Our homemade Creamy Cabbage Soup is filled with fresh ingredients, fine cheese, caramelized onions, and fresh cabbage, and topped with thick-cut bacon.

Yes, this recipe is drool-worthy, hearty, and will leave you wanting more. It’s just that good.

Grab the recipe down below!

Homemade Creamy Cabbage Soup with Caramelized Onions {instant pot soup recipe}

This cabbage soup recipe is different from other recipes. It all started with the fresh cabbage.

Every great recipe starts with high-quality ingredients; this one was no exception.

Soup is a lot like a family; each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its characteristics, and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. -Marge Kennedy

This cabbage soup starts with a good head of cabbage

This homemade creamy cabbage soup is a rich, comforting recipe made with tender cabbage, carrots, caramelized onions, garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, whole milk, and a buttery roux.

It is prepared using the sauté setting on a 6-quart Instant Pot, but it can also be adapted for the stovetop or slow cooker.

The soup is finished with toppings such as crispy bacon, sliced green onions, diced jalapeños, and grated Grana Padano cheese.

It works well as a hearty lunch, easy dinner, or cold-weather comfort food.

Why Cabbage Soup with cream?

This past weekend, the big pale green globes of firm cabbage caught my attention.

Cabbage is always relatively inexpensive, so there isn’t a perfect excuse for not grabbing one from time to time.

For some odd reason, this soup was on my mind, and my mind was on soup.

So, why not cabbage soup? Or better yet, a creamy cabbage soup.

As a kid, cabbage was often served; I remember Mama preparing cabbage with salt pork and then serving it with big, warm, buttered squares of cornbread.

Although I typically forego the pork, I wanted the thick-cut bacon to be a part of the food experience this time.

Maybe it was one part nostalgia and one part delicious.

Why You’ll Love This Soup:

This creamy cabbage soup is a good way to use a full head of cabbage while creating a filling meal for the family.

The caramelized onions add natural sweetness, while the roux, heavy cream, and milk create a smooth and creamy consistency.

Cold-weather dinners
Easy family meals
Using leftover cabbage
Meal prepping for the week
Serving with crusty bread, biscuits, or a simple salad
The recipe makes approximately eight servings and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.

The spectacular color aside, I think carrots and cabbage are a match made in culinary heaven, don’t you?

What goes into this Instant Pot soup recipe

When cooking with cabbage, I automatically have to add onions and carrots. Again, I want to keep this recipe simple and easy to replicate.

So, I wheeled my cart over to the onion section and started to think about caramelized onions, and only sweet onions will fit the order.

At home, I have carrots, garlic, and four cloves smashed, peeled, and minced, which will work perfectly.

When caramelizing onions, good butter is a must; subpar ingredients rarely return favorable results, so go big or go home.

The smell of sautéed cabbage and carrots with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black peppercorns takes me back to Mama’s kitchen.

Cabbage, carrots, caramelized onions, and garlic are the hale and hearty backbone of this creamy cabbage soup. Don’t believe me? Give it a try and tell me different.

Caramelized sweet Vidalia onions and garlic are incredibly flavorful, and a good-quality butter is the key.

Cook them low and slow and let delicious happen.

Patience makes caramelized onions and garlic so incredible; the right amount of time and temperature can transform simple ingredients into greatness, which is always the objective.

Let’s talk about this slow-ripened Grana Padano cheese for a minute.

It is one of the best kinds of cheese I’ve ever tried, and it shines in this creamy cabbage soup!

Those 12th-century Cistercian monks knew what they were doing!

How to make this Homemade Creamy Cabbage Soup in the Instant Pot

Serving size: 8

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cabbage, chopped
1 cup minced carrots
2 large sweet onions
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter, divided
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups of chicken stock
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
4 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

Toppings:

Sliced Green Onion, sliced
Jalapeño Peppers, diced, seeds removed
Crispy Thick-Cut Bacon, crumbled
Grana Padano Cheese, grated

Equipment:

Instant Pot

Directions:

Prep the bacon (cook the bacon until crispy, crumble), grate the Grana Padano, slice the jalapeños, and slice the green onion for the topping. Set aside.
Prep the vegetables: Thinly slice the onions and set aside. Core and chop the green cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Finely mince the carrots.
Add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to an Instant Pot and select the sauté feature. When the oil is hot, add the chopped cabbage and minced carrots.
Stir occasionally and add 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning.
Continue cooking for 12-15 minutes, or until the cabbage has softened and become translucent.
While the cabbage mixture is cooking, add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and two tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter when the oil is hot.
Allow the butter to melt, then continue cooking until the onions begin to brown on the bottom.
Adjust the heat to its lowest setting and continue cooking the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. In the last 2 minutes remaining, add the garlic and cook for the remaining time. Turn off the stove and set the caramelized onions aside.
Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter to a separate skillet over medium/high heat. When the butter melts, add the flour a little at a time, stirring continuously until you have a blond roux, about 10-12 minutes. Add the roux to the Instant Pot with the cabbage mix and stir until completely dissolved.
Slowly whisk the chicken stock into the cabbage mixture, then, little by little, stir in the 2 cups of heavy cream and continue stirring.
Stir in the 1 cup of whole milk.
Add in the caramelized onions and garlic you cooked earlier.
Taste and, if needed, make any necessary seasoning adjustments. (Feel free to add more freshly cracked black peppercorns and sea salt to taste.)
Allow the soup to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the dairy.
Spoon the soup into bowls, add desired toppings, and serve.

Variations to Cabbage Soup Recipe

Swap the bacon with Canadian bacon or even diced ham. It will add great flavor.
For less heat, skip the jalapeños or de-seed them first so you get the flavor without the heat.
You can use milk to replace the heavy cream to lighten the soup, but it will take away its creaminess.
Skip meat if you want a meatless soup option.

How Long Does It Take To Caramelize Onions?

Caramelizing onions takes around 30-45 minutes. It is a low-and-slow process, but the resulting flavor is incredible and worth every minute.

The caramelized onions add depth to this creamy cabbage soup recipe with bacon.

How to Store Leftover Cabbage Soup

If you don’t eat all your soup right away, place the leftover soup in the fridge for a few days.

Then reheat as you would like.

Top with fresh bacon, jalapeno slices, etc.

Can You Freeze Leftover Soup?

Unfortunately, this soup does not freeze well because of its ingredients.

The cabbage breaks down quite a bit, and the heavy cream will separate and curdle slightly when it thaws.

I recommend adjusting the recipe to fit what you think you will eat before it goes bad.

What is Old Bay Seasoning?

Old Bay seasoning is a Cajun-filled spice blend that is literally phenomenal.

It is loaded with flavor, and most mass retailers have it in the spice aisle.

If you can’t find it, you can reach for a Creole spice blend and get a similar flavor.

The Creole can be spicy, so adjust to your preference.

Can I Substitute The Heavy Cream?

Heavy cream provides the richest and smoothest texture, but substitutions can be used.

Greek yogurt. Use plain full-fat Greek yogurt for a lighter soup. Remove the soup from the heat and temper the yogurt by stirring a few spoonfuls of hot soup into it before adding it to the pot. Do not boil the soup after adding yogurt because it may curdle.
Coconut milk. Full-fat canned coconut milk can replace the heavy cream in equal amounts.
Half-and-half. Replace the heavy cream with an equal amount of half-and-half for a lighter texture.

How To Make Creamy Cabbage Soup On The Stovetop

To prepare this recipe on the stovetop, use a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot.
Cook the cabbage and carrots in olive oil over medium heat until softened.
Prepare the caramelized onions and garlic in a separate skillet. Make the roux by melting butter and gradually stirring in the flour.
Add the roux to the cabbage mixture and slowly whisk in the chicken stock.
Stir in the heavy cream and milk, followed by the caramelized onions and garlic.
Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the dairy.

How To Make Creamy Cabbage Soup In A Slow Cooker

Sauté the cabbage, carrots, onions, and garlic on the stovetop before adding them to the slow cooker.
Prepare the roux separately and whisk it into the chicken stock.
Transfer the vegetables, roux, and stock to the slow cooker.
Cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours or High for 2 to 3 hours.
Stir in the heavy cream and whole milk during the final 30 minutes.
Keep the slow cooker on Low and avoid boiling the soup after adding the dairy.

Soup is one of my favorite homemade comfort foods to eat, prepare, and make.

The kitchen is my happy place. Where is your happy place?

And once there, what is it that you enjoy doing?

What brings you joy? Okay, then do it.

Find more soup recipes below:

Tomato + Chickpea Soup

Spinach Salmon Soup