Delicious, thick and creamy vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup is perfect to cosy up your chilly winter evening. It is easy, quick and makes for an absolute soul satisfying dinner on a busy weekday.
This homemade cheddar broccoli soup is:
- Vegetarian
- Made in one pot on stovetop
- Turns out absolutely thick & creamy
- Can also be made vegan & gluten-free
The soup recipe can easily be adapted to make dairy free and without flour. All the ingredients & substitutions are discussed in detail in below post.
The first time I tasted Broccoli Cheddar Cheese soup was in a restaurant in New York & instantly fell in love with it. What differentiates this soup from ‘cream of broccoli soup’ is the generous use of cheddar and cream. Also, the ‘cream of broccoli soup’ is low in calories, lighter & smoother than broccoli cheese soup.
Cheddar & broccoli makes for such a heavenly combination and if you are looking to indulge in some yummy creamy goodness then this soup is definitely for you. I have made this soup on stove top but it can also be made in crockpot, instant pot or slow cooker.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients:
Broccoli: Soups made from fresh ingredients taste the best. It would be better if you could use fresh broccoli, however if it not available you can use frozen broccoli also to make this soup.
Vegetables: Garlic, onion and carrots adds depth to the soup flavour. It would be better if you could find yellow or white onions.
Other vegetables that can be added are potatoes (diced), peas, cauliflower, baby corn etc. You can make this broccoli soup without onion and garlic too.
Vegetable stock: You can use homemade or low sodium store bought vegetable stock in the recipe. If you are a non-vegetarian you can use chicken stock here. If you don’t have vegetable stock, you can even use water (though the soup might lack some flavour).
Butter & Olive Oil: I have used a mix of salted butter and olive oil in this soup. Mixing oil and butter prevents the butter from burning and also you don’t get too much buttery taste in soup. For vegan version you can use only olive oil or vegan butter.
Milk & Cream: I have used whole milk and low fat cream to make the soup. You can use half and half or heavy cream also (vegan alternatives mentioned further in post). If you want to make low fat broccoli cheddar soup then you can use skimmed milk & low fat cream.
Cheddar: Sharp cheddar tastes best in this soup but you can use mild or white cheddar also.
Seasoning: The broccoli soup is seasoned with salt, crushed black pepper and nutmeg. Though nutmeg is used in very small quantity but it definitely makes a lot of difference. You can also use white pepper or red chilli flakes to adjust the heat in soup.
How to make vegan cheddar broccoli soup?
Instead of butter you can make this soup entirely in olive oil or vegan butter. The milk and cream in this recipe can be swapped with full fat unsweetened coconut milk or dairy free milk options like almond, oats or soy milk. Also the cheddar cheese can be replaced by non dairy cheese.
Can I make gluten free broccoli cheddar soup?
A little bit of flour is added to thicken the soup. To make it gluten free, you can use cornstarch however the method will be different. Dissolve 2 to 3 teaspoon cornstarch in 1/3 cup room temperature water and mix well using a whisker to get smooth lump free mixture. Add this slurry to the soup while mixing continuously. Heat the soup for another 3 to 4 minutes and you will notice how it begins to thicken up.
What to serve with broccoli cheddar soup?
You can serve this soup in bread bowls or accompany the soup with rustic artisan bread, garlic bread or bread croutons. My family absolutely loves dipping freshly baked garlic bread sticks in this yummy creamy broccoli soup and no doubt it makes for such a filling, satisfying dinner on a chilly winter evening.
Is broccoli cheese soup healthy?
Everyone has their own definition of healthy & unhealthy foods. If you want to reduce calories in this broccoli cheddar soup, then feel free to reduce the amount of cream or cheese in this recipe or can even skip them entirely.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and belongs to the cabbage family (that includes cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts etc). It is considered a superfood as it packed with antioxidants, number of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K and minerals like calcium, potassium & folate. It is low in calories and full of fibre, so often recommended for weight loss also.
Hope you would like this easy broccoli cheese soup recipe. If you are looking for healthy vegetable soup recipes, then do check out the links below:
- Tomato Soup
- Vegetable Noodle Soup
- Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup
- Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup
- Mushroom Soup (without cream)
Ingredients: (For 4 servings)
- Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
- Butter / Vegan Butter- 1 tbsp (salted)
- Broccoli Florets- 2 & 1/2 cups (250 grams)
- Carrots (shredded)- 1 cup
- White Onion (diced)- 1 large
- Garlic Cloves (minced)- 2 to 3 small
- Vegetable stock / Water- 2 cups
- All Purpose Flour- 3 tbsp
- Whole Milk- 1 cup
- Cream- 1/3 cup
- Sharp Cheddar (grated)- 1 cup
- Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
- Black Pepper-1 tsp (to taste0
- Nutmeg- 1/8 tsp
Notes:
- Instead of all purpose flour you can use whole wheat flour. If you want to make gluten free broccoli cheddar soup, use cornstarch as explained in the post above.
- Instead of sharp cheddar you can even use mild cheddar, Monterey jack, white cheddar or mixed cheese etc.
- You can use heavy cream or low fat cream as per your choice in this recipe.
- Feel free to add some chilli flakes or replace black pepper with white pepper
Directions:
Step 1:
Cut the broccoli into small florets and wash them properly under running water. Keep aside.
Step 2:
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add finely minced garlic and diced onions to it. Sauté till the onions become soft & translucent.
Step 3:
Add butter to the same pan. When the butter melts completely, add flour to it and sauté till the flour turns golden brown in colour.
Step 4:
Add chopped broccoli, shredded carrot to the pan & sauté for 1-2 minutes more. Simmer down the flame, add vegetable stock (or water), milk and cream while continuously stirring. Keep stirring & mixing as otherwise the milk can get curdled. Add salt, crushed black pepper and nutmeg to the soup. Mix well and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 5:
Once the soup begins to thicken up, let it cool down a bit. Blend it coarsely using an immersion blender. I like my soup chunky so I have not smoothen the entire soup. Mix well and bring the soup to boil once again.
Switch off the flame. Add grated cheddar gradually to it. The cheese will gradually melt on low heat. Do not boil the soup after adding cheese. Mix well, taste and adjust salt, black pepper etc as per your taste.
You can serve this lip smacking cheesy broccoli soup in bread bowl. Top up with some more steamed broccoli florets or grated cheese and enjoy.
FAQ:
How long can we store this broccoli cheese soup?
You can store it in an airtight container for upto 3-4 days. Reheat it on low flame on stovetop (to avoid curdling) or you can microwave it for 2-3 minutes.
More recipes with broccoli:
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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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