Broccoli Cheddar Soup

A from-scratch, homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe! This is cozy homemade comfort food at its best. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli cheddar soup, broccoli cheese soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings cups

Calories 551kcal

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour 42g
2 cups low sodium chicken broth 475ml
1 ½ cups whole milk 355ml
1 ½ cups heavy cream 355ml
4 cups broccoli florets¹ cut into small pieces (270g)
1/3 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
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste, as needed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 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

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.

¹I usually buy 1 lb of fresh broccoli crowns and am left with enough after removing the stalks and cutting the florets.