A super tasty Keto Cauliflower & Ham Soup that is so comforting and delicious–but also dairy free, Whole30 and Squeaky Clean Keto compliant, and has only 125 calories and 13g protein per 1.5 cup serving! What more can you ask for out of a healthy low carb ham soup?!
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A couple of weeks ago I made this Baked Ham with Apricot Cranberry Glaze and had a bunch of ham leftovers that I wanted to use up in some keto ham soup recipes.
Using some of the ham leftovers in a soup recipe was a no-brainer, especially since I had a lovely ham bone to turn into a nice stock. I boiled the daylights out of that leftover ham bone until my broth was a hard block of gel when cooled, and then I used it in this delicious keto cauliflower & ham soup.
If you don’t have a ham bone (or any extra time) lying around, you could definitely make this keto cauliflower & ham soup with a store-bought chicken stock, but I’d toss in a couple of drops of liquid smoke to get a similar smoky flavor as a ham bone stock.
Even without the liquid smoke you’ll have nice flavor, but I’m a huge fan of liquid smoke ♨️ in low carb soup and sauce (mmm…BBQ) recipes, so you won’t go wrong if you pick some up. Just remember that a little goes a long way – one or two drops is usually all you need to get an authentic smoky flavor!
This keto cauliflower & ham soup couldn’t be easier to execute! All you need to do is simmer your cauliflower florets (I used frozen which was easy peasy) in the ham stock until tender, blend, then add the leftover ham and a few other ingredients!
I will say that an immersion blender is the easiest way to get the job done – you just plug it in, blend the cauliflower soup right in the pot, and then wash the attachment. No muss, no fuss.
You can also transfer the contents to a large blender and blend it that way – it’s a little more work but will definitely get the job done, leaving you with a silky and delicious cauliflower and ham soup!
This keto cauliflower & ham soup is hearty and comforting – it also reheats (even from the freezer) really, really well.
As a side note, I opted to make this low carb cauliflower soup recipe primarily dairy free as well – meaning it’s Whole30 and Squeaky Clean Keto compliant. You can also replace the butter with bacon fat or coconut oil if you’re strictly avoiding ALL dairy for any reason!
If you aren’t dairy free, then you can add a little heavy cream to this keto cauliflower and ham soup to make it even richer and more sumptuous – not that it needs it honestly!
This is the perfect keto cauliflower & ham soup recipe to help whittle off some pounds if you’ve overindulged a little – because it’s not only low carb, it also comes in at only 125 calories for a satisfying one and a half cup serving! That’s a win/win if I ever heard of one!
Perfect for lunch or dinner, this keto cauliflower and ham soup would be even more amazing with one of my low carb Sundried Tomato & Asiago Zucchini Muffins!
keto Cauliflower & Ham Soup – Low Carb
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This keto cauliflower & ham soup recipe is a great way to use up leftover ham! It’s also gluten free, dairy free, squeaky clean keto, Paleo, and even Whole 30 compliant!
Ingredients
- 6 cups cauliflower florets (frozen is fine – abut 24 oz)
- 6 cups ham stock or chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 cups chopped ham
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 Tablespoons butter (or ghee, bacon fat, or coconut oil)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the cauliflower, stock, water, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large soup pot.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
- Blend in the pot with an immersion blender (or remove to a large blender and blend in batches then return to the pan) until smooth.
- Stir in the ham, and thyme leaves and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Add the butter and apple cider vinegar.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: keto soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 125
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 5g net
- Protein: 13g
Rebecca says
Tried the recipe exactly as posted…that vinegar ruined the taste of that soup! I had a feeling I should have left it out but I wanted to make it per recipe so it would be right. All I could taste was vinegar. My husband ate one bowl and he didn’t mind that strong vinegar taste but I totally couldn’t handle it. It was easy to make and if I make it again I will be leaving out the vinegar completely and only use a teaspoon of the tyme leaves. Thanks for the recipe as I am always looking for low carb dishes, but that soup is going down the chopper tonight!
Mellissa Sevigny says
The small amount of vinegar called for shouldn’t really have a flavor at all, just a slight tang to offset the creaminess of the soup – I’m guessing you used the wrong product or didn’t measure to get the results you are claiming. Or you are inordinately sensitive to the flavor of vinegar maybe. Sorry you had a bad experience with the recipe.
Sherri says
So, so, so good! You would never know there was cauliflower in the soup! Wished I had a ham bone but went with what I had – thick lean ham slices. Didn’t matter, just added them at the end after I removed from heat. Let the soup sit with lid on for a while for ham flavor to mingle. Delicious! Try this soup, you will love it!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Sherri, glad you liked it too!
Susan says
Love this soup. I changed it up just a bit by using fresh onion and garlic with a little flour added for thickening. There was some fresh spinach in the fridge, so I added a few chopped up cups after turning the pot off. It is wilted but not over cooked. Will definitely make this again.
Yvonne says
This is the third time I’ve made this soup – it is so good. When I serve ham it is always bone in, so I make ham stock with the bone, carrots celery and onion. Such an easy (and delicious) recipe.
Beth says
I adapted this recipe to what I had in the house and changed it a bit. It was very good. Even my kids gobbled it up. Here’s what I changed:
I added 2 carrots and 3 small potatoes with the cauliflower
I used 4 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of vegetable stock
1 subbed dried thyme for fresh and added it at the beginning with the dried onion and garlic
Last. I didn’t have 2 full tablespoons of bacon fat, so I used what I had and added a little extra ghee. It was super rich and tasty.
Honestly, this recipe could have not had ham and it would have been great. Another idea would be to figure out how to get chunks of potato on with the chunks of ham for more texture. Not sure how you’d cook them. I think you’d have to pre cook and throw in to heat through wth the ham?
Nice versatile recipe.
Valerie Miller says
This is delicious! I like cauliflower, but I don’t think this tastes like cauliflower at all. I used fresh cauliflower and a homemade ham broth. It is so good! Winner, winner leftover ham dinner!
Laura says
Made this tonight to use up leftover ham. While easy and pretty flavorful, I was expecting it to be a lot more creamy, or really creamy at all. The blended down cauliflower didn’t seem to thicken it up at all. Perhaps next time I will up the cauliflower or reduce the liquid a bit.
Rachelle says
Why do you use cider vinegar in the recipe? What is it’s use, to add acidity? I’ve heard of adding vinegar to some chili’s but I was never sure why. I’d appreciate a comment, there are so many uses for cider vinegar, but never have I seen it in soup. Thank you, I look forward to making this soup tonight.
Rebecca says
Take my advice and leave that vinegar out! It’s so gross with it in there!
Baltisraul says
Wonderful soup!!! DO NOT LEAVE OUT THE VINEGAR. I used garlic vinegar and it really added to the flavor.
Kirsten says
This soup is AMAZING!! I’ve been on keto for about 7 months and have really missed soup. Especially now that it is winter, hot foods are all I want and this fulfilled all my hopes and dreams :) I ended up splitting into 6 larger portions with the same net carbs and only slightly higher calorie count (it didn’t need the cream, you were right). Paired it with a warm coconut flour cheddar biscuit YUM YUM YUM!
Jennifer says
Excellent recipe. I didn’t want to have to deal with chopping up cauliflower and my grocer did not have plain bags of frozen cauliflower so I chose to go with 2 10oz boxes of frozen with a cheese sauce. I also did not have cider vinegar so I did white wine vinegar with a splash of apple cider left over from Thanksgiving. I threw everything (ham included) into the pot for 40mins. I used my immulsion blender on everything. I shouldn’t have, but I added another 2 tbsp of butter for the richness. :) so, so good and dreamy. I loved this easy low carb recipe. Delish.