Loaded Cauliflower Soup

This restaurant quality Loaded Cauliflower Soup will seriously drop you to your knees! Chunky pieces of tender cauliflower simmer in a rich and creamy broth, then topped with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream, and green onion. It’s decadent and dangerously good.

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We have consumed a lot of cauliflower recipes in our home over the last few months in an attempt to have a few low-carb options to choose from. Cauliflower is a great substitute for potatoes and other high-carb veggies. It’s meaty and great for roasting, adding to casseroles, making salads, and incorporating into soups and stews.

While this Cauliflower Soup might be lower in carb than a bowl of my Baked Potato Soup, do not let that fool you into believing it is anything less than incredible. I truly feel like this is The Best cauliflower soup I have ever made and tasted. The broth alone with a hunk of crusty bread, guys!

My favorite part about this Loaded Cauliflower Soup is the chunky pieces of cauliflower. I love a good silky soup every now and again but this feels more like a hearty meal. And topped with bacon and cheese makes it that much better. Even if you don’t like cauliflower, I would be willing to bet on this soup becoming a way you’ll enjoy this versatile veggie.

Ingredients For Loaded Cauliflower Soup:

• Bacon
• Butter
• Garlic cloves
• Yellow onion
• Celery
• Cauliflower
• Dried thyme
• Cayenne pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• Milk (1 or 2%)
• Sour cream
• Salt and pepper
• Cheddar cheese
• Green onion

Can I Make This Dairy Free?

While this does change the flavor and consistency some, you can still enjoy this soup with your favorite dairy-free products.

Can I Make This Gluten Free?

Yes! We will often replace all-purpose flour for Xanthan Gum. This is an excellent gluten-free and low-carb thickener for soups, stews, and so much more. This product is not a 1:1 ratio to flour so make sure you read the manufactures suggestions before incorporating into your recipes.

Step by Step How To Make Loaded Cauliflower Soup:

Step 1. Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot.

Step 2. In the same pot add butter, onions, and celery. Cook until veggies are softened. Add garlic and cook 1-minute.

Step 3. Stir in cauliflower pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes until light golden brown in spots. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Stir in seasonings and slowly pour in chicken stock and milk.

Step 4. Bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat stirring frequently until the broth is slightly thickened. Turn the heat down to medium low to simmer and cook cauliflower until desired tenderness. The soup will continue to thicken as it cooks.

Step 5. When cauliflower is cooked turn off the heat and stir in sour cream, parsley, and part of the bacon pieces. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with cheese, sour cream, more bacon, and green onions.

Roasting Cauliflower:

This soup is clearly fantastic just as it is but roasting the cauliflower pieces in a hot oven will provide a nuttier and more intense cauliflower flavor. Add the florets to a large sheet pan and toss with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 450℉ for 20-minutes stirring half way through until caramelized in spots.

What To Serve With Loaded Cauliflower Soup:

If you are not trying to watch your carbs, a big hunk of fresh sourdough bread for sopping up the delicious creamy broth is a must! Saltine or oyster crackers are a simple way to add some body and crunch. A side salad is also a great way to get in more veggies, and this might be a nice addition if you’re having a luncheon or entertaining for dinner.

Can I freeze Loaded Cauliflower Soup?

Unfortunately I would not recommend freezing this cauliflower soup recipe. The cauliflower florets do not have the same texture and taste when frozen and unthawed. And because this recipe has sour cream it’s likely to have a grainy consistency once thawed and reheated.

How long will cauliflower soup stay fresh?

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, cauliflower soup will last 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Other Soups You Might Enjoy:

• Creamy Beef and Potato Soup
• Hearty Vegetable Soup
• Southwest Corn Chowder

Let’s eat!

Loaded Cauliflower Soup

This restaurant quality Loaded Cauliflower Soup will seriously drop you to your knees! Chunky pieces of tender cauliflower simmer in a rich and creamy broth, then topped with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream, and green onion. It's decadent and dangerously good.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 295 kcal

Equipment

• 1 large soup pot or Dutch oven

Ingredients

  

• 5 bacon slices cut in small pieces
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 2 celery sticks diced small
• 1 medium size cauliflower cut in bit size pieces, about 5-6 cups
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock I prefer chicken stock
• 1 cup milk, not non-fat I use 1%
• 1/4 cup sour cream, plus more for topping
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• green onion slices for topping

Instructions

 

• Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, add bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Remove all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the pot.
• Melt butter with the bacon fat and add onions and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until veggies are tender. Add garlic and cook another 1-minute until fragrant.
• Stir in cauliflower and cook 10-12 minutes, until light golden brown. You will finish cooking it through in the next step.
• Sprinkle in the flour and toss with the cauliflower. Cook for 1-minute then add seasonings, broth, and milk. Stir to combine. Bring to a medium boil stirring frequently until slightly thickened. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook another 8-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender to your liking.
• Remove the soup pot from the heat and stir in sour cream, 1/2 the cooked bacon, and parsley. Stir to combine until all the sour cream has melted into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup in individual bowls and top with cheddar cheese, more sour cream if desired, bacon, and green onion slices.

Notes

Tips:

 

Dairy free option–

Replace the milk and sour cream with your favorite dairy-free products. Plain Silk unsweetened almond milk or extra creamy oat milk work great. 

Gluten free option-

Replace all-purpose flour for Xanthan Gum or other gluten free thickener.  Xanthan Gum is not a 1:1 ratio to flour so make sure you read the manufactures suggestions before incorporating into your recipes.

Roasting cauliflower-

Roasting cauliflower pieces in a hot oven will provide a nuttier and more intense cauliflower flavor. Add the florets to a large sheet pan and toss with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 450℉ for 20-minutes stirring half way through until caramelized in spots.

Freezing cauliflower soup-

Unfortunately I would not recommend freezing this cauliflower soup recipe. The cauliflower florets do not have the same texture and taste when frozen and unthawed. And because this recipe has sour cream, it’s likely to have a grainy consistency once thawed and reheated.

Storing cauliflower soup-

Cauliflower soup will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 

 

 

Nutritional facts do not include toppings like cheese, bacon, and sour cream.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	295
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17.2g	22%
Saturated Fat 7.5g	38%
Cholesterol 43mg	14%
Sodium 1423mg	62%
Total Carbohydrate 20.6g	7%
Dietary Fiber 4.5g	16%
Total Sugars 8.3g
Protein 16.1g
Vitamin D 34mcg	169%
Calcium 151mg	12%
Iron 2mg	8%
Potassium 781mg	17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Keyword Bacon, cauliflower, Cauliflower soup, Cheddar cheese, Easy soup recipe, low carb, Low carb recipes, Soups, Sour cream

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