Easy low carb and creamy cauliflower soup with bacon
This delicious cauliflower soup is made with coconut milk and of course lots of delicious cauliflower, making it a perfect creamy cauliflower soup. The soup works really well in a low-carb diet and depending on the amount of carbs you consume it will also work great as a creamy keto cauliflower soup.

Low carb cauliflower soup
I made this soup the first time when I was doing my first whole30 somewhere back in 2014. In the meantime I have made it several times since as it is simply so good. And super easy to make too. If you’re watching your carb intake, this is also a low carb recipe, but this healthy cauliflower soup will do well for most people. It is the perfect comfort food.
The recipe originally comes from the book Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan, Which was my go to cookbook back in the days when I didn’t really fully grasp the concept of the whole30. In the meantime I have learned that it is actually quite simple, but at that time I was confused about almost everything.
Making the cauliflower soup
Now making this soup is pretty simple. It uses simple ingredients.
You need a couple of things in your equipment belt to make it easy. First you take a large pot (a Dutch oven will work well too) and you start by frying the chopped onions, carrots and the garlic cloves, before you add the cauliflower. I like to bake mine for about a few minutes until the edges of the cauliflower florets start to brown a little bit. That is not a necessity but it does give more flavor. You need a complete head of cauliflower for this soup.
Once you have everything in the large soup pot you can add the broth. I like to use either beef broth (as I did here) or chicken stock. Of course if you want you can also keep it vegetarian by using vegetable broth. but I do find that the beef or chicken broth ads more flavor. Or if you have a homemade bone broth, that would be even better for added nutritional value.
You let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes on medium heat or until the vegetables are cooked through. You should see that if you poke a fork in it. I puree the soup with an immersion blender (or stick blender). If you don’t have one you can use a food processor or regular blender to do the job instead. Using a stick blender is definitely one of my favorite ways to create a smooth and creamy soup. Keep in mind that when you use a regular blender the hot liquid can create hot steam so make sure you cover the top of the blender with a tea towel en press it down if you blender a hot liquid.

Roasting the cauliflower
If you want to give the healthy soup a different flavor all together you can make it a roasted cauliflower soup, by simply roasting the cauflilower before you add it to the soup. Roasting can be done in an oven at 220˚C. Roast the cauliflower for about 20 minutes and then add it to the stock. Obviously it doesn’t need the full 45 minutes to cook if you’ve already roasted the cauliflower.
Coconut milk
You add the coconut milk at the end when you have already blended the soup. You heat it through and make sure it is to taste. If you don’t want to use coconut milk you can also use heavy cream for this. I like the flavor of the coconut milk but use whatever you want.
Now to top the soup of you want to use some crispy bacon. I simply bake that in a large frying pan and let it drain on paper towel. That will help crisp it up. I serve the soup in bowls and add the crispy bacon on top. It’s also nice to add a drizzle of olive oil.
Other additions
While this keto soup recipe is already pretty perfect as it is, there are several additions that will make it even better. You can add some fresh thyme to the soup, cream cheese or sour cream. I love adding a bit of cheddar cheese right before serving.
Can I keep the soup?
Yes you sure can store the soup once made in an airtight container and serve it in a big bowl the next day. Do make sure you add the bacon at the last minute to keep it crisp.

In essence this is a very simple soup which works well in a whole30 diet or even in a keto diet. If you want the soup to be a little bit thicker you can add some white potatoes together with the cauliflower. This will thicken the soup once you start blending it. It will also increase the carbs so if you’re on a keto diet you might want to leave those out.
While the soup already has a rich flavor you can enhance that even more by adding extra’s on top like green onions or add a bay leaf to the broth when cooking. Or check the above other additions for more variations of this soup. This will also increase the depth of flavor. While this is – for me – a typical winter soup, it also works really well on summer days as it is not too heavy.
Check more of my soup recipes here.
Check the recipe card below for all the details on how to make this delicious low carb soup.
Low carb cauliflower soup with bacon
Equipment
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- few rashers of bacon baked crisply
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower roughly into smaller pieces and set aside
- Heat a large pot and add the coconut oil. Fry the onions, carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes or until they are softened. Add the cauliflower and fry until it becomes a little bit browned.
- Add the broth and the water, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer (covered) until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes
- Puree the vegetables with a stickblender in the pot (or use a blender but be careful that the hot liquid might spatter out, so keep a kitchentowel on top if you do that)
- Add salt, pepper and the coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Add the cripsy fried bacon bits on top and serve
Nutrition Information
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Delicious recipe, I love cauliflower!
I found it on pinterest after my fiance decided he’d like to start eating healthier with me. I was really nervous about trying it since I had never tried cauliflower soup before (despite loving it steamed, mashed, and raw). I also really didn’t expect the mister to enjoy it. He isn’t fond of most veggies and isn’t particularly adventurous. When I showed him the recipe all I got was a not very optimistic “I’ll try it..” But upon his first sample of it, he claimed it to be delicious. At first I thought he was just being nice as to not hurt my feelings, but he ended up devouring a bowl that night and sent me rave reviews the next day via text as he ate more for lunch. He even told me this is probably his most favorite soup ever. Seriously, thank you so much for this recipe. Blending up a bunch of healthy ingredients into a delicious creamy soup is genius. I’ll be saving this one and will most likely be making it weekly this fall and winter.
So glad to hear that you liked The cauliflower soup! I thought it was a pretty old one too… 🙂
I, too, love cauliflower but we never think to make soup with it! I am intrigued by the use of beef broth and bet it adds a marvelous depth and richness to the soup. And of course a bacon topping is perfect! I love this recipe!
It’s absolutely delicious Jamie! And I would never have thought to make soup with cauliflower before too, but it’s brilliant!
I am living in the Netherlands as well. Could you tell me where you found bacon that does not contain sugar?
He Melissa, I ordered it specially online at – I think – OK vlees. The ones in the supermarket all contain sugar.. 🙁
Pingback: Whole 30 – Round 2 | MomME
Pingback: Recipe Inspiration: Soups – Glitter & Grace
I’m trying to track my calories and nutrition of the foods I’m eating. I loved this soup! But wanted to add it to my food journal. Do you know the nutritional value of this soup?
Pingback: 17 Awesome Whole30 Recipes | Mom Spark - Mom Blogger
Pingback: Whole30 Soup: 19 Warm Recipes to Get You Through Winter | Greatist
Would it work to prepare as necessary and throw it all into the crock pot the night before?
He Samantha, that should work for sure. I’m assuming you mean to throw it in the crockpot just chopped right?
Pingback: 19 Whole30 Soup Recipes That Make January Way More Tolerable – Chooning U
Very creamy and tasty…and bacon is always a winner in my book :-))
I could not agree more!