Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup (Vegan)

This Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup is creamy without a drop of cream, rich with herbs and spices and freezer-friendly, making it ideal for meal prep! Vegan, nutrient-dense and delicious, all in one bowl. Stovetop instructions are also included.

Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup is a fantastic option for when you feel like something hearty and creamy, but you want to stick with a plant-based option. Creamy, but dairy-free. If you've tried my Moroccan Carrot Soup or Vegan Sweet Potato Soup, you know it can be done!

Most cauliflower soups turn to some combination of milk, sour cream and Cheddar cheese to achieve a creamy texture. But if you want to slash the fat grams - saturated fats, in particular - there are other common ingredients and methods that can achieve the same result.

If your goal is to simply produce a vegan soup, coconut milk is a good substitute. However, coconut milk is still high in saturated fat.

How to thicken without cream:

So, what's the trick? Blended chickpeas. In this Instant Pot recipe (though it can be made on the stovetop, too), canned chickpeas are cooked and blended with the rest of the ingredients. They add a thick, creamy texture along with a dose of protein.

INGREDIENTS FOR INSTANT POT CAULIFLOWER SOUP:

• CAULIFLOWER: Either start with a 2-pound head of cauliflower or buy bags of cauliflower florets. You’ll need about 6 cups.
• BROTH: Use your favorite vegetable broth. I did NOT use low sodium broth, but feel free to make that substitute if you’re watching your sodium intake. Chicken broth can be substituted (not vegan).
• CHICKPEAS: For convenience, I used canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Be sure to drain and rinse well before using. White beans, such as cannellini, white kidney or great northern beans, can be substituted if needed.
• MIREPOIX: Diced onions, celery and carrots.
• AROMATICS: Plenty of garlic and fresh ginger!
• SPICES: Use a combination of curry powder, ground coriander, dried thyme, kosher salt and ground pepper. I also added a dash of cayenne pepper for a little extra spice. Feel free to leave that out if you prefer.
• NUTRITIONAL YEAST: Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor, but it's dairy-free. It can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores and health food stores. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, it's also available there.
• PEPITAS: These are optional, but add wonderful texture to the soup. Toast the pepitas for a few minutes in a dry skillet set over medium heat. Alternatively, garnish with chopped green onions or chives.

How to make healthy cauliflower soup:

Here are the instructions for cooking this creamy cauliflower soup in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) or on the stove top. Below that are directions for blending the soup.

Instant Pot:

Set the Instant Pot to the SAUTÉ mode and add a little olive oil. If you prefer to cook oil-free, add a little water or vegetable broth instead and add more as needed while the vegetables cook. Stir in the onion and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are starting to soften.

Stir in the minced garlic, ginger, herbs and spices, and cook for another minute.

Pour in the vegetable broth and water, along with the cauliflower florets, chickpeas and nutritional yeast. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any cooked vegetable bits.

Close the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to SEALING and pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. (It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure.) Once the time expires, use quick release for the pressure. Carefully remove the lid once the pressure is completely released.

Scroll down a little further for directions on blending the soup.

Stovetop:

Heat the olive oil (or water if cooking oil-free) in a large saucepan set over medium heat. I like to use an enameled cast-iron saucepan for soups.

Sauté the onion and celery until the vegetables are tender. If the saucepan is not nonstick, you may need to add a little water while cooking to stop the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the garlic, ginger, herbs and spices. Cook for another minute.

Stir in the cauliflower, chickpeas, broth and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat slightly and cook at a lively simmer until the cauliflower is very tender. That should take about 15 to 20 minutes.

Blending the soup:

There are two options for blending the soup: immersion blender and regular blender.

For the immersion blender, submerge the head of the blender completely in the liquid so that the hot liquid doesn’t spray out of the pot while blending. Blend the mixture, pushing down the pieces of cauliflower and chickpeas as you go, until the mixture is smooth.

For the regular blender, cool the mixture for about 10 minutes. Blend the mixture in two batches. The liquid will still be quite hot, so occasionally release the steam (while the blender is off) to avoid the lid blowing off the top of the blender. Blend until smooth.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with toasted pepitas, toasted almonds, or thinly sliced green onions or chives.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and comment underneath the recipe card below. Thank you!

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This post was first published on January 13, 2022. Updated on February 10, 2023.

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