprising difference in the level of smoothness.
- Don't be scared to add a little extra salt and a heavy dash of fresh cracked black pepper. Cauliflower is a mild flavor that sings with the right amount of seasoning.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- Store: Cool the soup then store it in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: This soup reheats well in the microwave, on the stovetop, or on saute in the Instant Pot.
- Freeze: I've never tried, but I suspect this soup might be a little grainy if frozen. If you try it, let me know!
VARIATIONS
- I love cauliflower soup with a pinch of thyme and a squeeze of lemon.
- Kick up the heat level with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Add sausage (like Aidells) or crispy tofu to give it a boost of protein.
In case anyone's wondering, I did indeed bring Cami my top two trials, and she gave me a big thumbs up.
On the outside I was all, “You like it? Oh, cool, that's awesome.”
But on the inside I was screaming, “she likes it, she likes it, she likes it!” while jumping on rainbows in a sky full of glitter. Know what I mean?
I'm glad I could do your recipe proud Cami! Bring on another challenge, I'm ready for it!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- Whole Wheat Bread Bowls
- Whole Wheat Breadsticks
- Whole Wheat Rosemary Asiago Crusty Bread
- Instant Pot Poached Pear Salad
MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES
- Instant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Corn Chowder
- Healthy Instant Pot Soup Recipes Roundup
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Recipe inspired by my incredibly talented sister Cami
PrintInstant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Creamy, cheesy Cauliflower Soup made in the Instant Pot at the fraction of the calories of most recipes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium size sweet or yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup rinsed garbanzo beans
- 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese, optional for extra cheesy flavor
- 1 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole)
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
- extra salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Select saute on the pressure cooker pot and add butter.
- When melted add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper; saute 3 minutes until the onions start to soften.
- Add chicken broth, garbanzo beans, cauliflower, and dry mustard.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
- Ladle the soup into a high speed blender. Add nutritional yeast (if using) and blend until completely smooth. Pour back into the pot and press saute.
- Add the milk, pepper jack, and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Unplug the pressure cooker.
- Serve hot topped with extra cheese and crackers if desired.
Notes
- The garbanzo beans thicken the soup without the need for making a roux or adding cream. They can be omitted but the soup won’t have quite the luxurious texture.
- Use extra sharp cheddar cheese for more flavor
- Use a blender to blend it really smooth
Keywords: cauliflower soup, instant pot soup recipe, cauliflower cheese soup
We loved it. Added some fish chowder mixture in… yum.
★★★★★
Michelle, Great idea! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Made this soup tonight for hubby and I and we both loved it! I also used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth but I followed the recipe otherwise and it was absolutely delicious.
★★★★★
Tina, I’m so glad you guys could enjoy it! My husband isn’t a big “soup for dinner” type and he also loved this one.
This turned out so yummy. I didn’t have a full head of cauliflower so I did half cauliflower and half broccoli. Delicious!
★★★★★
Pamela! Ooh! Now I want to try that! That sounds amazing!
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious! Hard to imagine there is no cream in it. I followed the recipe except to use veggie broth (my own) since we’re vegetarian and used all extra sharp cheddar since I didn’t have pepper jack. I did add the nutritional yeast which was a great addition. Thanks Marci! This is a keeper!
Sugaree, It’s fantastic, right!? I love a good creamy soup with lots of veggies!
They must be canned,. Cooking them for only 8 minutes would not make them soft.
Hi Marci, were the garbanzo beans dry or canned? Anxious to try! Vione
Hi Vione! Like Sandra said, they are canned. However I always have cooked garbanzo beans in my freezer from dried beans that I cooked in my IP, so I usually add those. You’ll have to tell me what you think. I have Cami’s stamp of approval on this one 🙂