Simple Broccoli And Cheese Soup
This easy, creamy low carb broccoli cheese soup is probably the easiest recipe youll find. Its also gluten-free, healthy, and can be vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Ive even made it with bone broth before to incorporate the benefits of that.
Youll love that it takes just twenty minutes to prepare, so you can totally throw it together at the last minute on a busy weeknight. Its also an excellent choice as a starter for guests coming over without spending a lot of extra time.
It requires just a few simple ingredients. Best of all, they are so common that, chances are, you have most of them on hand.
Yep, broccoli and cheese soup with only five ingredients. Are you intrigued? All you need is:
- Chicken broth
- Shredded cheddar cheese
To be fair, this makes a very basic broccoli soup recipe. The ingredients and flavors are not complex.
This is intentional! I wanted to keep it simple so that its very accessible to just about anyone.
If you want to change it up, see my tips below on what to add to broccoli cheddar soup.
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes! The perfect bowl of comfort food without leaving your house!
Love easy soup recipes? Be sure to try our Chicken Taco Soup for a family favorite dinner. Or try our hearty Lasagna Soup recipe!
Troubleshooting: Why Wont My Cheese Melt In My Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If youre not careful you could end up with curdled cheese and broccoli soup and, well, no one wants that! First things first, its important to be patient with your dish. If it doesnt melt right away, give it a few minutes to heat up with the rest of the broth.
If that doesnt work, there are a few options:
- Simmer over low heat and use a whisk to stir it. This can help break up any remaining clumps in your cheddar broccoli soup.
- Add just a splash of water to the broth to lend a bit more moisture. This will help it melt down nicely.
- Add more cream.
- Carefully adding a few drops of lemon juice will help break down the cheese and encourage melting.
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How Do You Reheat Soup
To Reheat In Your Microwave: Cover loosely with a microwave safe lid and microwave on high heat setting for 2-3 minutes, or until hot. Stir halfway through heating time.
For Stove Top: Pour soup into a pot or sauce pan. Heat, while stirring occasionally being careful not to bring to a rapid oil, until hot.
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
I recently moved to Utah, and we are in the middle of winter. The snow has been a little bit of a shock to our systems for my family, seeing that weve spent the last few years in a temperate climate. Of course, we love it, but goodness, it is cold! I do not love driving in it, though.
I have found that we have been eating A LOT of soup this winter. However, we have some favorites that we love to get when were out and about.
One of them is the Broccoli Cheese Soup from Panera. But remember how I just said I do not love driving in the snow? So what am I to do when I crave one of my favorite soups, and its snowing outside?
I decided to develop a copycat recipe of my favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup from Panera. The best part of this soup is that it takes less time to make this recipe than it takes actually to drive to Panera and come home, score!
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How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
To make this broccoli cheese soup recipe, simply
Any leftover broccoli and cheese soup can be stored in sealed containers for up to 3 days. Unfortunately, this soup does not freeze well, so I dont recommend it.
Can You Freeze Broccoli And Cheese Soup
I wish I had better news for you here, but I wouldnt recommend freezing this soup.
When it comes to dairy, and especially cream, the ingredients can separate and change their texture once frozen. And when it comes to a creamy and cheesy soup like this one, the odds are not in its favor for this soup to still be the one you remember once its been frozen.
However, if you simply must freeze this soup, be sure to completely chill the soup in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer in a sealed container.
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How To Make Broccoli Cheese Soup In The Slow Cooker
Sometimes a slow cooker is just the trick.
You can get a few extra things done while the slow cooker does most the work.
Set yourself a little bit of time to get started and then a little after. Let the slow cooker do the rest!
This broccoli cheese soup recipe warms up well in a slow cooker.
- Making the roux: Whisk together the butter and flour.
- Add ingredients and stir: Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker, leaving out the cheese, milk and broth. Gently stir in your chicken broth.
- Slow cooker time: Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Stir in dairy ingredients: About 20 to 30 minutes before your broccoli soup is done, slowly pout milk and sprinkle cheese in to the slow cooker. Cook another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Ready to serve once the cheese is all melted through!
The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
This is the best broccoli cheese soup. Not only that, its some of the best soup Ive ever tasted, period.
If you like Paneras broccoli cheddar soup, this blows the pants off it.
Its an easy soup to make and is ready in 1 hour. Its absolutely perfect comfort food and I couldnt stop eating it. I ate it for lunch and dinner for a couple straight days until it was gone. I loved this soup beyond words.
I kept the soup vegetarian by using low-sodium vegetable stock rather than chicken stock, and made it healthier by using fat-free half-and-half. But youd think that it was made with heavy cream based on how thick, rich, and truly decadent it tastes.
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About Broccoli And Cheese Soup
When it comes to comforting soups, there are few more popular than broccoli and cheese soup. With countless recipes and a variety of ways to serve it, everyone is bound to have their favorite way to make it, or their favorite place to get it.
As for me, I tend to prefer making this soup at home, so I have total control over the taste and flavor.
Plus, when you whip up your own batch, you have enough soup to last for days.
That can really come in handy on a lazy weekend or when the weather has you trapped inside.
Frozen Vs Fresh Broccoli Cheese Soup
How to make broccoli soup with fresh broccoli? What about frozen broccoli? The answer is you can use either one! The instructions are exactly the same .
TIP: The simmer time for the broccoli soup may vary depending on the size of your florets and whether they were fresh or frozen. Frozen broccoli is usually pre-blanched, so it might cook a little quicker once it thaws in the soup , but on the other hand, fresh broccoli doesnt need to thaw first .
No matter what kind you use, youll know its done simmering when the broccoli is soft and tender.
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Notes & Tips For This Cheese Soup
- Once youve made this soup, you may want to serve it up in some classic soup bowls. I have these soup bowls in a few different colors and love them!
- This soup is made using a dutch oven. There are plenty of pricey name-brand options out there, but Ive used this Dutch oven for years and its still holding up just fine.
How To Store And Reheat
- Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.
- Reheat over warm heat on the stovetop in a saucepan, stirring frequently.
- Or reheat individual servings in a microwave safe bowl in the the microwave on 50% power, stir occasionally.
- Keep in mind cheese may separate a little upon reheating it will still taste delicious though.
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How To Serve Brocolli Cheddar Soup
This delicious soup is packed full of veggies and texture and can be perfectly eaten stand-alone and will make a filling meal. It can also be served in a bread bowl or with crusty bread for dipping or topped with croutons! If youre a meat-eater, you can top it with chopped grilled or shredded chicken or mix them in.
How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup Thicker
The cheese does thicken this broccoli soup well enough for me. And the flavor is just perfect. That being said, I know that some people like a really, really thick broccoli cheddar soup.
If you want to know how to make broccoli cheese soup thicker, what are your options? There are a few ways that you can make this low carb soup thicker, if you want to:
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Equipment Notes & Suggestions
This section contains affiliate links, which means I might earn a small commission if you place an order through them .
This recipe yields a substantial amount of soup . If you are serving two people or dont want a lot of leftovers, you could easily cut the ingredients in half. Heres what youll need to make it:
- I swear that soups always taste better when theyre cooked in a Dutch oven. I used my 5.5-quart Le Creuset for this recipe. A large, heavy-bottomed soup pot will also work well.
- Youll need a lid for the pot. In a pinch, you could use a metal baking sheet.
- If you are making the full batch, youll need to blend it in batches in your stand blender. I could not blend the full batch at once in my Vitamix. Transfer the blended portion to a heat-proof pitcher or container as you blend the rest, then combine it all in the soup pot.
- Or, you could use an immersion blender. The trouble with immersion blenders is that they never yield soup as creamy as you could accomplish in your stand blender. I wish it werent true!
Safety note: Never fill a stand blender past the maximum fill line, or you could end up with a giant mess . You need to know how your blender works. My lids design allows for steam to escape, but if yours doesnt, youll want to remove the center piece so the contents dont build pressure as they blend. Cover the hole with a tea towel, but dont place your hand over it because the steam is hot.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Thickening. Add flour or cornstarch to the soup to thicken it. To do that, just whisk a few tablespoons of cornstarch into a little broth in a separate bowl before whisking it into the main pot. This will help thicken up the entire soup.
- Vegetables: If you want even more veggies besides broccoli, you could add sliced/shredded carrots or diced onions.
- Cheese: Our recipe calls for mild or sharp cheddar cheese, as well as Swiss cheese. You could easily swap those out for white cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, jack cheese, or American cheese. It may have a slightly different flavor, but all would be delicious!
- Milk: The soup is plenty creamy with the use of milk, however if you prefer a thicker texture, you can use half and half or heavy cream instead.
- Broth: If you dont have chicken broth on hand, you can use vegetable broth instead. Or, use a bouillon cube for the equivalent amount of broth .
- Broccoli: Make your broccoli as big or little as you like. You can use full broccoli florets, cut them into bite size pieces, cut off the broccoli stems completely, or whatever you prefer!
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How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A few Broccoli Cheese Soup recipes have so little broccoli you need some sort of magnifying equipment to find it. NOT THIS ONE!
- Start by frying onions and garlic in melted butterthis is where the flavour starts.
- Whisk in flourthis is where the consistency comes in.
- Add in your seasoningsthis is where FLAVOUR PART TWO continues.
- Follow with an abundance of broccoli and carrots, then cheese THIS IS WHERE THIS BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP IS ONE OF THE BEST YOULL TRY!
- Get your bread rolls ready and DIP!
Tips For The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup
Im thrilled that so many of you are making this easy broccoli cheese soup recipe! Along with my bacon wrapped asparagus, low carb cheesecake, and fathead pizza crust, its one of the most popular ones on the blog.
That being said, I also want to address any issues some people may be having. I truly want this to be your ultimate go-to broccoli soup recipe. So if youre having trouble , read these tips for best results.
For anyone that has problems with clumping during the cheese melting process in their broccoli cheddar soup, I have a few tips!
And if you want a super thick broccoli soup, see the section above on ways to achieve that.
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What Goes With Broccoli Cheese Soup
Need ideas for what to serve with broccoli cheese soup? There are many options, but I find that Italian flavors work very well in particular.
Here are some recipes to add to your meal with broccoli and cheese soup:
- Keto garlic breadsticks from the Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook youll also find a version of this easy broccoli cheese soup recipe in the book!
The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup
Yield:6 cups
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 2 cups half-and-half*
- 2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces + 1 cups stems, optional (I used 3 cups florets and 1 cup stems
- 2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into very thin rounds, about 1/16th-inch
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika, optional and to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder, optional and to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- 8 ounces grated high quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese, with a small amount reserved for garnishing
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Tips For The Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Cut broccoli into tiny pieces. That way they cook faster and the overall texture of the soup is better. No bitting into big chunks of broccoli.
- Finley dice up the onions very small or they wont cook through fast enough. No one wants crunchy onions in this soup.
- Use plenty of cheese. And avoid mild or medium cheddar or soup wont be very flavorful.
- Add some parmesan in addition to cheddar. It adds lots of flavor.
- Dont overheat the béchamel sauce or it wont have the same thickening properties.
- Dont use pre-shredded cheeses or the soup may end up grainy, plus the flavor wont be as good. Start with a block and grate it fresh.
- Stir in cheeses off heat so they dont separate and curdle. You can even let the soup cool for a few minutes first.
- Wait to season. I like to add salt at the end after salty cheeses are added, that way you wont overdue it.
