One of the things I thought I’d miss most when transitioning to a low-carb diet was potatoes. Especially when they’re involved in a classic, creamy soup like chowder. In the immortal words of Samwise Gamgee “Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew.”
A low-carb swap for potatoes
Luckily, cauliflower happens to be a fantastic swap for potatoes in nearly everything, and this cauliflower chowder is no exception. Whether you call it chowder or chowda, my Cauliflower Chowder with White Cheddar and Bacon is one of my favorite ways to make this delicious swap. The addition of sharp white cheddar adds to the creaminess while the bacon adds a nice salty kick to the top.
Pro tip
If your bacon is difficult to slice, pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up first and you should get a smoother cut.
A note for special diets
This Cauliflower Chowder is grain-free, gluten-free, nightshade-free, and easily modified to fit Keto and SIBO diets.
I use a small amount of arrowroot flour in this cauliflower chowder as a thickener, but this can easily be left out if you’re strictly limiting starches for Keto or SIBO diets. Omitting this brings the carb count down to only 13 net carbs when counting macros.
We also limit lactose in our house, so while cheddar passes as a friendly low-lactose option, we opt for lactose-free whole milk instead of traditional. Coconut milk is another friendly option, though it will alter the flavor slightly as well as the nutrition count.
Cauliflower Chowder with White Cheddar and Bacon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
- Category: Mains, Soups & Stews
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 slices of bacon, chopped (I prefer 1/8 inch perpendicular slices
- 2 tbsp garlic oil (may sub avocado or olive oil + 4 cloves garlic, minced)
- 4 medium carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
- 4 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour (optional)
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped into small pieces (about 6–7 cups)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (we prefer lactose-free)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (may sub 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated
Instructions
- In a large soup-pot, over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain grease and reserve bacon to the side.
- Reduce heat to medium and add garlic oil. Add carrots, celery, and green onions and sautee until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add arrowroot flour and stir to coat the veggies.
- Add cauliflower and sautee another 3-4 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, milk, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cover pot and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir a few times in between and keep a close watch. I often find that the soup starts to boil up around the 10-minute mark, so I usually remove the lid and let it simmer open for the last 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese gradually. I stir this in ~1/4 c increments so that it combines evenly.
- Serve soup with bacon on top.
Notes
Pro tip: If your bacon is difficult to slice, pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes first. It will make a world of difference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 388
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1029 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 72 mg
Yum, this looks delicious!
-Carine
http://www.rinnyandbean.com
We love cauliflower, and will definitely have to try this recipe.
THIS LOOKS AMAZING! I love new soup ideas! And I have been on a cauliflower kick lately! Thank you!
Looks Delicious!!! I will definitely be trying this recipe!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
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This sounds so delicious! Saving it for later so I can give it a try!
I have yet to try cauliflower chowder. I am making this soon but without bacon though.
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love me some chowdah! This recipe looks awesome. Well done Jenni!
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This looks so delicious! Love cauliflower dishes, especially soups!
All of us in the family love cauliflower. Homemade soup is the best. Adding cheese and bacon…well now you are talking my language for sure. Super delicious.
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This chowder looks and sounds amazing! I love the idea of swapping the potatoes for cauliflower as I usually pick around the potatoes anyway. I’m going to give this recipe a try. Thank you!
This sounds and looks so good! Can’t wait to try it!
This sounds delish! Though I’d leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth as a vegetarian. I try to eat as much cauliflower as possible, this looks like a great and tasty way to eat it! thanks!
I love that this is low-carb. Cauliflower is a great alternative and you make this chowder look so delicious! I’m on a soup kick and make it whenever I can which is every week this winter season. I’ll be making this next as hubby will really enjoy this delicious soup! Especially when I tell him there is bacon in it. 🙂
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My husband is not a fan of soup, but he loves both clam and corn chowder, as well as that guy staple–Chili. I think this might just be the next soup on my list of soups that he will eat. We have friends who have diabetic children, and they are always looking for new recipes to lower the carbs in their diets. I’m sharing this recipe with them, and pinning it for myself.
Ahhh! Im so excited to see a healthier version of chowder! I live off of potatoes, but I recently made the switch to cleaner eating and this would be perfect!
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Looks amazing! I’ll definitely bookmark this recipe! .
Nicole – NicoleParise.com
I would love a bowl of that soup! Looks delicious!
everything about this chowder sounds so comforting!
Yum! I’ve been wanting to try more recipes with cauliflower!
I love cauliflower! Will definitely have to try this
This Cauliflower Chowder looks so flavorful. I love a good, hearty soup. Can’t wait to try this.
★★★★★
This looks so amazing! Need to make it!!
Lauren
I’m loving all the components in this chowder! Perfect for the awful cold weather we’ve been having. And I didn’t know cauliflower was a substitute for potatoes. More reason to love cauliflowers!
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Looks delicious! And seems fairly easy!
White cheddar and bacon?! Sold!
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This looks awesome. I wanna try it!
Ooo…the words “chowder” and “bacon” have me salivating for this delicious recipe! I’m so excited to discover a breand new recipe the whole family will enjoy. Thanks so much for sharing it!
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This looks delicious!! I’ve been wanting to find some cauliflower recipes!
Man, I don’t know that I could give up potatoes! And I’m not a fan of cauliflower, but I will say this soup looks really good. And…you sold me at cheese and bacon
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That is such a healthy recipe. Interesting having carrots and celery – to give the extra vegies. Good combo.. you’ve done well! Pinned!
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I love how versatile cauliflower is, this looks delicious,
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This looks so good! I love that meme! Hahaha! This looks like the perfect hearty winter soup.
This looks delicious!! I’m definitely going to give it a try!!
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I love soup and this looks delicious!
This sounds absolutely heavenly!! We’ve made a cauliflower soup from the Bulletproof cookbook before and I was so delicious, but this sounds even tastier! Saving this one!
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The chowder looks so good! I love making soup in the winter. I hate winter but love the soup making to take the edge off the cold! Thanks for sharing!
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I love cauliflower chowder. I made some last week. Oh and I love the tip about the bacon.
Well this sound scrumptious! I’m always looking for ways to healthify my favorite comfort foods.
This looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I pinned for later!
This looks so delicious! I love warm comfort food during the winter, and this looks like the perfect thing. I also love cauliflower. Pinning this to try in the next couple of weeks!
I do love potatoes but this might work for me too. Looks really creamy!
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What a great idea. I’ve never thought of swapping out the potatoes and adding cauliflower instead. It sure would save on the calories and I believe that if you use the emersion blender you could get some smoothness out of the chowder. Got to give this a go.
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I love chowder, but I’ve never made it with cauliflower – adding it to my list!
Oh my goodness this sounds perfectly cozy! Love it!
This looks absolutely delicious! Perfect for a rainy day)
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This looks fantastic! Always looking for another winter soup to add to our rotation
This looks like a beautiful little soup! Heck, how can you go wrong with bacon, cheese, and whole milk?
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This looks so good and I see that it’s Keto, but do you have nutrition information for this?
I do not supply nutrition information for any of my recipes at this time.
This is a soup that would be perfect to eat all year long not just in the Winter months. Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try this one out.
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What a great recipe! I love eating cauliflower based soups because it is like eating potato soup without the crazy amount of carbs
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Hi Jenni!!
Could you puree half or a third of the chowder for a thicker consistency? If so could I leave out the arrow root powder? I love cauliflower soups and this looks delicious!
Many thanks!
Kristen Berry
Kristen, you certainly could puree part of the chowder if you prefer a creamier consistency. I think this dish is lovely without the arrowroot. I just use a tiny bit as a thickener, but you can easily leave it out. Thanks!
Thank you I will let you know how it turns out!