I love broccoli cheddar soup so much, especially this one, which skips the flour and butter base common in many other recipes. Instead of extra butter and flour, we use a potato to thicken our soup and make it creamy. Even with these smart changes, our soup is creamy, rich, and incredibly delicious! For more creamy soups, see our roasted cauliflower soup, this potato soup, and our creamy vegetable soup.
Key Ingredients
Broccoli: I love using broccoli with the stems for this recipe. The stems (or stalks) taste fantastic and blend well with the potato to make this super creamy broccoli soup. Butter or Olive Oil: I love cooking my onion and garlic in butter, but olive oil is excellent for this soup. Onion and Garlic: I’m pretty generous with the onion and garlic. I love one large sweet or yellow onion with four cloves of garlic. You’ll cook them until soft and sweet so they taste mild in the soup. Potato: One potato makes this soup super creamy without needing the traditional flour and butter roux. Spices: Salt and pepper are a must, but you will also need a pinch of red pepper flakes (or gochugaru), Dijon mustard, and a bay leaf. These round out the flavor of our soup. Broth: I use something light, like our homemade veggie broth or chicken broth. You can even use chicken bone broth to add a bit of extra protein. I have also made this plenty of times with plain water. It works great and allows the broccoli flavor to shine! Cheese: I stir in about 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese for the perfect cheesy flavor.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
I call this easy broccoli cheddar soup because the prep time is minimal. First, cook roughly chopped onions and whole garlic cloves in butter or olive oil until soft and sweet. Then stir in diced potato, broccoli stalks (the florets come into play later), salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Cover everything with broth and simmer until tender. Add half the broccoli florets, cook until green and tender, and blend the soup. I use my immersion blender to make things easy. Since we held those broccoli florets back, they are still bright green, making our soup pretty. Now that the soup is ultra-creamy, we can add the remaining broccoli florets and cook until they are bright green and tender. This way, the base of the soup is green and creamy, and you still get a few small bites of broccoli. Stir in lots of grated sharp cheddar cheese and cream for an extra creamy soup. And that’s it—green creamy broccoli cheddar soup. We love it! 4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil 2 pounds broccoli with stalks 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, omit if sensitive to spice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 medium-to-large potato, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf 4 cups chicken broth, veggie broth, or water 1/2 cup cream, optional 2 cups (226g) grated sharp cheddar cheese, 8 ounces Thinly sliced chives, for serving, optional Fish sauce, optional 2Grab the broccoli stalks, cut about 1 inch from the bottom of each stalk, and discard it. Use a vegetable peeler to peel away the tough outer layer of the stalks, and then slice the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. 3Melt the butter in a large pot like a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it has melted, toss in the onion and garlic cloves. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the onions are soft and smell sweet, about 5 minutes. 4Add the chopped broccoli stalks, potato, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, Dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for two minutes, then add the bay leaf and four cups of broth or water. 5Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook, at a low simmer, until the broccoli and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 6Stir in half of the broccoli florets to the soup, cover with a lid, and cook until they turn bright green and are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Adding the florets in this step ensures that our soup stays green. 7Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender. You can also use a blender, but be careful to blend the soup in batches, do not fill more than halfway, and hold the lid down firmly as you blend. Hot liquids can cause steam to build up in the blender, and the top can pop off. 8Place the pot back onto the burner and heat over medium heat. Stir in the remaining broccoli florets, cover the pot again, and cook until they turn bright green and are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. 9Stir in the cream and cheese. When the cheese melts into the soup, taste it, and then adjust with additional salt and pepper. For a pop of flavor, add a few dashes of fish sauce. Serve with chives scattered on top.
