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
Equipment
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.
An absolutely lovely recipe. I did add some chopped bacon for another layer of flavor with the onions. I subbed my homemade chicken broth for the veggie broth. It was I had on hand. Thank you
I’m so glad you loved it!
An absolutely lovely recipe. I did add some chopped bacon for another layer of flavor with the onions. I subbed my homemade chicken broth for the veggie broth. It was i had.
This soup was delicious. I love onion, garlic, and cheese!
Hi Shari, I’m so glad you loved it!
This is so delicious! I used what I had so I subbed heavy cream for milk. I didn’t have any Dijon so I omitted that. I bet it would add a nice depth of flavor. I also made the homemade croutons to go with it. Perfect!
Hi Lori, I’m so glad you loved it!
Lovely soup. Only changes I made were doubling! Using half and half in place of the milk, and mild, medium and sharp cheddar cheeses for more cheese complexity. Big hit for Souoee Sunday, will definitely make again and again.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
I made this broccoli and cheddar soup today for the lunch special and everyone loved it. Easy to follow recipe, and I doubled it. First time ever making broccoli and cheddar soup. Will be making this for the family. 5 stars
omg so cheesy so good and the croutons made it even better…really enjoyed the recipe,thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved it!
My niece requested this as a side for Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect! Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear!
The milk curdled after I added it. What did i do wrong?
Hi Bonnie, it sounds like your heat was too high or try adding it slower next time.
Anytime you add milk or cream or something like that to a hot soup, I recommend tempering the milk. What you do is add some of the hot soup to the milk before dumping in the whole amount or otherwise slowly adding heat to the milk so that it is not shocked and curdles.
Anytime you add milk or cream or something like that to a hot soup, I recommend tempering the milk. What you do is add some of the hot soup to the milk before dumping in the whole amount or otherwise slowly adding heat to the milk so that it is not shocked and curdles.
EDIT: I see now that the milk is added to the roux. My mistake. Cancel/ignore this reply please.
Making your soup as I write this message, but I doubled the recipe, and can’t wait to have it for dinner with sourdough bread. 😋😋😋
Thanks for a,variety of recipes!
Thanks for another great recipe! I made this today on our first cool fall day in Austin. Used fresh broccoli from our garden, delicious!
Cathy
Hi Cathy, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
Going to try this over the weekend…perfect season and temp for it here in the Northeast. Rather than refrigerating, can this be frozen?
Hi Mike, yep, you can freeze it. I hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe so much, I’ve made it 4x in the past 2 weeks! Only suggestions I have is to substitute Sautéed onion Better than Bullion for the vegetable stock. I also topped mine with crispy onions. If you want to make this gluten free, substitute the flour for 2tbs corn starch instead and don’t add a topping. You can also add a corn starch slurry at the end to thicken more if desired.
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
This broccoli cheddar soup recipe is the best recipe I’ve tried. This is the only one that I would look forward to making again. I’ve tried so many that I gave up until I saw yours. (Some of the other ones I’ve tried called for a little nutmeg, so I tried some and it is a nice addition.) It’s a really good recipe!! Thank you!
Hi Jamie, I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipe!
My name is also Jamie and I think it’s the universe telling me to make this soup but could I substitute Muenster cheese?
This recipe is SO GOOD! I end up using more broccoli and carrots than recommended, and after I made the first batch my husband wanted it doubled but also a bit thicker, so I added an additional 1/4 cup flower and he loves the consistency. I usually add a couple of dashes of smoked paprika and otherwise follow this exactly and we love it! I’ve probably made this soup 10 times in the past month.
Typed too fast, meant to say FLOUR*
10 times! I’m so glad it’s become such a favorite.
This recipe was delicious!! I did a double batch for my large family and we all loved it!!!
Awesome recipe as usual! We did broccolini and water instead of veggie broth and still amazing!Ty!
So good! I love how easy it is to make. There are never any leftovers. And, even my picky teenagers love it!
Very good!