This creamy, but lightened up Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe is a perfect choice for this time of year. It makes for a quick and easy meal and it is seriously crave-worthy!
Serve this soup in a bread bowl or in a mug with some warm Cheddar Dinner Rolls for dipping.
There are some people who live in this house who are not afraid of cream and LOVE Broccoli Cheese Soup. These people I speak of also swim about 3 hours a day and have teeny, tiny waistlines. But, as much as I love soups with a cream base, they are only a once in a while indulgence for me.
My lightened up version makes us all happy.
In fact, I like this homemade version better than any broccoli soup I’ve ordered at restaurants. Yep, I’m lookin’ at you, Panera.
Table of contents
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
- 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.
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
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
- Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup
- Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup
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Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 16 ounces fresh broccoli florets
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, plus additional for garnish if desired
- 4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, melt butter over MEDIUM heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring for a few minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook and stir for another minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking as you add it. Increase the heat to MEDIUM-HIGH and and cook the mixture until it comes to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer for about 2 or 3 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add the broccoli and place the cover on the Dutch oven. Cook for 25 minutes or until broccoli is very tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor, returning to Dutch oven when you reach the desired consistency. I like to leave some small pieces of broccoli for a little texture.
- Return the pot to the stove and over LOW heat, add the milk and cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and Velveeta cheese and cook and stir until cheese is completely melted. Add salt and taste. Season with additional salt, if needed, and pepper to taste.
- Serve with additional shredded cheese on the side for garnish.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Soup Recipes
This post was originally published on March 24, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
Made this tonight; thought it was pretty good, maybe not quite as good as McAlisters Deli, but best recipe I’ve found to date. Clear and well written recipe. Thank you!
Hi Valerie,
Can I use frozen broccoli that is thawed instead of fresh? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work just fine.
I will definitely make this.
Yum, yum – broccoli cheddar soup sounds absolutely delicious on this rainy day, especially in a bread bowl. LOVE your blog!! – Shayla
I need to try this Velveeta. I’m very curious! Your broccoli cheese soup sounds so good!
It melts really well Nami so it’s perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s a classic.
I’m pretty sure I would love your version too! I see you have better than boullion – don’t you just love that stuff?! I can’t live without it.
I go to my local Panera Bread and order broccoli cheese soup all the time. Yours looks even better. YUM
Panera’s got a good one. I think that is how one of my boys got hooked on it in the first place! Thanks Val 🙂
Can I use all whipped cream instead of whole milk
Sure! It will be a very rich soup.
Oh, I adore that you put this in a bread bowl! We are big fans of bread bowls and soup around here and I recently even made a broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl. I guess great minds think alike. 🙂 this is a great reduced-fat version of this soup. Yummers!
Broccoli and cheese is a hard to refuse kind of combination. the soup looks creamy and love the way you presented it Val. 🙂
I love a good broccoli cheese soup, and agree that they don’t always need to be weighed down with cream. I make a delicious one with a chicken broth base. This looks fabulous, Valerie! Great recipe for the cooler days.