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This Broccoli Cheddar Soup is inspired by Panera’s version. This soup comes together in less than 20 minutes and made in one pot. It’s comforting, full of bright broccoli, shreds of carrots and plenty of cheddar cheese. Serve this with my Fall Harvest Salad and Grilled Cheese for a perfect dinner.
When it comes to cozy food, I would go as far as to say I’m an expert. My idea of a good time is to stay home and make acorn squash soup, watch TV while mixing up a bowl of butternut squash risotto and maybe sipping on cranberry margaritas. I like a good time!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Broccoli – We want bright green, gorgeous looking broccoli. I like to cut into bite-size pieces.
- Chicken Stock – You can use store-bought or homemade chicken stock.
- Half and Half – I like half and half because it gives a richness without making it too cloying (like heavy cream) or too watery (like with milk).
- Cheddar Cheese – I used a medium cheddar for this because it gave a nice meltability and flavor.
- Carrots – I like to shred carrots with the large holes on the box grater.
- Garlic, onion and celery – All of these help build flavor!
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Warm some olive oil in a pot. Add in the onion, celery and garlic. Cook it until it’s softened; about 5 minutes.
- Melt butter in a pot. Add in the flour. Mix until it forms a paste. This is our roux.
- Pour in the homemade chicken broth or store-bought.
- Optional step: use an immersion blender to make the base smooth.
- Pour in the carrots and broccoli. And then bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes. We want the broccoli bright and gorgeous looking but tender.
- Pour in the half and half and then slowly add handfuls of the cheese. The cheese will slowly be incorporated into the soup. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tip
- Add some protein – If you wanted, you could add some shredded chicken to the soup.
- Use a different type of cheese – I think cheddar makes this taste so classic but if you wanted to switch up the flavor you could use Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack or an extra sharp white cheddar.
- Be careful with the temperature – Once the broccoli is cooked, I like to turn off the heat and then pour in the half and half and add in the cheese. This way the cheese won’t split or be too hot.
- How to re-heat: If you’ve got leftovers, reheat gently over the stove or in the microwave โ again, to prevent separation.
- How to Freeze this Soup – Let the soup cool to room temperature, transfer to a freezer safe container and freezer it. Use within three months and thaw in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Low and slow is the mantra โ add cheese gradually to the soup and melt it gently to avoid a grainy mishap.
Of course! I tend to like using cheese from a block because it tends to melt easier but pre-shredded will absolutely works.
For sure! You can half the amount of cheese and add in slightly less half and half or skip it all together.
Absolutely! Just use veggie stock instead of chicken, and you’re all set.
More Cozy Recipes
Desserts
Easy Apple Cobbler
Dinner
Chili Cornbread Casserole
Quick and Easy
Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic
If you tried this Broccoli Cheddar Soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ๐ star rating and let me know how it went in the ๐ comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 cheese box grater
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ยผ cup unsalted butter
- ยผ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
- 3 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped bite-sized (about 1/2 pound)
- 3 cups grated cheddar cheese + more for the topping, (12-16 ounces)
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When warm, add the onion, garlic, and celery. Add one teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft.
- Then add the butter; cook until itโs melted, about 1 minute. Add the flour and mix until the flour has formed a paste; this is our roux. Cook for 1 minute.
- Next, stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer then turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender and carefully blend the soup until smooth. This step is optional but I did it because I wanted a smooth base. Alternatively, you could transfer it to a blender and blend it until smooth and transfer it back to the pot.
- Put the soup back on medium heat and add in the carrots and broccoli. Simmer until tender, 5-7 minutes. You want the broccoli to be tender but still bright in color.
- Remove the soup from the heat. While the soup is still hot, slowly add the half and half stirring gently as you pour. Then add the cheddar cheese handfuls at a time. Stir each handful until melted into the soup and well combined. Repeat until all the cheese is added.
- Just before serving, taste it and adjust the salt if needed. I also added a ton of black pepper. Divide amongst bowls and serve them with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and good bread for dipping.
Notes
- Add some protein – If you wanted, you could add some shredded chicken to the soup.
- Use a different type of cheese – I think cheddar makes this taste so classic but if you wanted to switch up the flavor you could use Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack or an extra sharp white cheddar.
- Be careful with the temperature – Once the broccoli is cooked, I like to turn off the heat and then pour in the half and half and add in the cheese. This way the cheese won’t split or be too hot.
- How to re-heat: If you’ve got leftovers, reheat gently over the stove or in the microwave โ again, to prevent separation.
- How to Freeze this Soup – Let the soup cool to room temperature, transfer to a freezer safe container and freezer it. Use within three months and thaw in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this tonight. It was delicious and worked flawlessly. Easy, fast, and very filling
Amazing! So glad you loved it Katlin.
So good and so simple! Comes together quick! My hubs loved it and requests all the time. A new soup staple in the house!
Ahh wonderful!
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! Definitely better than Panera
love to hear this!!
I made this with your everything pretzels for dinner tonight. Both came out so well! Thank you!
amazing to hear, nikki! glad you loved it.
Did anyone find the recipe for the baby biscuits?
This was so easy and so so delicious! I will definitely be making again!
love to hear it, annie! x
It was ungodly cold in NC today and this was just what we needed! thank you!
Can you share what brand of mini biscuit cutter you’re using? Most amazon reviews for cutters that I looked at were pretty dismal.
Made this last night with my fiancรฉ – omg, YUM! We doubled it so we’d have leftovers for the week. He hates soup normally (though he’ll ‘allow’ it for dinner if he gets a lot of crusty bread or grilled cheese to dip) – after eating a few bites he said, “you finally found a soup that I love!” and proceeded to happily eat 2.5 bowls worth. I also loved it! When doubling, we only used about 4 cups of chicken broth (instead of 6) and felt it was the perfect thickness, as we tend to like thicker soup. We also substituted more carrots for celery, but otherwise kept the recipe as is & just doubled each measurement and it came out perfect. Yesterday was the first “rain” (if you can call it that…. mini sprinkling?) we’ve had in the Bay Area in, like, 10 months? So this cozy soup came at the perfect time to go with the darker, ominous clouds!
i love this! it barely rained here in LA but we’ll take it haha