Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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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!
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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?
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Was delicious. Made for a camping trip added bacon really kicked it up notch.
Delicious way to use CSA broccoli, potatoes, onion and garlic in the fall. Easy to make.
Absolutely scrumptious! Cant wait to make it again. Whole family thought it was delicious. Did add a little extra cheese and water, but not much.
When do you add some shredded carrots?
That’s cheese, not carrot.
I added shredded carrot when the potatoes were almost done. Lovedit.
My husband raved about this soup. He liked it so much that I borrowed ingredients from my neighbors to make a second pot after our family polished off the first.
Next time I’m going to try doubling it from the beginning, it barely makes 4 servings and we like leftovers.
Oh my!!! First time making it and it was so delicious and creamy. Family loved it! Thank you for a great recipe.
Fantastic. Doubled the recipe, definitely saving this one.
This recipe was simply fabulous and so yummy
Amazing! Probably the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever tasted. We made it with vegetable broth instead of chicken.
OMG,Your recipes look so delicious ,can’t wait to try them. Your reviews are winners as well. I SUBSCRIBED.
Omg! This soup is Damn Delicious! Your recipes have always been winners!
Loved it! Added some mustard powder for extra cheese flavor and ended up needing a bit more liquid towards the end than recipe called for. I love how simple and easy to modify this recipe is.
Looks delicious
Can you use cauliflower instead of potatoes to reduce calories?
I was wondering if you have a InstaPot version to this soup. I’m a little disabled and that makes things easier.
OMG This Was So Delicious We Will Be Having This Again And This One Goes In The Recipe Book THANK YOU
Had to purée with my immersion blender due to a current dental issue but this was exactly what I was looking for….delicious and filling! Can’t wait to make it again when I can leave some chunky texture!
I really like it. It’s light. Broccoli didn’t have that strong smell or taste. Maybe cause broth had sauteed garlic and onion. And maybe the heavy cream did the trick. Nice balance of flavor.
I did add 2 cups of cheddar to it instead of 1. Actually my daughter in law did. So I let her go to it.
Nice recipe
Fire
This was absolutely delicious, I added some leaks and carrots to mine with some parm cheese. I also used someone’s advice and used the hand held immersion blender to make the soup blend more, after I added a few big chunks of broccoli just to get some texture and it was creamy thick and perfect!! Fantastic recipe