Broccoli Cheese Soup is a flavorful cheesy soup made with plenty of sharp cheddar cheese and fresh broccoli for a delicious starter dish or light lunch. If you love the combination of broccoli and cheese, be sure to try my Biscuit Broccoli Cheddar Casserole.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
When it comes to perfect culinary pairings, broccoli and cheese have to be right at the top of my list! In fact, I have another broccoli cheese soup with roasted broccoli and Broccoli Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes, just to name a couple of other recipes showing off both ingredients. This soup is easy to put together and will definitely warm you up on a chilly day!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Broccoli: I prefer using fresh broccoli in this recipe. There is no need to roast it or cook it ahead of time. If you use frozen broccoli florets, let them thaw before adding them to the soup.
Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese adds lots of flavor to the soup. Try to shred a block of cheddar cheese for the best results. Or, use your favorite kind of cheese or a combination of cheeses.
Chicken Broth: If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, use chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth.
Milk: I used whole milk to add some creaminess to the soup. If you prefer, you could add heavy cream or half-and-half for an even creamier soup.
How to Serve Broccoli Cheese Soup
Of course, you can always serve the soup in a bowl. But, there are other ways to serve Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Try it in a bread bowl, topped with homemade croutons. Or, serve it with a loaf of sourdough bread or popovers.
Can I Make this Soup Heartier?
Sure! If you would like to enjoy this soup as a main entree, add a little more substance to it. Try it with ham (leftover ham works great), chicken, bacon, or some potatoes. If adding potatoes, cooking time may need to increase.
How to Store & Freeze Soup
If storing leftover soup, first, let it cool completely. Then, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat portions when ready to enjoy.
To freeze, let it cool completely. Then, store it in freezer-safe containers, making sure to leave room near the top of the container for expansion. No one wants the soup to expand and explode in the freezer (at least I don’t). Another option is to freeze soup in ice cube trays (if anyone still has those around). Then, you can store the frozen cubes in zipped freezer bags and make as much as you need.
More Soups
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (720 g) chicken broth
- 2 cups (490 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 head broccoli, chopped (about 3¼ cups florets)
- 1 cup carrots, shredded (about 2 carrots)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 cups (452 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add onions and cook until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir together until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk, stirring constantly, until no flour lumps remain.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli and carrots are tender (24-26 minutes).
- Reduce heat to low, and slowly stir in the cheese one cup at a time, fully melting the cheese between each addition.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
Absolutely Delicious, can’t wait to make it again!
Perfect as written! Please remember you cannot use bag cheese! Grate it yourself for a perfect soup! Thank you for sharing
My husband said this is a keeper. (I think so too!) Thank you!
Can this be made with 1/2 the cheese? Seems like it would be really rich and too many calories.
I will try this one it looks yummie. Can I put bacon in there too?
Of course!
Hi, I have a question, Amanda.
I made this & loved the flavor….my issue was the texture.
I have gluten issues, so I used all purpose gluten free flour; I also bought the pre-shredded cheese.
The soup had a bit of a grainy mouth feel to it. My daughter suggested that it might be the GF AP flour, more likely than the cheese. Would I be able to sub in corn starch for the flour? And if so would it be 1 to 1, or less corn starch?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Sharon – yes, you can sub cornstarch. Let me know how it goes!
Thank you, & will do!
Love your recipe
Thank you so much, Gigi loves it too!!!
This is a comfort food for allergies.. Add more garlic, remove carrots & flour. I used mild cheddar cheese. My children loved it.
Came out delicious! Made twice already and will continue to do again and again, thank you. Also so easy!
made this soup with lots of sliced black forest ham, mozzarella and lots of red potatoes, this was so divine i would sh!t myself but i cant because it was so darn cheesy-licious
The recipe worked well. Very delicious! Will make it again.
This soup is awesome and easy to make. I will definitely make this a regular
One of my favorite soups.
Made this for dinner last night, it came out great. I will add this recipe to my other recipes.
My whole family Loved this soup!
I added some leftover inch size thin cooked spaghetti noodles but the flavors you had were right on and delicious!!!
Delicious! We made it with two broccoli florets and we baked it (per your other recipe). Loved all the flavor of this recipe with the extra broccoli. Yum, thank you!
soup recipe was great but I though it was a little thick , I added another cup of water . other that it was great!!!!
Absolutely love your recipe’s. Will this turn out the same with potatoes
Yummy