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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I have made this recipe twice along with many of her other recipes. Occasional based on what i have in the fridge minor modifications can be made and never hinder the quality or flavor. Chungah is a cooking genius. Not only are her recipes damn delicious, they are delightful and deliberate! Simplicity and ease are two factors which I appreciate! I know this may sound narrow minded but anytime I’m looking up a recipe I go to her first! This soup has gotten raving reviews from everyone I’ve served it to including my children! Yay!
I made this with my students. We had to make quad-triple the recipe (making it in two pots). Turned out perfect! We served the soup with homemade croutons. It was even better the next day.
Can I replace milk with coconut milk???
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I made this last night for the 4th time! Delicious every time. The only thing I add is a little bit of powdered mustard 1/2-1 teaspoon and a couple ( 3-4 shakes) of paprika. Fantastic! Thank You for the recipe!!
I followed your recipe. Easy, quick, and hit the spot. Thank You
Made this soup last weekend and it really was “damn delicious”. Loved by everyone! This was my first time making broccoli cheese soup, and your recipe is a winner. Thanks so much!
Wow!!!! This soup is fantastic! I made this with my kids and we all declared it to be the best cream of broccoli ever. Thank you!
do you prefer this one over your newer Panera copycat broccoli soup? Just making that one, but didn’t realize you had this one as well. Very similar. Just wondering if you had one you prefer more.
I love them both!
Just made this for my family- everyone loved it! Will definitely be making again in the future. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Just made this. Yummy! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made this soup tonight. I liked the flavor, but the texture was grainy. Any suggestions to get a smoother result? Thanks!
You can try using an immersion blender.
Panera was my “go to” when I wanted Broccoli and Cheddar soup…I’m so glad I tried this recipe it is absolutely delicious! I paired it today with homemade baked bread and it was to die for! I will be making this recipe a lot more in the future since fall has arrived!
I was wondering because I was was wanting to make this this week. Is broccoli cooked or do you put it in raw?
The broccoli does not have to be cooked prior to using.
This was wonderful! Much better than restaurant versions I’ve had! I used GF flour and it came out great! Thanks!
Darn..I wish I saw this a week ago when I made a big pot of this for my family. I was thinking “where can I find a good recipe”?….Anyway, mine came out pretty good and I thought I’d share my ideas…I started out my soup by sweating a medium onion and a granny smith apple in 2 tbs. of butter, seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. I fought myself not to add any bacon, trying to be greener. I created the “roux” with flour. Then I added the broccoli, stock, milk (not cream) and simmered until tender…hand blended it, and then added in about 3 large handfuls of cheese. Seasoned with s&p, and garnished with, more cheese of course. Added in some home med croutons.
Looks yummy. I’ll make it tonight
Just finished making and eating this. Read thru the recipe and did a few substitutions and it still came out wonderfully!! I only had soy milk, so used canned milk w/equal pts water instead. Didn’t have heavy cream so used whipping cream. No thyme in the house. Used my leftover cooked broccoli and added extra cheese. I used my immersion blender (wonderful tool) to chop broccoli up a bit. He’s on his second bowl so it must be good!! Thank you…
So trying this later! I have yet to come across one of your recipes I haven’t liked! Thank you for all the flavor inspirations sometimes I need a wake up to my cooking senses and I restart my cooking creations!
Thanks for this nice receipe !
I tried with smoked scamorzza since I didn’t have any cheddar, the result might be less creamy (maybe because I wasn’t too accurate on some steps too ahah) and it’s just delicious. I’m glad I found your blog heh 😉
Thanks again !
I made the soup and it was fine for me, and easy….but my kids didnt like the texture, as it was a little gritty, not smooth and perfectly creamy enough. What did I do wrong? Added too much cheese maybe?
Julie, it’s really difficult for me to answer what you did wrong as I was not in the kitchen with you. But I honestly don’t think you did anything wrong – this soup is meant to have a bit of texture to it!
If you put the cheese in, and then had the heat still on…the cheese and or dairy may have curdled and it gets all nasty. I hate having to reheat broccoli cheddar soup because it always has a grainy, gritty, curdled texture. Now I just add the dairy and cheese to the amount I will eat…save the rest without adding dairy, and if I heat it up again, the dairy won’t become nasty and curdled. Maybe try turning the heat really low, or even off and adding the cheese in small incriments. Good luck.
Grainy texture also can be triggered by using *aged* cheddar cheese. Try using a cheese aged less than a year.