Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup

Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup is a recipe you’ll make over and over, and this soup will be a hit with the whole family! Even people who say they don’t like cauliflower have gobbled up this Loaded Cauliflower Soup, and you can make it on the stove if you prefer.

PIN the recipe for Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup to try it later!

This Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup is an amazing dinner when it’s cold outside and you want a treat! And even people who are normally cauliflower avoiders will probably enjoy this delicious low-carb and gluten-free soup. I’ve had readers report that their family member will devour it, even the ones who aren’t fans of cauliflower!

When first I created this recipe with my niece Kara, we couldn’t wait to share it with you! Now years later this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup is still one of the most popular soup recipes on Kalyn’s Kitchen! And I make this regularly, so I’m reminding you about this loaded cauliflower soup for Friday Favorites this week!

I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it. And it’s starting to feel like serious soup weather in Utah. Is it getting cold where you live?

What ingredients do you need for this soup?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• onion
• butter or olive oil
• large head of cauliflower
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or homemade chicken stock
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
• Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
• cream cheese
• grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
• half and half (or use heavy cream or milk if you prefer)
• more grated sharp cheddar or extra sharp cheddar cheese for topping (optional)
• sour cream for topping (optional)
• crumbled crisp bacon for topping (optional)
• sliced green onions for topping (optional)

Why is it called Loaded Cauliflower Soup?

The word “loaded” in the name of this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup refers to loaded baked potatoes. This soup is topped with optional cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions like the toppings used on loaded potatoes.

Can you freeze this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup?

Soups with cream don’t freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing this loaded cauliflower soup. But it will keep well in the fridge for at least a week, and I bet it will be devoured before that long!

How low in carbs is this Loaded Cauliflower Soup?

This tasty soup has only 6.3 net carbs and 17 grams of protein. Nutritional information doesn’t include toppings since it’s hard to calculate which ones and how much people will add. But all the toppings are low in carbs.

What size Instant Pot did I use for the cauliflower soup?

We made the soup in my 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) and wished we had made a bigger batch! If you have an 8 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) you could double the recipe. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes to find more soup ideas!

Can you make this cauliflower soup without an Instant Pot?

For those who still have joined The Church of Instant Pot, I’m going to give stovetop direction as well. And this soup would be super simple to make on the stove. Look for those directions in the main recipe, after the Instant Pot instructions.

How to Make Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Chop up the onion and the cauliflower.
2. Melt butter or heat oil in the instant pot on the SAUTE setting and cook onions for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add the chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, garlic powder, and salt.
4. Lock the lid, use the MANUAL setting and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
5. While the soup cooks, prepare the cream cheese cubes, grated sharp cheddar, and cream (or use milk or half and half.)
6. Also prepare the additional cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions for toppings.
7. Turn the Instant Pot to KEEP WARM setting and use an immersion blender (affiliate link) to puree the soup to your desired consistency.
8. Check to see if you want to add a little more chicken stock to thin the soup (or reduce the liquid on the SAUTE setting if it’s too thin).
9. Add the cheese and cream cheese, let it melt, and stir to combine.
10. Then stir in the half and half, heat through, and season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. (Taste before you add more salt.)
11. Serve Instant Pot Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup hot with grated cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions to add at the table as desired.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

If you serve it with all the toppings shown here, this Loaded Cauliflower Soup can probably be a one-dish meal. But if you’d like something more, the soup will be great with one of these breads or muffins on the side:

• Olive Bread
• Low-Carb High-Fiber Savory Muffins
• Savory Almond Flour Bread

Want more tasty cauliflower soup recipes?

Check out Amazing Cauliflower Soup Recipes for lots more ideas for delicious soups that use cauliflower or cauliflower rice!

Weekend Food Prep:

This Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup Recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup is a soup recipe you'll make over and over, and this tasty soup is even a hit with people who say they don't like cauliflower! And there are directions for making this Loaded Cauliflower Soup on the stove if you don't have an Instant Pot.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped small
• 2 T butter or olive oil
• 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and coarsely chopped.
• 3 cups chicken broth or chicken stock, plus a little more to thin soup if needed
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup half and half (or use heavy cream or milk if you prefer)

Topping Ingredients:

• extra grated sharp cheddar or extra sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• 8-10 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (optional)
• thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel onion and chop into small pieces.
2. Cut away the leaves of the cauliflower and some of the stem, keeping the core part. Coarsely chop cauliflower into pieces.
3. Turn Instant Pot or pressure cooker to SAUTE and melt the butter; then add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Then add the chopped cauliflower, canned chicken broth or chicken stock, garlic powder, and salt.
5. Lock the lid, use the MANUAL setting and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes.
6. Quick release the pressure.
7. While the soup cooks, prepare the cream cheese cubes, grated sharp cheddar, and half and half. Also cook and crumble the bacon, dish up sour some sour cream and extra grated cheese, and slice the green onions for toppings.
8. Check to make sure the cauliflower is very tender; then turn the Instant Pot to KEEP WARM (use simmer or low for other pressure cookers.)
9. Use an immersion blender (affiliate link) blender, or food processor to puree the soup. (I highly recommend using an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pressure cooker if you have one. Be very careful with the hot liquid if you remove it to a blender or food processor to puree.)
10. Check the thickness of the soup and add more stock if you want it thinner or simmer a little to reduce if it seems too thin.
11. Add the grated cheese and cream cheese cubes and let them melt, then stir to combine.
12. Add the half and half (or heavy cream or milk) heat through, and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. (Taste before you add more salt.)
13. Serve the soup hot, with grated cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and green onion to add at the table

Stovetop Directions:

1. Prepare ingredients as described above, but use 3 1/2 cups chicken stock for stovetop version. Use a heavy dutch-oven type pan that will hold all the ingredients.
2. Heat butter or oil in the dutch oven, add the onion, cook 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add the chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, garlic powder, and salt.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is very soft, probably 20-30 minutes.
5. Puree soup as above, and check the amount of liquid. If it's too thick add a little more stock and if it seems thin, cook a few minutes more to evaporate some of the liquid.
6. Turn heat to low, add the grated cheese and cream cheese cubes and let them melt, then stir to combine.
7. Add the half and half (or heavy cream or milk) and heat through, and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. (Taste before you add more salt.)
8. Serve the soup hot, with grated cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and green onion to add at the table as desired.

Notes

Nutritional information doesn't include toppings since it's hard to calculate which ones and how much people will add. But all of the optional toppings are low in carbs.

This recipe was created by Kalyn and Kara, with inspiration from Instant Pot Cauliflower Mushroom Soup.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 360Total Fat 27.4gSaturated Fat 15.4gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 77.6mgSodium 881mgCarbohydrates 9.7gFiber 3.4gSugar 6.8gProtein 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations. (The nutritional info for this recipe doesn't include the optional toppings.)

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This delicious Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup will be great for low-carb or Keto diets. If you’re strictly following the original South Beach Diet you’ll need to use lower-fat dairy products, use olive oil instead of butter, and maybe limit the amount of bacon or use turkey bacon.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup was first posted in 2017. The recipe has been wildly popular on the blog, and I’ve made it many times for dinner guests. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.