Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
The best broccoli cheese soup! This is so easy to make (even with frozen broccoli) and so cozy. Perfect for busy weeknights and picky eaters!
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love broccoli cheddar soup
- The ultimate speedy comfort food. We’re talking creamy, velvety, broccoli cheese soup with all the sneaked in veggies, tasting so much fresher than any store-bought or restaurant version.
- Just the right consistency. This soup yields the most perfect creamy consistency (with the help of the potatoes) without weighing you down like you’ve just eaten a bowl of queso.
- Budget-friendly. Basic staples such as broccoli, stock, and cheese cost a fraction of ordering out. You can even use frozen broccoli in a pinch!
What is broccoli cheddar soup?
Broccoli cheddar soup is a classic comfort food type soup made with broccoli, cheese, and a rich cream base. The consistency is smooth and velvety, lightly coating the back of a spoon.
how to make broccoli cheddar soup
- Sauté the aromatics. Sauté the onion in melted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until tender and translucent. Then sauté the garlic and thyme until fragrant.
- Add the flour. Stir in the flour until lightly browned to make the roux, removing the raw flour taste while adding a rich, nutty flavor.
- Deglaze the pot. Pour in the chicken stock and lift up the caramelized brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook the potatoes. Stir in the potatoes, salt, and pepper. Then bring the soup to a gentle boil, simmering until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes. Mash some of the tender potatoes using the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the soup.
- Add the broccoli. Stir in the broccoli and heavy cream, gently simmering until the broccoli is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the shredded cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread for sopping and dunking.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
Tools For This Recipe
Broccoli Cheddar Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Freshly grated sharp or extra-sharp cheddar is best for bold, classic, cheesy flavors.
Absolutely! Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
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.
Simmer for longer or use an immersion blender to puree the broccoli florets and potatoes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop (never boiling) until warmed through.
Freezing is not recommended as cream soups tend to separate when frozen.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Video
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Repurpose frozen ingredients. This is a great recipe to repurpose and use up some of those pantry staples stocked in your freezer (ex. frozen broccoli, frozen potatoes, or even frozen cheese).
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Make it lighter. Heavy cream will yield an exceptionally rich, thick soup. Substitute half-and-half for a lighter consistency, still yielding a creamy texture without it being overly heavy and weighing down the broth.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent smooth melting. Always use good quality freshly grated cheddar to ensure a velvety smooth consistency, adding a handful at a time to avoid any clumping.
- Make it vegetarian. To make this vegetarian-friendly, vegetable stock is a great swap for the chicken stock.
- Skip freezing. Dairy-based soups do not freeze well, becoming grainy once thawed.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I made this tonight and it is wonderful. I substituted slightly sweetened almond milk for the cream, added carrots and omitted celery. I used my immersion blender to achieve the texture I wanted. I used about 5 ounces of sharp cheddar. I like the layout of the recipe and the clear instructions. Thank you.
You mentioned “added carrots and omitted celery”. Is your review for the broccoli cheddar soup? Carrots and celery are not in the recipe. Thanks
This is an easy and excellent recipie. The proportions are perfect! I added dry mustard for kick and leftover ham to make it a complete dinner. I also cooked the broccoli seperate then added it when the potatoes were finished cooking. Five stars!!!
I want to use my Instant pot for this recipe. Can you give instructions for this?
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.