This broccoli cheese soup is creamy, cheesy, and on the healthier side! Thickened with a potato, it does not contain heavy cream and is packed with healthy vegetables.
I am a sucker for a creamy, blended soup. From Thai curry sweet potato lentil soup to ultra creamy butternut squash soup, I love that they are creamy and hearty, yet full of healthy ingredients.
This broccoli cheese soup is one of my favorite soups on the blog! I love the classic broccoli cheese combo, it is quick to prepare, and freeze/thaws great.
This broccoli cheese soup
- is thickened with a potato rather than flour
- is ready in under 30 minutes
- is filling and satisfying, yet packed with healthy vegetables
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how simple it is to make this soup! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
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Ingredient notes
- stock– feel free to use chicken or vegetable stock, or make your own bone broth
- potato– this recipe uses a white potato, and we don’t bother peeling. If using a red potato, you may want to peel (for looks, not for taste)
- milk– this recipe uses dairy milk, but it should work fine with unsweetened almond or nut milk
- cheese– cheddar or mozzarella are both great in this soup; for extra flavor, use an aged cheddar
- other– sometimes I add a carrot to the soup; peel + chop into small pieces
How to cook it
Prep before cooking
For the smoothest cooking experience, I recommend prepping your vegetables before you start cooking. Otherwise, it can get hectic to chop while cooking.
Cut the broccoli into 1-1.5 inch florets, slice the celery, mince the garlic, dice the onion and peel then cube the potato. You don't need to be precise with your cuts, as we will blend the soup up after cooking.
Building the flavor base
We start off by sautéing the onion in the olive oil to build the flavor base of the soup. This helps soften the onions while concentrating the natural sugars.
Next, we add in the garlic. Adding the garlic once the onion is mostly cooked through prevents it from burning. Allow it to simmer for 1 minute, until it smells fragrant. At this point, we deglaze the pan.
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Deglazing + cooking
Deglazing the pan simply means to add liquid or stock to the pot, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom. If you want maximum flavor in your soup, you definitely want those little bits of onion and garlic to be scraped up. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to do this.
After deglazing the pan, we add the celery, broccoli, potato cubes, salt, pepper and broth. The vegetables should be *just* covered. Cover and simmer until the veggies are soft, roughly 20 minutes.
Blending the soup
Once the veggies are softened, stir in the milk, then blend the soup. My favorite way to blend soups is using an immersion blender, because you can do it right in the pot!
If you have a stand blender, you can also carefully transfer the soup in batches to the stand blender and blend it up that way.
Once blended, stir in the cheese until melted, and serve!
I love this immersion blender.
Storage + Reheating
Here’s how to store broccoli cheese soup after cooking:
- Fridge– store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- Freezer– freeze in a glass or plastic freezer jar for up to 3 months; make sure it is completely cooled before freezing
- Thaw– thaw for 48 hours in the fridge, or immerse the jar partially in cold water for a few hours to speed the process
- Reheat– heat on medium heat in a pot on the stove; stir occasionally until warmed through
Check out my favorite freezer containers.
Other cooking methods
Instant Pot- This soup can also be made in the Instant Pot; while it doesn't cut down on the cook time massively, it does mean that you don't need to watch for a pot to boil over, freeing up your mental energy 😉 Check out our Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup recipe.
Slow cooker- I believe this recipe would also work well in the slow cooker, though I have not yet had the chance to test it. Be careful to use the low heat and not to overcook the broccoli as I've found it to get a bitter taste when cooked to high/too long in the slow cooker. Check out this slow cooker broccoli turmeric soup and try the cook time suggested in that post.
More soup for you!
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- 36+ Healthy Soup Recipes
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- Spicy Caribbean-Inspired Soup
- Sausage and White Bean Soup
- Thai Butternut Squash Soup
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 4 cups broccoli florets 1-2 inches
- 1 white potato cut into 0.5 inch cubes; see note 1
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups broth
- 1 cup milk see note 2
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded; see note 3
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the celery, broccoli, potato, salt, pepper and broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potato is soft when poked with a fork.
- Add the milk, then blend with an immersion blender until creamy and smooth (2-3 minutes).
- Add the cheese in 3-4 batches, stirring each time until it has melted into the soup.
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Tips:
- Instant Pot- Check out our Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup recipe.
- Slow cooker- Check out this slow cooker broccoli turmeric soup and try the cook time suggested in that post.
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Sandra says
I recommend cutting the pepper back by 1/4 tsp (too peppery), but otherwise, turned out good.
Liane @ Foodie Digital says
Easy and delicious! Will make again.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Liane! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the soup. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Lindsay says
I bought chicken Broth by accident. Any chance I can make it work without running back to the store?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Lindsay! Absolutely, chicken stock works great in this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
carol says
Could you use frozen Broccoli ?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Carol! Apologies for my late reply. I think that would work just fine 🙂
Amanda says
I'm allergic to celery. Would you omit it completely or suggest another veggie to put in it?
Sara says
Chicken broth? Or veggie?
Denise says
Either one!
Karen says
Delicious! Perfect for a cool autumn lunch.
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed, Karen! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
angelica says
Wondering if you had any suggestions to cut the sodium down in any amount? Looks delicious and cannot wait to make it for a little warmth in upcoming cool months!
Denise says
Hi Angelica! You could leave the salt out and use low sodium stock. I think the soup will be lacking in flavor a bit, though.
Monica says
Looks yummy! What is we can't have traditional milk. Would an alternative milk work? Almond milk?
Denise says
Hi Monica! I know one reader has used almond milk successfully in this recipe! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Rachelle says
This was so tasty! I made it with almond milk and it turned out perfect. I will be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Denise says
Hi Rachelle! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review.
AC says
This is fantastic! My 10 year old loves it too
Denise says
Kids are the toughest critics, so this just made my day! Thanks, AC 🙂
AC says
I'm happy this made your day! I'm not tho because she doesn't want to share, haha
Karen says
Is there a way to make this vegan? Would dairy free cheese work well?
Denise says
Hi Karen! I haven't tried and have very little experience with dairy free cheese. Here's a tasty looking vegan broccoli cheese soup from Love & Lemons! https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-cheesy-broccoli-soup/
Karen says
Thank you!
Lois says
Hi there - This looks delicious and I'm going to try it this week. Just wondering how many cups this recipe makes in total? Apologies if that information is here and I'm just not seeing it. Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Lois! Unfortunately I don't know how many cups this recipe makes. I would guess it makes 4-6 cups. Wish I had this information for you!
Vickie Ebinger says
I just found your website and am so impressed with your recipes and your attention to detail when describing the options! Very thoughtful and much appreciated.
This recipe looks so good and healthy! I am going to try it today with Almond milk and almond milk shredded cheese. I hope it tastes as creamy !! I
Denise says
Thank you SO MUCH, Vickie! I love hearing this! You totally just made my day. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Gigi says
This is so creamy you'd never guess it's lightened up! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for your review!
J says
Put the recipe first!,, if I want photos and hype I can scroll down
Denise says
Feel free to use the big blue "JUMP TO RECIPE" button if you want to go straight to the recipe card.
Mehitabel says
I have tried at least 5 or so of your recipes and I keep making them again and again because they are so easy and delicious every time! Thank you for helping me make my meal planning and preparation much easier and a lot more satisfying.
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this Mehitabel! Thanks so much for your comment and let me know if you ever have a recipe request!
Aydina says
Your recipes are beautiful, I am using them every week. Thank you for your work!
Denise says
Thank you so much, Aydina! You made my day. Let me know if you ever have a recipe request!
Guha says
What do you use for broth? Thanks
Denise says
I use chicken stock since that's what I have in the cupboard, but veggie would work too!
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
I'm pleasantly surprised that this recipe freezes well!! Love how it's made without heavy cream too 🙂
Denise says
Thanks Brittany! It's great to stock the freezer with 🙂