Wanna know my favorite part about Broccoli Cheddar Soup? Nope, not the cheddar (although I love me some cheese). It is the broccoli. Call me crazy, but when I am craving broccoli cheddar soup, I'm all about hearty chunks of tender broccoli. This soup recipe is packed with all the good greens. Savory, comforting, and with just the right consistency, this soup is delish.
Gimme Another Bowl of this Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Please!
So I have some personal pet peeves about broccoli cheddar soup. Ever been to a restaurant and ordered it and it comes out this thick "glob" of processed cheese with tiny little broccoli specks? Yeah. Uh, not happy about that.
Don't get me wrong, I love a nice, cheesy soup. But I love broccoli and want to know that it is there. Viva la broccoli. Bring back the broccoli. Broccoli for life. #teambroccoli
Ok, ok, enough. I've gone too far. Let's talk about this soup.
Ingredients Needed to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
- Broccoli - lots of it, fresh, washed, and chopped
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- All purpose flour
- Vegetable broth - can also use chicken broth
- Half + half or heavy cream
- Sharp cheddar cheese - shred your own for this recipe
- Salt + pepper
- Nutmeg
Simple ingredients, right? That is what I love about this broccoli cheddar soup recipe. You can create restaurant quality soup 100% from scratch.
For this recipe, be sure to shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese can contain additives that might cause your soup to be grainy instead of creamy.
TIP: We used 3 heads of fresh broccoli. To prep it for the soup, wash it. Then cut off the very tip of the woody stem. Then chop it all up into half inch sized pieces, stem and florets. This will make roughly 9 cups of chopped broccoli.
The base of this broccoli soup recipe is the simple flour and butter roux. For maximum yumminess we've added some onion and garlic to the party. Keep reading to find out how to get started.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
- First, in a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Then add the garlic. Cook and stir constantly for 1 minute.
- Next whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth until smooth. Stir in the broccoli. Bring to a low boil while stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. (Cook longer if you prefer soft broccoli.)
- Next, add the half & half, nutmeg, and pepper. Using a handheld blender, break up some of the broccoli pieces in the pot. This step is 100% optional, but helps give the soup a nice consistency.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the shredded cheese until melted and well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
If you like nutmeg (and I love it), feel free to add more to your taste. Don't add salt to the broccoli cheddar soup until you have tasted it. The cheese adds quite a bit of saltiness.
TIP: If you do not have a handheld blender, ladle out a portion of the soup into your counter blender. Pulse and then pour it back into the soup pot and stir.
Be sure to keep the heat low while simmering the soup. Since there is so much dairy in this recipe, if you get it too hot it could separate. Low and slow is best.
You can totally use frozen broccoli instead of fresh if you'd prefer. Keep in mind that frozen broccoli will add more moisture content to the soup so it may be thinner. To counteract this, reduce the broth quantity by half a cup or so. (Or, simmer longer to evaporate the excess moisture.)
Soup's On! More Recipes You Might Like:
Foolproof French Onion Soup
Fall Harvest Homemade Vegetable Soup
Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Hearty + Healthy Cabbage Soup
Once you have added the half & half and cheese to the soup, look how deliciously creamy it gets. So good. I could so curl up in my fuzzy socks with a huge, steaming bowl of this Broccoli Cheddar Soup and watch a Tom Hanks movie.
The wholesome flavor of the fresh broccoli shines through in this recipe and pairs perfectly with the sharp cheddar, savory onion, and golden garlic.
Serve Broccoli Cheddar Soup with a loaf of your favorite homestyle bread. Or, pair with a turkey club for a soup + sammie kind of day. This soup gets even better the next day.
I love mine served with a sprinkle of extra cheese and nutmeg. YUM!
Sign up for our Buy This Cook That Newsletter for new content. Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram for our latest + greatest ideas!
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion small, peeled, finely diced
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 5 ½ cups vegetable broth more as needed for desired consistency
- 9 cups broccoli fresh, washed, trimmed, chopped into ½ inch sized pieces (stems and florests)
- 2 cups half & half
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
- 3 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- salt to taste
Instructions
- First, in a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Then add the garlic. Cook and stir constantly for 1 minute.
- Next whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth until smooth. Stir in the broccoli. Bring to a low boil while stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 8 – 10 minutes. (Cook longer if you prefer soft broccoli.)
- Next, add the half & half, nutmeg, and pepper. Using a handheld blender, break up some of the broccoli pieces in the pot. This step is 100% optional, but helps give the soup a nice consistency.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the shredded cheese until melted and well combined. Salt to taste.
Leave a Reply