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This Cream of Broccoli Soup is your dream come true. When I posted about it in my Instagram stories, everyone commented saying how much they missed a traditional broccoli cheese soup. Broccoli cheese soup is so damn comforting. It’s flavorful, nostalgic, and honestly an underrated soup in general. So, I wanted to create my own version of this classic soup that will warm you from the inside out.
Why You’ll Love This Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Easy: It’s simple and can be made in one pot quickly. It’s also foolproof – not even the worst cook can screw this one up.
- Nostalgic: It’s comforting and takes you back to your childhood, warming your insides after a long day.
- Sneaky Greens: There’s hidden kale in this soup that nobody will ever detect!
Ingredients
Broccoli – The star of this Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe isn’t just delicious but packed with nutrition. Broccoli is a great source of vitamins K and C, plus a good source of folic acid, potassium, and fiber. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, while vitamin C builds collagen and is a powerful antioxidant. The fiber keeps digestion healthy and cholesterol low.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Potatoes – These create the perfect creamy base for this soup without relying solely on dairy. They add bulk and silky texture and help thicken the soup naturally. When blended with the broccoli, they create that luxurious mouthfeel that makes cream of broccoli soup so satisfying.
How to Make Cream of Broccoli Soup
1. To a large pot add your olive oil and heat on medium-high heat for 1 minute before adding onions. Cook the onions for 7 minutes or until translucent. Into the pot add your garlic and potatoes. Cook them for 5 minutes while stirring often to avoid burning. Scrape any brown bits that develop at the base of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add your broccoli and cook for around 15 minutes, with lid on, on medium-low heat.
2. Go ahead and add your green kale and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Increase heat to high and add your vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
4. Once potatoes are tender and the milk and stir till well combined. Remove soup from heat and blend in a high-speed blender till smooth and creamy. You can also enjoy chunky or blended half and half, the choice is yours.
5. Return the blended soup to the pot and stir in your cheese of choice. Stir till melted and till perfectly silky! Test for seasoning before serving. If the soup is too thick or rich, just add more vegetable stock and stir till well combined and heat till hot throughout.
6. Serve with fresh garlic bread and top with cracked pepper and a small drizzling of olive oil!
7. Before plating check for seasoning. To serve, scoop and top with chickpeas, fresh cilantro and a drizzling of olive oil.
Tips and Tricks
- Onions: Be patient when cooking down the onions as they’re crucial for building flavor.
- Broccoli: Steam it in the pot until soft before adding milk for best texture.
- Consistency: Add more stock gradually if you prefer a thinner soup.
Variations
Make this Cream of Broccoli Soup your own with these simple swaps:
- Dairy-Free: For a vegan version, use Chao Cheese and Daiya (cutting board collection) with good-quality oat milk.
- Greens: Spinach can replace kale if preferred.
- Potatoes: Cauliflower can be a substitute for a lower-carb option.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar, gruyere, or a combination creates different flavor profiles.
Best served with
How to Store Leftovers
Store this Cream of Broccoli Soup an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of milk or stock if needed to restore creaminess.
Common Questions
Use oat milk instead of dairy milk, and substitute the cheese with Chao Cheese and Daiya (cutting board collection) for the best dairy-free results
This cream of broccoli soup recipe is perfect for picky eaters! The cheese and creamy texture disguise the vegetables, and blending it smooth hides all evidence of kale and broccoli.
Absolutely! This soup actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors develop. Store it in the refrigerator and reheat gently when ready to serve.
Yes! Frozen broccoli works perfectly in this cream of broccoli soup recipe. No need to thaw it first – just add it directly to the pot and adjust the cooking time slightly.
Let the potatoes cook until very tender, as they’re the natural thickener. For even more thickness, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of flour to the onions before adding the liquid.
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large sweet white onion, roughly chopped
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- ¾ cup mini potato, halved
- 3 heads of broccoli, stemmed and stalked trimmed and chopped
- 2 cups of green kale, roughly chopped
- 6-8 cups of unsalted vegetable stock, enough just to cover the vegetables
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 ½ cups of your favourite meltable regular or vegan cheese
Instructions
Start Cooking- To a large pot add your olive oil and heat on medium-high heat for 1 minute before adding onions. Cook the onions for 7 minutes or until translucent. Into the pot add your garlic and potatoes. Cook them for 5 minutes while stirring often to avoid burning. Scrape any brown bits that develop at the base of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add your broccoli and cook for around 15 minutes, with lid on, on medium-low heat.
- Go ahead and add your green kale and cook for 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to high and add your vegetable stock, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili flakes. Bring soup to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Once potatoes are tender and the oat milk and stir till well combined. Remove soup from heat and blend in a high-speed blender till smooth and creamy. You can also enjoy chunky or blended half and half, the choice is yours.
- Return the blended soup to the pot and stir in your vegan cheese of choice. Stir till melted and till perfectly silky! Test for seasoning before serving. If the soup is too thick or rich, just add more vegetable stock and stir till well combined, and heat till hot throughout.
- Serve with fresh garlic bread and top with cracked pepper and a small drizzling of olive oil!
- Before plating check for seasoning. To serve, scoop and top with chickpeas, fresh cilantro, and a drizzling of olive oil.
32 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Love the soup! Is it okay to add ANY other vegtables to it? What do you reccomend?
Hi Mila, I reccomend adding cauliflower (for creaminess), potatoes, leek, caramelized onions, some spinach! You can add almost anything that isnt TOO wild in flavour (like bell peppers as it may take away from the comfoting creaminess), even saute these different veggies and mix in afterwards! SO delicious! 🙂
This is my GO-TO soup! You’re the best Maria!
You’re the best! Thanks love!!
Hi Maria! Thanks for the soup- so delicious!! I LOVE making it with this smoked vegan cheddar I found and serving it with crackers too! You should try it!! 🙂
WHAT?! Sounds so insane and delicious! I will try it Debra!! Thanks for the tip
My kids dont like broccoli, but love this soup lol! Thanks so much Maria!
You’re so welcome! Happy they love it 🙂 get your greens!!
THIS SOUP IS INSANE!
THANKS DAVID!
This soup is a big hit in our house — even my toddler loves it (and she usually doesn’t touch vegetables 😉)
A must try!
ahh!! thank you so much, Rini!
Wow! This soup is mindblowing and a true changer. Even if you’re a stubborn broccoli hater, make this creamy, delicious and rich-in-flavour soup. You’lI immediately change your mind after having this one. t’s also a good zero waste choice if you need to empty your fridge.
Ahhh!! Thank you so much for the love, hun!
Love love love! This was my first home made soup so I was very apprehensive of how it was going to turn out, news flash.. delicious!!
The ingredients were easy to source, the step by step guide was in nice simple terms (novice cook here!) and I couldn’t be happier with the finish result, thank you so much Maria! My first of many more recipes of yours!
Thank you so much for the love, hun!
Recipe is very versatile! I used zucchini. No kale. No one could tell the difference!
Amazing!! This makes me so happy!!!
I really love this vegan broccoli cheese soup, healthy as well as delicious. Nice content, good read and informative.
Thank you so much! I am in love with it too!!