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This Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe is a healthier version of the classic broccoli and cheddar soup. Made with milk instead of cream and loaded with Broccoli, carrots, and celery. Easy to make, filling, and the perfect side dish to add to your dinner table.
If you love the broccoli cheddar soup at Panera then you will love this soup. This recipe for broccoli cheddar soup is comforting food at its best for this looming cold weather. It is so filling delicious, and the ultimate comfort food that one bowl won’t be enough. It is made without any heavy cream, made with milk, broccoli, broth, low-fat cheese, and some simple pantry-staple ingredients that you won’t need to run to the store to grab.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Tasty: This light broccoli cheddar soup is packed with flavor and not as creamy and dense as what you get at restaurants that are just too buttery and creamy.
- East-to-make: Easy to follow directions on making this simple homemade broccoli and cheddar cheese soup that will be ready in under an hour.
- Healthy and good for you: A much healthier option than what you get at a restaurant and carry-out soup. Made without any heavy cream and a lot less cheese. Full of nutrients and fiber.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients
- Butter or Ghee: Give a rich taste to the soup and a great option for a keto-soup, but you may use oil instead
- Olive Oil: or avocado oil
- Gluten-Free Flour: or any other flour of your choice.
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock: for vegan-option use vegetable broth or water.
- Milk: 2% milk or unsweetened almond milk for vegan
- Medium Sweet Yellow Onion
- Garlic Cloves: use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder
- Carrot: Do use fresh carrots and not canned
- Fresh Celery thinly sliced
- Fresh Broccoli florets: frozen broccoli can also be used.
- Cayenne Pepper: this ingredient is optional
- Low-fat Grated sharp Cheddar Cheese
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
Making this creamy broccoli cheddar soup recipe is quite easy.
- In a small bowl, whisk flour and cold stock until well combined. Heat olive oil and butter/ghee in a large skillet on your stovetop over medium-high heat. (butter is fine for the keto version)
- Saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Add in broccoli, cayenne pepper, milk stock, and flour mixture, and simmer until veggies are tender and soup is creamy. About 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer about half of the soup to a blender. Blend until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the pot or dutch oven.
- Stir in Cheddar cheese and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Store your leftover broccoli cheddar soup in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge the night before and heat it back up in a pot on your stove or reheat in the microwave. Broccoli Cheddar soup is also good for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Broccoli cheddar soup calories may vary depending on what was added to it. Most of them will fall between 175 calories to 450 calories per serving/bowl. Our healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe has about 197 calories per serving. It is a great recipe and a must try.
That all depends on how it is made and what ingredients are used. Some broccoli cheddar soup are pretty high in calories and carbohydrates if potatoes are added. So it all depends. Broccoli and cheese are both low in carbohydrate and thus a great option for those who are on a keto-diet. So if you are a following a low carb diet, it will be good in aiding your weightloss journey and keep you full. Otherwise try to use healthier ingredients when making your broccoli cheddar soup and it should be good for you.
How to thicken broccoli cheddar soup
Based on your dietary needs there are different ways to thicken your broccoli cheddar soup:
- Add some flour- about 2 tablespoons mixed in with either milk or cold water
- Corn starch
- arrowroot powder
- blended soup – blend a bit of your soup and add it back in
Recipe Variations and Notes
- For a Vegan option: If you would like to make a vegan version of this homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe you can swap a few of the ingredients to make it into a vegan soup. Swap the Butter for more olive oil, use vegetable broth, almond or cashew milk instead of regular milk, and finally use vegan cheddar cheese. You can find this at health food stores.
- Keto-option: To make a keto version of this easy cheddar broccoli soup, use butter or ghee instead of olive oil, skip the flour and use arrowroot powder, or just blend some of the soup to give a thick consistency. Consider adding 1 cup of heavy whipping cream along with 1 cup of milk instead of 2 cups of milk. Also, use whole-fat cheddar cheese.
- Add more protein: Want to add more protein to make this a complete meal? Add some leftover shredded chicken or Rotisserie Chicken. Serve it with some crusty bread or dinner rolls.
- Don’t have a blender? You may use an immersion blender instead
Storage and reheating recommendations
- Storage: Store your leftover cheddar and broccoli soup in a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the soup to cool first before storing it. Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-friendly container.
- Reheating: You may either reheat the leftover soup in the microwave or a saucepan over medium heat.
other soup recipes that you might like
- Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe
- Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup
- Italian Chicken and Bean Soup
- Healthy Summer Corn Chowder Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Italian Wedding soup
- Easy Meatball Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
If you make this easy Cheddar and broccoli Soup please let us know if you liked it. Leave us a comment below and don’t forget to rate it. Also, share it with your friends and family
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Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Butter , or Ghee
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, or avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp Gluten-Free Flour, or any flour of your choice
- 2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1 Medium Sweet Yellow Onion
- 1 Clove Garlic, diced, minced or pressed
- 1 medium Carrot, diced
- 2 ribs Celery, thinly sliced
- 8 Cups Broccoli, chopped small
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 1/2 Cup Low-fat Grated Cheddar Cheese, Plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk flour and cold stock until well combined.
- Heat olive oil and butter/ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add in broccoli, cayenne pepper, milk stock, and flour mixture, and simmer until veggies are tender and soup is creamy. About 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer about half of the soup to a blender. Blend until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the pot.
- Stir in Cheddar cheese and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- for keto- you may use one cup of heavy cream and one cup of full-fat whole milk
- use fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- don’t have olive oil? use avocado oil
- to reduce calories, use low-fat cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
REALLY??? 2 STALKS of celery??? That is several cups. OR 2 RIBS of celery???.
Ribs. I didn’t realize the whole thing is referred to as stalks. I will fix it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention
Love this soup! Thanks for sharing. It is my go to for broccoli cheddar soup. Yum!
Thanks Pam. We are sp happy you enjoyed this soup
It was very good but little bit spicy…next time i will put 1/2 or 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper!!!
Thanks for the feedback. Certainly, try to add a little less cayenne pepper if you found it spicy.
Hi Rena, the soup looks awesome. What is the serving size?
I have been following you for the last year on Instagram. This is right up my alley!!
Thanks,
Maria
That’s awesome yo hear! it is about 6 servings