Broccoli Cheddar Soup is an easy soup recipe made with fresh broccoli florets, carrots and lots of cheddar cheese in one pot in only 30 minutes. Serve this delicious soup with crusty bread for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love!
This homemade broccoli cheddar soup recipe is one of the easiest soup recipes you can make. It comes together quickly, and in about 30 minutes, you can be eating a piping hot bowl of this delicious soup!
I whipped up this homemade soup in the Dutch oven for lunch today, and my family absolutely loved it. Perfect comfort food for this cold rainy day and a great recipe for soup season!
I won't call this a copycat Panera broccoli cheese soup recipe because it's better than Panera's -- cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients and no artificial preservatives!
If you're a soup lover, try my chicken potato soup or easy pumpkin soup and check out the archives for more soup recipes.
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this creamy broccoli soup recipe. If you don't have them at home, you can find them in your grocery store.
- Butter -- salted butter or unsalted butter
- Onion -- small yellow onion or white onion, diced
- Celery -- adds flavor and crunch
- All purpose flour -- to make the roux
- Seasonings -- sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika and nutmeg
- Chicken broth -- vegetable broth is fine for a vegetarian version
- Heavy cream -- makes this easy soup rich and creamy
- Broccoli -- fresh broccoli florets chopped into small pieces
- Carrot -- grated
- Cheese -- mild cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese. Grate your own cheese instead of using pre-shredded cheese if you can
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup at Home
In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook until slightly soft.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and celery, and stir for about 1 minute or until the mixture is slightly golden brown. Then stir in the spices.
Next, pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously so that the flour dissolves.
Then, gradually whisk in the heavy cream.
Stir in the grated carrot and broccoli. Then, let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the broccoli and carrot are soft.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the shredded cheese, 1 cup at a time. Gently stir the soup until the cheese melts.
The soup should be smooth with a creamy texture, and the veggies should be tender.
Variations
You can make Instant Pot broccoli cheddar soup if you have an electric pressure cooker. Instead of a roux, you add a cornstarch slurry at the end of pressure cooking.
Use a bag of broccoli florets and matchstick carrots instead of chopping up your own.
Substitute Colby Jack in place of cheddar or use a blend of cheeses. You can use 1 tablespoon dried minced onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder in place of the onion. Sub half and half in place of the heavy cream.
To thicken this creamy soup even more, use 4 teaspoons flour and 4 teaspoons butter. You can also use an immersion blender for a creamier soup.
FAQ
Yes, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months for best taste. Some people feel a creamy soup like this may not reheat well, but I have not had this problem.
Reheat the soup on the stove top until warm. You can add more cream or broth if needed. Or, reheat individual portions in your microwave using the reheat setting or low power.
Refrigerate leftover broccoli soup in an airtight container, and it should last for 4 to 5 days.
Recipe
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced, about 1 cup
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 3 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups broccoli florets chopped into small pieces
- 1 small carrot grated
- 2 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat
- Add the onion and celery, and cook until slightly soft, stirring occasionally
- Sprinkle in the flour, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring continuously
- Stir in the seasonings, then slowly whisk in the chicken broth and then the heavy cream
- Allow soup to come to a simmer, then add the broccoli and carrots
- Cook for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally
- Reduce heat to low, and stir in cheese, 1 cup at a time. Stir until cheese melts and soup is smooth
Notes
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this delicious broccoli cheddar soup as much as we do. My family says it is the best broccoli cheese soup ever -- better than Panera's broccoli cheddar soup!
If you do make this cheesy soup recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment.
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Karen says
This soup was so delicious and simple. It was the perfect dinner to go along with the rain!
Ann says
This is delicious! Definitely adding this to my winter soup rotation!
Brenna says
I love this soup!! I was kinda nervous to make it because I don’t really make soup, but this was super easy! Next time I will make some croutons to go with it!
Gideon says
So tasty! I love that it's still soup season
Louis says
Yummy and pretty easy to make! Great for these cold wintery days!