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!! 😍
Yummy! I’m not sure what happened with mine, though; I ended up having to add about 1.5 cup extra liquid to mine. I upped the spices accordingly and it turned out great! For vegan/dairy-free friends, I used Daiya and flax milk and had no issues :)
This turned out soo wonderfully! I followed the instructions exactly, just added a little bit of white wine near the end since I had a bottle open in the fridge. It was just absolutely delicious and easy to make once all that darn chopping was done!
First comment! Wow, so I’ve made a few budget bytes recipes before, but I think this is my new favorite. It’s probably the best soup I’ve ever had. Puts Panara to shame honestly.
Made this with half and half , also used gruyere. (what i had) Fantastic.
Tried this, and my husband said it was the best broccoli cheddar soup he’d ever had, and all three kids asked for seconds! We’re going to be adding this to our regular rotation. Thanks for another stellar recipe!
I made this as is and will be making this all fall winter long, probably spring and summer too – it’s that good. THANK YOU!!! it’s a winner
I’ve made this twice now! So delicious. I placed the veggies in, held the milk and pressure cooked for 5 minutes on high. This made the broccoli and carrots so soft and the onions dissolved , then added the milk and cheese after. It came out so good. I made 1.5 times the recipe and my husband and I almost finished it for lunch.. oops.
I used 2% milk because that’s what I had and vegetable broth to make it vegetarian and it came out great! I’ll be making this one again for sure! I think I’d like to try it with potatoes next time.
I made this last night and it is a KEEPER! Thanks for another great recipe. It was perfect for me to eat while healing up after a tooth extraction! {ouch}
Wondering if you could add tuna to the casserole dish?
Yuck- no
Here’s a few tips.
I make lots of soups because they are so versatile and easy to store in the fridge in mason jars’
If you often cook from scratch, when you chop onions for a recipe, chop extra and store in a glass jar in fridge. They should last about a week and it is easy to get inspired for another recipe when the onions are already chopped. The chopped onions can be used in many dishes and are very time saving
If your soup calls for carrots, it is a lot easier to slice baby carrots, that don’t have to be peeled, into bite size pieces.
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If you are using grated cheese on a regular basis, buy a bigger block on sale and grate it yourself. I store mine in plastic containers in the freezer. It is very convenient and is perfect for nachos, omelets, burritos, soups, casseroles or whatever.
Hope these hints help streamline your cooking. they work for me.
I look forward to your weekly recipes.
Thanks for sharing these tips! I especially appreciate the tip about storing onions in mason jars in the fridge. I often dread cooking because dicing ANOTHER onion is just not fun, and keeping them in ziplocks just makes everything in the fridge smell gross.
So easy and tasty! Thanks Beth!
Loved this! I managed to mess up broccoli cheese soup last time I made it somehow, but it’s one of my favorite foods and I’ve had good luck with your recipes before, so I figured if anyone could make this foolproof, it’s you! :)
I had to make some tweaks here and there, like adding extra chicken broth base and spices for a stronger flavor, and I used a mix of heavy cream and nonfat milk because it’s what I had on hand (and I thickened it a bit more with potato flakes). It was wonderful! I didn’t even wait for it to cool down and it was totally worth burning my mouth.
I also love that this soup could be very versatile and I’d love to try adding in some potatoes or corn next time, or even chicken and shrimp. I definitely had leftovers from last night and I’m eager to go home after work and have some more!
This was delicious! The instructions were easy to follow. I didn’t have whole milk, so I used 2% milk instead and it still tasted great.
Can I use coconut milk instead of whole milk?
I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure how it will affect the emulsification of the cheese.
Amy, did you try it?
I tried this and it works great! It didn’t seem to affect the emulsifying – the cheese seemed to melt just fine. And the soup does not have a noticeable coconut flavor.