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.
It’s kinda watery, the broccoli grabs the cheese making it a weird texture. If I were to make it again I’d use half the onion diced tiny, make the flour roux and add the milk , than cheese, than broth and just add par steamed broccoli and carrots
Tasty – made a couple of changes. Only used a 1/4 of an onion and 1/2 the cheese and skipped the mustard. I added some chopped up rotisserie chicken. Made for a filling and tasty meal.
Fairly thin soup, strong onion flavor and chunky. Had to add more cheese to thicken. I recommend to braise all veggies first, then remove and add back later.
First time great 👍
Made the soup today, was very good! Used 1% milk so it wasn’t as creamy but I’ll know for next time. Otherwise it was yummy, hubby loved it! I used sharp cheddar and Munster.
Delicious!! I’ve made quite a few B/C soups and this one is the best. It’s not “heavy” like other recipes that use half/half or heavy cream. The only thing I didn’t do was add mustard.
I had a large shallot and a bag of frozen baby broccoli florets. The frozen broccoli cut down on my prep time.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was so delicious and easy to make. We didn’t use dijon but added some extra pepper, salt, and cayenne powder which rounded out the flavors well! We are cheese lovers so we added a little extra cheddar as well. I definitely recommend making this soup! My partner isn’t that into soups but ended up loving it and coming back for more.
I’m glad you loved it!
I made this intending to freeze half of it, but it’s so good that I can’t stop eating it, so I’m sure it will be gone long before I’d need to freeze it. I tried one portion with a little freshly ground nutmeg (as someone suggested below), and that was an excellent. idea.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Very good taste but unfortunately my soup came out kinda curdled looking.
I used my dutch cast iron on low for the whole time.
what did i do wrong? please help and advise
Mine too :/
Hi Stephanie, I would try to add the milk slower as you stir it in.
I have tried other cheese/broccoli soups and they just weren’t that tasty.
This recipe was excellent. My husband couldn’t stop saying how great it was! This one has been saved, and will be on our repeat list!
Hi Kristin, yay! I’m so glad the soup was a hit.
Comes out amazing every time! Very easy to make as well.
So glad you love it, Mariann!
This came out great, although I made a few modifications, on purpose and not on purpose. I purposely “ once and a halfed” the recipe. I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth because it’s what I had on hand, I added 2 chopped boiled potatoes, and I forgot to add the darn Dijon till the very end! I added 1 teaspoon, and could totally taste it. I should’ve only added 3/4 of a teaspoon or even less. So I added some smoked paprika, which somehow offset the flavor and still made it all taste good.
I will definitely make this again thank you!
Hi Kathryn, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
I made this for the first time today and it is delicious! This is our family favorite. Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious! We have tried other broccoli cheese soup recipes, and this one surpasses them all! Even my kids who don’t usually love broccoli loved the soup! Thank you for so many great recipes!
Hi Kristen, I’m so glad you and your kids loved it!
Excellent recipe! We like to purée the soup prior to adding the cheese.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe is pretty easy and straight forward! I’ve made it twice now for my husband and I and it’s been so good both times. Very filling for sure. I think it serve 3 on a good day. You could do 4 people if everyone had one bowl. But all together this is my go to comfort food. I pair this with ham Swiss poppy seed sliders and it’s amazing! 10/10
Doubled the recipe and toasted focaccia bread on the side, turned out great.
So, so good. Used chicken broth instead of vegetable because that was what I had – and the pre-shredded cheese, because I’m lazy. And it was still fantastic.
Glad to know you survived pre-shredded cheese. My arm fell off grating the cheese but other sites said I would die instantly from using shredded! Im not a cook but managed to make this easy and excellent recipe. I eat 1/2 and freeze half for later.
Ha, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Made this recipe for the first time. Followed to a T. It was a so good, there wasn’t a drop left after dinner. My entire family loved it. Best of all, quick and easy to put together. Thank you very much. First time finding your site. Will be back.
This was delicious! Made it using soy milk instead and it was great, the texture was creamy and thickens up after you let it sit off the heat for a few minutes. Definitely will double the recipe next time, this made about 2.5 hearty servings.
Super tasty & easy!! I would recommend doubling this recipe if you have more than two people eating, though!