Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup Like Panera (Easy!)

Name: Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup Like Panera
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 broccoli head (not using the stem); 1 medium onion; 1 medium carrot; 1 large celery stick; 2 small potatoes; ¼ cup olive oil; 3 garlic cloves; 5 cups vegetable stock (for a thicker soup use 3 cups and add more if needed); 140 grams (1 cup) vegan cheddar (can substitute for 2 tbsp nutritional yeast); ⅔ cup plant-based milk (coconut, rice, or almond milk )

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This healthy Panera copycat broccoli cheddar soup is both vegan and gluten-free! The soup is very easy to make using just a few pantry ingredients. Make sure to check this collection of 11 best side dishes for the soup!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Vegan with croutons, spoons and a towel on a wooden surface. — Serve with chopped chives for presentation and extra flavor!

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

– This broccoli cheddar soup is vegan and gluten-free, allowing you to enjoy Panera’s famous recipe even if you are on a vegan or gluten-free diet!

– The recipe provides tips for how to get rid of the bitterness in broccoli soups.

– Very quick and easy recipe. Since there is no meat in the pot, the soup is done within minutes!

Related recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Coconut Soup

Tools You Might Need

– Dutch oven (or a large pot). Cast iron is great at retaining heat which prevents food from burning. I love using a dutch oven for all the soups I make plus you can make scrumptious homemade bread using a dutch oven! You won’t regret getting one.

– Immersion blender (or a countertop blender). I personally prefer the immersion blender as it can also be used for plenty of other great recipes like 1-minute homemade mayonnaise, smoothies, and other cream soups.

– Large sharp knife for chopping veggies.

– Spatula.

– Ladle.

Ingredients

Vegetable stock – I used homemade stock but you can also buy it premade! To make your own vegetable stock, throw some veggies into a pot (you can include onion, carrot, and garlic peel along with herbs and spices) and boil for 1 hour. Discard the vegetables and the stock is ready. Freeze for up to 3 months!

Plant-based milk – you can use coconut, almond, or rice milk for this recipe.

Vegan cheddar – if you don’t have vegan cheddar, you can use 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast instead. Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor to the soup along with its nutritional value. If you don’t have either, you can still make the soup, it will not taste cheesy, though!

Potatoes – use russet potatoes.

How to Make Vegan Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Step 1 – Prepare the vegetables

If using fresh broccoli, cut the florets off of the stem and rinse. We won’t need the stem for the soup but don’t throw it away! Sautee chopped broccoli stem in some oil with onion and garlic, it tastes great!

If you are using frozen broccoli, saute it in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat until thawed completely.

Chop the carrot, celery, onion, and potatoes into bite-size bits and mince the garlic.

Diced onion. — Since you will blend the soup, you don’t have to worry too much about the size of chopped veggies.

Chopped carrot. — Since you will blend the soup, you don’t have to worry too much about the size of chopped veggies.

Step 2 – Make the soup

Preheat the dutch oven over medium heat and add ¼ cup of olive oil. First, saute onions for 2-3 minutes, then add carrots and celery and continue frying for another 5 minutes. Add garlic and let the veggies fry for another minute.

TIP: to get rid of the bitterness in broccoli, blanch and rinse the florets before adding them to the pot. I tried making this soup with fresh, frozen, and blanched broccoli and only blanched florets did not bring a bitter taste to the soup. To blanch broccoli, add it to a pot with boiling water for 1 minute, take them out, rinse and add to the soup.

Add the vegetable stock, potatoes, and broccoli florets and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the veggies become soft enough to pierce with a fork easily. Add salt and pepper to taste, then blend the soup with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender. If you are using the second option, be sure to cover the top of the blender completely to avoid the soup splashing all over your kitchen walls! You might also have to blend the soup in batches.

Sauteing the veggies. — Cast iron ensures your vegetables don’t burn.

Adding broccoli to the pot. — Cast iron ensures your vegetables don’t burn.

TIP: if you would like to add some bite to the soup, use a strainer to take out some of the vegetables from the pot before blending, then add them to the pot afterward. I find that this way the soup is more enjoyable to eat!

Step 3 – Add milk and cheese

Once the soup is blended add the plant-based milk, and shredded vegan cheddar (or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast) and stir to combine. Taste the soup and adjust the salt & pepper. Serve with croutons (gluten-free if you are gluten intolerant) or with fresh bread on the side. Sprinkle with some cheese and greens for a pretty bowl! Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Vegan with two spoons on a tray. — Top with croutons, chives, spinach, cheese, or dill.

Expert Tips

– Sometimes broccoli soup tastes bitter depending on the type of broccoli you use. To prevent bitterness, blanch broccoli first. To blanch broccoli, boil some water in a medium pot and place broccoli florets into the boiling water for 30-60 seconds or until they become bright green. Take the florets out and rinse. Now they are ready for the soup!

– If you don’t have vegan cheddar you can use 2 tbsp nutritional yeast. If you don’t have either, you can still make the soup but it won’t taste cheesy.

– To adjust the thickness of the soup, add vegetable stock gradually. First, add 3 cups of stock and if after blending the soup is too thick, then add 1 more cup and see whether you need more!

– To make croutons preheat a frying pan with some olive oil, add a few larger pieces of garlic and saute until golden brown. Remove garlic and add bread cut into cubes. Fry the bread on both sides until golden brown and crispy! For a gluten-free bread bowl make a vegan gluten-free boule, cut the top, and empty the inside, then, fill it with the soup! A fancier option is to make a sourdough boule!

– Here is my collection of 11 best sides to serve with this soup.

– Do you want to also make a bread bowl to maximize the Panera feeling? You can even make a gluten-free bread bowl! Here is the recipe for a GF bread bowl, and here is one for a regular bread bowl.

FAQ

Why Is My Broccoli Soup Bitter?

Some broccoli types will taste more bitter than others, plus older broccoli might be bitter even if the type is not normally bitter. To prevent bitterness you can freeze broccoli florets beforehand or blanch them before using. To blanch broccoli, boil some water in a medium pot and place the florets into the boiling water for 30-60 sends. Rinse and use in soup!

What To Do with the Broccoli Stem?

You can eat it raw or use it in one of these delicious recipes!

How Do You Thicken Broccoli Cream Soup?

If your soup is too runny you can thicken it with cornstarch. Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch to a little bowl with ½ cup of hot liquid (you can scoop some from the soup). Mix the cornstarch into the liquid and then pour the slurry into the soup. Keep the soup on the fire for a few minutes until the soup starts thickening.
Another option is to add cashews. Use ½ cup of raw cashews and blend them in a food processor until they turn into a paste. Add the paste to the soup! Use more if needed.

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