Instant pot cauliflower soup is one of the most versatile soups you can make.
Cauliflower is one of those ingredients that you can use in so many dishes to make it look and taste like other foods.
In this case, you can add different ingredients to the soup, other than cauliflower to personalize it to your taste.
Do you like thick and hearty soup?
You can have that.
Prefer it light and vegan?
You can do that too.
Scroll down below the recipe to see 12 ways to make this soup the way you like it best.
What do you know about cauliflower?
When I was young, my dad had a huge garden.
He grew all kinds of veggies, cantaloupe and a few small watermelons
Two things proved to be difficult to grow, corn and cauliflower.
Because he didn’t spray his plants, insects sometime got to some of the plants.
I used to detest picking the worms off heads of cabbage, and shucking corn only to find an ear full of blight grossed me out.
Unfortunately, we never got a cauliflower crop, and maybe that’s why he only tried for a few years and gave up.
Oh well.
Want to learn 10 things about cauliflower?
Check out Healing Plant Foods’ article 10 surprising facts about cauliflower.
Tips for Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Success
Gather your ingredients before you start cooking.
You don’t want to realize you’re missing an ingredient you need to make the dish in the middle of cooking.
If you’re new to cooking, soups are a great place to start learning because leaving out an ingredient here or there is usually OK.
I always try to make a recipe exactly as it is written the first time and then adapt it to my own taste later.
Here are a some extra tips to make sure your soup is as yummy as possible.
- Assemble all of your ingredients in the order that you will use them.
- Peel and dice your onion.
- Peel or measure the garlic.
- Chop the celery into a few pieces.
- If possible, cook with someone and have them read the recipe to you as you cook because cooking is more fun with people so you don’t skip any steps, not that I’ve ever done that (cough cough yes I have).
- If you’re cooking this on your own, read through the entire recipe before you start cooking. There are not that many steps, and I write recipes as if people are brand new cooking.
- Have fun. Cooking is a skill I believe anyone can learn and master with practice. Everyone who cooks well has messed up and thrown a meal in the garbage. Fortunately soup is easy so, you should be just fine.
Let’s get cooking!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
Soups are generally versatile, but like most cauliflower dishes, this one is amazing versatile.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bacon
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 8 baby carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (additional for garnish)
Instructions
- Select Sauté on your Instant Pot and add the bacon.
- Cook until crispy and remove from the pot leaving the oil.
- Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic.
- Cook, stirring constantly until all of the browned bits are removed from the bottom of the pan.
- The pot will not seal unless you deglaze it.
- Stir in in the black pepper, onion powder and salt
- Add the chicken stock.
- Press Cancel/Keep Warm, place the lid on the Instant Pot making sure the vent is closed, and press the Soup button.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, let the Instant Pot naturally pressure release for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup for 30-60 seconds depending on how smooth you want your soup.
- Stir in the half and half and cheddar cheese
- Serve garnished with bacon shredded cheese and/or chives.
Notes
For creamier soup, add a cup of mashed potatoes at the end or use a potato masher to mash some of the beans.
Recommended Products
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Fresh Brand – Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon, 12 oz
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Organic Yellow Onions, 3 lb
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Tanimura & Antle, Organic Celery Hearts, 1 Bunch
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365 Everyday Value, Organic Baby Carrots, 1 lb
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Spice World, ORGANIC GARLIC - LARGE Container - 32 OZ
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Cauliflower Conventional, 1 Each
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McCormick Ground Organic Black Pepper, 3 oz
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McCormick Onion Powder, 2.62 oz
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McCormick Sea Salt, 2.12 oz Table Grinder
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Swansons Chicken Stock, 32 oz
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Horizon Organic, Half & Half, Ultra Pasteurized, Pint, 16 oz
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Cabot Bar Extra Sharp Cheddar, 8 oz
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Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set (4-Piece, Microwave and Oven Safe ),Clear
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Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid 6 in 1, for the Pressure Cooker,6 Qt, 1500W
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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 159Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 663mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 13g
All nutrition information is approximate and for informational use only. Your serving sizes and nutrition information may differ.
I prefer recipes with pictures of the cooking process so I do that when I can.
So many times I’ve looked at something and wondered if the way I’m doing it is right, so I include pictures of the cooking process when I can.
My soup may be a bit more orange than yours because I used a few more carrots than the recipe calls for.
Happy eating!
Follow along with pictures of the cooking process.
12 ways to make this soup the way you’ll like it best
- Substitute ham, sausage or chicken for the bacon.
- For deeper vegetable flavor, roast the vegetables first.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to make it spicier.
- Garnish with jalapenos to add as much heat as you want.
- Add hot sauce.
- To make the soup vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
- Want it dairy free? Eliminate the cheese and use a milk alternative for the half and half.
- Use different cheeses to get different tastes and textures.
- Parmesan and Swiss cheese give the soup a different type of sharpness.
- Use different herbs to give the soup different flavors.
- Parsley, dill or mint give the soup a brighter taste.
- Lemon and/or lime juice does the same.
Recipes are a guideline.
If there’s a recipe you would like to see adapted for your Instant Pot, send me an email at whatsup@movingtowardbetter.com and let me know what it is.
Who knows?
Maybe you’ll be the inspiration for a future recipe.
As I said earlier, the possibilities are nearly endless.
Additional Instant Pot recipes you might like
Click here for recipeEasy Teriyaki Instant Pot London Broil Click here for recipe Champagne Chicken Dirty rice Chicken black bean soup