Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

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This Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower Soup is as rich and comforting as traditional potato cheese soup but made with cauliflower instead of potatoes! It's creamy, cheesy, and really tasty.

141 CAL 19g CARBS 2g FAT 12g PROTEIN 4
8 Comments

This easy Crockpot Cauliflower Soup is the perfect cold-weather healthy comfort food. It's a lightened-up, healthy version of baked potato soup made with cauliflower, veggies, low-fat dairy, and cheddar cheese.

This cauliflower soup is ideal for cozy dinners, packed lunches, or even as a make-ahead meal. Like most soups, it only gets better after a night in the fridge. Plus it's easy to adapt to any diet - you can easily make it work for low-carb/keto, gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, and more. 

The other thing I love about this slow cooker cauliflower soup is that it is incredibly easy to make. Toss everything in the slow cooker and blend. That's it! 

Why We Love Crockpot Cauliflower Soup

Here are three reasons you will want to make this soup.

  • Healthier option: If you love baked potato soup or potato cheese soup, this is a healthier and lighter version that is still creamy, cheesy, and delicious.
  • Easy to make: If you buy packaged cauliflower florets, this soup couldn't be easier to make! The slow cooker does the work and then you simply blend it,
  • Add all the toppings: We love serving this cauliflower soup with tons of toppings - crispy bacon, chives, croutons, sour cream, fresh herbs, cheese, green onions, toasted pumpkin seeds, and more. 

Crockpot cauliflower soup with cheddar cheese and pepper in two bowls with spoons.

Ingredients and Easy Swaps

Here's everything you need to make this delicious soup. 

  • Cauliflower: The base of this soup is cauliflower florets. Use a whole fresh cauliflower cut into florets or buy packaged florets for a faster option. For a thicker texture, feel free to add 1-2 peeled and diced potatoes as well.
  • Carrots, onion, celery, and garlic:  This adds so much flavor to the soup. Use any kind of onion you like and adjust the quantities for a stronger flavor if you prefer. If you like potato leek soup, consider adding leeks as well. 
  • Milk: Evaporated milk is used in place of heavy cream in this recipe. It's a lighter way to make a creamy soup. If you prefer heavy cream, use that instead. Or swap in coconut milk.
  • Broth: Vegetable broth or chicken broth works great in this soup.
  • Cheese: We like this soup with sharp cheddar cheese, but feel free to use any strong cheese. It's delicious with goat cheese, feta cheese, gouda, Swiss, and pepper jack.

How to Make Cheesy Crockpot Cauliflower Soup

As easy as the Slow Cooker already is, would you believe this cauliflower soup couldn't get any easier? It's true!

When you've gathered all your ingredients and cut your veggies all you have to do is add the cauliflower, other veggies, garlic, and broth to your slow cooker. Cook all of this together on low for about 4 hours or until everything is nice and soft.

When the four hours are up, in another bowl, mix the flour, evaporated milk, and skim milk. Add this slurry to the slow cooker and cook this all together for another hour on high. The soup will get nice and thick this way.

When that last hour is up, add salt and pepper to taste and then use an immersion blender to blend the soup all up till it is nice and creamy.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in batches in a blender, but be sure to do it slowly, and leave an opening in the top of the lid and cover it with a towel to avoid the steamy, hot soup from exploding out the top and burning you.

Add the cheese to the blended soup and stir until it's all melted and cheesy and gooey.

Recipe Ideas

  • Gluten-free and low-carb: You can leave out the flour to make a gluten-free, Paleo, or low-carb version. It will still turn out good, it just won't be quite as thick. For keto and low carb, swap in heavy cream and whole milk.
  • Chunky soup: You can also blend only about half the soup if you like a chunkier version.
  • Add broccoli: Use half broccoli and half cauliflower for a cruciferous combo cheesy soup. (For a broccoli-only soup option, try this recipe.)
  • Make it spicy: For a spicy version of this cauliflower soup, add two chipotles with adobo sauce to the soup before blending. Add more if you like it hot!
  • Curry flavored: For an Indian-inspired flair, add curry powder to the mix before cooking and swap in coconut milk for the evaporated milk.
  • Add more texture: If you like all the texture in your soups (like I sometimes do), you can steam a side of bite-size veggies in the microwave or on the stovetop and add it to the soup after blending. This way, you get both tender veggies and creamy veggies in your soup.
  • Add herbs: If you love fresh herbs, consider adding fresh thyme, rosemary, or oregano.
  • Roasted cauliflower soup: To bring out a richer, deeper, roasted taste to your soup, roast the cauliflower florets, carrots, onions, and garlic in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes before continuing with the directions as follows. Put them on a sheet pan and sprinkle with olive oil before roasting.

Can you freeze cauliflower soup?

I often like to make a double batch of my soups to freeze some for later. Or, I'll just freeze leftovers if we don't crush it all within a day or two. It's easy to do and you'll thank yourself later when you don't have anything for dinner and you remember you have stocked up your freezer for such an occasion.

After you have cooked and blended your soup, let whatever portion you want to freeze cool to room temperature. Once it's cooled off, put it into freezer-safe dishes such as plastic containers with screw-top lids, or even large mason jars. Ziploc bags work too, just make sure you put the open bag into a bowl or another container to hold it upright as you ladle soup into it, or it will fall over and make a huge mess.

When you're ready to reheat your soup, simply thaw it in the fridge all the way (again supporting those baggies with a bowl if necessary), put it into an oven- or microwave-safe container for reheating.

So if you're feeling the soup thing but it's not soup weather yet, then this Cheesy Cauliflower Soup will satisfy your soup needs without having to sweat over a hot stove all day.

Cauliflower soup in a bowl with a spoon, cheddar cheese, and fresh black pepper.

How long will this keep in the fridge?

Cauliflower soup keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days. Keep it in an airtight container. When you heat it up, add a touch of extra broth or milk if the soup is thicker. Sometimes the soup will thicken as it hits.

Can I make this as a chunky soup?

If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can leave some of the vegetables intact. What I would recommend is blending half the soup and leaving half chunky. That way you get a thick soup but also get some of the whole vegetables.

Another option is to roast some cauliflower on the side and add it to the soup right before serving. The deep nutty flavor of the roasted cauliflower is great as a topping. Plus it adds some texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions about making this soup.

The easiest way to thicken cauliflower soup is by blending it to create a rich, creamy texture. If the soup still isn't thick enough, consider blending in extra evaporated milk, heavy cream, or a can of drained white beans. 

My favorite protein to add to creamy cauliflower soup is crispy roasted chickpeas. They add crunch, fiber, and protein. You could also add crispy tofu, sauteed sausage, or crispy bacon to this soup.

Crockpot cauliflower soup with cheddar cheese, pepper, and salt  in a bowl with a spoon.
The Recipe
Slow cooker cheesy cauliflower soup with a metal spoon, shredded cheese, and black pepper.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

141 CAL 19g CARBS 2g FAT 12g PROTEIN 4
PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 5 Hours
TOTAL TIME: 5 Hours, 10 Min
8 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 6 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour (skip for low carb or gluten free)
  • 1.5 cups canned nonfat evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1.5 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

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Instructions

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1

Add the cauliflower, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and broth to the crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours or until veggies are soft.

2

Stir together the flour, evaporated milk, and skim milk. Add to the slow cooker and turn it up to high for 1 hour. This will thicken up the soup.

3

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender (or blend in batches) until smooth. Stir in the cheese until it melts completely.

Equipment

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Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 141
Calories from Fat 19
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2g
3%
Saturated Fat 1g
6%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 7mg
3%
Sodium 731mg
32%
Total Carbohydrate 19g
6%
Dietary Fiber 3g
10%
Sugars 10g
Protein 12g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
8 Comments
On Slow Cooker Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
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Linda
December 28, 2023 - 09:38
Can you substitute heavy cream for evaporated milk?
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January 2, 2024 - 11:04
Absolutely! Heavy cream works great in this soup.
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Kelsie
May 12, 2023 - 06:31
Add a Rating:
5
Mmmmmmmmmm. It is delicious. Thank you.
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Kiddie
March 8, 2022 - 09:55
What makes the sodium this high?picking recipes to make this weekend
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March 28, 2022 - 16:52
It comes from the vegetable broth and cheese - you could use a lower sodium broth and cheese to lower the total sodium content.
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Denise Madden
February 7, 2017 - 19:51
Add a Rating:
5
Everything was going against me on this recipe -- my slow cooker broke so I cooked it for several hours on the stove, very low heat. Out of flour, subbed Bisquick. My husband likes texture, so I couldn't blend it. The result was outrageously good, almost impossible to believe it's low fat. Plus I learned that cauliflower is every bit as good, if not better, than potatoes in soup! I can't wait to try the other recipes -- we have to cut back meat, so this is just one tasty alternative.
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December 9, 2015 - 15:58
I haven't personally tried it but I imagine it would work just fine. Just cook it until the cauliflower is tender enough to blend.
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Carrie dietze
November 21, 2019 - 13:15
This soup is fantastic! I halved the recipe and wish i wouldn’t have. This will be a staple meal for us .
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