My Keto Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Soup is easy to make, deliciously rich, and made with gluten-free ingredients. Top each bowl with crispy bacon, herbs, and cheese for an extra hit of flavor!
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My Keto Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Soup has heaps of flavor thanks to delicious bacon fat, smoked paprika, and naturally rich cooked cauliflower. Blended together with smoked paprika, onion, and garlic, this soup turns out so delicious without needing to put in much effort!
This creamy soup is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb. It’s a healthy choice you can enjoy for a family-friendly dinner or to slurp on for weekday lunches. By adding all the toppings you can think of, it’s easy to customize this soup to almost everyone’s liking!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cauliflower – Rich and buttery cooked cauliflower naturally thickens the soup, making it deliciously creamy without any added dairy. It’s one of my favorite vegetables to add to soups, salads, and to use in low-carb side dishes like Cauliflower Mash.
- Onion and garlic – Sauteed in bacon grease, the onion and garlic will double down on the rich flavors in this soup.
- Smoked paprika – To cook along with the garlic and onions. Feel free to use regular paprika or chipotle powder if you don’t have smoked paprika.
- Chicken broth – This gives the soup a bit of saltiness and savory flavors.
- Toppings – It isn’t a loaded cauliflower soup without the toppings! I used bacon pieces, shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, and paprika with each bowl
How to make Keto Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Cook the bacon: Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until it’s crispy, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Saute the soup veggies: Pour some oil in the same pot with the bacon fat. Saute the onion until tender before adding the garlic and smoked paprika. Add the cauliflower florets and chicken broth.
- Let it simmer: Turn the heat down, cover the pot with a lid, and let the soup simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Puree the soup: Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup until it’s very smooth. Give it a taste before adjusting any seasonings. When it’s time to eat, ladle some soup into a bowl and add the bacon, cheese, and any other toppings you like!
Can it be made in the Instant Pot?
Of course! To make Instant Pot loaded cauliflower soup, saute the bacon in the pot on Saute mode. Transfer the bacon to a plate when it’s done and add in some oil and the chopped onion.
When the onion is tender, add in the garlic and smoked paprika. Turn off Saute mode and add the cauliflower florets and chicken broth before locking the lid. Set it to Manual and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes before quick releasing the pressure.
Carefully remove the lid and use your immersion blender to puree the soup. Feel free to turn Saute mode back on to keep the soup warm. Adjust the seasonings as necessary, then serve with your toppings.
Cauliflower soup toppings
A bit of bacon, cheese, scallions, and paprika on top of each bowl of soup gives each spoonful of soup added flavor and texture. You can top your bowl with almost anything you like, such as:
- Crispy kale chips
- Chives
- Cooked sausage
- Roasted cauliflower
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chimichurri sauce
- Fresh parsley or cilantro
Tips and substitutions
- If your soup is too thick, stir in some more chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Want to make it extra creamy? Stir in a can of coconut milk, half and half, or heavy cream at the end.
- You can easily make this cauliflower soup vegan. Just swap the bacon for marinated or smoked tofu and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- If blending with a regular blender, ladle the soup into the blender bowl and blend in batches. This will prevent you from making a mess!
- Roast the cauliflower for deeper flavors. This can be done ahead of time and then added into the pot with the veggies and broth. After it simmers for a few minutes, puree with the immersion blender.
Storing and freezing
The keto cauliflower soup with bacon will last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Just keep the leftovers in sealed containers to keep the flavors fresh.
When it’s time to reheat, place a bowl of soup in the microwave and heat for 1 or 2 minutes until warmed through.
You can easily freeze this soup for later. Keep the cooked and cooled batch in an airtight container or a sealed ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely in the fridge before reheating.
More keto soup recipes
Keep dinner or lunch light and fresh with these delicious keto and low-carb soup recipes:
Did you try this Keto Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Soup? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and giving this recipe a rating! Don’t forget to take a picture tag me on Instagram or use #lenaskitchenblog to be featured in my stories! I love seeing what you come up with!
Keto Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, loosely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4-6 cups chicken broth, or use vegetable broth for a fully vegetarian option
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- salt, to taste
- 4 tsp scallions, finely chopped for garnish
- 4 slices bacon, cooked crispy, for garnish
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded, for garnish, optional
- ½ tsp smoked paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy. Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and allow it to drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat.
- In the same pot as bacon, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the cauliflower florets to the pot, then the chicken broth until it just covers the cauliflower. Depending on the size of your head of cauliflower, you will need between 4-6 cups. Add another pinch of salt.
- Turn the heat down to medium, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your cauliflower should be very tender when you pierce it with a fork.
- When your cauliflower is very tender, use an immersion blender to blend and puree until the soup is very smooth. (If you are using a blender, blend in smaller batches to avoid a mess!)
- Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasonings. If your soup is too thick, stir in some more chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, chopped chives or scallions, bacon bits, and cheddar cheese (optional).
Notes
Holli
AMAZING !!! 5++
It is so darn delicious. I added more Paprika, used my Vita Mix to blend it up. Used Chicken broth, plus one extra clove of garlic. Garnished with old cheddar, ham bacon:)
My family ate this up asap.
Thank you for sharing your creation.
lena
Thank you so much Holli, so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and make it your own. Happy CookinG!
Denise
Question, when you say remove the bacon and reserve the bacon fat, do you mean leave the fat at the bottom of the pot?