A from-scratch, homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe! This is cozy homemade comfort food at its best. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Creamy, cheesy, flavored with butter and sharp, off-the-block cheddar… can you think of a better way to eat broccoli?
I used to live less than half a mile from Panera bread and got my broccoli cheese soup fix there, but now that Zach and I have moved, the closest Panera is half an hour away. It’s been… an adjustment…
What’s that saying? “Necessity is the mother of invention”? On-demand broccoli soup is kind of a necessity around here, especially while the weather is still blustery and cold, so it was time to finally develop my own recipe. As usual, it took a lot of testing.
There were some versions tried with bacon (that worked so well with my chili recipe and potato soup but fell flat here, and even bacon couldn’t convince Zach to eat a soup made primarily of broccoli) and some versions with garlic, but surprisingly they all lost out to this simple, fresh-tasting version.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter. Butter, rather than oil, gives our soup a flavorful base.
- Onion. A yellow onion is my preference, but a sweet onion or white onion will work as well.
- Flour. For making our roux. More on that below.
- Chicken broth. You could substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
- Whole milk and heavy cream. I usually keep both of these ingredients in my fridge so it’s what I use. However, you could substitute both of these ingredients for half and half instead.
- Broccoli! The most important ingredient for broccoli cheddar soup! Cook until tender.
- Grated carrot. Grate your own or buy “matchstick” carrots from the store.
- Spices. Salt and pepper, sugar (a tiny bit goes a long way), onion powder, ground mustard, and garlic powder. I went back and forth about using freshly minced garlic in this recipe (you can, cook 2-3 minced cloves until fragrant after your onion is cooked), but thought it bullied the fresh flavor of the broccoli a bit and ultimately decided on garlic powder instead.
- Cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese, which will not melt properly or smoothly. Grate your own. I recommend buying 16 oz of sharp cheddar. Grate half into your soup, and save the other half for serving!
A good soup needs a good bread to go with it. Serve this with my homemade biscuit recipe, dinner rolls, or garlic knots. Or, even better, wait until Thursday when I’ll be sharing my homemade bread bowl recipe!
Notes on Preparation
Making a Roux
Our broccoli cheddar soup starts with a simple roux that helps to thicken it. If you’ve made my baked mac and cheese or corn chowder, you’ve done this before. After melting the butter and sautéing the onion, whisk flour into the pot until it’s smooth. This is the base for our roux.
Slowly whisk in some of the milk until thickened. Don’t add it all at once or it won’t thicken as nicely.
Making a roux is honestly simple, but if you haven’t done it before it may be helpful to read the recipe over before beginning and to watch the video below the recipe.
Cutting the 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 (see photo below), which I’ll then go over briefly with a large knife in a mincing motion.
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, which will give it a smooth and creamy texture. Puree as much or as little as you’d like to suit your own preference.
Enjoy!
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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
Nutrition
Linda Delgrande
Excellent! Tastes delicious, very easy to make and takes very little time.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Linda! 🙂
Ray
Awesome! I used a mix of cauliflower and broccoli and it came out amazing! Made bread bowls with it too! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ray! 🙂
Lynda K Teta
Awesome Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lynda! 🙂
Karla
Can you use frozen broccoli? And if so, should i refrost it first?
Sam
Hi Karla! I haven’t tried it but I think it could work. You can defrost it if you’d like. 🙂
Susie
Better than the pre-made soup!
Pam
Loved the soup!! I used all while milk was still amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Pam! Thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
Bruce
OK, I’ll start with the negative, to get it out of the way. When writing a recipe, always list the ingredients in the order they are used. In this recipe, the milk should be listed before the broth.
Second, I could tell that my soup would be too thick, so I added another 1/2 cup of broth, and 1/4 cup of milk, because that finished off the two containers. The thickness was just right.
Now the good stuff. This soup is amazing. It is thick and creamy, with just enough cheese. I thought I’d only purée about half, but I liked the way it was looking, so I went on to about 3/4, like you do. I left out the sugar, and I imagine it enhances the other flavors. It’s still great without it.
I recommend adding the seasonings before the vegetables, so you can be sure they are mixed in.
The seasoning is great, because it stays in the background, but definitely contributes to the overall flavor.
Thank you for drifting away from sweets now and then.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Lori
I do not have whole milk…will another kind work?
Sam
Hi Lori! You can use a lower fat milk here. The soup may just be a little thinner. 🙂
Bruce
Lori,
You can also reduce the amount of lower-fat milk, and increase the amount of heavy cream, to keep the ratios the same. I’d say for 2% milk, use 1 1/4 cups milk and 1 3/4 cups cream For 1% or skim (fat-free) milk, use 1 cup milk and 2 cups cream. This will allow the final product to be about the same.
Trace
One of the best soup recipes I have ever tried.
Marilyn Ann
WoW! This soup was as good as any fine dine restaurant! First time ever making Broccoli Cheddar soup and fortunately, I chose the Best recipe! Make it again for sure. Used kosher salt instead of regular salt and added a bit more pepper!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marilyn! 🙂
Marilyn
Excellent soup
Sugar Spun Run
I am happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Marilyn! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
susanne curro
I made this soup tonight and it was delicoous. Though I didnt add the chicken broth, because it is too salty for me. Does it matter if you add the chicken broth or not ? Today was a good day for it
Sam
Hi Susanne! I would not leave out the chicken broth here. Make sure to get a low sodium chicken broth and then you shouldn’t have too much issue with it being salty. 🙂
Janet Wilson
Can you freeze leftovers?
Sam
Hi Janet! I would be worried that the soup would separate in the freezer. 🙁
Cathy
This was very good. It would be nice on a cold day.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Cathy! 🙂