Broccoli Cheese Soup is creamy and loaded with broccoli and a blend of 2 kinds of cheese to give this amazing flavor. Serving broccoli soup in bread bowls is a real treat.
Watch the easy video tutorial below and enjoy this homemade version of Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
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Broccoli Cheese Soup Video Tutorial:
We love to re-create famous restaurant soups at home like our Zuppa Toscana and Chicken Wild Rice Soup. This homemade version is even better because it’s loaded with fresh broccoli, is low carb, and healthier than most with just 1/2 cup of cream.
I hope this Broccoli Cheese Soup becomes a new favorite soup recipe for you. P.S. Here is the kitchen tour I mentioned in the video.
What is Broccoli Cheese Soup?
Broccoli and cheese soup is essentially a blended cream of broccoli soup with cheese. We use 2 types of cheese; sharp cheddar and shredded parmesan. For years, we have been working on developing a broccoli cheese soup that we loved and the key was in combining the two kinds of cheese for balanced and rich flavor.
How to make Broccoli and Cheese Soup:
- In a dutch oven melt butter and sautee onion and carrots until soft.
- Add chicken broth and seasonings. Add broccoli and simmer partially covered until broccoli is tender.
- Remove and set aside 2 cups of veggies. Blend the remaining soup until creamy using an immersion blender or in a blender.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together cream and flour until smooth then add 1 tsp dijon. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in the cream/flour/dijon mixture, whisking until smooth and thickened.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in the cheeses then add reserved cooked veggies. Season to taste and serve.
How to Make Bread Bowls:
You can recreate the famous restaurant-style Broccoli Cheese Soup by serving it in a toasted bread bowl. It’s truly easy to make homemade bread bowls and feels like dining out. When the bread is toasted, it crisps up on the outside and tastes like a fresh loaf out of a bakery – delicious!
- What Kind of Bread for Bread Bowls? You will need 6 to 7″ diameter sourdough round loaves also known as boules. Using a serrated knife, cut off the tops and scoop out the centers with a spoon to make room for the soup.
- To Toast the Bread: Place on a baking sheet then broil on high heat on the center rack of the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the tops are golden brown then remove from oven. Keep a close eye on your bread since it can burn quickly.
Cooks Tip: Keep those soft centers you scooped out to serve with the soup or use them to make croutons for your next Caesar Salad!
Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheese Soup:
- Why is my soup grainy? Cook Soup until the veggies are tender and it will blend easier. If you want a completely smooth soup, be sure to blend until desired consistency with an immersion blender or a high powered blender.
- Can I make this vegetarian? For a vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Can I make this Gluten-Free? Substitute all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour to make this a GF soup.
- Is this soup healthy? Since we blend most of the veggies into the soup, it naturally starts with a creamy base and only needs 1/2 cup of cream to finish it off. This homemade version is healthier than most of the recipes I have seen and is fairly low carb. Check out the nutrition label below the recipe card for calories.
- Can I use frozen broccoli? You can use frozen broccoli. Add frozen florets to the recipe just like you would fresh and cook to desired doneness.
- Can I use the broccoli stems? You can use the broccoli stems, but make sure to peel the stems first since they can be tough and fibrous then dice the tender broccoli stems and add them with the broccoli florets.
What to Serve with Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
We love serving this inside sourdough bread bowls, but you can serve it in a regular soup bowl with Dinner Rolls or a slice of French Bread. Add a fresh side salad for the perfect lunch.
More Creamy Soup Recipes:
As soon as the weather starts cooling down, we start making cozy soups and particularly creamy soups. These are the soups make on our regular rotation.
- Loaded Potato Soup – all the comforts of a baked potato
- Clam Chowder – restaurant quality
- Silky Smooth Carrot Soup – a go-to winter soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup – a twist on classic Chicken Soup
- Corn Chowder – creamy and comforting with fresh corn
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion, finely diced (from 1 medium onion)
- 2 cups carrots, (3 medium), sliced into thin rings
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups broccoli, (2 heads of broccoli), cut into small florets
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded on the large holes of a box grater, plus more to garnish
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, (mild) shredded
Instructions
- Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. In a dutch oven or medium soup pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add onion and carrots and saute until onions soften (5 minutes).
- Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp thyme. Bring to a boil then add broccoli and reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until broccoli is softened (10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of broccoli).
- Remove 2 cups of vegetables with a strainer and set aside. Blend remaining soup in the pot with an immersion blender or puree in batches in a blender. Blend until smooth or your desired consistency.
- In a separate small bowl, combine 1/2 cup cream with 3 Tbsp flour and whisk vigorously until smooth and no longer lumpy then blend in 1 tsp dijon. The mixture will be thick like frosting. Bring the blended soup back to a boil and whisk in the cream/flour mixture, whisking for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth and thickened.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the cheeses then stir in the reserved cooked vegetables. Season with salt to taste and serve right away. Garnish with more cheddar if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This soup is absolutely delicious! I will definitely make it again.
Hi Beth! That’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad you loved it.
This was easy to make but my soup ended up really green and not that golden color at all. Do I need to use more carrots?
Hi Ivy! I’m not sure. If you followed the quantities as recommended in the recipe card, it should be enough. You can experiment with it. It could also be how the broccoli was cut. I’ve noticed that when they are cut small and fall apart they can leave more specks of green throughout the soup rather than if they are larger.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is the best so good, I love every single one of your recipes.
Hi Anna! Thank you so much. I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes.
This is by far the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had!!! A huge hit with my family.
I’m so glad you loved it, Katherine!
I had extra broccoli left over and found this recipe. I did not have whipping cream, so I used half-and-half. This is an excellent recipe that I will make over and over again. Very flavorful and quite easy to make. When I mixed the half-and-half with the flour, I didn’t notice that I had not totally made it smooth until I poured it back into the soup mixture and saw small white flour balls. I did use the immersion blender again and that took care of that issue. Excellent recipe!!
Thank you for sharing and for your great feedback. Great to hear that you were able to make this work using your substitutions!
Fantastic. I added some ground cayenne pepper and it added an extra kick and smokiness. Yum
Good to know that you enjoyed it!
Please clarify amount of cheddar – 4 oz is only one cup shredded.
Hi Laurel, for cheese, the weight is measured in ounces and when it is shredded, it comes to 1 cup.
You should probably update your ingredients then since …When measuring semi-hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss or mozzarella, by weight, it is generally accepted that 4 ounces yields 1 cup shredded cheese, or in answer to your question, 8 ounces of shredded cheese will fit into a 2-cup volume measuring cup…
Hi Julie, to eliminate confusion, I removed the cup measurement. You need a 4 oz block of cheddar for this soup, shredded on the large holes of a box grater. I think it depends on how loosely or tightly it’s packed, but 4 oz of cheddar is correct. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hope you love the soup!
Hi Natasha, I watch your videos all the time, you are my go to when looking for a new recipe. I made this Broccoli Chedder sour for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for always sharing such wonderful videos and recipes! ❤️
Hi Diane! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
Oh my God Natasha this is THE
BEST broccoli cheese soup ever! My grandson is a very picky eater and requested it again today he said Oma you make the best broccoli cheese soup in the world! Can you make it every time I come to visit- which is every week! Your recipes are the BEST! Love and hugs❤️Liz Kettler
Aaaw, that is awesome and I’m really to known that your family loves it! I hope they will enjoy all the recipes that you will try.
My son and I get together every month to try new soup recipes. He thinks the Panera version is thicker and creamier, so I’ll be trying a different recipe another time. That being said, I put the pot on the table and the two of us ate the whole thing! We usually have leftovers, thus the five start rating. We really enjoyed this!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Karen!
A M A Z I N G! Whoo hoo. Love this recipe. Everything is so well written and easy to follow. Bowls came out just as you instructed.
Hi Rhonda! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad to hear that.
Heeeellllooooooo….. this is sooooo good! I didn’t have broccoli or cream so I used cauliflower and milk instead. Still turned out amazing!
Hi Josie! That’s wonderful. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
I would like to ask. Why don’t you grate a bit a nutmeg into your cream mixtures. It just bumps up the flavor a little more and doesn’t taste like nutmeg.
That sounds like it would be interesting. Thanks for the suggestion.