Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup is a healthier version of a classic loaded potato soup. It is wonderfully creamy, only uses a few ingredients and is truly delicious. Garnish it with bacon bits, grated cheese and chopped scallions for a stunning presentation.

I absolutely adore cauliflower in all forms. Roasted with garlic, cauliflower steaks, baked whole, cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, Buffalo cauliflower, steamed cauliflower with breadcrumbs and butter (it’s a Polish thing). Cauliflower is wonderfully versatile and I have been loving using it as a healthy meat alternative in tacos, gnocchi or as plant-based buffalo “wings”.

My Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup uses more cauliflower than potatoes but I think I actually like it better than the loaded potato soup made only with potatoes. Blended to perfectly smooth and velvety texture, this soup is remarkably creamy even though it uses no cream or milk. That’s the beauty of cauliflower!

LOADED POTATO CAULIFLOWER SOUP INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower: peel off the outer leaves and divide the cauliflower into florets using a knife or break into pieces with your hands. Both fresh and frozen cauliflower will work.

Potatoes: I use red bliss potatoes because they are lower carb than white or yellow potatoes. However, you can use whatever potatoes you have on hand!

Onion: you can use white, yellow or sweet onion for this soup recipe.

Cheese: I like to use a mix of cheddar, Colby jack and parmesan cheese but you can use whatever cheese you like. Cheddar alone will work well though I do recommend some parmesan for a nice cheesy flavor boost.

Broth: I recommend using homemade or good quality store bought chicken broth. For a vegan version use vegetable broth.

HOW TO MAKE POTATO CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Step 1: Chop everything up. Dice the potatoes into a 2-inch dice and break the cauliflower into florets. The potato and cauliflower pieces should be similarly sized so they become soft at the same time. Chop up onions, celery and garlic and most of your work is done already! You can also chop everything up and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the soup. 

Step 2: Cook the veggies. First, cook the onions and celery in ghee or butter stirring occasionally until soft but NOT browned. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Garlic burns easily and becomes bitter so don’t add it until the onions and celery are soft. Then, dump in the potatoes and cauliflower, cover with broth and let the soup cook until everything is soft. Check with a fork after about 20-25 minutes. They should easily fall apart when stabbed but still hold their form.

Step 3: Puree until creamy. My preferred method for pureed soups is to use an immersion blender, mostly because it’s quick and makes the least mess. Make sure that the “head” of the blender is fully immersed in the soup at all times to avoid splattering. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also use a standup blender such as Vitamix. See my note in recipe card for a blender method. 

Step 4: Add cheese. Once the soup is pureed, add the cheese and stir until fully incorporated. To make sure the cheese melts into the soup, the soup should still be quite hot. If it cooled down, you can turn on the burner and heat it up before or while stirring in the cheese. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

WHAT ARE THE BEST TOPPINGS FOR THIS SOUP?

Think loaded baked potato and what you would put on it. I like bacon bits, chopped up scallions or chives and some more grated cheese. For bacon bits, just cook a couple slices of bacon in a skillet or bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp. Then cut it up with a knife or crumble it with your fingers. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt for extra creaminess. The different toppings’ textures go really well with the velvety, creamy soup.

HOW DO YOU MAKE LOADED POTATO CAULIFLOWER SOUP IN AN INSTANT POT?

To make this soup in an Instant Pot:

• Set up the Instant Pot to Sauté and cook onions, celery and garlic in ghee until soft.
• Add cauliflower, potatoes and broth, close the lid and set to 10 minutes at high pressure.
• Allow to release naturally, remove the lid and puree with an immersion blender or standup blender.
• Stir in cheese, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with your favorite toppings. 

FREEZING, STORING AND MEAL PREP TIPS

As with most soups, loaded potato cauliflower soup is great for meal prep and freezing. When the soup is ready, divide it into 1 portion glass jars or airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months (without toppings!). I usually make a big pot of this soup on the weekend, pour into mason jars and prep all my toppings which I store in small glass containers in the fridge.

When ready to eat, I heat up the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave and top it with my prepped toppings when the soup is hot. If you freeze this soup, take out the container and let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a couple hours. You can also store or freeze it in one large container though it will take more time to thaw.

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More cozy soup recipes you might like

Spicy Tomato Lentil Soup in an Instant Pot
Creamy Carrot Ginger Butternut Soup
Creamy Kale, Sausage and Potato Soup (Whole30)
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Pancetta and Ham

Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup

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★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Agnieszka
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup is a healthier version of a classic loaded potato soup. It is wonderfully creamy, only uses a few ingredients and it truly delicious. Garnish it with bacon bits, grated cheese and chopped scallions for a stunning presentation.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 head cauliflower (about 1.5lbs), divided into florets
1 lb red potatoes, peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup of grated cheese (see note below)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings (optional): bacon bits, grated cheddar cheese, scallions.

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Instructions

Stovetop method:

1. In a Dutch oven or a pot with a heavy bottom heat up ghee (or butter) and cook onions and celery until soft, about 3-5 minutes on low-medium heat.
2. Add garlic and stir together until fragrant.
3. Add cauliflower, potatoes and broth, bring to boil, lower the burner to medium-low and cook partially covered until potatoes and cauliflower are fork soft, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Turn the heat off and let cool for a couple minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth and creamy.
6. Add the cheese and stir the soup until the cheese is completely incorporated and the soup is smooth.
7. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve with your favorite toppings: bacon bits, scallions, more grated cheese and/or sour cream.

Instant Pot Method:

1. To make this soup in an Instant Pot, you will follow the same instructions as for the stovetop method.
2. Set up the Instant Pot to Sauté and cook onions, celery and garlic in ghee until soft.
3. Add cauliflower, potatoes and broth, close the lid and set to 10 minutes at high pressure.
4. Allow to release naturally, remove the lid and puree with an immersion blender or standup blender.
5. Stir in cheese, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Notes

I used a mix of cheddar, Colby jack and parmesan cheese but you can use whatever cheese you like. Cheddar alone will work well.

For blending the soup in a standup blender, I recommend cooling the soup a little more to make it easier to handle and blend it in batches. Whichever method you choose, make sure to blend the soup thoroughly so that it has beautifully creamy and velvety texture.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: soups
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: cauliflower, loaded potato soup, cauliflower soup