Rich Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This delicious rich and creamy homemade broccoli cheddar soup is made with minimal ingredients and is full of the natural flavors of the classic broccoli cheese soup! A great comfort food for the colder seasons.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon (57g) butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, red onions or shallots can be used instead
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoon AP flour, use gluten-free flour if needed
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, use water and a bouillon cube if you don't have stock
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 large or 2 small carrots
- 2 cups whole milk, heavy cream, or half and half, use coconut cream for dairy-free
- 2 cups (8oz/200g) shredded cheddar cheese, mild or sharp
Instructions
- First, you need to julienne or shred the carrots to save time later on. If you don't have a special peeler to julienne the carrots quickly, take the other route and shred them with a fine or medium-sized shredder instead. Set aside until called for.
- Then chop the broccoli into small florets and cut off the stem. Broccoli stems can be used in other recipes!Make the florets bite-size and measure about 4 full heaping cups.
- Preheat a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed on the stove over medium heat. Add butter and melt it stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Chop the onion finely and add to the pot. Saute over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.Mince the garlic and add it to the onions. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Finally, add the flour and whisk or stir it in to incorporate evenly.
- Once the onions and garlic are evenly coated in flour, add the chicken (or vegetable) stock, broccoli florets, and carrots.Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Stir every 3 minutes to prevent sticking and burning. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper (adjust to taste).
- Then, add the cream, milk, or half and half and stir to incorporate.
- Turn the heat off (important) and stir in the cheese a handful at a time. If you add cheddar at high heat, it might clump or curdle. Turning the heat off ensures a smooth melting and blending. Once the cheese is incorporated, bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for another minute. Serve with croutons or homemade crusty bread for dunking!
Notes
Top tip:
Older broccolis can have a bitter flavor. To get rid of bitterness, simply blanch the florets in boiling water for 60 seconds and rinse, then proceed with the recipe!
Why use a Dutch oven?
You have less risk of burning the food if using a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot (1cm/0.4in).
Another tip:
Keep adding salt throughout the cooking instead of adding it all at once at the end. This will allow the salt to incorporate better and create a richer savory flavor.
How to blend the soup:
If you want your soup to be creamier, use an immersion blender to slightly blend the soup (don't go all the way).
You can also take part of the soup out and blend the rest in a traditional blender, then add them together again.
To make the cream of broccoli cheddar soup simply blend the whole soup until very smooth and no chunks are left!
You can store this broccoli soup in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. It might thicken in the fridge, so add some extra stock or water to thin it out again when you reheat.
If you plan on freezing the soup, don't add dairy and cheese until you defrost it and are ready to serve. Dairy tends to separate when freezing!
To freeze:
- Don't add dairy;
- Ladle the soup into the freezer bags or air-tight freeze-friendly containers about ⅔ of the way;
- Label the bags/containers with the date and lay flat on the freezer shelf.
Nutrition
Serving: 3cupsCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 28.4gProtein: 17.9gFat: 34.5gSaturated Fat: 21.5gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 709mgPotassium: 703mgFiber: 4.6gSugar: 5.7gCalcium: 496mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!