Delicious, creamy and cheesy, loaded cauliflower soup packed with veggies, crisp bacon, and green onions, and made with whole real food ingredients. This easy soup is a low carb and keto-friendly recipe and the perfect healthy dinner for the whole family!

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The Best Ever Creamy and Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Soup

There is just something about a “loaded” anything that we all love, am I right? I mean whether it is a loaded baked potato, loaded mashed cauliflower, or this dairy-free version of loaded baked potato soup, the combination of crispy bacon, green onion, and a sharp cheddar cheese is always, always, always a good idea. 

While I love a good loaded baked potato, sometimes I am craving a recipe that is heavier on the veggies and this easy loaded cauliflower soup always does the trick. This a low carb version of everyone’s favorite loaded baked potato soup that I know you will absolutely love. It is cheesy, full of flavor, and made from entirely real food ingredients without any additives or preservatives. 

If you are craving a cozy soup loaded up with cauliflower goodness, this is it. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to make this recipe!

The Tools You’ll Need for this Recipe

• A large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven 

• Wooden spoon

• Cheese grater

• Blender

• Ladle

The Main Ingredients in this Keto Friendly Soup

Cauliflower: to keep things easy, I like to use pre-cut cauliflower florets for this recipe. Of course, if you prefer, you can chop your own cauliflower but, if you need an quick and easy option, pre-cut cauliflower florets work perfectly. 

Coconut Milk: The broth in this soup is nice and creamy thanks to canned coconut milk. I love using canned coconut milk in soups like this (this soup is another favorite) to get that creamy element. Canned coconut milk is a great substitute for heavy cream and, since it’s canned, you can keep it in your pantry until you are ready to use it. Feel free to use half and half or even heavy cream instead if you would like. 

Shredded cheddar cheese: It wouldn’t be a “loaded” cauliflower soup without a little shredded cheddar. This recipe calls for sharp cheddar because it has so much more flavor than mild cheddar. Of course, you could use a mild cheddar cheese if you prefer but, I highly suggest going with sharp. 

When a recipe calls for shredded cheddar cheese I like to buy a block of cheese and shred it myself with a cheese grater instead of cheese that has already been shredded. Pre-shredded cheese often contains stabilizers and additives so it doesn’t melt as well that has been freshly shredded off the block. Thankfully, shredding your own cheese is quite easy and will only take a moment. All you need is a cheese grater which is a great kitchen tool to add to your arsenal. 

Bacon: Another classic ingredient in any loaded soup is crispy bacon. For the best (and crispiest) results slice your bacon in lardons (small strips) before frying them up. 

Chicken Broth: You can use homemade chicken broth for this recipe or store bought, either is perfectly fine. If you are particularly sensitive to salt or just trying to monitor the amount of salt used in the soup, grab a low-sodium broth. 

How to Make Low Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup

(scroll down for the full recipe with complete ingredients and instructions)

Step 1: Cook the bacon until crispy and then set aside on paper towels to drain. Remove half the bacon fat from the pot.

Step 2: Now it is time to add the garlic and veggies. Add the ghee or butter, if using, to the pot and then add the garlic, onion, and celery. Saute until the veggies are tender and then add the bay leaf, thyme, cauliflower, and chicken stock to the pot along with a little salt and pepper. 

Step 3: Once the cauliflower is in the pot, your work is mainly done. Now, you just have to let the soup simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Once the cauliflower florets are tender it’s time to turn this into a creamy soup. To do that, you will place a few ladlefuls of soup in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour that mixture back into the soup.

Step 4: Lastly, stir in the coconut milk, shredded cheese, green onion, and bacon. Once the cheese is melted, it’s time to eat! Garnish the soup with extra cheese, green onion, bacon, and a little cracked black pepper before serving.

Tips to Make This Recipe Dairy Free 

If you need to make this soup dairy-free for any reason you most certainly can! Here is what you need to do: 

• Use ghee instead of butter

• Stick with coconut milk instead of heavy cream or half and half

• Leave out the cheddar altogether! You may need to add a little extra salt if you go this route. 

Feel free to do what you need to do to make this delicious and comforting soup work for you!

More Delicious Recipes to Love

• Whole30 Loaded Mashed Potatoes

• Loaded Mashed Cauliflower

• Cauliflower Mac n Cheese