Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles)

I love this low-carb Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles) and you can make it in the Instant Pot or on the stove! And if you’re someone who likes cauliflower + cheese, I bet this cheesy soup with cauliflower is one you’re going to make over and over.

PIN the Cheesy Cauliflower Soup to make it later!

I started working on this Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles) weeks ago and made it several times to get a version that was really a keeper. And I promise you that the final version of this cheesy cauliflower soup is absolutely a wow!

Of course this was inspired by the Loaded Cauliflower Soup that’s been hugely popular on the blog. But when I finally made a batch of this slightly spicy and cheesy cauliflower soup that was a keeper, I was so excited to share it with you! (And Jake and Kara both liked it too!)

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• onion
• cauliflower
• chicken stock or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
• Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
• grated extra sharp yellow cheddar
• grated extra sharp white cheddar
• half and half (or milk or heavy cream)
• crumbled cooked bacon
• canned diced green chiles (affiliate link)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) (optional, but highly recommended)

Can you make the Cheesy Cauliflower Soup on the stove?

A cheesy cauliflower soup like this is easy to make on the stove if you don’t have an Instant Pot (affiliate link), so I’ll give you those instructions in the complete  recipe below. One tool that I do highly recommend for making this type of soup is an Immersion Blender (affiliate link). Having a stick blender that can blend up the soup right in the Instant Pot or soup pot eliminates the messiness and potential danger of trying to blend hot soup in a food processor. If you don’t have an immersion blender, please be very careful blending the hot soup; that’s the only tricky part of making this delicious soup!

What if you don’t want bacon in the Cheesy Cauliflower Soup?

If you prefer not to use bacon, I think this soup will still be absolutely delicious without it!

What kind of canned green chiles did I use?

The canned diced green chiles (affiliate link) I used for this cheesy cauliflower soup are Anaheim chiles, not Jalapenos! These chiles are only slightly spicy. You can use a spicier chile if you prefer but we thought this was just spicy enough the added little boost from Green Tabasco Sauce!

How low in carbs is this Cheesy Cauliflower Soup?

This tasty cheesy soup has only about 6 net carbs and 27 grams of protein!

Who Loves Low-Carb Instant Pot Soup?

Check out Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Soups or 50 Low-Carb Instant Pot Soup Recipes for more low-carb soups in the Instant Pot!

How to make Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, high heat and cook the chopped onion.
2. While onions cook, chop up the cauliflower.
3. Put chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, Garlic Powder, and salt into the Instant Pot and cook on MANUAL setting at HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes.
4. Use QUICK RELEASE method to release the pressure. (While the cauliflower cooks, assemble the other ingredients.)
5. Use an Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to blend the soup right in the pot (or blend it in a food processor or blender, being very careful with the hot soup.)
6. Then turn the Instant Pot setting to KEEP WARM (or SAUTE, low heat if you think you’ll need a bit more time.)
7. Stir in the sharp cheddar, white cheddar, and half and half, and stir until cheese melts.
8. Then stir in the can of diced green chiles and crumbled bacon.
9. I would never skip the Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) that adds so much flavor and just a touch of spicy to this soup!
10. Serve hot, with more grated cheese and crumbled bacon to add at the table if desired!
11. We didn’t add anything else, but you could top the Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with things like salsa, sour cream, diced avocado, or olives if desired.
12. Scroll down to the complete recipe to see how to make this tasty soup on the stove.

Love Your Instant Pot?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site!

More Tasty Low-Carb Instant Pot Soups:

• Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Instant Pot Hamburger Soup with Cauliflower
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup

Weekend Food Prep:

This Cheesy Cauliflower Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and Green Chiles) will warm you up on a cool fall evening, and it's low in carbs! And you can make this tasty soup in the Instant Pot or on the stove.

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped small
• 1 large head cauliflower, leaves removed and coarsely chopped including the stem
• 3 cups chicken stock (see notes)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup grated extra sharp yellow cheddar (see notes)
• 1 cup grated extra sharp white cheddar (see notes)
• 1/2 cup half and half (see notes)
• 2/3 cup cup crumbled cooked bacon (see notes)
• 4 oz. can diced green chiles with juice (see notes)
• 1 T Green Tabasco Sauce (optional, use more or less to taste)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft and starting to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
2. While the onion cooks, coarsely chop the cauliflower, including the stems. Add chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, garlic powder, and salt to the Instant Pot and set on MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes cooking time. When five minutes is up, use QUICK RELEASE method to release the pressure.
3. While the cauliflower cooks assemble the grated sharp yellow cheddar, grated sharp white cheddar, half and half, crumbled cooked bacon, canned green chiles, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link).
4. When the pressure has released, use an Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to blend the soup right in the pot. (Or use a food processor or blender to puree the cauliflower, being very careful with the hot liquid.) We made it pretty smooth, since you're adding bacon and green chiles for some texture, but leave a few chunks if you prefer.
5. Turn the Instant Pot to KEEP WARM (or use SAUTE, low heat if you think you'll need more time.) Add the grated sharp yellow cheddar, grated sharp white cheddar, and milk product of your choice, and stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Then add the crumbled cooked bacon, diced green chiles with juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) (if using).
7. Serve hot, with more grated cheese and crumbled bacon to add at the table, plus other toppings as desired.

Stovetop Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized heavy soup pot and cook the onion until it's soft and just starting to brown.
2. Chop the cauliflower while the onion cooks.
3. Increase chicken broth to 3 1/2 cups for stovetop version. Add chopped cauliflower, chicken broth, garlic powder, and salt and turn the heat to medium-high and cook until mixture is barely starting to boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Puree the cauliflower with an immersion blender or other utensil as described above. Check the amount of liquid and if the soup seems thin, simmer on low heat for a few minutes more until some of the extra liquid evaporates.
5. Add the grated cheese and milk product of your choice and stir over low heat until the cheese has melted.
6. The add the crumbled bacon, diced green chiles, and Green Tabasco Sauce (if using) and stir to combine.
7. Serve hot, with more crumbled bacon and grated cheese to add at the table, plus other toppings as desired.

Notes

We used about 8 strips bacon, including the crumbled bacon to add at the table; use more or less bacon, whichever you prefer.

Use heavy cream of milk instead of half and half if you prefer. Chicken stock or canned chicken brother will both be fine for this soup.

Recipe created by Kalyn after several experiments and lots of help from Jake and Kara. 

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 464Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 14gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 87mgSodium 1875mgCarbohydrates 10.1gFiber 4gSugar 11gProtein 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Cheesy Cauliflower Soup is a great dinner for any low-carb or Keto diet plan, and it’s also great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet if you use the lower-fat dairy that South Beach Diet recommends. South Beach would also suggest turkey bacon, and maybe a bit less bacon than I used!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type index pages to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Cheesy Cauliflower Soup recipe was first posted in 2017. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

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