A comforting soup that is perfect once the weather starts cooling off. This broccoli and cheddar soup is perfect blanket and sweater weather food. Jam packed with broccoli and cheddar this soup will not disappoint.Â
Once sweater weather kicks in this is one of my favorite soups to make. This hearty soup makes for the perfect meal or side especially when paired with a salad. One of my favorite ways to eat it is poured over cubes of sourdough bread instead of a bowl. That way I get a piece of bread in every bite. If you have a large family then you might need to double the recipe. My favorite part of this recipe is that it only takes about 30 minutes.Â
In this recipe
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can find most of the ingredients already in your house. This becomes one of those throw together recipes.Â
Cheddar cheese: I like to use medium or mild sharp cheese. When using a sharper cheese the flavor can start to overpower the rest.
Milk/Cream:Â This will be used as the base of the soup to help it stay smooth and creamy when the cheese is added.Â
Flour: This will help thicken the soup and add flavor while cooking.Â
Save yourself some time
While I love freshly cut veggies frozen and shredded vegetables work just as well for this recipe. This can save you a little bit of time in the kitchen. You can buy frozen broccoli florets and use those. It will cool the soup down so just turn the heat up to medium to quickly bring it back up to temperature. If you are going to use fresh broccoli you would want to chose a medium sized head. That will give you about 3-4 cups of florets. Which is enough for this recipe.Â
Making the soup base
You want to make sure that you continue to stir the roux so it does not burn. It will start to brown pretty quickly so make sure you have your cream and milk handy. Once it starts turning a nice light caramel color you can add the cream. You will want to use a whisk and add the milk about 1/4 a cup at a time. This will help keep the flour from forming clumps and make a nice smooth sauce. Once the milk has been added you will want to add the cream and broth and bring to a boil. Then immediately reduce the heat and keep whisking to prevent the milk from scalding.Â
Broccoli and cheddar soup here we come
Here is where the magic happens. Now when you add the the broccoli, carrots, onion, and seasoning you will want it just above a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure everything cooks evenly. If the broccoli is frozen this will help keep the soup at an even temperature so it heats up again more quickly. If you are using fresh broccoli this will allow it to start cooking and breaking down faster. A little hack for you is to press the carrots if you grated them yourself. Squeeze between some paper towels to remove any excess water.Â
Looking for other comfort foods?
Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven or other large pot
- Whisk
- Spoon
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 3½ cups broccoli chopped, about 1 medium head
- 2½ cups mild cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup carrots shredded, about 1 large carrot
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 5 tablespoons butter unsalted
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the Dutch oven on medium-high heat with a tablespoon of butter and the chopped onions. Cook until the onions have turned translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven and place in a bowl and set aside.
- Return the Dutch oven back to the stove and on medium-high heat melt the remaining ¼ cup butter and the flour. Whisk continuously until the flour starts to turn a light colored brown. Continue to whisk and slowly pour in the milk until the flour is evenly dispersed in the milk.
- Add the cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chicken broth whisking continuously until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, and broccoli and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
Nutrition
My kind of soup. I love how easy this recipe is to follow. It turned out extremely creamy and flavorful. Thanks for the inspiration.
I am so glad to hear it turned out well!
This soup is a classic I somehow haven’t had in years. It was so tasty, it’ll definitely become a staple at our house this winter. We always make lots of soups when the weather gets really cold here in Canada. Nothing more comforting!
I love a great soup during the winter. I am flattered this will be in your rotation.
This is one of my family’s favorite soups! 🙂 I will have to make this homemade version for them soon. Looks delicious!
It is one of mine as well. I hope she likes this version as well.
Super satisfying meal for the fall/winter season. I could go for a bowl of this right now…it’s cold and rainy here today and nothing sounds better than broccoli and cheddar. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Rainy weather and soup, all you need is a oversized fuzzy blanket and a good book or movie.
Theres something so cozy about this soup. We loved it so much and I served ours in bread bowls. Going to make this again next week and can’t wait!
A bread bowl is so good! I am glad y’all loved it.
I had totally forgotten about Broccoli Cheddar soup for so long! It used to be a childhood favourite of mine and I’m so glad to have found your recipe. It’s just like how my mom used to make it.
This has been my favorite broccoli soup and I finally remembered to come back to your site to let you know how much my family enjoys it!
I am glad you like it. That is the ultimate compliment.
Comfort food season is here. Soup is a staple in my kitchen. I love the combination of broccoli and cheese in this hearty and warming homemade soup recipe.
Delicious, quite easy to make!