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
Susan says
I made this soup today with the leftover Christmas ham and it was a hit! I did not use the apple cider vinegar because I loved the taste beforehand and didn’t want to change it. I modified it by adding a dash of sage and cut way back on the thyme (only because I don’t like the taste of thyme) and I added 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. I also used a good amount of pepper to give it a little kick.
l p says
this is a wonderful soup – the whole family loved it. thanks
Carina G Slack says
An amazing soup reminiscent of my pre-diabetic ham & bean soup days The taste is perfection and who ever I feed this soup to never realizes it is cauliflower not beans. I puree the soup and put in some cauliflower rice to give some texture. This is a comfort soup for me and I make it all year around. The seasonings are perfect.
It is so difficult to choose just a couple of IBIH recipes because IBIH cookbooks and recipes are a real mainstay in my keto diet
Regina K. Rooney says
5/21/21, This was wonderful! Putting it in regular rotation. Loved it.
Nicole says
Loved this! The ingredients are similar to a recipe I have for navy bean soup, so I decided not to completely puree the cauliflower. This probably sounds weird, but after adding some sharp cheddar to my bowl, I felt like I was eating the bean soup which I totally miss! Will be making this a lot!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I love white bean soups so this is a great idea to try and mimic that texture. I’ll be trying it on my next batch, thanks for sharing!
Katherine Devereaux Beeman says
Does this freeze?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Nikole says
This is one of the most flavorful keto recipes!! I will always have some in my freezer ready to go! Thank you!
Amie Lawler says
This was delicious, hearty and so full of flavor! Hands down one of my favorite soup recipes. Thanks for sharing!
John Meyer says
One of the tastiest soups I have ever made! I did add the ham bone in and I added a brick of cream cheese to this recipe to make it more creamy. It was outstanding
Britt says
As everyone else has said, this recipe was wonderful! Both my husband, who is doing Keto, and I, who am not, loved this soup. So satisfying! As others have done, I subbed dried thyme for fresh, and I ended up doing 8 cups of stock instead of 6 stock/2 water. I also added 4 Tblsp of butter rather than 2 to up the richness/fillingess quotient. I agree with other reviewers who say this would also be very tasty without the ham, but the ham adds a lovely smokiness to the blend. In any case, it’s a great, versatile soup that we’ll be coming back to again and again, no question!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Britt and thanks for sharing your tweaks too!