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!
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.
Love broccoli and cheese soup! Definitely trying this one.
I never comment on these recipe blogs, but I have to tell you that I’ve tried many of your recipes with great success! Btw, this is the best brocc cheese soup recipe ever! Thank you.
I I just finished making/ eating this soup and it was delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Could you substitute half and half for the heavy cream? On a diet 😉
Yes, absolutely.
This is nice and easy to make for a beginner like me, and the best part is it is sooo freaking amazingly good! I’ve also added carrots to it. The first time I made the recipe exactly as is, and I’ve made it twice since but upped the ingredients a bit because my boyfriend and I loved it so much we needed more so we could have some to bring to work for lunch the next day. I did 5 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsps minced garlic, 1 large whole onion, 5 tbsp flour, 4 c milk, 2 1/2 c low sodium broth, 1/2 c heavy cream and 3-4 BIG heads of broccoli, 2 c cheddar. I added a few more minutes to each cook time. This was enough to feed 3 people who all had seconds, and left enough for 2 to have more the next day. My boyfriend and I both agree this is the best broccoli soup we’ve ever had, so thank you!!
Just finished making this soup and eating it for dinner. The recipe does not specify fresh or died thyme. I used fresh and doubled the amount and I still barely tasted it, but the soup was still incredible. I also did finely chopped broccoli and chunks for texture but it meant the 6-8 minutes didn’t make them tender enough. I still went back for seconds. This soup was fabulous. My son helped me make it and he loves it too. Thank you
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit in the house! I ended up adding another cup of chicken broth just before serving because the soup was a little on the thicker side (not that I’m complaining lol), and I added more cheese because you can’t go wrong with sharp cheddar. Will definitely be making this again!
Hi! This looks great, but it comes up as a vegetarian recipe, even though it uses chicken broth. Is there a vegetarian alternative that can be used? I’d love to make it!
Shannon, you can use vegetable broth.
Do you dilute the chicken broth with water and then measure 2 cups? Or is it just 2 cups, straight from the can?
As indicated in the recipe, you will need 2 cups of chicken broth only. There is no need for water and diluting.
I made it today along with honey salmon of yours
but, Oh god! the soup was very yammy but, really heavy we couldn’t eat the salmon so,we save them for dinner
Its defiantly one of my favorite soup to make !
thank you very much
I just made this soup for dinner tonight. Left out the onion and Parmesan, but it still tastes amazing! Thanks for the recipe! 😀
I spotted your recipe this winter on Pinterest and made it. Everyone enjoyed it, thanks for sharing.
Not one to have fresh broccoli in the house, would frozen work. Seems I’m the only one that loves broccoli so one thing in the freezer at all times. I’d thaw it out and drain it first. Would it work? Broccoli cheddar is my favorite soup. I want a bowl now lol
You can certainly used thawed frozen broccoli but I cannot speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of this dish.
Would it be possible to use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, or would it lose it’s flavor? (I’m vegetarian)
🙂
Yes, absolutely. Vegetable broth will work as a great substitution.
What would you do to add mushrooms to this recipe as well?
I’ve made this once before and it was delicious!
Angela, I would add cooked mushrooms along with the cheeses. Hope that helps!
Pingback: 2013年の27の最もチーズのような写真 | ダイエットはこのメニューで決まり！ 最新流行ダイエットフード
Pingback: 2013年の27の最もチーズのような写真 | ダイエットはこのメニューで決まり！ 最新流行ダイエットフード
Made this tonight and it was super yummy! I might add more cheddar cheese next time though….Question, can this refrigerate/freeze and be reheated later? Thanks!
Yes, you can definitely store in fridge and reheat the leftovers. I’m not entirely sure about the freezer method – it never lasted that long to end up in the freezer!
Do I you have directions to make this soup in the instant pot?