If ever there was a meal-worthy soup, it would be this easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup! This bowl full of colorful, chunky vegetables and a super thick cheesy “broth” is sure to leave you warm, happy, and satisfied. Unlike others I’ve tried, my broccoli cheddar soup recipe doesn’t use heavy cream and is slightly lighter on the cheese, so you still get all that creamy, cheesy goodness without feeling totally weighed down. But you can always add more cheese if you’d like. #norules. This homemade soup is so dang easy I’m sure it’s going to go into my regular rotation!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe for broccoli cheddar soup:
- Yellow Onion: Adds a little sweetness and depth of flavor to the creamy soup.
- Broccoli: Either fresh or frozen broccoli is fine to use. Yes, frozen broccoli works well in this recipe. I suggest letting them thaw completely before adding them to the soup, and you’ll probably still want to chop them into much smaller pieces (think bite-sized, fits-on-a-spoon small). I think I’ll dice my broccoli even smaller than I’ve shown in the process photos next time!
- Carrots: For a little color and sweetness. I dice my carrots fairly chunky, but you can dice them really small or slice them into matchsticks (like the Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup) if you’d like.
- Butter & All-Purpose Flour: For making the roux, which helps thicken the soup.
- Chicken Broth: Adds flavor and is the base for our soup. Use low-sodium broth if you’re watching your salt intake. Both store-bought and homemade chicken broth will work here.
- Whole Milk: Does the job of making the soup really creamy without using heavy cream.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, freshly cracked black pepper, and cayenne pepper are all pantry staples that add a ton of flavor.
- Sharp Cheddar: Use freshly grated sharp cheddar for the best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that can affect the texture of your soup.
Make it Vegetarian
I used chicken broth as the base for my soup because it tends to be a little more on the mild side, and the light color doesn’t overshadow the orange color of the cheese. However, you can use vegetable broth instead to make this a vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup. Just be aware that it tends to have a stronger flavor, and the darker color may darken your soup.
What Goes with Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
This homemade soup, with its super thick and cheesy “broth,” is just begging for some crackers or my thick, crusty no knead bread for scooping up every last drop. I love saltine crackers with mine, but ranch oyster crackers would be awesome, as would my focaccia rolls. But who says the soup has to be a solo event? A side sandwich would also be great, like these ham and cheese sliders or even a simple veggie sandwich. Even these muffaletta roll ups would be amazing with this soup.
How to Store Leftovers
Most of my soup recipes are big batch, so you can freeze the leftovers and stock your freezer with all that goodness, but this soup is the exception. Cheese sauces (and, in this case, broths) thickened with butter and flour roux don’t hold up to freezing and thawing. But don’t worry, I made this a small batch cheese soup recipe, so you don’t have to deal with too many leftovers. This recipe makes four generous servings.
That said, this creamy cheddar broccoli soup will stay good in your fridge for 4-5 days. And boy, are the leftovers DELICIOUS! They reheat beautifully in the microwave, or can be reheated on the stove top over medium-low heat, stirring often.
The Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Servings 4 servings (2 cups each)Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.52)
- 1 lb. broccoli ($1.49)
- 2 carrots ($0.23)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.52)
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.24)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.75)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded ($1.27)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and chop the broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice the carrots.
- Add the butter and onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
- Pour in chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
- Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in the whole milk, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
- Add the chopped broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it's to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted.
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any).
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Equipment
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice 1 yellow onion and chop 1 lb of broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice 2 carrots.
Add 4 Tbsp butter and onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Add 4 Tbsp flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
Pour in 2 cups chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in 2 cups whole milk, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
Add the chopped broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it’s to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
Turn the heat to medium-low and stir 6 oz shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted.
Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any).
Soooo thick and cheesy!! 😍
Can this be made with almond or oat milk?
Unfortunately I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure how it will effect the emulsification of the cheese.
This looks delicious, especially so considering I had a very sad can of Light Progresso Broccoli Cheese soup for dinner last night. It was my first (and last) time trying it but I have a good feeling I’ll be making this more than once!
For any vegetarians out there, Better than Bouillon makes a No-Chicken bouillon paste that is absolutely delicious if you can get your hands on it (Walmart often carries it!).
So good! I was planning on making broccoli cheddar soup this week but then I also started craving potato soup. So…….
I made this as instructed, then stirred in cubed potato that I had cooked in the oven while making the soup. It was heavenly!
Oh my gosh!! I just made this tonight and it is AMAZING. So spectacular and easy. I used an extra sharp white cheddar (an entire 8 oz block) with a sprinkle of smoked salt. I didn’t have onions, but I used the shallots I had. Also may have let the butter go brown but it didn’t hurt it at all. WOW. So good! If I wasn’t already full from dinner (I had also made ham & cheese crescent roll ups), I’d go eat another bowl. I will enjoy this many times throughout the winter.
Tried it today, it looks wholesome and delicious! The recipe is so easy to follow, thank you Teresa!
Who’s Teresa?
I was so happy to have all the ingredients for this! It was absolutely delicious. My hubby had 3 bowls. I used skim milk since that is what I had. And we like it less chunky, so i used the immersion blender briefly. A+
I just went to print this recipe and love how you can adjust the recipe to the number of servings you want. That is great. Thanks for the delicious recipes
Received in my inbox at 10:00 AM, drove directly to the store to get the few items I needed, and made for lunch the same day. Delicious! We cooked the veggies a little bit less than suggested to maintain some texture, and it was perfect. This soup was made for a beautiful fall day!
I do freeze my broccoli cheese soup. I thaw and heat it back up and when stirred well, it’s great. The only drawback is the broccoli loses it’s bright green color but the taste and texture are fine. I usually microwave it till it’s mostly hot and then, because my husband likes boiling hot temps, I put it in a pan on the stove to actually come to a boil while stirring as it does scorch easily!
Would it be alright to use 2% milk instead of whole milk? I have all the ingredients on hand except for the whole milk, trying to save an extra trip to the store. Thanks!
I just made it with 2% milk and it tastes great to me! I figure there is plenty of butter to make up for it ;).
It might be ever so slightly less creamy, but I think it’s close enough to whole that you could probably get away with it.
Made this tonight – it was delicious! Using a bag of frozen, pre-chopped broccoli made it even easier. The only change I made was to include about 2tsp dijon mustard, which I add to practically everything I start with a roux.
Awesome. I can to the comments to see if I could use frozen broccoli. :) Thank you!
Made it tonight and it was super tasty. Easy ingredient list and easy to follow instructions. Perfect fall soup! Thanks for posting
So delicious!! I made this for dinner tonight, and my husband loved it so much he joked that I should can it and sell it! Definitely a keeper.
I’m so upset- I made a TERRIBLE broccoli cheddar soup the weekend before this was posted! The recipe called for a cornstarch slurry for thickening… I ended up with disgusting lumps of cornstarch in the soup. It was thin and lacking in cheesey flavor. I can’t wait to try this recipe!