This 30-minute broccoli cheddar soup recipe is the ULTIMATE comfort food! It's rich, creamy, super cheesy, and loaded with tender veggies.
Broccoli cheddar soup is one of Jack’s favorite foods. Ask him about the version at Panera Bread, and he’ll go on and on about its creamy texture and rich, tangy, cheesy flavor. He never expected me to develop a broccoli cheddar soup recipe at home (unless you count this vegan twist), but with the holidays right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to surprise him with one.
So, on a gray, chilly day last weekend, when we were both craving comfort food, I finally made him this broccoli cheddar soup recipe. As we sat down with our steaming bowls, I waited anxiously to see what he’d think. I shouldn’t have worried. He took one taste and declared, “This recipe is even better than Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup!” A few minutes later, he was already heading back for seconds. I hope you love this recipe too!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this broccoli cheddar soup recipe:
- Broccoli, of course! Cut it into small, bite-sized pieces so that you get some in every spoonful of soup.
- Onion and garlic – They add savory depth of flavor.
- Butter and flour – They create a roux that thickens the soup.
- Milk – It perfects the soup’s creamy texture. Whole milk is traditional in broccoli cheese soup, and it works great here, but I often use unsweetened almond milk instead, and it works nicely too. The soup is a tad less thick, but it’s still delicious!
- Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make your own.
- Carrot – You can finely chop it or julienne it. I personally like to julienne it because the shredded carrots remind me of grated cheese, and I think they give the soup a fun, extra-cheesy look.
- Dijon mustard – It adds tangy, peppery depth of flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – It wouldn’t be broccoli cheddar soup without it! Sharp cheddar cheese is my fave, but feel free to opt for a mild cheddar if your prefer.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
So creamy! So cheesy! Who wants a bowl?
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe Tips
- Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting into a lusciously creamy soup. To ensure that your broccoli cheddar soup has the best smooth and creamy texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
- Whisk continuously when you add the flour and milk. At first, whisking prevents the flour from burning on the bottom of the pot with the butter. Once you add the milk, it evenly disperses the flour and butter in the liquid, thickening the soup and preventing lumps from forming.
- Go low and slow. When you add the cheese to the soup, make sure that the pot is over very low heat. If the heat is too high, the cheese won’t incorporate into the soup, giving it a thin, gloopy texture. I also recommend adding a little at a time and stirring well between additions.
- Reheat it on the stove. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat them, you’ll once again need to go low and slow. Skip the microwave, and warm the soup on the stovetop instead. Place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and stir occasionally until heated through. Reheated this way, the soup should stay thick and creamy. If you try to rush the process and crank up the heat, the soup will separate. Trust me, I learned the hard way!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Serving Suggestions
Make this broccoli cheese soup a meal by serving it with good crusty bread or a heap of homemade croutons. If you’re looking for something more to serve with it, I recommend a simple veggie side dish like one of these:
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Green Bean Salad
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Simple Green Salad
- Sautéed Kale
Enjoy!
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this broccoli cheddar soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:
- Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Creamy Potato Soup
- White Bean Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 large carrot, julienned or finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, about 2 heaping cups
- Homemade croutons, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, then sprinkle in the flour and whisk continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the flour turns golden. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously.
- Add the broth, broccoli, carrot, and mustard and stir to combine. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Gradually add the cheese, stirring after each addition, until all the cheese is melted and the soup is creamy. Season to taste and serve with croutons, if desired.
Does this recipe double nicely? I’m making for 6 people tonight along with sourdough bread bowls
Hi Lace, doubling the recipe should be no problem. I hope you enjoy!
I made broccoli cheddar soup several times before. so far, This was my kid’s favorite. We ate the entire pot between the three of us with zero left overs. I threw together a quick crusty loaf in the bread maker to go with it. I used 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1 1/4 almond milk for a while milk balance. definitely making again.
Hi Timothy, I’m glad you loved it!
Made this yesterday and it was very good. Didn’t have milk so I used some sour cream thinned out with a bit of broth and added that towards the end. Also gave it a splash of Worcestershire sauce, pickle brine and a tablespoon or two of macaroni and cheese sauce powder. Served it with pumpernickel croutons I made in the air fryer.
Hi Ed, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How would this work with other milk substitutions? Like Lactaid 2%
We’ve made it with almond milk – so any milk should work. For a totally vegan version try this recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-broccoli-soup/
Delicious and super easy
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Is there a way to substitute frozen broccoli florets, for convenience sake?
Thank you for your time.
yep, you could use frozen!
Used chicken broth (about three cups as that’s what we had. It was very good. The mustard was fine – someone questioned it.
The mustard is making me question this soup will it have a mustard taste???
Hi Jana, no, it just adds a little bit of tang – you won’t taste it at all.
Perfect!!!!
I’m not a big cook – my partner does most of the cooking, but even for me this was really simple, stress free and delicious. The kids loved it too 🙂
Hi Maggie, you can just double all of the ingredients and make sure you’re using a large enough pot!
Can you use mustard powder?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it might be fine? I might start with 1/4 teaspoon.
Still good, have made it before. Used chicken broth vs vegetable.
Super easy and super tasty. I did sub in chicken stock for vegetable stock, and, not surprisingly, still good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
LOVE this recipe. Super easy and it tastes delicious. We use a combo of smoked and regular cheddar that you shred yourself and it comes out delicious. I dropped it down to 2 tablespoons of butter just to cut back and it still turned out perfect.!! I added extra broccoli and I also add smoked paprika and ground mustard🙂 if it’s too chunky you can mash it up/puree it and it’s thickens it!
This soup is incredible! It’s a fairly easy recipe to prep and hold warm before adding the cheese. I went heavy on the broccoli (probably 4 cups) and ended up blending a portion of it with a stick blender so there were still a lot of chunks. I used an “unexpected cheddar” from Trader Joe’s, which is an aged cheddar with some parmesan qualities. It was delicious.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I just finished making this and I recommend it. First off, I used Trader Joe’s New Zealand cheddar. I also accidentally put 4 cups of broccoli so I added an extra cup of milk and an ounce of Gruyère. It’s tasty but I wish I had used a much sharper cheddar. Or maybe it was the extra cup of milk that diluted the cheddar and I should add another few ounces of cheese.
It also took much more than 10 minutes to prep everything but it was so easy that the extra time didn’t matter. I’m going to make this again with the sharpest cheddar I can find.
Easy, quick, and delicious! It’s a great recipe and my whole family loves it. It’s not an easy feat to please 7 people with ONE dish but this did!!!
Hi Ashley, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Was really good…nice recipe!
I’m very interested in making this soup but I’m a beginner cook so am eager for very detailed instructions, ha. The recipe only mentions medium heat but then one of the tips says to only add the cheese on very low heat? So do you only turn the heat down right before you add the cheese or sooner? And how low are we talking, the lowest setting? You want it to still simmer, right? Thank you for any advice for a novice!
Hi Allison – kudos to you for wanting to cook! I haven’t made this recipe, but I’m an experienced cook. The point of turning the heat down when you add the cheese is so the cheese doesn’t burn. The soup will probably be hot enough to melt the cheese before you even add it, so if I were making this, I would turn the stove off and add the cheese and stir till it melts, assuming you are using an electric stove because the burner will stay hot enough to melt the rest of the cheese – if gas, then you’ll need to turn it on a low heat (between medium and lowest) and don’t stop stirring until the cheese melts, then remove from heat immediately. Hope that helps!