Cheesy Cauliflower Soup is an Instant Pot recipe that brings you a thick and creamy bowl of steamy hot soup. Low carb, full of ham and cheese and with a thickness that makes you feel like you have a bowl of delicious chowder sitting in front of you! And, you do, but it is potato free!
This soup is a great lunch or dinner. I like to heat it up and put it in a thermos to keep it hot for Grumpy to enjoy on his lunch during the week.
Why I made Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Grumpy works jobs that can have him outside all day long. Therefore, in the chillier weather, he likes to have a hot thermos full of soup. Before Keto, he took canned soup. You know, that hearty kind with all kinds of preservatives and additives. Not to mention high in sodium and carbohydrates. I also wanted to give him a variety from the low carb Chicken Noodle Soup he had been taking.
I decided that it was time for me to start making some keto friendly soups that he could take for his lunch. And, this Cheesy Cauliflower Soup was one of the first ones I made for him. This Instant Pot recipe is super easy. You can saute right in the pot, then go ahead and pressure cook and enjoy a hot meal in a fast time frame.
Low Carb Cheesy Cauliflower Soup in your Instant Pot!
The best way to add flavor, other than herbs and spices, is to use chicken broth instead of water! Cauliflower can be very bland, but when cooked with chicken broth it absorbs the flavors.
There are two things you can do to give creaminess to your soup. First, you process approximately ½ to ¾ of the soup in the food processor, then you add it back to your pot. Second, before serving, you will stir in softened cream and grated colby jack cheese. This brings a super creaminess to your soup and makes it almost chowder like!
To give my soup an extra boost of flavor I used leeks and pancetta. 
Not for this recipe, however I did do so. For us, the meatier the better! If you prefer, you can use just pancetta, just the ham, or both!
Making Low Carb Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Saute your pancetta and leeks on the Instant Pot Saute Setting
Add chopped cauliflower, chicken broth, and herbs to pancetta and leek mixture. Then, pressure cook on high setting for 5 minutes.
Use your discretion as to how chunky you want the soup to be and remove about ½ to ¾ of cooked cauliflower mixture from Instant Pot. Puree in food processor until smooth.
Stir puree back into soup in Instant Pot and add ham, cream cheese and shredded colby jack. Simmer on saute setting for approximately 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and ham is warmed through.
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I highly recommend using Better than Bouillon Chicken Concentrate for your chicken broth. It is my go to every time. What I love about it is that it is a concentrate that you store in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Then you mix it with water to make your broth and proceed with the recipe. No more forgetting partially opened boxes of broth in your fridge that go to waste!
Other cauliflower recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
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Ingredients
- 4 oz. pancetta
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup chopped leeks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 4 cups water
- 8 cups cauliflower chopped (about 1 head)
- 4 oz Colby jack cheese shredded
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups diced ham
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot onto Saute setting.
- When hot (my Instant Pot will beep) place pancetta in pot and saute until it begins to get brown and slightly crispy.
- Add butter and chopped leeks and saute until leeks have become fragrant and soft. Cancel Saute Setting.
- Add Chopped Cauliflower to pot along with the chicken stock, salt, pepper, and thyme and place lid on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto manual setting for 5 minutes.
- When done, do a quick release of the pressure valve using a heavy dish towel to prevent burning and water spraying from the valve.
- Cancel manual setting on Instant Pot.
- Let soup cool about 10 minutes, then remove half of the soup and place in a food processor. Blend the mixture together until smooth.
- Return the blended soup to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting and bring the soup to a simmer. Add colby jack cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, and diced cooked ham to pot. Stir until cream cheese is melted.
- Place Instant Pot setting to low/warm and let simmer until desired thickness, stirring often.
- Serve topped with shredded colby jack cheese and diced green onions on top of soup.
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