My homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup tastes like Panera’s, only better! This top-rated recipe is quick and simple with just 15 minutes of prep before coming together on the stove. Includes a how-to video!
Better-Than-Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Creamy, cheesy, flavored with butter and freshly shredded cheddar cheese…can you think of a better way to eat broccoli? This broccoli cheddar soup is true cold weather comfort food; it’s hearty, easy, and quick–perfect for weeknight dinners or a snow day lunch. If you’re a fan of Panera’s broccoli cheese soup, you’re going to love this one!
My recipe starts with a simple roux for a thick and creamy final product. Don’t be intimidated by this! If you’ve made my baked mac and cheese, (insanely popular) potato soup or chicken corn chowder, you’ve done this before. After melting the butter and sautéing the onion, we’ll simply whisk flour into the pot until it’s smooth. Then we’ll slowly whisk in the milk until the soup thickens, and that’s it! Easy, right?
Why you’ll love my recipe:
- Takes just 35 minutes to make with basic ingredients.
- Includes tips for the perfect creamy texture.
- Has a balanced flavor that lets the broccoli shine.
- Pairs nicely with crusty bread, biscuits, dinner rolls, or garlic knots.
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients that I use in my broccoli cheese soup (ignore the two garlic powders in the photo above–pretend one is onion powder! 😉):
- Broccoli. I prepare the broccoli much the same way that I do for my broccoli salad. I buy a pound of broccoli and then chop off the stems and cut the florets into small pieces which I’ll then go over briefly with a large knife in a mincing motion. Check out the photo below for an example.
- Onion. A yellow onion is my preference, but a sweet onion (a great choice in many soups, like my French onion soup) or a white onion would work well here, too.
- Carrots. Grate your own or buy pre-shredded “matchstick” carrots from the store.
- Cheddar cheese. Do NOT use pre-shredded cheese as it will not melt properly or smoothly! Instead, grate your own. I recommend buying 16 oz of sharp cheddar and grating half into your soup, and saving the other half for serving!
- Ground mustard. Like in my chicken pot pie, I love using a pinch of ground mustard to add flavor to my soup. This is dry mustard powder as shown above, not prepared mustard in a tube.
- Chicken broth. You can substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.
- Whole milk and heavy cream. I usually keep both of these ingredients in my fridge so that’s what I use; however, you could substitute both of these ingredients for half and half instead.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t worry if you still have some larger pieces of broccoli remaining; we’re going to be using a blender to puree the soup before it’s finished cooking to give it a smooth and creamy texture. Puree as much or as little as you’d like to suit your own preference!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until it softens.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onion and whisk until smooth, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Add the broth, cream, veggies, and seasonings and stir to incorporate.
- Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Once thickened, blend the soup as much as you like (some people like a chunkier broccoli cheddar soup, some people want it completely smooth; just note that if you puree until completely smooth, your soup may look a bit green!.
- Stir in the cheese until melted and adjust seasonings to taste (you may need another shake of salt or pepper).
SAM’S TIP: When adding your milk to create your roux, add it slowly and gradually. Adding it all at once won’t allow the soup to thicken as nicely as it should.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t personally frozen this soup, but I would be worried about the heavy cream separating out. If you try it, I’d love to know how it goes for you!
This tends to happen when you use a pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses include anti-caking agents that will prevent them from melting properly in your soup. If you shredded your own cheese and it’s still not melting, it may just need more time on the stove.
If the roux is not made slowly and properly (as indicated in the recipe), it can leave you with a watery soup rather than a creamy one. Using a stovetop heat that’s too high can also cause the soup to curdle, especially when you are adding any dairy products. Follow the instructions in the recipe and don’t crank up your heat and you shouldn’t have any problems!
Want the full Panera experience? Serve your soup in my homemade bread bowls!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk (355ml)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (475ml)
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream (355ml)
- 4 cups broccoli florets¹ cut into small pieces (270g)
- ⅓ cup peeled grated carrot (this is usually 1 grated carrot for me, may substitute pre-cut “matchstick” carrots) (35g)
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste, as needed
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste, as needed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese + additional for topping grated off the block (do not use pre-shredded cheese as it is likely it will clump and not melt properly) (226g) + additional for topping
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook until melted.
- Add diced onion and cook until softened and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Sprinkle flour over the butter/onion and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Slowly, while whisking, add milk to the mixture. Whisk until combined and mixture is thickened.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream, broccoli, carrots, salt, sugar, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard. Whisk until combined.
- Bring to a boil over medium/high heat while stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened.
- Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or (preferred) use an immersion blender to puree. Puree as much of the soup as you would like until desired consistency is reached, I usually use an immersion blender and puree about 75% of the soup, leaving some pieces of broccoli intact.
- Add grated cheese and stir until melted (keep heat on low). Add additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
¹Broccoli
I usually buy 1 lb of fresh broccoli crowns and am left with enough after removing the stalks and cutting the florets.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. I have never frozen this soup and have been hesitant to do so as the cream base can sometimes separate and make for a watery soup when reheated from frozen.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
This recipe was originally published March of 2020. I updated the photos and text, but the recipe remains the same!
Derrik
It doesn’t get any better than this. Thanks Sam!
Sam
So glad you enjoyed, Derrik! 🙂
Stefanie
This is the best Broccoli Cheese Soup EVER! I made this yesterday so my daughter would have a warm meal following her late evening flight for Thanksgiving. Really delicious and easy to make. I added freshly grated nutmeg, but otherwise followed the recipe. We will be making this again. The whole family loved it. Thank You, Sam!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope your daughter enjoyed it, Stefani! Have a great thanksgiving 🧡
Jarrod
This recipe is awesome! My favorite broccoli soup by far. I added a couple of things. 1 tsp of this chicken seasoning that I had gotten from a cool local Bavarian restaurant and some diced ham. I always liked that in the Big Boy soup. I used a sweet onion since that is what I had on hand. Pretty cool:) Thank you!
KT
The soup was fantastic! I used thawed frozen broccoli and cauliflower, added extra carrots, and used 1% milk in place of the whole milk because that is what I had on hand, and the soup was delicious. I served the soup in the homemade bread bowls–PERFECTION!!!
Thanks for another great recipe!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious, KT! We’re so glad you enjoyed it so much 😊
Dorothy
Can you use light cream in place of heavy cream?
Sam
Hi Dorothy! The soup will be a bit thinner, but I think it could work here. 🙂
Jan
Do you think this would hold in a crock pot for a couple of hours?
Sam
Hi Jan! I think that will work just fine on a warm setting for a couple of hours. Keep it covered. 🙂
Sara
Amazing, just like EVERY one of your recipes I’ve tried! I’m having this for lunch and your potato soup for dinner! Only change I made was to leave out the sugar and added an extra carrot instead.
Would love to know if anyone’s had luck with freezing or does it separate and get “weird” lol?
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sara! I haven’t personally frozen this soup, but I would be worried about the heavy cream separating out.
Lauren
Currently eating this soup as I’m writing my first review,haha!
I did everything per your recipe except i did not include the mustard + careots because i had none lol , added a bit more salt and pepper & it’s AMAZING!! Thank you (:
Rachael
I introduced my family to broccoli cheddar soup with this recipe. It was so good and came together faster than I thought! Perfect for the cold weather we had.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for trusting our recipe, Rachael! We’re so happy you enjoyed it 😊
Kayla D
First off I have to say- thank you Sam. This is the first savory recipe of yours that I made and it is perfect. I’ve never made soup before, I’ve never even made a roux before (my boyfriend is the cook) lol. And I am so incredibly happy with how this turned out. I only had access to half & half (instead of heavy cream) and the consistency was still perfect. I’m just so happy and proud of myself haha. Thanks again for the recipe Sam!
Sam
I am so, so happy to hear this, Kayla! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and I’m so thrilled to hear that you had such success with it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!! <3
Nicole
This is a very good recipe. It makes about 6 bowls. I added an extra cup of Broth but did not puree.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you liked it, Nicole! 😊
April Johnson
I really like this recipe! I used cauliflower instead of broccoli and added one cup of sliced baby Bella mushrooms. I didn’t purée but I like bite sized veggies! This is a keeper!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious, April! Thanks for trying our recipe and leaving a review. Enjoy your soup! 🙂
Monica
This soup was so easy and delicious! It was my first time trying a creamed soup and it was amazing! I made the first one broccoli and used all the same ingredients and made a cauliflower one too. Thank you
Jane
Just made this soup and it was outstanding and so easy to make!! So creamy and thick and it tasted amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Cindi
I haven’t made it yet, but I am sure I will love it!
I like to make things that can be frozen for later……does this freeze well?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We haven’t tried it ourselves, but we would be worried that the soup would separate in the freezer. 🙁 We hope you love it, Cindi! Enjoy!