If ever there was a meal-worthy soup, it would be this easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup! This bowl full of colorful, chunky vegetables and a super thick cheesy “broth” is sure to leave you warm, happy, and satisfied. Unlike others I’ve tried, my broccoli cheddar soup recipe doesn’t use heavy cream and is slightly lighter on the cheese, so you still get all that creamy, cheesy goodness without feeling totally weighed down. But you can always add more cheese if you’d like! #norules.
“Tried this, and my husband said it was the best broccoli cheddar soup he’d ever had, and all three kids asked for seconds! We’re going to be adding this to our regular rotation. Thanks for another stellar recipe!”
Ashley
Hearty Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
This cheesy homemade soup is so incredibly forgiving, which makes it one of my favorite creamy soups. The ingredients are kitchen staples like butter, flour, broth, milk, and cheddar, plus onion, broccoli, and carrots. But you can swap out some of the ingredients, add more cheese, or even blend the soup if preferred…it’ll still be just as cozy and satisfying!
Recipe Success Tips & Variations
- Use freshly shredded sharp cheddar for the best flavor and texture! Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that can affect the texture of your soup.
- Make it vegetarian. I used chicken broth as the base for my soup because it tends to be a little more on the mild side, and the light color doesn’t overshadow the orange color of the cheese. However, you can use vegetable broth instead to make this a vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup. Just be aware that it tends to have a stronger flavor, and the darker color may darken your soup.
- I dice my carrots fairly chunky, but you can dice them really small or slice them into matchsticks (like the Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup) if you’d like.
- Use any cheese you like (or a mix of cheeses). I use a sharp cheddar to impart a strong cheesy flavor into my soup, but use what you’ve got! Some readers have tried mozzarella, Parmesan, various cheddars (mild, smoked, etc), and a Mexican cheese blend.
- Add even more cheese than I use below if you want your soup extra cheesy.
- Want to make it spicy? Increase the cayenne pepper and use a habanero cheddar or pepper jack cheese!
- This broccoli cheddar soup is supposed to be a thick, hearty soup. If you want it EVEN thicker, go ahead and use an immersion blender to blend the veggies before adding your cheese. Or if you prefer a thinner soup, add a touch more broth or milk.
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The Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Step-by-step videos can be seen below the recipe card.
Equipment
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Dutch Oven or Soup Pot
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Grater
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion $0.70
- 1 lb. broccoli $1.97*
- 2 carrots $0.23
- 4 Tbsp butter $0.40
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour $0.04
- 2 cups chicken broth $0.26**
- 2 cups whole milk $0.36
- ½ tsp smoked paprika $0.05
- ¼ tsp garlic powder $0.02
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded, $1.27
Instructions
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Gather all of your ingredients.
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Dice the onion and chop the broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice the carrots.
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Add the butter and onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
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Pour in chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
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Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in the whole milk, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
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Add the chopped broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
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Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it’s to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
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Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted. ***
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Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Video
Notes
**Both store-bought and homemade chicken broth will work here. I like the Better Than Bouillon brand for a store-bought broth option. Use low-sodium broth if you’re watching your salt intake.
***Reducing the heat helps the cheese melt and incorporate into the soup. Cheese sauces can break and clump if they’re boiled too hard. Be sure to reduce the heat before adding the cheese to your soup!
Nutrition
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup Step-by-Step videos
Sauté the onion: Start by dicing 1 yellow onion and chopping 1 lb. of broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice 2 carrots. Next, add 4 Tbsp butter and the diced onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add 4 Tbsp flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
Add the chicken broth: Pour in 2 cups chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
Add the seasonings: Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in 2 cups whole milk, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
Add the veggies: Now add the chopped broccoli and carrots to the pot.
Simmer: Continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it’s to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
Add the cheese: Turn the heat to medium-low and stir 6 oz. shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted. It’s important that your heat is reduced to medium-low here to ensure a nice emulsion and avoid any separation.
Serve: Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any). Serve and enjoy!
Soooo thick and cheesy!! 😍
What Goes with Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
This homemade soup, with its super thick and cheesy “broth,” is just begging for some crackers or my thick, crusty no knead bread for scooping up every last drop. I love saltine crackers with mine, but ranch oyster crackers would be awesome. Some crumbled air fried tortilla chips would also add the satisfying crunch I crave. But who says the soup has to be a solo event? A side sandwich would also be great. I LOVE a classic BLT or a cottage cheese wrap stuffed with salad veggies with my soups!
How to Store Leftovers
Most of my soup recipes are big batch, so you can freeze the leftovers and stock your freezer with all that goodness, but this soup is the exception. Cheese sauces (and, in this case, broths) thickened with a butter and flour roux don’t hold up to freezing and thawing. But don’t worry, I made this a small batch cheese soup recipe, so you don’t have to deal with too many leftovers. This recipe makes four generous servings.
That said, this creamy cheddar broccoli soup will stay good in your fridge for 3-4 days. And boy, are the leftovers DELICIOUS! They reheat beautifully in the microwave, or can be reheated on the stove top over medium-low heat, stirring often.
More Broccoli Cheddar Recipes
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
$6.56 recipe / $1.09 serving
Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
$7.48 recipe / $1.49 serving
Broccoli Cheddar Pizza
Easy Broccoli Rice
$5.51 recipe / $0.91 serving
Our Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe was originally published 9/22/20. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 10/3/25.
The post Broccoli Cheddar Soup appeared first on Budget Bytes.
