Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Creamy and delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup, better than Panera, and cooks up in just 30 minutes! Easy to make dairy free or vegan soup.
We make broccoli cheddar soup often during the fall and winter months. Broccoli is in season, and it’s the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day. We love serving a delicious Lemon Butter Salmon dinner and our Homemade Dinner Rolls with this comforting broccoli cheese soup.
Ingredients and notes
- Butter – We use this to cook the veggies in the beginning and also help thicken the soup by making a roux with the flour.
- Onions – Yellow onions are our preferred soups.
- Carrots – Save time by using shredded carrots in a pinch.
- Garlic – If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic.
- All-purpose Flour – We use flour in addition to milk and blend the soup to make this soup thicker and creamy.
- Nutmeg – While nutmeg is delicious in desserts, it also adds a nutty note and warmth to soups and even in our slow cooker mac and cheese.
- Smoked Paprika – We love the richness and smokiness flavor of smoked paprika. A little goes a long way.
- Oat Milk – We’re dairy free, so we use oat milk, but you can also use regular whole milk.
- Chicken Broth – To make this a vegan broccoli cheddar soup, you can use vegetable broth instead.
- Broccoli – Cut time using frozen broccoli, but we prefer fresh if possible.
- Cheddar Cheese – We use Follow Your Heart finely shredded cheddar cheese to make this a dairy free soup.
- Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
How to make Broccoli Potato Soup
Saute the onion and carrots with butter in a dutch oven and cook until the onions are translucent, then add the garlic and saute another minute until fragrant.
Then add in the flour and spices to create a roux. Mix in the milk well to combine, then add in the broth.
Add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli is tender about 10-15 minutes.
Carefully blend half of the soup (it will be very hot, please use caution) and then return it to the instant pot. Next, stir in the cheese and mix until melted. Serve as desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Having a dairy allergy doesn’t mean you have to miss out on creamy and delicious soup recipes. Just use oat milk (or your favorite plant based milk), vegan butter, and vegan cheese to make this a vegan broccoli cheddar soup.
- If you want to make this soup creamier you can add potatoes or increase the all-purpose flour to 1/2 cup and reduce the chicken broth and milk both by 1/2 cup, so 2 1/2 cups of each.
Storage and reheating tips
- Refrigerate: Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days.
- Reheat: We heat the soup in a saucepan. You can add more water or oat milk if you need to thin it out.
How to serve
We love serving broccoli cheddar soup with Homemade Dinner Rolls, Garlic Bread, or saltine crackers. We also serve it with Oven Baked Chicken Breast or Lemon Butter Salmon.
Frequently asked questions
We have a batch in the freezer and will update on how it tastes within the next month.
Absolutely. We suggest using a 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to thicken the soup and reducing the chicken broth and milk by 1/2 cup so 2 1/2 cups of each.
Yes! You can skip the flour, and then when adding in the cold milk, just mix that with 1/2 the amount of cornstarch for flour. For the recipe, as written, you’d use a little less than 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
creamy soup recipes
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter 1/2 stick, we use country crock plant butter for dairy free
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and shredded or chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups whole milk we use full fat oat milk for dairy free
- 5 cups broccoli chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese we use follow your heart for dairy free
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions and carrots until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour and seasonings into the pot and mix until the flour is absorbed.
- Whisk in the milk and stir until the flour mixture is blended well, then stir in the broth.
- Add the broccoli and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, stirring as needed until the broccoli is tender.
- Carefully blend half of the soup (it will be very hot, please use caution) and then return it to the instant pot.
- Return the blended soup to the pot and add 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Season to taste and serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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