Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Cauliflower Cheese Soup is an ultra creamy soup made with a only a handful of ingredients. This is such a fast and easy soup that is both adult approved and kid friendly! Warm up this fall and winter with this filling Cauliflower Cheese Soup!

Copy Cat Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup from Zupas-Creamy, Cheesy & Kid Friendly!

Zupas. Basically the classic ‘Girls Night Out’ restaurant of choice. I was curious, so I just looked up how many states are lucky enough to have a Cafe Zupas..

I was surprised to find out that Zupas is only in 8 states currently! So, if you have no idea what I am talking about, I am oh so sorry.

And if you ever happen to vacation in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Utah or Wisconsin ? make sure you schedule in a trip to Zupas.

Salads, Soups and Paninis GALORE. All are so delicious!

This Cauliflower Cheese soup is a copy cat version of my favorite soup at Zupas. They call it Wisconsin Cauliflower.

My favorite part.. you can’t taste the cauliflower. Okay, fine, just kidding! My favorite part is how creamy & cheesy it is!

But really, you seriously would never guess it is made mostly from cauliflower! It tasted just like a cheese soup.

Bonus: my kids LOVE it. They have no idea they are eating more veggies in this bowl of soup than they usually do in 1 week. ?

How to make Cauliflower Cheese Soup in the Instant Pot

Making this soup in the Instant Pot is so easy and so fast. This soup will be finished in lightening speed!

The first step is to cut your head of cauliflower into smaller florets. If you’ve never done this before, it can be a little daunting. It is super easy though, promise!

First, remove any greens. Then cut the head of cauliflower in half.

Then cut each half in half again. This will leave you with 4 equal sections.

You’ll be able to see (see picture below) that the stem just goes up and the florets are hanging off of the stem.

Simply slide your knife around the stem to remove it.

After removing the stem, break the larger florets until you have smaller, almost bitesized pieces.

Wash the cauliflower now then set aside.

Now onto the Instant Pot. Add a small onion, roughly diced, chicken broth, water, salt and the cauliflower to the Instant Pot.

Cook on manual HIGH for 4 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the Instant Pot is finished pressure cooking.

As always with quick release, stay near the Instant Pot. There is always a chance of a volcano happening with QR.

If liquid starts to come out of the vent, use the back of a spoon and quickly turn the knob to sealing to stop the spewing liquid.

Wait a few 30 seconds to 1 minute and then try again.

I have never had problems with this recipe, but it is always a good idea to stay near the pot. ?

After releasing the pressure, either use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender. I am apparently behind the times and don’t own an immersion blender (yet. ? my birthday is coming up!) so I transferred to my blender.

Blend until extremely smooth. It shouldn’t be grainy at all.

Slowly add in some cream. Whisk to incorporate.

Add in just a tad of mustard. Yes, really! You’ll only need a tsp or two!

Next comes the cheese. Two types of cheese will be used in this soup. Sharp Cheddar and Pepper Jack Cheese.

Normally I don’t like Pepper Jack. At all.

In the soup, it just gives a nice tangy flavor. There is no spice at all.

Slowly whisk the cheese into the soup.

The cheese will thicken the soup up a bit as it melts.

Give the soup a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Sometimes I find it needs extra salt, sometimes it is perfect. Just depends on my tastebuds that day, I guess!

Serve hot.

Serve with extra cheese, bacon bits and chives! Of course all of that is optional, but really, in my book it isn’t optional at all. ?

How to make Cauliflower Cheese soup on the Stove Top

Follow the Instant Pot directions for the most part. The only difference is you will simmer on the stove top for 15 minutes instead of pressure cooking for 4 minutes.

All of the other directions are the same!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

(Printable Recipe Below)

Cauliflower Cheese Soup is an ultra creamy soup made with a only a handful of ingredients. This is such a fast and easy soup that is both adult approved and kid friendly! Warm up this fall and winter with this filling Cauliflower Cheese Soup!

 Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 6 cups cauliflower florets approx 2lb head of cauliflower
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 3/4 cup pepper jack cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Place the chicken broth, water, diced yellow onion, cauliflower florets and salt into the Instant Pot. (See post above for details on how to cut a head of cauliflower)
2. Cook on Manual HIGH for 4 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
3. Blend the cauliflower & broth mixture. This can be done by using an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender. If transferring to a blender, return to the Instant Pot after blending.
4. With the Instant Pot on keep warm, slowly whisk in the heavy cream.
5. Add the yellow mustard.
6. Slowly whisk in the cheese.
7. Taste test and add more salt if needed.
8. Serve immediately and garnish with extra cheese, bacon bits and chives if desired.
9. Stovetop Instructions: Simmer the broth, water, onion, cauliflower and salt for 15 minutes then follow directions starting on #3.

Take a peek at these other DELICIOUS Recipes!

Copy Cat Olive Garden 5 Cheese Ziti
Crispy Garlic Cheese Bread
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas

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4.74 from 23 votes

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

By: Karli Bitner

Cauliflower Cheese Soup is an ultra creamy soup made with a only a handful of ingredients. This is such a fast and easy soup that is both adult approved and kid friendly! Warm up this fall and winter with this filling Cauliflower Cheese Soup!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 6 cups cauliflower florets, approx 2lb head of cauliflower
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tsp yellow mustard
• ▢ 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ▢ 3/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

Instructions 

• Place the chicken broth, water, diced yellow onion, cauliflower florets and salt into the Instant Pot. (See post above for details on how to cut a head of cauliflower)
• Cook on Manual HIGH for 4 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
• Blend the cauliflower & broth mixture. This can be done by using an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender. If transferring to a blender, return to the Instant Pot after blending.
• With the Instant Pot on keep warm, slowly whisk in the heavy cream. 
• Add the yellow mustard.
• Slowly whisk in the cheese. 
• Taste test and add more salt if needed.
• Serve immediately and garnish with extra cheese, bacon bits and chives if desired.
• Stovetop Instructions: Simmer the broth, water, onion, cauliflower and salt for 15 minutes then follow directions starting on #3.
  

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