If you love Panera broccoli cheese soup, you're going to love this quick and easy creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe. It's loaded with broccoli, cheese, and just a splash of cream to make this a deliciously creamy broccoli soup.
This cream of broccoli soup is also flavored with sauteed onions and garlic along with simple seasoning that you can feel free to adjust. It really is the best broccoli cheese soup and now you can make it anytime you want in your very own home.
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Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Video Tutorial
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If you love Panera there is no doubt you are familiar with their creamy Broccoli Soup. It's one of their most popular menu items and for good reason. It's rich and thick and creamy and loaded with broccoli. Now, you can make this amazing soup at home and have it again and again.
This cream of broccoli cheese soup has so many layers of flavor, starting with sauteed onions and garlic. It combines broccoli, plenty of cheddar cheese, and a bit of heavy cream before topping with bacon, parsley, and even more cheese if you want!
What to Serve With Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Garlic Bread
- Focaccia Bread
- Homemade White Bread
- Quick French Bread Recipe
How to Make Simple Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Cook the onions and garlic. In a large stockpot, add the butter and the onion. Saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the minced garlic and continue to saute until the onions start to become translucent about 5-7 more minutes.
- Cook the broccoli. Add the broccoli and broth and bring to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper, and continue to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Blend. Once the broccoli is tender, turn off the heat. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender in batches (don't fill more than halfway), and blend until creamy. (Note: you can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot).
- Add the cream. Once all of the soup has been blended and well mixed, add it back into the stockpot and stir in the cream with a rubber spatula. Return to medium heat.
- Thicken the soup. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the cold water and cornstarch and mix until well combined. Slowly pour this cornstarch mixture into the soup while stirring. Continue to stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the soup is thickened.
- Serve. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving before ladling into bowls, and top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Butter - we use this to cook the onions to add even more flavor and creaminess, but you can also use olive oil if you want.
- Onions - we like to use white or yellow onions for this soup as they have a nice sweetness to them.
- Garlic - we use fresh minced garlic cloves but you could try substituting a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Broccoli- you can use either fresh broccoli, cut into 1” chunks, or else frozen broccoli florets work great, too. You could also try roasting the broccoli on a baking sheet ahead of time for a slightly different flavor.
- Broth - we use chicken broth but you can substitute vegetable stock or vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Salt & Pepper
- Heavy Cream - this gives your soup that extra velvety, luxuriously creamy flavor and texture. If you want to reduce some of the fat in the soup, or if you can’t eat dairy, you are fine to omit this - your soup will still be wonderfully creamy.
- Water & Cornstarch - this slurry thickens the soup just a touch more.
- Cheddar Cheese - we like to use shredded cheddar cheese in our house, but you can also try Parmesan, or skip it altogether.
- Bacon Bits - to make your own, just slice bacon into ½” slices, cook in a saute pan over medium heat until the fat has rendered and they are golden brown, and use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and drain on a paper towel. It’s as simple as that!
- Parsley - chopped fresh parsley as a garnish gives a little freshness and color to each bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your broccoli cheese soup is grainy, you probably need to cook the broccoli longer before you blend it up. It also may help to blend your soup longer as this will reduce the graininess.
Yup! Just cool completely and transfer to freezer bags. Lay them flat in the freezer and store for up to 5 months. Once you are ready to use, you can thaw overnight in the fridge, or else transfer directly into a pot on the stovetop and re-heat on medium-low heat, stirring often.
If you want to go the microwave route, just transfer into a microwave-safe container and reheat for about 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.
If you just want to find a substitute for heavy cream, but don’t mind sticking with dairy, then you can add 1-2 tablespoons of butter instead. Just blend the butter in with the soup while you are pureeing in the blender.
If you want to try making this recipe dairy-free, then you can skip the heavy cream altogether (and, of course, your cheese topping). It won’t be quite as velvety, but it will still be super creamy and delicious. You can use a little extra broth to thin it down if you need.
Try adding in different veggies, like parsnips, carrots, or cauliflower. Just cut them to roughly the same size as the broccoli and add them in at the same time.
Broccoli Cheddar Recipe Variations
Other seasonings to try for this creamy broccoli soup are:
- A pinch of nutmeg
- Chopped green onions
- Fresh chopped chives
- Croutons
- Red pepper flakes
- Other herbs like rosemary or oregano
- Creme Fraiche
- A squirt of fresh lemon juice
- A different cheese, like havarti, gruyuere, or asiago.
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Butter
- 1 medium Onion diced; white or yellow onion
- 2 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 2 lbs Broccoli cut into 1" chunks (about 2 large head or 24 ounces of frozen broccoli)
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ cup Cream
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
To Thicken Soup (if needed)
- 1 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Cold Water
Toppings for Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- ½ cup Bacon Bits
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- In a large stockpot, add the butter and the onion. Saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the minced garlic and continue to saute until the onions start to become translucent about 5-7 more minutes.
- Add the broccoli and broth and bring to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper, and continue to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Once the broccoli is tender, turn off the heat. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender in batches (don't fill more than halfway), and blend until creamy. (Note: you can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot).
- Once all of the soup has been blended and well mixed, add it back into the stockpot and stir in the cream with a rubber spatula. Return to medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the cold water and cornstarch and mix until well combined.
- Slowly pour this cornstarch mixture into the soup while stirring. Continue to stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the soup is thickened.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving before ladling into bowls, and top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Simple Soup Recipes
- Broccoli Potato Cheesy Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Potato Soup
- Pasta E Fagioli Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Tomato Soup
- Best Cauliflower Soup
- Hearty Vegetable Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi
- Southwest Black Bean Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- More Soup Recipes
- More Winter Recipes
If you love Panera broccoli cheese soup, you are going to love this creamy broccoli cheese soup recipe. It’s rich and creamy and so easy to make. It's loaded with broccoli, cheese and just a splash of cream to make this a deliciously creamy broccoli soup.
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