Why this Recipe Works

Lightened Up: There is far less heavy cream in this recipe than most others. If you’d like to reduce the fat content even further, go ahead and omit the heavy cream altogether and go with all whole milk. While you can’t exactly call this a lowfat recipe, it’s far lighter than other similar recipes. The best part is that you’d never know it by the taste. It’s creamy, rich, and wonderful!

Veggie Loaded: This soup has a prominent broccoli base and the cream/milk and cheese only enhance that. Pureed veggies on their own do a lot to add creaminess and structure to soup.

Cheese: Two kinds of cheese add great flavor and a great mouth feel.

Ingredient Notes

For the Soup Base: Butter, flour, minced garlic, and all-purpose flour.

Broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.

Broccoli: For convenience sake, look for a 1 pound bag of fresh broccoli florets. Or, grab a large head of broccoli or 2 or 3 broccoli crowns and cut them yourself.

Dairy: Whole milk and heavy cream.

Cheese: I highly recommend you go with a good quality sharp cheddar. I love Tillamook which I pick up at Costco every couple of weeks but any good quality sharp cheddar will do the trick. I also add a little Velveeta. Don’t be afraid, Velveeta is magic. Trust me. It is a fabulous melting cheese and it adds a really familiar and comforting flavor. The soup just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Seasoning: Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Optional for Serving: There’s something really special about serving this soup in a bread bowl and they are readily available at most grocery stores. I like to save the piece I cut from the top to serve along with the soup for dipping.

How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup

Three images of broccoli cheese soup ingredients in a Dutch oven.

Make the Soup Base: Melt the butter in a Dutch oven, add the diced onion and cook until softened. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for just a minute or two. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the low-sodium chicken broth. Turn the heat under the pan to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until it slightly thickens.

Add the Broccoli: Then, cover the pot and simmer on low until the broccoli is very tender. Puree the mixture using an immersion blender. I love my Cuisinart Immersion Blender but don’t fret if you don’t have one. This can also be done by transferring the mixture, in batches, to a food processor or blender and then returning the mixture to the pot.

Add the Dairy: Reduce the heat to low and add the whole milk and heavy cream. Heat until warmed through. Finally, add the cheese and allow the soup to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has completed melted. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

A ladle scooping broccoli cheese soup from a red Dutch oven.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate: Transfer leftover Broccoli Cheese Soup to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.

Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the soup in freezer-safe containers or bags. It will keep well for up to 2-3 months.

Reheating: When reheating from frozen, thaw the soup in the fridge overnight. Reheat slowly on the stove over low to medium heat, stirring frequently to maintain a smooth texture and prevent the cheese from separating. Reheating broccoli cheese soup too quickly or on high heat can cause the cheese to become grainy or curdle, so warm it gently for the best results.

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love

A spoon scooping broccoli cheese soup from a bread bowl.

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This post was originally published on March 24, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)