Broccoli Cheese Soup

This broccoli cheese soup is a warm hug on a cold day. And if it’s not cold out? Knock down the A/C and pretend, because you need this recipe in your life now!

My husband teases me because whenever we go to a restaurant, I always order the same things. But, I like what I like. One of my standbys is broccoli cheese soup. I love it so. Truly, this recipe is even better than Panera’s, so make a bread bowl with our no knead beer bread, fill it with soup, and have a slice of apple bundt cake for dessert.  We’re channeling fall y’all.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients

• Onions – Finely chopped or minced. I prefer sweet yellow or white onions.
• Garlic – Minced.  You can use jarred garlic if you like, but fresh will give more flavor.
• Butter – I like salted butter for this, but if you’re using a heavily salted homemade stock then you might want to use unsalted butter.
• Chicken stock – Turkey stock will will work too if you have some leftover from Thanksgiving, and if you want to make this recipe vegetarian go ahead and swap for vegetable stock.  Here’s how we make our homemade stock and broth.
• Broccoli florets – My strong preference for this recipe is fresh broccoli because I like a little but of firmness and texture from the vegetable, but you absolutely can use frozen broccoli in a pinch (or if you prefer a softer mouth feel). Make sure you thaw the frozen broccoli first.
• Carrots – Finely chopped or julienned.  Honestly, I like to just buy a bag of matchstick carrots from the produce aisle.
• Ground nutmeg – I know it sounds a little weird, but nutmeg adds a beautiful depth of flavor.  You can’t taste it as a stand out in the soup, but trust me it definitely makes the recipe more well rounded. (My neighbor taught me this trick, we actually add nutmeg to a lot of our savory recipes!).
• Seasoned salt – I am partial to Lawry’s seasoned salt, but you can use whatever brand you like.
• Shredded cheese – I know I’m going to sound crazy, but I love using American cheese in this soup, or at least half cheddar/half American.  If you’re a total cheddar fanatic you can totally use all cheddar cheese.  Make sure to look at my tips below for best practices though!
• Half and half – Half and half give this soup just the right amount of richness. You can sub for milk or even heavy cream if it’s all you have on hand, but half and half is best.

How do you make broccoli cheese soup?

⭐ First, saute onion and garlic in butter until onion is translucent.

⭐ Next, add chicken stock and nutmeg and bring to a low boil. Add broccoli and carrots and simmer until tender.

⭐ Then, with the heat on a very low simmer, slowly stir in cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until fully melted.

⭐ Finally, pour in half and continue to stir on medium/low heat until all ingredients are incorporated and soup is heated through. Do not boil.

Preparation

Variations

• Make it spicy with a tablespoon or two of hot sauce or sriracha!
• Add cubed potatoes for a potato cheese broccoli soup!
• Experiment with different cheeses – I love to stir in some gouda or even a dollop of leftover brie!
• Bulk it up with more delicious veggies like sweet red pepper and cauliflower!
• Make it a full meal by stirring in diced leftover crockpot ham or cooked chicken breast!

What goes well with broccoli cheese soup?

We always like to have a bread with our soup (try this French bread recipe or our yeast dinner rolls).  If you’re serving this as a starter, it goes great before a grilled ribeye or some easy baked pork chops. Or if you’re doing your own ‘you pick two’ combo, try it with a homemade club sandwich, or a flank steak salad!

Leftovers and storage

Can you freeze broccoli and cheese soup?

You can freeze this soup, but due to the amount of dairy in the recipe, it may separate or take on a slightly grainy texture when reheated.  Honestly, I still think it’s delicious.  When I reheat the soup I will often put it in the blender (or use my stick blender) to make it smooth.

Make sure you allow the broccoli cheese soup recipe to cool completely before freezing.

Frequently asked questions

Is broccoli cheese soup gluten free?

Our recipe is completely gluten free. We use no flour in our broccoli cheese soup because I am not a fan of the way flour tastes in soup. You get a much more vibrant and rich flavor from the cheese and broccoli without flour, and I find that the half and half makes it plenty thick.

If you wanted to thicken the soup further, and don’t mind flour/gluten, you can add 2 tablespoons flour and one additional tablespoon butter when you saute the onion, garlic and seasoned salt in butter. Whisk constantly while it cooks.

If you want it thicker but still want to avoid gluten add a corn starch slurry (1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold water) while it’s simmering, or my favorite way to thicken broccoli cheese soup is to add a handful of dried mashed potato flakes!

What is the best cheese for broccoli and cheese soup?

My preference for this soup is half mild cheddar and half American cheese (or other processed cheese like Velveeta). I know I’ll get a lot of side eye for this, but trust me.  Cheese like American and Velveeta are specifically processed in a way that makes them melt beautifully and taste fantastic in a soup like this.  You can totally even make it with only those cheeses. Don’t hate on it until you’ve tried it!

TIPS

• When choosing cheddar for your broccoli soup, make sure to choose a mild cheddar as sharp cheddar is aged longer (and becomes drier/more like a parmesan as it ages).
• Whenever possible, shred your own cheese from the block.  Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-caking agents that can inhibit melting and cause a weird texture in the end result.
• Melt the cheese into the soup slowly and in small amounts to prevent clumping.

Why is my broccoli cheese soup grainy?

The most common culprits for grainy cheese and broccoli soup are using pre-shredded cheese, using an aged or sharp cheese, melting the cheese into the soup at too high a heat, and/or adding too much cheese to the soup at once.

More soup recipes to love!

• Cabbage roll soup
• Potato soup (no heavy cream)
• Meatball soup
• Soup with chow mein
• Zuppa toscana copycat
• Easy black bean soup
• See all our best soup recipes!

Amazing instant pot recipes to try next

• Instant pot Italian sausage soup
• Instant pot bbq ribs
• Instant pot crack chicken recipe
• Instant pot loaded potato soup
• See all our instant pot recipe ideas!

More broccoli recipes to love!

• Roasted broccoli recipe
• Broccoli cheese potato casserole
• Broccoli slaw salad
• Cheesy broccoli rice
• Broccoli bacon salad
• Check out our favorite broccoli recipes!

More awesome copycat recipes

• Chick Fil A Frosted Lemonade Recipe
• Pollo Tropical Curry Mustard Recipe
• Wendy’s Chili Recipe
• McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Recipe
• Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana Recipe
• Make sure to check out all our copycat recipe ideas!

Tools we love

• Julienne peeler – Want to make some super quick zucchini noodles for one, or quickly shred some carrots for your salad? This julienne peeler is the perfect solution! Great for folks in apartments or small spaces too.
• Garlic press – Need fresh minced or sliced garlic, but don’t want to peel or chop your garlic?  This garlic press is the bessssssst.  We’ve had ours for as long as I can remember (maybe a wedding present?), and I use it several times a week!
• Stick blender – Possibly the most used gadget in my entire kitchen.  The key to making a hand blender useful versus a giant pain in the butt is to rinse it immediately after using.  That way you’re never trying to get crusty dried goop out from under the blades.
• 6.5 Quart dutch oven – This enameled cast iron dutch oven can go from stove top to oven, and look beautiful doing it.  Perfect for chilis, roasts, breads, and stews.  Mine is yellow, what color will you choose?