Broccoli Cheese Soup
This broccoli cheddar soup recipe is SO satisfying! It's loaded with fresh broccoli, and creamy thanks to a potato and cheddar cheese (no cream, no flour!).
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 28, 2024
It’s about time you met this broccoli cheddar soup recipe. It’s rich and indulgent, but not so much that it weighs me down.
My husband declared it the best he’s ever had, and started throwing out one-liners in between spoonfuls:
- “It’s the velvet of the soup world.”
- “All the sin without any of the guilt.”
- “This may be the universe’s best delivery system for broccoli.”
- “It’s like a warm blanket after being outside on a long winter day.”
I tried to make a great broccoli soup six months ago. I gave up after several failed attempts, and recently tried again after discovering Sarah Jampel’s method in Bon Appétit. Thank you for showing me the way, Sarah.
I have high standards for broccoli cheese soup. I wanted soup that met the following qualifications:
- Sufficiently green and full of fresh flavor
- Cheesy!
- Luxuriously smooth but with some texture from tender florets
- Preferably free of flour and heavy cream
I wanted all that, and I didn’t want to feel like I was eating a bowl of queso (don’t get me wrong, sometimes that’s exactly what I want to eat). This recipe checks all the boxes!
Watch How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
Perhaps the coolest feature of this soup is that it makes use of the broccoli stems that we usually toss. Less waste, more nutrients, can’t lose.
In fact, I feel good after I eat this soup, similar to how I feel after enjoying a big kale salad. Cruciferous veggies work miracles, I tell you, and did you know that broccoli contains loads of vitamin C? We could all use some extra right now.
Fresh & Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients
This flavorful soup is made without heavy cream, milk or flour—or even vegetable broth. You’ll just need a few basic ingredients to make it:
- Butter contributes to the irresistible flavor and silky texture. Technically, you could replace it with two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, but I like butter better here.
- Onion and garlic form a savory base layer. Since we’re blending them all up later, we don’t need to chop them finely. In fact, you can just smash the garlic with the side of your chef’s knife (be careful), peel off the skin and throw it into the pot. So easy!
- Russet potato, peeled and cooked until tender, lends a luxuriously creamy texture once blended. This is a trick I’ve used in my vegan mac and cheese and vegan queso recipes—it really works.
- Lots of broccoli, of course. The stems contribute body and extra broccoli flavor. We’ll purée half of the broccoli florets, and cook the rest in the pot for texture.
- Water brings it all together. I’ve been experimenting with using water instead of vegetable broth in soups lately, and so far I’ve been impressed. Store-bought vegetable broths can contribute unwanted color, off-putting flavors and excess salt. Water has none of these issues. Plus, it saves you a few bucks.
- Sharp cheddar cheese offers maximal cheddar flavor and a creamy texture. You can start with four ounces (half of a block) and add more to suit your preferences. Hand-grated cheese is best, since pre-shredded cheeses are coated in powders that can cause the cheese to glop together once melted. Buy white cheddar if you can. Yellow cheddar might turn this soup an unfortunate color, but I haven’t tried to be sure.
This soup is vegetarian and gluten free as written. You can even make it dairy free/vegan with substitutions (really!). See the recipe notes for details.
Equipment Notes & Suggestions
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This recipe yields a substantial amount of soup (around 10 cups). If you are serving two people or don’t want a lot of leftovers, you could easily cut the ingredients in half. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- I swear that soups always taste better when they’re cooked in a Dutch oven. I used my 5.5-quart Le Creuset for this recipe. A large, heavy-bottomed soup pot will also work well.
- You’ll need a lid for the pot. In a pinch, you could use a metal baking sheet.
- If you are making the full batch, you’ll need to blend it in batches in your stand blender. I could not blend the full batch at once in my Vitamix. Transfer the blended portion to a heat-proof pitcher or container as you blend the rest, then combine it all in the soup pot.
- Or, you could use an immersion blender. The trouble with immersion blenders is that they never yield soup as creamy as you could accomplish in your stand blender. I wish it weren’t true!
Safety note: Never fill a stand blender past the maximum fill line, or you could end up with a giant mess (and a hot one, if you’re making soup). You need to know how your blender works. My lid’s design allows for steam to escape, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll want to remove the center piece so the contents don’t build pressure as they blend. Cover the hole with a tea towel, but don’t place your hand over it because the steam is hot.
What to Serve with Broccoli Soup
This soup is a light meal on its own, or would make a proper meal with a sandwich or crisp salad. Here are a few options that are deliberately not very cheesy, for the sake of balance.
- Chickpea Salad with Carrots and Dill or French Carrot Salad
- Green Goddess Hummus Sandwich or Hummus Quesadillas
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw or Simple Seedy Slaw
Craving more creamy soups?
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Carrot Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Lightened-Up Tomato Soup
Please let me know how your soup turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This broccoli cheddar soup recipe is so satisfying! It’s loaded with fresh broccoli, and creamy thanks to a potato and cheddar cheese (no cream, no flour!). Recipe yields about 10 cups (quite a bit) and is easily halved.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (reduce or omit if sensitive to spice)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds broccoli with stalks (3 large or 4 medium)
- 1 large (about 12 ounces) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
- 6 cups water
- 4 to 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, depending on your mood
- Thinly sliced chives or green onions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper.
- Stir to combine, then cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice off and discard the rough bottom ends of broccoli stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tough outer skin on the stalks, then discard those bits. Slice the stalks off and cut them into pieces about 1 to 2-inches big. Set aside.
- Working with the broccoli tops now, cut as closely to the base of the florets as you can. Slice any remaining stalks into chunks to match to the rest. Reserve the broccoli florets—we’ll use them in a bit.
- Add the chunks of broccoli stalk and potato to the pot and stir. Pour in 6 cups water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Simmer until the broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender throughout and easily split apart when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the reserved florets into small pieces (I chop them all in one direction, then turn the cutting board and chop again).
- Once the potato and stalks are tender, add half of the florets to pot, stir, cover, and cook until they’re bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Working in a couple of batches (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line or it could explode!), carefully transfer several cups of the mixture—both the liquid and solids—to your stand blender. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer the mixture to a heat-proof vessel temporarily as you blend the rest. Alternatively, use an immersion blender (it just won’t be as lusciously creamy). Return the purée to the pot.
- Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining florets. Cover the pot and cook until they’re bright green and easily pierced through by a fork, another 4 to 7 minutes. Add almost all 4 ounces of the grated cheddar cheese (reserve a small handful for garnish) and stir until smooth. Carefully taste (it’s hot) and stir in more cheese if you’d like more indulgent flavor/creamy texture, more salt for more overall flavor, and/or more black pepper for kick.
- Divide the soup into bowls and top with a sprinkle of cheese, plus some thinly sliced chives and/or red pepper flakes, if desired. Leftover soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (though the color darkens a bit with time). I haven’t tried freezing this soup but suspect it will work fine—please let us know in the comments if you do.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit’s broccoli cheddar soup by Sarah Jampel.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the butter with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. When blending the soup, add ½ cup raw cashews (soaked for 4 hours if not using a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, then rinsed and drained), 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and a scant ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard. Omit the cheese.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This soup was DELICIOUS :) I followed the recipe exactly except for using 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth + 2 cups water since I had a carton of broth already sitting in my pantry. Such a simple and easy recipe that just packs in the flavor! My husband was really impressed that this didn’t have cream or milk; we didn’t miss it at all. We served it with a simple apple, shallot, walnut, and spinach side salad and it was the perfect dinner. Highly recommend this one (and all of the C+K recipes on this blog and in the cookbook). Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I added some cauliflower I had in the fridge in addition to the recipe ingredients and it was excellent!
Hi Cookie (and Kate),
Made your DELICIOUS recipe today. Another winner! Wanted to bump up the protein (and didn’t have a white potato) so I substituted a can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed). Still light and silky and lower net carbs. :)
Where can I find your recipe for broccoli or other vegetable soup that has onion, garlic celery chicken stock, water and thyme? I made it, it was delicious and now I’m making the soup with carrots. I forgot to write down the instructions so am winging it.
Hi Brenda! Could it be this vegetable soup recipe? Otherwise, I’m not sure.
Sorry, it wasn’t your soup recipe I used! Just found it.
However, I did use your recipe for Healthy Blueberry Muffins. When I was shopping recently the shelves were bare of all flour except for a large bag of whole wheat flour, which I bought. I looked up recipes for muffins using whole wheat flour and found yours. I already had frozen blueberries in the freezer, and Balkan type yoghurt and maple syrup (I’m Canadian, eh,!). The resulting muffins were delicious and will be my new go-to recipe. Thank you.
Had scads of broccoli in the frig and thought this might be a good way to use some up. GREAT RECIPE!! Hubby absolutely loved it and he is picky. Loved that it was made with water and using the brocolli stems also. Great flavor. It will be my go to recipe.
Hi! I have stalks leftover from roasting broccoli. Could I use those along with frozen broccoli florets since I don’t have additional fresh florets available?
Hey Cari! Yes, I think that would work well. I always like to run some cool water over frozen veggies before using to help remove any freezer burn. Hope it turns out great.
This soup is delicious. I wanted to use up some veggies from the freezer, so I wound up using cauliflower and carrots as well as broccoli. At the end it seemed a little lacking, maybe due to the combination, or using veggies from the freezer, at any rate, I borrowed a little from your creamy cauliflower soup and added a dash of nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon, and voila, perfection!!
Absolutely delicious!!!
I only have regular potatoes – are they a passable substitute for russet potatoes in this recipe? Also, I’m out of cheddar. Could I use shredded emmental cheese (I have 150 grams of that) or cream (which I have about a cup’s worth)?
Hi Emma, russet potatoes are regular potatoes, in my experience! I think you could use emmental here.
This soup turned out soooo good..Made as directed..(did not add sour cream or yogart) I made cheddar cheese croutons t top!!!!Thankyou soo much I finally found a cream of broccoli soup thats delicious!!! Stay safe..Linda from Ohio!!☺
Made this absolutely delicious soup today. Added a couple of tablespoons of Chicken Better Than Bouillon and some smoky paprika. Left out the red pepper flakes because I didn’t have any, and used olive oil rather than butter to sauté the onion/garlic. Incredible with a few cheesy garlic croutons thrown on top. Everyone wanted seconds!
We loved this recipe! Thanks for making our Ramadan breaking-fast meal delicious. :)
This is the best vegetarian soup I ever made. I made 2 qts. and put one in the freezer. I defrosted it last night, and it was still perfect except that it needed enthusiastic whisking to bring in together. I served it with a drizzle of pain yoghurt on top, and it was pretty too.
Try it. You won’t be disappointed.
Hi Kate!
You’ve definitely earned yourself a new fan! I was lucky and had some jalapeno+honey cheddar and used them in the recipe and it came out fantastic, I had some for dinner and am already looking forward for my next bowl.
Cheers mate!
Hi Kate,
Being a vegetarian love all your recipes!! This Soup was super easy to make and tasted so well. Made a salad to go along with the side and kids loved it!
Wonderful, Ashwini! I’m happy to hear that.
Mine didn’t come out smooth, just kind of grainy. The taste was superb, though. Not sure what I did wrong
I’m sorry to hear that, Michele! Did you use a high powered blender? I wonder if you may have needed to cook the vegetables longer.
Amazingly delicious soup on a rainy day out here in California. I made the non-dairy version and the cashews just made it so rich and tasty. I highly recommend! (Oh, and I used some veggie broth instead of all water.) Thanks, Kate!
Hello Kate,
This recipe is absolutely amazing!
I am so glad that I need not have add those off-the-shelved vegetable broth and cream but yet it is still so rich + flavourful.
Any tips if I wish to make creamy Mushroom soup with similar recipe?
Hi Lynn, I’m glad you love it! I don’t have a mushroom soup recipe, sorry.
Hi, I enjoyed this broccoli cheese soup so much. I have cooked the other recipes but they did not taste like this. I had all the ingredients @ home. This came @ the right time cause I had a crown removed so I needed to eat some thing smooth like soup. I will make this again. I did not measure my ingredients, I just did whatever I thought was going to work for me. Thank you so much.
i put milk and blend it. its so delicious. thanks for ur recipe my family will surely love this
Excellent soup!!! I did use homemade vegetable stock instead of water. Had it today with some homemade bread for lunch on this dreary rainy day. So, so good!!! Can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers.
It is a cold, rainy, winters day in Mozambique – perfect for soup weather so have found your recipe and am making it for the first time with a few adaptations based on what I have in the fridge!! Smells delicious on the stove and is warming the uninsulated house up a little. Can’t wait to taste!!
Just did – and love it – as does my teenager! Yeah as she needs to eat broccoli for health reasons too!
I’m glad it hit the spot, Tracey! Thank you for sharing.
I made this recipe and added Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika in place of the red pepper flakes. It’s delicious!
LOVE this soup, so tasty and a meal in itself.I freeze it in meal lots and comes out perfect.Thankyou so much,I make 3 fav soups all the time and this is one of them.
The soup turned out so good! Yay. I did add a bit too much red pepper flakes. Lol. Thank you for taking the time to post.
I made this today because I had close to 2 pounds of florets that needed to get used up in the next few days. Close to 100 degrees today in CO but this was light and perfect! I cook a lot but had never made cream of broccoli soup. This recipe is a keeper!
Just made this soup absolutely gorgeous. Amazing colour and depth of flavour!! I used the full amount of cheese and the chilli gives it a nice kick.
I have just finished cooking this soup, except I used chicken broth instead of water. It came out creamy and delicious. I added cheese only to the first batch, leaving the other one cheese free just for myself. But even without the cheese, it came out super good. Thank you for the recepie!!! Much appreciated! :)
I’m going to make this later today. It sounds absolutley delish! I plan on following this recipe. I think I might add a tteaspoon or two of dry mustard to it or maybe two-three of Dijon mustard.
This soup is a family favourite. The last time I made it, I replaced the chilli flakes with curry powder. It was really 5 star so I had to share. The flavour was much nicer in my opinion. Thank you!
Gave this a try and absolutely divine – going into my repertoire of cooking up some soup batches that will take me through the week. This broccoli soup (which I’m pretty fussy about) is rich in texture and taste. I also particularly appreciate your descriptions – easy to follow and gives confidence to adapt and play further. Will keep exploring – previously had only been a devotee of your banana bread
Hey Kate,
My name is Sudha. I love your blog page and follow your recipes. Was having broccoli and cheddar at home, so made the soup as per your recipe. I am so delighted to say that it was mouth watering good and my family loved it ❤️❤️. Thankyou so much for sharing your recipe. I shared the pics on Instagram. Hope you get to see it sometime.
Another winner here. By the way I had one head of broccoli and one head of cauliflower so I combined. It was absolutely lovely and I will send some home with my friends who are going through a tough time. Soup of love!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so silky absolutely delicious. I used chicken broth instead of water because of the other comments and it came out great. The only change I would make for next time is save a little more of the florets so it has more chunks in it since that’s just my preference. The flavor was absolutely amazing. I already can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow.
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing, Amy. Enjoy your leftovers!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight — it was a great hit with both my husband and me. Will definitely make it again!
I just made it, and it’s really good! I skipped the peeling part, and ended up having to blend everything because my daughters don’t like “pieces” in their soup, but after I blended it, they loved it! And the best part is that it doesn’t require stock nor cream!
After vowing that I was going to start eating more vegetables, I stumbled upon this recipe! The only change was extra pepper and I blended the whole lot with a stick blender (because lazy).
Kate, I loved this :) Hope you have a beautiful day!
Oh my God! This was insanely good. I left the soup fully creamy and didn’t leave the broccoli florets in it. And I only had leftover smokey cheddar at home so that gave a whole new texture. But what a find! Thank you.
I love all of your recipes and have been looking for a good broccoli and cheese soup recipe. I’ve seen a few that include green lentils or white beans for extra protein – any chance you could provide guidance on how to tweak your recipe to include them?
Hi Susan, I think this one is best served as is and then making a protein rich dish to go with it. Check out my suggestions in the post!
Ok thanks! With three small kids, I try to avoid making multiple dishes for dinner like the plague, so was hoping for an “everything in one pot” kind of solution. No problem though!
This recipe is sooooo good, that even when I use up the ingredients in my fridge, it still turned out amazing. I had a big bag of red onions, which sounds awful, but it still worked. And last minute, I changed my mind and added 5.5 cups of water, and 1 can of coconut milk, for a slightly different taste. AND, all I had was an orangey old cheddar. And still, the soup was amazing! Thank you!
So delicious! I make soup all the time, so am always experimenting. I made these changes: I used Better Than Boullion Mushroom flavor for the broth, it is really soooo delicous for vegie soups. I also used the stock and some white wine as I was sauteeing vegies. I reserved the broccoli tops and sauteed at end just before pureeing soup. I have collards growing in backyard, so sauteed some leaves and added before pureeing. I didn’t use the cheese, as the flavor is amazing, but will serve w/grated cheese on side for anyone wanting to add. Thank you!
Amazing recipe! I made it last night and it was so creamy and full of flavor. And, like all of your recipes, it made me feel good to eat it. I can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch today. Your husband is right, it truly is the velvet soup of the world.
I followed the recipe pretty closely and it came out fantastic! I added slightly more water because my brocolli and potato mixture looked pretty thick before I blended it (I had a bit more broccoli and potato than the recipe called for). In retrospect, I didn’t need to add much more water; my immersion blender worked pretty great at liquifying the mixture. Even with these little tweaks, this soup hit the spot and we had tons of leftovers! Definitely making this again.
Wonderful, Tatjana! I’m glad you love it. Thank you for your review.
This soup is delicious! I must admit I was hesitant about not using stock but it turned out beautifully. Even my husband who is not a huge broccoli fan said it was really good. Thank you for sharing!
I love this recipe and I was able to make it vegan (thanks). Totally delicious with pan toasted bread cubes. I don’t follow many blogs but ever since I found you, and Cookie, I’m finding more and more recipes with ingredients that appeal to me. I enjoy the whole story behind the recipes and the photographs.
I’ve seen a lot of your posts and your bio but, no where I’ve seen, is why you started eating a vegetarian diet?
Thank you for your review and great question, Terri! To be honest, I never really loved meat growing up. Then, shortly after college I learned more about the meat industry by reading books by Michael Pollen and decided it wasn’t for me.
This is the best broccoli soup! I made it as per the recipe the first time, delicious. ! The second time I used sweet potato instead of the potato, colour was still green and also great taste. Love that broth is not required.
Very easy and tasty recipe.
Just made this soup! Seriously awesome. I didn’t add the potato as I am watching carbs and didn’t actually have one but it turned out great! Thick and smooth and oh so tasty! Love the bit of kick from the pepper flakes. Thanks for a great recipe. It’s a keeper.
I make many of your recipes, this is my new favorite and have made it 3 times. Love your book and website.
Hello, Kate. It makes sense (and saves on waste) to use your broccoli stalks! If you don’t put them in your soup, then skin and cut them into sticks or cubes, and eat them raw as they are or in a salad…they’re so delicious, even kids like them.