Creamy broccoli soup with cheese

Cheesy, gooey and delicious; this creamy broccoli soup with lots of cheddar and crispy croutons is a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal and so good!

Broccoli soup with cheese

When I was young (it’s been a while ago!) broccoli was not a thing. I don’t think I ever ate broccoli growing up. Cauliflower yes, but broccoli came around much later. Funny if you think about it, as I love broccoli these days. I use it in a broccoli pasta, broccoli oven dishes and in this quick weeknight meal for a broccoli stir fry. It’s easy to prepare and super healthy.

I had made a broccoli soup with spinach before a while ago but I wanted to try something with a bit more creaminess and I love adding cheese to everything, so why not add it to the soup? The end result is this broccoli cheese soup recipe.

Perfect for soup season and the ultimate comfort food if you ask me. Grab a bowl and enjoy your favorite movies while cuddling under a cozy blanket.

What goes into the broccoli soup?

Broccoli – obviously. I used about 2 heads for this broccoli. You can use both the broccoli stalks as well as the florets. One thing to note is that I did not use an immersion blender for creating a smooth soup. I did make sure the broccoli was cut finely. I wanted bits of broccoli in this soup but if you want you can use a blender to create a smooth soup.
Onion and garlic – I always start any soup with sautéing some onions and garlic. It gives so much flavor, but if you’re allergic you could leave them out
Almond milk – I used quite a bit of almond milk in this recipe but you can substitute this with heavy cream or mix the two for a bit of a lighter version. Keep in mind that adding cream will make this quite a heavy soup.
Carrot – for some extra veggies I added some thinly sliced (or grated) carrots to the soup as well
Vegetable broth – Since the soup is vegetarian you can stick to the veggie stock. I do love to use chicken broth as I think that gives me a bit more flavor.
Cheese – I used a sharp cheddar cheese, but any aged cheese that has good melting properties will work in this soup. You can shred it yourself or buy pre-shredded cheese for ease of use. Keep in mind that it is best to grate it yourself. Sometimes the pre-shredded packages have some kind of coating that makes the cheese melt in a different way in your soup.
corn starch or arrowroot – I use this for thickening the soup to my liking. The cheese will also thicken it a bit but I like it
Mustard – I love adding a good bit of spicy dijon mustard to the broccoli soup as well. Makes it extra delicious!
Crusty bread – I also make a couple of croutons for serving on the soup and giving it some crunch. Super delicious and I serve the rest of the bread next to the soup.

Besides the ingredients you will need a large pot, a grater if you don’t buy ready grated cheese and some oil for adding to the pan. You can use olive oil or coconut oil.

How to make the broccoli soup

Now making this broccoli soup with cheese is easy. The only thing you want to pay extra attention to is the adding of the cheese to the soup. But first things first. Taking your large soup pot you place it on medium heat and add a bit of your oil of choice. Sauté the onion, add the garlic and all the vegetables. Stir it through and add the chicken stock (or vegetable stock) and the milk in.

Cook everything until the vegetables are cooked through. Since you chopped them finely it won’t take long. Usually 15 minutes is enough.

Now take the soup away from the stove top and add the cheese in stages. Stirring in between to make sure it melts into the soup. Once all the soup is in and it is not thick enough you can add some thickener of your choice. Add the mustard and season with black pepper and salt.

Cheesy croutons

I added some deliciously crunchy cheese croutons on top of the soup too. For making these I tear up some old baguette into uneven bits. I sprinkle this with olive oil and grate some extra cheese over the bread. Shake it around so all bread chunks are covered with oil and cheese. Bake this either in the oven or in a large skillet until golden brown.

Serve the soup with the croutons on top. Optionally you can add some sour cream and cress on top as well.

Frequently asked questions on the broccoli soup with cheese

If you want less cream and/or milk or no cream at all you can still create a creamy effect by adding a few white potatoes to the soup. It also helps to use an immersion blender before adding the cheese. So use more of the stock and leave out the almond milk. Add a few floury potatoes to the soup and cook as normal. Once the vegetables are cooked you use the immersion blender to smooth the soup and add the cheese after this. Your soup will have a creamy texture now but without the milk.

You sure can. If you want more protein in the soup add some chicken. Either poached or baked. You can also add some legumes for plant based protein.

You can keep the soup in the refridgerator for about 2-3 days in an airtight container. Keep in mind that the cheese will harden again in the fridge, so you want to slowly reheat it and you might need to add some extra stock or water to loosen it up.