Creamy Instant Pot Cauliflower and Potato Soup Recipe

Quick, easy, and ready in under 30 minutes, this Gluten-Free Cheesy Instant Pot Cauliflower Potato Soup delivers all the comforting flavor of a classic potato soup with fewer carbs. Swap more cauliflower for potatoes for an even lower-carb version without changing the cooking time or method.

Cheesy Cauliflower Potato Instant Pot Soup

This creamy, cheesy soup captures the familiar taste of traditional potato soup while offering a lighter option by incorporating cauliflower. It’s naturally gluten-free, and you can replace some or all of the potatoes with extra cauliflower to reduce carbohydrates. The pressure cooking time and the rest of the ingredients remain the same, so it’s an easy swap for those following a lower-carb diet.

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Instant Pot Soup

Using an Instant Pot makes soup preparation fast and simple. Pressure cooking delivers deep, developed flavors in far less time than a long stovetop simmer. For this recipe, cheese and heavy cream are added after pressure cooking, because dairy can separate or curdle under pressure. Adding them at the end keeps the texture rich and silky.

After pressure cooking, finish the soup on the sauté setting, stir in the shredded cheddar and heavy cream, and thicken with a cornstarch slurry if you prefer a denser, creamier texture. Garnish with crisp bacon and scallions for added flavor and contrast.

What are the Ingredients in Cauliflower Potato Instant Pot Soup?

• Vegetables – cauliflower (one head or 16 oz frozen), potatoes (cubed), carrots, garlic, and onion
• Spices – ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper
• Bacon – cooked and chopped for garnish
• Chicken broth – low-sodium
• Heavy cream – for a creamy finish
• Scallions – sliced for garnish
• Cheddar cheese – shredded for cheesy flavor
• Cornstarch and water – mixed into a slurry to thicken; used instead of flour to keep the soup gluten-free

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Soup

This recipe takes only 3 minutes of pressure cooking with a 10-minute natural release, producing a flavorful, hearty soup in about 23 minutes total.

Start by setting the Instant Pot to Sauté and cooking the bacon in the inner pot. Remove the cooked bacon to drain, leaving the rendered fat. Add diced onion, chopped carrots, and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.

Pour in the chicken broth and deglaze the pot thoroughly, scraping any browned bits from the bottom to avoid a BURN warning. Then add cubed potatoes, cauliflower, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Seal the lid, close the vent, and pressure cook on High for 3 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release before opening.

Use an immersion blender to puree about half of the soup directly in the pot for a creamy, slightly textured finish. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer half of the hot soup to a countertop blender in batches—venting the lid slightly and holding it with a kitchen towel—then return the blended soup to the pot.

Switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté, stir in the heavy cream and shredded cheddar until melted and smooth. If you want a thicker soup, whisk together a small slurry of cornstarch and water and stir it in while simmering until the soup thickens.

Serve hot topped with the chopped bacon, extra shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.

📖 Recipe