Broccoli Soup Recipe

Broccoli Soup Recipe is a quick fix to an easy weeknight meal.

Add meat for your protein count.

This soup is creamy, low in calories, high in antioxidants, and ready in under 30 minutes! 

Stove-top cooking at it's simplest form.

Be sure to have your bowl, spoon and bread ready because you won't be able to resist instantly digging into this easy bowl of healthy and delicious soup! 

Broccoli Soup Recipe

Like most people we love a good bowl of creamy soup!

And soup with spinach, broccoli or peas in, always seems to win!

I often make broccoli soup with the intention of storing it for mysel for a few days, as a lunch-time meal but it never gets there!

It's so delicious!

Even with no heavy cream in this pot of soup, it's still so thick and creamy.

This broccoli soup recipe has parmesan cheese but you can also use cheddar cheese.

Cheddar will make it a broccoli cheddar soup recipe and equally as good.

Use enough liquid.

Chicken broth, vegetable broth or water to cook the broccoli florets.

Then, cooked till tender, you transfer to a blender.

You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup.

Personally, I prefer a stand-up blender because I find it makes a much thicker soup consistency vs a hand-held blender. 

This easy broccoli recipe is meant to be quick and convenient.

Have homemade stock in the fridge or freezer?

Use it or go with ready-made store-bought chicken stock. 

Always try to buy organic stock.

Check the package instructions for low sodium stock.

Why You Will Love This Broccoli Soup

​You can make this soup in so many different ways.

Versatile: Make any soup thicker with potatoes and peas.

That's what I did when I made this carrot and potatoes soup.

Keep it green💚 I love adding peas, spinach and herbs into broccoli soup trying to keep with all the green vegetables.

Convenient: Vegan/Gluten Free. Nut-free and soy-free. Make it how you like it basically.

Don't like parmesan cheese? Add nutritional yeast instead.

Dairy free option to sour cream? Try coconut milk.

Healthy:  The convenience of making your own broccoli soup is that you get to enjoy a healthy hearty bowl of soup because we all know how difficult it is to find a simple broccoli soup at the store!

They are loaded with everything you may not want to add into your body.

This way, you get to feed your whole family a healthy and delicioius main or side dish. 

Ingredients You Will Need 

Broccoli:  A beautiful fresh head of broccoli or broccoli florets.

Aromatics:  Onion and garlic, create an aromatic foundation for this soup.

You can also use leeks if you can find them, which are always a marriage for soups.

Stock/Broth:  I've used chicken stock in this recipe because I love the flavor but you can use vegetable stock too (and for a vegan soup). 

Sour Cream:  Sour cream is adds a lovely note of lemony just with all the thickness of a cream.

You could also add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard for that nice tangy taste. 

Parmesan cheese:  Unlike the famous panera’s broccoli cheddar soup recipe, we use parmesan cheese as opposed to cheddar.

Parmesan cheese has a nutty cheesy profile and texture with a little salty taste.

Substitute with nutrional yeast for vegan option. 

How To Make Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe With Cheese

When I make this recipe, I use quite a bit of broccoli because I want the weight of the broccoli, no watery soups here!

And one more thing, I do not use flour and butter to make a roux although I've seem loads of broccoli recipes starting with a roux.

Personally I prefer to keep this broccoli as light in calories as possible without losing any flavor.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1:  Heat the Olive Oil

In a Dutch-oven or large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil.

Step 2:  Saute Aromatics:

Cook the onions, garlic, pinch of salt, pepper and vegetable or herb spice mix. Cook for 2 minutes. 

Step 3: Build the Flavor

Add about a tablespoon of butter to the aromatics. We need all the richness and flavor in this broccoli soup.

Step 4:  Add the Broccoli And Stock

Add the fresh broccoli florets, the pot will probably fill up, I use roughly 700 grams which is about 4 to 5 cups of broccoli and 25 oz.

Add all the liquid, cook for 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. 

Step 5:  Cheese and Blend

Transfer to a blender and halfway through blending, stop and add the Parmesan cheese. Blend into a smooth and thick soup and return it to the pot.  

Step 6:  Sour Cream and Serve

Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, add the sour cream, salt, pepper and another half to one tablespoon of butter.

Serve with fresh black pepper and more parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

There are optional ingredients that you can add like thick cream.

Does it need it, no but that's personal preference.

The first time I ever made broccoli soup I added whole milk which was also great but I would not use stock when using milk.

I would use water if adding milk. Maybe the next time I make this broccoli soup, as in "a few days time" 🙂

Storage And Make-Ahead Tips 

Make Ahead:  Remove the broccoli stems and store the broccoli florets in the fridge for up to 2 days in advance. 

Refrigerate:  This is a very easy method to storing cooked broccoli if you have left overs.

Let it cool down completely before storing the soup in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. 

Freezer:  Soup recipes are always best warm and fresh, however, they also freeze really well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before warming. 

Freezing you broccoli after cleaning it, is also an excellent way to avoid waste and then use it for this soup recipe next!

Reheating Broccoli Soup

This goes for any soup really not only broccoli soup. 

Microwave:  Reheat in the microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave. What I prefer doing is stopping it around 30 to 40 second blasts to check. 

Stove-top:  Pour the soup into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer on medium-low heat until heated through. Add a fresh layer of cheese and black pepper!

What To Serve With Creamy Broccoli Soup 

This soup is light yet satisfying, uses simple ingredients and delicious all on it's own!

But there are always ways to turn a simple soup into a main course meal.

Here are a few ways; 

Croutons:   Slice bread into squares and fry in a little oil till golden brown, set aside on some kitchen towel until the soup is ready to serve.

Toppings: Fried mushrooms, bacon, toasted pecans and spices are great additions or toppings.

Nuts:  Walnuts, pecans or whatever your favorite nuts are.

Toasted and garnish over the soup before serving.

Cheese:  For a cheesy flavor or a cheesy broccoli soup, use different types of cheddar cheese.

From a simple cheddar to an extra sharp white cheddar, you can make it extra cheesy!  

When it comes to cheese, the only suggestion is to not use pre-shredded cheese. 

Bread:  Serving soup with rustic crusty bread or with ciabatta bread is always our first choice, perfect for dunking!  

Salad:  Chickpea and tomatoes is a great salad for this broccoli.

OR Cucumber and Onion Salad light and balanced with the soup. 

Salads that are more filling with chickpeas.

Try this Chickpea Salad for a more filling salad or this Mediterranean Salad.

Sandwich:  Can we agree that toasted cheese sandwich with soup is the ultimate comfort soup bowl?

 Check out my Carrot And Ginger Soup with toasted cheese!

What is the benefit of broccoli? 

Broccoli soup has fibre which helps improve digestion

Low calorie content means that it can be weight-loss friendly if not laden with thick creams and access cheese. 

Heart health friendly because of the antioxidant content in broccoli

Helps lower cholesterol 

Maintains blood sugar levels 

Promotes the growth of good gut bacteria

Some of the above broccoli information is referenced on this website. 

Equipment Needed To Make Broccoli Soup

​None of these are biased, there are no affiliate links!

Blender:  There are many different blenders on the market and trust me when I tell you these 2 things about appliances like blenders and food processors, because I've been through them!  

Just about any blender, irrespective of price will blend your cooked broccoli into a soup. Whether it's a stand up blender or an immersion blender. 

Do blenders give you the same consistency? 

No. So, if you starting out as a food blogger, or are home making soup, pesto or hummus etc and wonder why your version is not the same, the appliance is probably a factor. 

Chopping Board:  This is an essential in every kitchen, but they do get ruined over time with all the cutting and washing so having some really affordable non-slip boards are ideal in the kitchen. 

Dutch Oven or Big Pot:  Both work when we talking about soup.

The broccoli is on the stove for all of 15 minutes, you can cook it in any Dutch-Oven or large enough pot. 

​Soup Ladle:  You need this for sure, it's a lot better than trying to lift a heavy Dutch-Oven and making a mess!

You need to transfer the soup from the pot to the blender and that can be a challenge without a ladle. 

More Soup Recipes

• Vegetable Turmeric Soup
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Carrot and Potato Soup
• Lentil Soup Instant Pot

Never Miss A Recipe!

Join my free email list HERE to receive new recipes and a set of three delicious recipe ebooks!

Shop our online store for quality all natural spices.

Rate My Recipe

Before you go, enjoy the recipe, eat well, share food and love and please leave me a rating below!