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bowl of creamy vegan cauliflower soup in a white bowl with spoon and bread in soup.
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Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time8 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Calories: 294kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large head cauliflower (24-28 ounces, or ~750g), cut into large florets
  • 1 cup (140g) raw cashews
  • 2 (15-ounce/425g) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups (960 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 8 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For Finishing

  • Lemon zest
  • Crushed red pepper flakes (or Aleppo pepper)
  • Good-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Bread for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • To the Instant Pot inner pot, add the garlic, cauliflower florets, cashews, cannellini beans, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, nutritional yeast, 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
  • Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting and set to high pressure for 7 minutes.
  • Once the 7-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a Quick Pressure Release by switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting.
  • Open the pot and remove any whole herb sprigs. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until thick and creamy, taking care to blend all the cashews.
    Alternatively, if you want a super silky texture, transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until creamy and smooth (replace the center cap from the blender lid and cover with a dish towel to allow steam to escape).
  • Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly (I usually add a bit more salt at this stage).
  • Transfer the soup to bowls, and before serving, zest some lemon on top, add a scattering of red pepper flakes, and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with bread, if desired.

Video

Notes

Note: This Instant Pot version doesn't call for an onion because it's designed to be a lightning fast dump-and-go recipe (and adding a raw onion won't add much flavor).
It's still very tasty, but if you want to amp up the flavor more, do this:
  1. Finely chop a large yellow onion.
  2. Turn on the Sauté setting of the Instant Pot (normal heat). Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, and once hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
  3. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook as instructed.