Broccoli Cheddar Soup • {Video} • Two Purple Figs

This Broccoli Cheddar Soup is absolute comfort in a bowl 🧡 Even if you’re not a broccoli fan, I urge you to make this luscious silky creamy soup recipe. Make this bowl of cozy comfort food in 30 minutes and enjoy it smooth, chunky or a mix of both like we did here. SO GOOD!

If you’re one of those Panera bread broccoli cheddar soup lovers, you’re in for a treat today. This recipe will be your absolute go to for broccoli cheddar soup and for all the good reasons! 

While we love making soup all year round, there’s something about the cold weather that makes it extra special. Find a variety of our favorite Soup Recipes here. Our hearty full meal soups include Taco Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Moroccan Lentil Soup.

Some of our hearty and luscious soups include Baked Potato Soup, Tortellini Soup, Autumn Squash Soup, Chickpea Soup  or White Bean Soup Recipe. The most UNIQUE soup you’ll ever try and you MUST try on this website would be our Peanut Soup. And guess what, it’s ABSOLUTELY delicious and worth making! 

Why This Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe

• This soup recipe is truly the ultimate comfort food.
• It takes 30 minutes start to finish to make. 
• You can make it using frozen broccoli or fresh, whichever you have on hand.
• If you love the Panera bread broccoli cheddar soup, you will find this much tastier!
• You have full control over how light or heavy you like your recipe to be. 
• Likewise you can keep your soup super chunky, super silky, or a blend of both as we did here. 
• It’s a hearty delicious and filling meal that is perfect served with some quick Air Fryer Garlic Bread.

Ingredients You Need

• Broccoli. Our star of the show. We used frozen broccoli for this recipe which usually come in florets only. If using fresh, you can use the stalks and florets, as long as you cut them into small pieces. poonful of soup.
• Butter. Unsalted is best so you can control the salt level of your recipe. We use it for the roux and for that luscious buttery flavor.
• Flour. All purpose flour is used here to thicken the soup and make the roux. 
• Onions, Carrots & Garlic. The flavor base of nearly every soup! 
• Cheese. We buy strong cheddar cheese and grate it at home, you can however buy the pre shredded ones, however this is far better for you. 
• Milk and Cream. This is the creamy silky chunk of your soup. You can use whole milk, half n half or a a blend of milk and cream. It really depends on how creamy and thick you prefer your recipe to be. 
• Stock. Vegetable stock is ideal for us, however chicken stock would still work well. 
• Seasoning. Salt, pepper of course, along with garlic powder, paprika and some dijon mustard are used to flavor the base. 

How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Make the Base of the Soup

1. To start off any soup, you’ll sauté the minced onions in butter over medium heat. You need to get the onions to be slightly golden and softened before adding in the garlic.
   
2. This step can not be sped up, it’s crucial to cook the onions well in order to extract the sweet flavor of the onions. If you speed up this process, your soup will have an overpowering taste of onions.

Make the Roux

1. The roux is essentially the béchamel sauce base. However for soups, it’s a lighter sauce and not as thick as the classic béchamel. The base of making roux is the same, you’ll start by adding a bit extra butter and then flour. 
   
2. The flour needs to be sautéed in the pan for a 2 minutes or so to remove any raw flour taste in your recipe. You can make it as toasty and nutty as you like, or simply slightly toasted. 
   
3. Once the roux is light golden in color, this is when you’ll add in the liquid. We start by adding in the stock and it’s important to use a whisk here to make sure the flour has well dissolved into the liquid.
4. Bring that soup to a boil and then drop the heat to a low simmer, and allow the soup to thicken as it boils.  The soup base is not ready. 

Finalizing the Broccoli And Cheddar Soup

1. Now that the base is ready, it’s time to add in the broccoli florets, some shredded carrots and the milk/cream mixture. 
   
2. Then you’ll season the creamy soup with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and mustard. 
3. Bring that mixture a to light boil and cook it over medium low heat for just 8 minutes before adding the cheese. 
   
4. At that point you can blend the soup, or leave it chunky. If you’re leaving it chunky, simply add in the cheddar cheese gradually and whisk well to blend it in. If pureeing the soup, follow the steps below. If you’d like a combo of smooth and chunky as we did,  follow the steps below.

How to Make A Smooth Soup

1. The best way to make a smooth silky broccoli cheddar soup is to use an immersion blender. Simply blend all the soup components until smooth. 
   
2. Now start adding the cheddar cheese gradually while whisking as well to make sure no lumps of cheese remain in the soup. 
   
3. Once all the cheese is melted into the soup, we love to finish it with minimal broccoli florets cut up finely. 
4. These don’t need to cook in the soup as the heat from the pot will soften them enough. So just add them in last and they’re ready to go.
5. And there you have it. the ultimate broccoli cheddar soup in a bowl. Garnish it with extra cheddar cheese on top, some fresh thyme of you like, we love a crack of black pepper and dig in! It’s super easy and luscious to make at the same time!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe Tips 

1. We can’t stress enough how preferable it is to grate your own cheese at home versus buying the pre shredded stuff. The pre shredded cheese has anti cracking agents and preservatives that make them harder to melt. 
2. Feel free to use frozen broccoli florets if it’s all you have on hand, the taste is still the same. Make sure you cut the broccoli finely. 
3. When making the base, make sure the onions are cooked well in good time. They should be lightly golden and very soft to ensure a deep rich sweet onions taste rather than an overpowering one.
4. As you make the roux base for the recipe, make sure you toast the flour as well to remove any raw flour taste. 
5. You’ll need a whisk to blend in the flour roux with the stock until smooth. You don’t want any lumps in your soup recipe. 
6. Use the ratio of milk to cream or half n half that floats your boat. We love half milk and half 18% table cream here. 
7. As you add in the cheese to the soup, add it in three parts making sure each part is fully dissolved before adding the rest of the cheese.
8. At that point you can serve the soup chunky and creamy as it is, or blend it into a puree. 
9. If you have picky kids who won’t love the “green” tinted soup, by all means don’t puree it! lol If you ask us, we love blending the soup and adding more chunks of finely cut broccoli at the end for that texture.

What to Serve with Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Our top choices would be Ultimate Garlic Bread or our GO TO delicious Air Fryer Garlic Bread. Another option would be with Wedge Salad and homemade croutons which we shared in this Caprese Salad (and make sure to try our fabulous Caprese Skewers). 

Does this Taste Like the Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup?

The recipe is the same, so yes! However we have adjusted it to make it lighter, which is optional. So if you’re looking for that panera bread soup, just make your soup thicker, do not puree it, and add extra cheddar cheese. 

How to make Ahead, Freeze and reheat the soup recipe?

• To Make Ahead: You can make the recipe entirely, wait for it to cool on the counter and place it in the fridge for 3 days in a sealed container. 
• To Freeze: While you can freeze the leftovers of this soup, keep in mind the texture of the soup may be slightly gritty when reheated. 
• To Store Leftovers: Leftovers are stored in the fridge once cooled for 3-4 days in a sealed container. 
• To Reheat: You can reheat the soup in a microwave if you’re short on time and want minimal cleanup. However for best results it’s always best to reheat the soup in a smaller pot on the stove over medium low for 3-5 minutes while mixing it constantly. 
• If you increase the heat or forget to be stirring the soup, you may loose the silky smooth texture. 

Delicious Soup Recipes

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Taco Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Tortellini Soup
Chickpea Soup