Creamy Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with puréed cauliflower, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese, is quick and easy to make, the perfect Winter comfort food, and great for those just learning to use an Instant Pot pressure cooker.
I’m always behind the times. My husband got me an Instant Pot for Christmas, about a year and a half after they became popular. I didn’t know if I wanted one for a long time. Would I really use it, or would it just be another kitchen gadget that I really didn’t need and had to find room for? I don’t really know the answer yet, let’s check back in a year.
Yes, Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower Soup was the first thing I made in my new Instant Pot. I was a little afraid to use it at first, I never even saw a pressure cooker in person before. We didn’t have one when I was growing up, heck, my grandmother barely used her gas oven after she became afraid there would be a gas leak for no real reason.
The one thing I noticed when looking at Instant Pot recipes is that many of them don’t include the time it takes for it to come to pressure before it starts cooking. This soup took about 10 minutes after the saute step. One of my goals with this blog is to be as accurate as possible with everything from prep and cooking times, to nutritional information, so I promise to always include this information.
Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
I could have made a healthier recipe for the new year, but then I wouldn’t be me. Here are a few healthier soup recipes.
January 11, 2017: Chicken Zoodle Soup
May 2, 2017: Spinach Egg Drop Soup
April 4, 2017: Creamy Asparagus Spinach Soup (Um, maybe. There is heavy cream in this one.)
March 6, 2016: Roasted Parsnip, Carrot and Garlic Soup
Check out all of my soup recipes here.
One more thing, if you choose to use store-bought pre-shredded cheese like I did, it contains an anti-caking agent (cellulose), which may thicken the soup more than if you use cheese that you shred yourself. You can add additional chicken stock or milk to thin it out if you like.
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Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups cauliflower , core and leaves removed, washed and chopped into florets
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic ,chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups chicken stock , homemade or store bought
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese , plus extra for topping if desired
- 8 ounces cream cheese ,sliced into pieces
Instructions
- Melt the butter in your Instant Pot set on the sauté setting. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the cauliflower, chicken stock, and salt to the pot. Close the lid and position the steam release handling to "Sealing". Select "Manual" "Normal", and adjust the time to 7 minutes. The pressure cooker will then enter the preheating cycle after 10 seconds. Mine took about 10 minutes to preheat. Once it comes to pressure, the timer will start counting down from the selected 7 minutes.
- When the timer sounds, release the pressure using the quick release method. Check the cauliflower to make sure it's soft. Purée the soup using an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender, then pour back into the pot.
- Add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and blend again to melt the cheeses. Serve hot with additional cheese and desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Julie Morris says
I have made this soup twice now and my daughter, who is gluten I tolerant and vegetarian, loves it! It’s so easy and delicious! One question, could I substitute broccoli for the cauliflower just to switch it up? Would the cook time be the same?
Bernadette says
Sure, broccoli would be great! I’m not sure on the cook time, but I would imagine the same since both can be steamed for the same time.
Terri Dutra says
Love it. Rich and creamy!
Suzanne says
Pampered Chef just released their pressure cooker called the “Quick Cooker” on Sep 1st and I made this recipe in it tonight. It was DELICIOUS and we LOVED it!!! I had a giant head of cauliflower and also added some fresh carrots and a little broccoli. EASY, FAST and so yummy 🙂 I pureed it with my immersion blender right in the pot it cooked in and it was so creamy and smooth Thank you very much!!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes, Great Job!!
Bernadette says
I’m so glad you liked it.
Linda Ryan says
Hi,
Just received the Instant Pot for Christmas, wasn’t really sure about it, so I am trying recipes that seem simpler and possibly I won’t screw up- So here I go with my first Instant Pot venture.
Thank you for the recipe and helpful information.
Best regards,
Linda
Bernadette says
I hope it worked out great for you, Linda. So far I’ve only used it a few times on the pressure cooking setting and for sauteing, I need to find time to experiment more.