Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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THE BEST broccoli cheese soup there ever was! So creamy, so cheesy. Perfect for those busy weeknights + picky eaters!
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Creamy, velvety, broccoli cheese soup with sneaked in veggies? Yes, absolutely. I am all in. And it is truly the most perfect creamy consistency (with the help of the potatoes) without weighing you down like you’ve just eaten a bowl of queso.
If you want to keep this completely vegetarian, vegetable stock is a great sub for the chicken stock. And if you want an even heartier version, half and half can also be subbed for the heavy cream.
But the most important thing here is to use good quality cheese that has been freshly shredded. It will make all the difference. And be sure to add them a handful at a time to avoid clumps. We do not like clumps here.
When ready to serve, top with additional cheese (if desired) and some crusty bread for dipping purposes.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use frozen broccoli, potatoes or cheese on hand. This is a great way to repurpose and use up some of those pantry staples in your freezer.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. Add your cheese, a handful at a time, to avoid clumping.
- Make it vegetarian. For our vegetarian friends, vegetable stock is a great swap for the chicken stock.
- Dip the bread. Serve with crusty bread for all the dipping!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Broccoli Cheddar Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
Yes! This is a great soup recipe to use up all your frozen broccoli without even needing to defrost.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
We do not recommend freezing this soup as cream soups tend to separate when frozen.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced russet potatoes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups finely chopped broccoli florets
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in potatoes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, mash potatoes until slightly thickened, if desired; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in broccoli and heavy cream. Cook, covered, until broccoli is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 2 minutes.
- Stir in cheese, a handful at a time, until smooth, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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Excellent 10/10
Very good! I dont like thyme so I used half what the recipe called for and still could faintly taste it but it was perfect. I also added a little ground mustard. Thx!
Really good base recipe,I always tweak any recipe to make it my own, it was my first time making this type of soup and it was absolutely delicious
Easy, fabulous, fast!
Absolutely delicious!
I didn’t have cream so I substituted low fat buttermilk…. it worked a treat.
Thanks!
I just made this. It’s damn delicious. I doubled the recipe. The only thing I did different was to microwave the broccoli a little bit first. I like the potatoes in there!
I suggest the easiest way to mash them up is to use a big slotted spoon to scoop them out and then use another spoon to smash them. This is way better than Panera and I’m not a skilled cook. Also- be sure to follow the directions to use real block cheese- not pre shredded.
I plan on making the recipe, living alone can this be frozen?
Best recipe yet because of the added potato, less use of cream (calls for 1/2 cup of cream only), and tastes more uniform than others.
I use the shredder to shred all broccoli and that makes a big difference. You might think you need to add water while boiling potatoes, you don’t. Trust the process.
I added more salt and pepper, ground mustard, garlic and onion powder and more thyme.
I would like to double this recipe, any tips?
Thanks
I just made a double recipe. No problems. Everything came out right- didn’t need to change anything. It takes a big pot!
This is THE broccoli cheddar soup recipe. Both my kiddos ate it up and my son even requested it the next day for his lunch. This one is a keeper. Thank you!
I made this recipe (July 23rd, 2024) today and had it for dinner. Wow it was really good. This was the first time I made it. My friend also commented on how good it was. This will be my go-to this winter for comfort food. Thank you for the recipe.
PS. I served it with homemade cornbread.
This was so good! We have some fresh broccoli in our garden that I needed to use up. This was easy and all ingredients on hand. Now I have to say because dear hubby said “recipe only takes 30 minutes”, he was hungry. well there is the preparation of the ingredients before the cooking process. So it took about an hour. So well worth it. Now I did used a whole can of evaporated milk because I had bought it during covid and about to expire. I used that instead of cream or half & half. I also used one grated carrot because I thought why not, last one in the drawer. Hubby asked for the left over soup in his lunch bucket. Now that’s a big win for me!
Delightfully good recipe. Had frozen broccoli I needed to use up as well as a chicken breast. Used 18% cream and a diced carrot due to the lack of potatoes in the pantry. Yummy yummy yum!! Definitely 5 ⭐️
Delightfully good recipe. Had frozen broccoli I needed to use up as well as a chicken breast. Used 18% cream and a diced carrot due to the lack of potatoes in the pantry. Yummy yummy yum!!
Amazing
So good
I it once was amazing but I didn’t add the potatoes
How long does this soup keep in the refrigerator?
Mine usually lasts almost a week.
Awesome recipe, found it kept really well being frozen.
This is definitely the best ever Cheddar Broccoli soup recipe. Give it a go and try it. Won’t be disappointed.