When you’re craving comfort food, my creamy and delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup is just what you’re looking for!
Don’t wait for soup season or a cold day to make this delicious cheesy soup. It’s a delicious addition to your table any time of the year.
I remember the first time I had this delicious cream soup back in the seventies. It was served in a bread bowl, and I thought it was soooo fancy! Well, bread bowls have gone by the wayside, but my broccoli cheddar soup recipe is still as popular as ever.
I know a lot of people rave about Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, but their soups all come in frozen, ready to be heated. My broccoli cheese soup is made with simple ingredients and takes under an hour to make.
And if you like frozen soups, my homemade broccoli cheddar soup freezes very well. Frozen in an airtight container, this creamy soup can be kept frozen for up to three months.
Ingredients to make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Broccoli Cheddar Soup. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Simple Ingredients
- fresh broccoli florets
- chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- celery
- white onion
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
- heavy cream
- sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and black pepper
*I like to grate my own cheese, but you can use pre-grated cheese to make your life easier. You can also use frozen broccoli if fresh isn’t available. Medium cheddar cheese instead of sharp can be substituted.
How to make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Melt the butter in a large saucepot on the stove top over medium heat. Then add the diced celery and onions to melted butter and saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour to the pan.
- Mix the flour into the butter and veggies.
- Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring as needed. Don’t let the roux get dark.
- Add the chicken broth, water, and broccoli to a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Bring the broccoli to a boil. Cook the broccoli until very tender (12-15 minutes). Use a whisk to break up the broccoli. *add more water if necessary
- If you want the broccoli pureed, use an immersion blender or blender to puree the mixture. This step is optional, as the broccoli and broth can be added as is.
- Add the hot chicken broth/broccoli mixture to the roux and mix well with a wire whisk until fully blended. Let the mixture simmer over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese to the soup. Mix until the cheddar is completely melted. Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.
- If the soup is too thick, thin it out with water or whole milk. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper as needed.
*If you want more cheesy flavor in this soup, feel free to add more sharp cheddar cheese to the mixture.
After one bite, I know you’ll agree that this is the best broccoli cheddar soup you ever made. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal with a salad a crusty bread.
Recipe FAQ’s
The easiest way is by making a roux. Equal parts butter to flour form a mixture that can be used to thicken soups and sauces. Cheese can also help thicken the soup. Many people use cornstarch but I am not a fan of that method of thickening soups or sauces.
Broccoli Cheddar soup is a good source of vitamins K, C, and A, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. These are crucial nutrients that help strengthen bones and joints. Along with this, antioxidant sulforaphane in broccoli may prevent osteoarthritis.
No, you don’t. By leaving the cheese out, you’ve made a delicious cream of broccoli soup.
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Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup celery fine diced (2-3 stalks)
- 1 cup white onion fine diced
- 3-4 cups broccoli florets chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 cups water add more water as needed
- 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup heavy cream or light cream
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Then add the diced celery and onions to melted butter and saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour to the pan and mix it into the butter and veggies
- Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring as needed. *Don’t let the roux get dark.
- Add the chicken broth, water, and broccoli to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the broccoli to a boil. Cook the broccoli until very tender (12-15 minutes). Use a whisk to break up the broccoli. *add more water if necessary.
- If you want the broccoli pureed, use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the mixture. This step is optional, as the broccoli and broth can be added as is.
- Add the hot chicken broth/broccoli mixture to the roux and mix well with a wire whisk until fully blended. Let the mixture simmer over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese to the soup. Mix until the cheddar is completely melted. Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.
- If the soup is too thick, thin it out with water or milk. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve with crusty bread, and enjoy!
Cooking with Coley
I LOVE soups. Especially broccoli. What a twist on it you’ve created! A perfect feast to go with an Irish beer!
Suzi
Your soup looks so elegant. Thanks for the photo tips, I am working on the white balance but sometimes end up with blue or pink tint. Then sometimes the colors are too dark. Nevertheless it is a lot of fun. I am really enjoying the challenge. Have a wonderful weekend. Heading to the Orlando Foodie Festival on Friday. Should learn a number of things there as wel..
Jenni
The soup looks great, and the tips are valuable. I guess I’d better figure out G+, although I admit it makes me tired to think about! And thanks for the photo tips; I am in Great Need of them. 🙂
Chef D
hi Jenni
it really isn’t anymore difficult than facebook, you go in add a link, make a comment and share it to the public. thats it, of course you can spend more time browsing, I love it because I find such a great variety of information, old songs, new songs, pictures, jokes, it very entertaining, and these are real folk who might become loyal readers.
If you need any help, just ask!
Dennis
FreeSpiritEater
I love cream of broccoli soup and the addition of roasted tomatoes makes it even more delectable. Thanks for sharing Chef, hope you’re having a great day =]
Baking Serendipity
I’ve never thought to add roasted tomatoes to a cream of broccoli soup before, but I love it! This is St. Patrick’s Da simply…the way I like to do it! Hope you are having a great week, Chef 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food
This soup is made straight for my heart. I am fighting a cold right now and there is nothing more I would like than a bowl of this right now. Yum!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
I know I don’t use Google + enough. There just isn’t enough time for everything! Need more hours in the day!
Soup looks creamy and delicious, I like the addition of roasted tomatoes. I am not much into St. Patrick’s Day either, but I am not Irish!
Chef D
Hi Erin
it really doesn’t take long, but the rewards are so much greater than facebook or twitter, because the more your seen on G+ the more your seen on google searches!
I’m barely Irish, and I really don’t love the food,so its rare I make anything Irish!
Dennis
Steph @ Cookin' Cowgirl
I’m with ya on the whole “it doesn’t have to be green to be the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dish.” This soup sounds amazing!! I would really love a bowl! Buzz!
Jean (Lemons and Anchovies)
I admit, I’m one of those people who hasn’t taken the time to fully utilized Google+. Great reminder. Will check Irvin’s page for more info.
Now this soup, I love broccoli soup but your version makes it even more appealing! Perfect for today’s rainy weather!
kateiscooking
Trust you to kick up blah, boring cream of broccoli soup to something I can’t wait to make! Happy St. Patty’s 🙂
mangiabella
this soup is lovely – i love the addition of the roasted grape tomatoes and cheddar….it really sounds fantastic. I promise, I’ll give G+ a go very soon, still trying to come up for air enough to start posting again regularly….and definitely will check out pinerly. All you’ve shared is once again so valuable, all the info on photography, and everything you put out there to help us become better at what we love….we appreciate you SO VERY MUCH.
RavieNomNoms
I love broccoli soup! What a nice recipe this is and I have never had it with tomatoes! What a nice addition!
Thanks for the photography section. I am going to look into getting Photoshop. I have Picasa and it doesn’t have all the capability I think I need.
Chef D
HI Raven
you can get a student / teacher edition at a substantial savings, check those out. Elements would even be enough, I still use that sometimes instead of CS5. It really will make a difference in your images.
Dennis
Anita at Hungry Couple
Great recipe, Dennis. I’m not a fan of green foods unless they come from the produce section so cream of broccoli soup meets that criteria…as well as being delicious 🙂 And thanks for all the social media advice. I saw your note on Pinerly on your Facebook feed and took a look. And I’m in the guilty slow to G+ group. So much to keep up with…
Chef D
I know there is so much to do, but you will get much better returns from G+ because the more your on there and mentioned, the more Google will pay attention to you, your hits from google will really grow! Much better use of time than facebook or even twitter.
Elena
mmm.. I needed a soup for today… thanks! I have all the ingredients in the fridge. Not feeling much myself today so I am going to cook someone else’s dish… yours!
Now, what’s this G+ thing you’re talking about? Going to google away for some info.
P.S. Buzzed!
Chef D
hi Elena
G+ is Google+n the new social media that’s taking the world by storm! Its a really cool platform, you can communicate with the world, or anyone you choose and do it privately, very easy to use, and my google hits have skyrocketed since using it!
Check it out, its free to join, just make sure you fill everything in, people are more apt to follow you when they know your putting effort into it!
Dennis
Elena
Thanks for the info. I signed up. Now I just have to figure the whole thing out and see how it works for me. I joined as theposhlatincook@gmail.com 😀
Chef D
Hi Elena,
I found you on G+, you can just follow the link to follow be back! It’s really easy, just put up a link to your blog post, make a comment about it and share it to the public, and your done! Just be consistent so people get use to seeing your creations!
Dennis
Kim - Liv Life
Love the soup!! I’m a big fan of the broccoli soups, but have never had it with tomatoes. Nice idea!
Great tips, as always, Dennis. Thank you!