There are vegetables you eat because you know you should. And then there’s broccoli covered in cheddar cheese.
Suddenly nobody needs convincing.
This Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, cheesy, packed with tender broccoli, and exactly the sort of dinner that sounds good when the weather starts getting chilly. It has that rich comfort-food feel you want from broccoli cheese soup, but there’s no heavy cream involved.
Instead, milk, a simple roux, Parmesan, sharp cheddar, and partially blended vegetables create that thick, creamy texture.
The whole pot takes about 50 minutes, and once there’s a piece of crusty bread sitting next to the bowl, I’m calling dinner finished.
Why This Broccoli Cheddar Soup Works
The broccoli and cheddar might get their names in the title, but there’s more going on underneath.
The soup starts with onion, carrot, celery, and garlic softened in butter. It’s a simple vegetable base, but it gives the broth much more flavor before the broccoli and cheese arrive.
Then flour is cooked with the vegetables to make a roux, which helps thicken the broth.
Milk provides creaminess without needing heavy cream, while Parmesan and sharp cheddar bring plenty of cheesy flavor.
And there’s one particularly useful trick:
You only blend part of the soup.
That thickens the broth while leaving plenty of actual broccoli and vegetable pieces behind.
Creamy and chunky at the same time?
Exactly what we want.
What You’ll Need
For this Broccoli Cheddar Soup, you’ll need:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
- 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
It’s a pretty manageable ingredient list for a soup with this much flavor and texture.
And yes, six cups of broccoli sounds like a lot.
Then the cheddar shows up and suddenly everyone is perfectly comfortable with the situation.
8 Steps to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables
Start by chopping the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
The original recipe suggests using a chopper or mini food processor, which makes quick work of the vegetables.
Also chop the broccoli florets into small pieces.
Smaller pieces cook more evenly, blend more easily, and—perhaps most importantly—actually fit on your spoon.
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat.
Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic along with the kosher salt and black pepper.
Sauté everything for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
It doesn’t look like broccoli cheddar soup yet.
Give it time.
The cheese hasn’t even entered the building.
Step 3: Make the Roux
Stir the flour into the softened vegetables.
Cook it for 2 minutes.
This short cooking time gets rid of the raw flour taste while allowing the butter and flour to create the thickening base for the soup.
It’s a small step, but it’s doing a lot of work later.
Step 4: Add the Broth
Gradually whisk in the chicken or vegetable broth.
Don’t pour everything in and hope for the best.
Adding the broth gradually while whisking helps the flour incorporate smoothly so you don’t end up chasing little flour lumps around the pot.
Continue until the broth is nicely combined with the vegetable mixture.
Step 5: Add the Milk, Broccoli, and Parmesan
Pour in the milk and increase the heat to high until the soup comes to a boil.
Add the chopped broccoli florets and grated Parmesan, then stir everything together.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
Reduce the heat to low and cook the soup uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
At this point, it already smells good.
But we’re still missing the ingredient responsible for approximately 90% of the excitement.
Cheddar.
We’re getting there.
Step 6: Blend Part of the Soup
Grab an immersion blender and give the soup a very quick blend—just a second or two.
You aren’t trying to turn the entire pot completely smooth.
You only want to puree part of the vegetables so they naturally thicken the soup.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove about 1–2 cups of soup, blend that separately, and then return it to the pot.
This little trick gives you creamy broth while still leaving recognizable broccoli and vegetable pieces in every bowl.
Best of both worlds.
Step 7: Add the Cheddar
Now we get to the important part.
Gently stir in the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Let it melt smoothly into the hot soup.
Take your time and stir gently until the cheese is incorporated into the broth.
And just like that, a pot containing six cups of broccoli has transformed into comfort food.
Cheese really does have an impressive résumé.
Step 8: Serve It Hot
Ladle the finished soup into bowls while it’s warm.
If you’d like, the original recipe allows you to garnish each bowl with additional cheddar cheese.
Then grab a spoon and get to work.
You’ve got creamy broth, tender broccoli, vegetables, Parmesan, and sharp cheddar all in one bowl.
Dinner could certainly be more complicated.
I’m glad it isn’t.
Don’t Completely Puree the Soup
When you reach the blending stage, restraint is useful.
If you’re using an immersion blender, the original recipe only calls for a quick second or two of blending.
That’s intentional.
You’re trying to puree enough broccoli and vegetables to thicken the broth—not turn everything into one completely smooth green liquid.
Leaving some small broccoli and vegetable pieces behind gives the finished soup much better texture.
If you’re using a regular blender, blending only 1–2 cups accomplishes the same thing.
Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth?
Either works.
Low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, so you can choose whichever makes sense for your meal.
Using vegetable broth keeps the soup vegetarian.
Whichever one you choose, using a lower-sodium broth is useful because cheddar and Parmesan bring their own saltiness to the pot.
You can always taste near the end and adjust the seasoning.
Taking salt out?
Considerably harder.
What to Serve With Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A warm bowl can absolutely work as lunch on its own, but this soup is particularly good with something alongside it.
The original recipe suggests bread, cheddar biscuits, fruit, or a side salad for lunch.
For dinner, you can pair it with half a sandwich or serve the soup as the first course of a lighter meal.
And yes, you can also go full cozy-café mode and serve it inside a hollowed-out bread bowl.
Personally, give me a regular bowl and a big piece of bread for dipping.
I’m not difficult.
Making It Ahead
This is also a useful make-ahead soup.
The original recipe notes that it can be prepared up to 4 days ahead, making it convenient for quick lunches or dinners during the week.
Store it properly refrigerated and reheat a bowl whenever you need it.
There’s something very satisfying about opening the refrigerator at lunchtime and remembering that Past You already made soup.
One Cozy Bowl Worth Making Again
Broccoli Cheddar Soup is one of those recipes where a handful of simple ingredients turn into something considerably more comforting than you’d expect.
You’ve got tender broccoli, carrots, celery, onion, creamy broth, Parmesan, and sharp cheddar in every bowl.
Blending just part of the soup gives it that thick texture while keeping enough broccoli pieces around to remind you what you’re actually eating.
Serve it hot, add a little extra cheddar if you want, and put some bread nearby.
Because once you’ve reached the bottom of a bowl of cheesy soup, leaving any behind feels unnecessarily wasteful.