Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

Some days you crave easy meals or comfort food. This vegetarian instant pot cauliflower soup is excellent comfort food for such days. It is savory, mildly spicy, creamy, and absolutely satisfying.

This is a gluten-free recipe to make cauliflower soup at home. It can be made in an instant pot in 30 minutes with fresh or frozen cauliflower florets.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Equipment
• Storage
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Ingredients

This gluten-free, homemade cream of cauliflower soup is made with very few ingredients. Vegetables like carrots, diced celery, onion, and garlic are used along with cauliflower florets. You can use a fresh cauliflower head or frozen florets to make this delicious soup.

Cauliflower soup is savory, mildly spicy, and creamy in taste. It requires only a few spices. Some minced garlic, red chili powder, a bay leaf, and pepper add flavor to the soup. You can adjust the level of spiciness by using more or less of chili powder.

To make the cauliflower soup creamy and thick, some heavy cream and cheese are added. I have used pepper jack cheese as it also adds a little bit of spiciness and balances the overall taste. Mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, or a combination of both will work as well.

It is best to use block cheese and grate it yourself rather than using the pre-shredded cheese. Low-sodium vegetable stock or water can be used to make this instant pot cauliflower soup recipe.

The consistency of cauliflower soup is thick and you will not need any thickener. However, if you end up with more vegetable broth and the soup is thinner than you like, you can add a little more cheese.

Instructions

Making a vegetarian cauliflower soup in the instant pot is very easy. Once you have all the vegetables cut and ready, it takes only a few minutes of your time and the soup will be ready in just under 30 minutes.

The first step is to turn on the saute mode of the instant pot. Once the instant pot is hot, add the olive oil. After the oil is hot add the bay leaf and minced garlic and saute it for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions and saute them until they are translucent.

Then add the red chili powder, carrots, celery, low sodium vegetable stock, and salt to the instant pot liner. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with a spatula.

Cook on high-pressure mode for 5 minutes with the pressure knob in the sealing position and then perform a quick release by moving the pressure knob in the venting position until the silver pin drops.

With the help of an immersion blender, blend the soup in the instant pot liner to make it of smooth consistency. Add the grated cheese and mix well until it is dissolved. Add the heavy cream, and pepper, and adjust the salt to taste.

Serving suggestions

Cauliflower soup can be served with some garlic bread, garlic knots, bread sticks, sourdough bread, or French bread. You can also serve it with some grilled cheese to make it a complete meal. Garnish it with some chopped onion greens and sprinkle some pepper if needed.

You can also serve some roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, or roasted mushrooms on the side. Baked pasta, mac and cheese, or vegetable lo mein can also be served to complement this delicious soup.

Equipment

I have made this cauliflower soup in the 6 qt. instant pot. You can make it in other larger pots as well and make bigger batches too for storing or meal planning.

The soup can also be made on the stovetop, it will need some extra vegetable stock or water compared to cooking it in the instant pot.

Storage

Any leftover cauliflower soup can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. When you are ready to eat it, simply reheat it in the microwave, stovetop, or on saute mode in the instant pot.

You can always make this soup ahead of time and refrigerate it if you are planning to make it for an event or a special occasion or for weekly meal planning. You can reheat it just before serving.

Cauliflower soup can also be frozen. However, when reheating, it may not retain its texture and flavor. The best way to make it for freezing is to pressure cook all the ingredients except cheese and cream. Allow the soup to cool down completely and then portion it and freeze it.

When you are ready to serve, you can reheat it, and at this point add the grated cheese and cream once it is heated. Don't forget the green onions for garnishing.

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