This Broccoli Cheese Soup is easy, creamy, and a perfect cozy classic. A silky-smooth soup base, little bites of just-right broccoli and carrots, and some sharp creamy cheddar cheese to finish it off.
Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Soup
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There are no words to describe how delicious this soup was! I made it exactly according to the recipe and there wasn’t a drop left after my husband got a hold of it.
Hillary
Watch How To Make This Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup For Life.
Hello and welcome to your fall life.
I would like to campaign for you to enter into fall soup season with this cozy classic Broccoli Cheese Soup. It is a hug-in-a-bowl that is not only *easy to make* but honestly puts Panera’s version to shame. Ooooh yes, I said it!
Listen, I truly love Panera, but side-by-side with this comforting pot of creaminess gently bubbling away on the stove, with the FRESH broccoli and carrots, and the glorious cheddar cheese that you ate straight off the cutting board shredded by hand, there is no comparing.
If this soup isn’t the dictionary definition of fall cozy…
Well, there’s not even anything to say because it is. It just really is.
Ingredients In Broccoli Cheese Soup
Broccoli cheese soup, in case you needed reminding, is going to bring several good things into your life:
- Butter and garlic and onions.
- A silky-smooth soup base of cream and broth.
- Little bite-sized bits of just-right broccoli.
- Thinly sliced carrots.
- A sharp, creamy finish from cheddar cheese.
And there’s salt, there’s pepper, and there’s paprika to season, but hello VERY IMPORTANT there’s also hot crusty bread for dipping.
It’s flavorful, it’s veg-loaded and fresh, but it’s also extremely comforting, unassuming, and mellow. And I think we could all use a little more mellow right about now, yes?
How To Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
Click here to watch step-by-step instructions for this recipe!
Alright, let’s do this! Just a few steps and you’re in creamy, dreamy, broccoli cheese soup heaven.
- Sauté The Aromatics: Butter, onion, and garlic. All the good house smells are happening!
- Make The Creamy Base: You’ll start by making a roux (don’t worry, you’ve got this!) and then will whisk in the milk and half and half.
- Add Veggies and Spices: Broccoli and carrots are ready for their moment!
- Finish With Cheese: Extra sharp cheddar cheese, please! Stir it in and you’ve done it! Broccoli cheese soup at the ready.
What To Serve with Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Salad: I would recommend this Simple Green Salad! It offsets the heavy creaminess of the soup really nicely and tastes so fresh alongside it.
- Sandwich: Almost like a little Panera you-pick-two! This is great with a turkey sandwich, or if you really want to lean into the cheesiness, a grilled cheese.
- Bread: Some simple toasted bread is perfect, but I also LOVE this garlic bread for dipping.
Common Questions About This Broccoli Cheese Soup
Can I use just one type of milk?
You should be able to use all milk or all half and half rather than 1 cup of each if you only have one of the two. Averie’s recipe suggests fat-free half and half as the creamy thickener, and I know several people who swear by that for other soups as well, but that’s not an ingredient I usually keep in my fridge. I wanted to make a version with what I almost always have in my fridge (which is whole milk, and half and half) and it worked beautifully!
Does this work with frozen broccoli?
Yes! If you’d like to wait a bit to put the frozen broccoli in (maybe five minutes after the carrots), that might make things a little less mushy.
Can you freeze this soup?
We froze a batch and reheated in both the microwave and on the stovetop. Both reheating methods work well! Just give the soup a good stir before serving.
How can I make this vegan?
We’ve got a recipe for that! Made with almond milk, lots of veggies, nutritional yeast, and some eat-straight-off-the-pan croutons. Check it out here!
How long can you store leftover soup in the fridge?
This keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge, but I’d try to eat it in within the first two days! If it’s too thick, just add a little bit of water or broth to loosen it up.
Can you add meat to broccoli cheese soup?
I actually like this best without meat. But if you wanted to add some extra protein, shredded chicken breast would be best here!
This recipe was inspired by some intense Google searching to find the very best method of making broccoli cheese soup – and the Averie Cooks recipe was the clear winner of the internet, so that is what largely inspired this recipe! The only changes I made were using two different types of full-fat dairy because that’s what I normally keep stocked, and a slight tweak of the seasoning.
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Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
This Broccoli Cheese Soup is easy, creamy, and a perfect cozy classic. A silky-smooth soup base, little bites of just-right broccoli and carrots, and some sharp creamy cheddar cheese to finish it off.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup broccoli stems, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2–3 cups broccoli florets, chopped into very small pieces
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- an 8-ounce block of good quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Sauté garlic and onion: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and broccoli stems; sauté until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Build your roux: Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the soup pot. When butter is melted, add flour to the pot. Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until flour is thickened. Slowly pour in the milk and half and half, whisking constantly. (It will start thick but eventually it will thin out and resemble a creamy soup base.) Continue to thin it out, gradually whisking in the broth. Simmer for 10 minutes or so, whisking occasionally to reincorporate the skin that may form.
- Add broccoli: When the soup base is thickened nicely, stir in the broccoli, carrots, and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli bits are bright green and fork-tender.
- Add cheese: Transfer the pot off of heat and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes. Stir in most of the cheese until melted. Serve in bowls with a little extra cheese + a hunk of crusty bread for dunking – and yes, it’s okay to cry tears of cozy joy! This is a happy moment!
Equipment
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- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: broccoli cheese soup, broccoli cheddar soup, soup season, broccoli cheddar, Panera broccoli cheese soup
Three More Cheesy Soup Recipes
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our completely delicious broccoli recipes page. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Broccoli Carrot Dinner Dutch Oven Fall Lunch Main Dishes Quick and Easy Recipes Soups Stovetop Vegetarian
September 8, 2020
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Can you make this in an instant pot?
We haven’t tested this out in the Instant Pot yet to know how things would turn out, but we’d love to hear if you try it out!
Made the broccoli cheddar soup today. It’s good but made a couple changes. Added a rib of celery, used the stalks as mentioned. But I did make the roux & added broth first, then 1/2& 1/2. It still thickened. After broccoli just about done took 1/2 and blended it with immersion blender, then back in. I steamed the carrots then added them. (Did not those all mushed in soup), then the cheese. I lost my favorite recipe for the soup but overall it’s good.
Where does the paprika come in, or did I miss that in the instructions?
Number 3 Broccoli states to add seasoning….. salt, pepper and paprika.
Just the version of this classic I was looking for! I did use the frozen broccoli, worked out fine as directed, and the ff 1/2&1/2, also fine…used cornstarch as thickener its what I have , was all good! Served with Butter Swim Biscuits cuz, well, they’re fantabulous of course! Thanks for the help…
You’ll add the paprika in step 3. 😉
Sounds yummy. Any recommendations For milk and half and half substitutions if I wanted to make this vegan?
We have this Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe you might like. 😊
This has always been my favorite soup and this was such an easy copycat! We dropped from 110 to a high of 70 degrees in the desert today 😳 so that called for sweats and soup for this desert rat! Delish!
How much flour do we use? It’s missing from the ingredient list.
1/4 cup of flour. 😉
Uggggh this looks so good! The perfect antidote to this chilly MN weather!
Do you think this could be made with almond flour and almond milk?
Almond milk should work, but we’d probably suggest a gluten-free flour blend instead of almond flour if you’re looking for a gluten-free sub.
Can this be made with full fat oat milk and vegan cheese? Looking for non-dairy options if possible
We haven’t tried testing with oat milk and vegan cheese, so we can’t say for sure. But we do have a vegan broccoli cheese soup on the site already. Here’s the link https://pinchofyum.com/detox-broccoli-cheese-soup
I just couldn’t help but take a moment to compliment you & your writing style: it’s so much fun to read what you write before the actual recipe & how you describe things makes me smile if not chuckle out loud. Usually I thank the Lord for who invented the “jump to recipe” button before pressing it, but I don’t feel the compulsion to do that with your blogs. Thanks for sharing your fun personality through your food & writing…keep it up! Definitely looking forward to trying this creamy, cheesy delight! Come on Fall!
Enjoy this soup, Sef!
A pot of this soup and the no-knead bread will be happening very soon!!
Perfect timing to post this recipe for Colorado’s first snow day!! Had all the ingredients on hand (all whole milk version) to whip this up after work. Comforting and delicious. This will turn into another “go-to” like so many of your recipes!
Snow already?! This is the perfect cozy soup for a snow day in that case!
Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you took lots of inspiration from my recipe and that you enjoyed the soup.
So delicious!
I made this yesterday. I only had frozen broccoli and gruyere cheese. Still so very delicious.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this soup, Cindy!
So so sooooo good. The whole family – including my 4yo and 18mo loves it! Your recipes are consistently winners!
Thank you so much for your delicious and practical recipes . I despair at recipes that call for ingredients from your neighborhood Tibetan/Romanian/Cuban grocery store (nonexistent in Wyoming 😉) The only problem is I want to make them all. Life goals 😊
I never comment on recipes, but had to for this one. After watching you make this on Instastories yesterday, I developed a serious broccoli cheddar craving. It’s 10 AM, and now I’m trying to use my patience to wait until lunch time to eat a full bowl. I’ve been stealing spoonfuls for the past 30 minutes. It’s so so so so so so good! Thank you for this recipe!!
So happy to hear this, Jackie!
… what kind of paprika should I use? I have a couple of different kinds in my spice cupboard.
Just regular paprika, not smoked or hot paprika here.
Can this hold up in the freezer to eat later?
Hi, Alysse! Yep! We froze a batch and reheated in both the microwave and on the stovetop. Both reheating methods work well! Just give the soup a good stir before serving.
Averie’s recipe is the one I usually make, so good choice!
Okay we made this the very day you posted it and HOLY MOLY comfort food at its finest on a rainy MN fall day. My five year old declared it his favorite food ever and please cook it every day for the rest of his life, thank you very much 🤣 We doubled it for our family of five, added extra broccoli and carrots, and used all half and half.
Hip hip hooray for comfort food and cozy soups this time of year! 🎉
There are no words to describe how delicious this soup was! I made it exactly according to the recipe and there wasn’t a drop left after my husband got a hold of it.
Yay! So happy to hear this, Hillary!
I made this tonight. Minimal prep, excellent flavor. Will be making again this fall and winter!
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
Love this recipe, made it tonight for supper & the family loved it! Perfect comfort food for a chilly night.
Glad you and your family enjoyed the soup, Katie! 💛
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Thank YOU for reading!!!!!
Yummy. I just finished to prepare the soup. In less than 5 minutes the pot was empty. 3 children nourished and mother happy. Thank you for a simple but tasty recipe.
This is just so delicious. Fall food at it’s best 🙂
Outstanding soup! Perfect for a freak snowy early September snow storm! Thank you
September snow storm!? Agh! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Made the soup for dinner. It’s a winner! Simple, creamy, and super tasty!
Glad you enjoyed it, Donna!
I served with a big warm scoop of brown rice instead of bread (making due in pandemic times). Turned out great!
Glad it turned out! 🙂