Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup is easy, cheesy, creamy with lots of vegetables. Make copycat broccoli cheddar soup at home without heavy cream or flour in 30 minutes.

Cozy soups like this creamy butternut squash soup and butternut squash chicken soup are our favourites when it’s cold and dark outside.

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Healthy broccoli cheese soup made silky smooth using only whole foods like vegetables. Fresh veggies make the best soups, from Russian shchi to Instant Pot butternut squash soup. Oh, the colors and nutrition!

Once blended this soup looks at tastes just like any fast food joint broccoli cheddar soup. Just so much healthier and better for you! Not that I’m against flour, butter, cheese and heavy cream. But the fact that we can replace them with 8 cups of vegetables is mind blowing to me.

Ingredients for Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup

• Broccoli: Broccoli for soup can be fresh or frozen, no need to thaw.
• Butternut squash: This bright orange coloured vegetable makes healthy replacement for 2 cups of artificially coloured neon cheddar cheese.
• Potatoes: Starchy potatoes eliminate the need for cups of flour, butter and heavy cream to make world’s best, silky smooth and delicious cream of broccoli soup.
• Onion and garlic: Sauteed in butter for a major flavor boost.
• Liquids: Stock or broth and milk. Use low sodium stock from a carton or I like to dilute organic bouillon cubes with hot water. Milk can be any and I used unsweetened almond milk.
• Cheese: Sharp cheddar, Dubliner, gruyere or gouda are great choices. Since we are using such a small amount, cheese has to be flavorful.

How to Make Healthy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I like to use Dutch oven or a heavy bottom stainless steel pot when making soups. It makes it a one pot meal.

• Sauté onion and garlic in melted butter in well preheat pot on medium heat. Do so for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened a bit.
• Add cubed butternut squash, potatoes, stock, milk and cook covered for 7 minutes: Just until veggies have softened to puree easily. You don’t want to cook milk too long otherwise it will curdle.
• Add broccoli and salt, and cook for 4 more minutes: This time results in perfectly cooked broccoli that is softer but still has a bite to it.
• To thicken and make creamy soup without flour or heavy cream, you have 2 options:
  • #1 Chunky soup: remove broccoli into a bowl with a slotted spoon. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth and silky. Return broccoli, add cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
  • #2 Silky soup: Add cheese and blend with an immersion blender right in a pot until desired consistency.
• Serve hot sprinkled with remaining cheese, a side of kale and quinoa salad or healthy tuna melt.

Tips and More Substitutions

• Frozen veggies: You can use frozen broccoli and/or butternut squash, convenient if you freeze your garden bounty or buy frozen. Add them just like you would fresh broccoli. No need to thaw or rinse.
• Butternut squash substitutions: You can use acorn squash or sweet potato in place of butternut squash.
• No need to dice veggies small: Cut squash and potatoes into large chunks, since we will be pureeing them.
• Make it dairy free and vegan: You can omit cheese and use nutritional yeast to taste. Also make sure to use dairy free milk. For vegan version, use any oil or plant-based butter for sauteing.
• Pureeing soup: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour soup into a regular blender and blend in batches. Just make sure you have an opening in the lid open otherwise hot soup will explode all over the kitchen and you. Food processor would work too.

Can I Make Broccoli Cheese Soup in Instant Pot?

Yes. Saute onion and garlic right in Instant Pot, then add remaining ingredients, except milk and cheese, and pressure cook on High pressure for 2 minutes with 5 minutes NPR and then release remaining pressure by turning valve to Venting. After follow the recipe. Or try this Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup recipe.

How to Store, Freeze and Reheat

As a mom, I love hearty soups because they refrigerate very well for days. If I have soup in the fridge, I have an answer to the kid’s “I’m hungry” right away. They might not always like it but often I don’t care about that haha.

Storing and reheating: Soup will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in a small pot over low-medium heat.

Freezing: You can freeze soup for up to 3 months. Because all vegetables are blended and the base is not heavy on dairy, once thawed it will look and taste just like fresh.

Healthy food is amazing! Enjoy this healthy broccoli cheese soup!

More Favorite Broccoli Recipes

• Healthy broccoli quiche
• Broccoli and penne pasta
• Broccoli quinoa salad
• Beef and broccoli stir fry
• Sauteed broccoli recipe

Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup is easy, cheesy, creamy with lots of vegetables. Make copycat broccoli cheddar soup at home without heavy cream or flour in 30 minutes.

5 from 13 votes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 237

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tbsp butter
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 onion finely chopped
• ▢ 5 cups butternut squash cubed
• ▢ 3 cups 2 large potatoes, cubed
• ▢ 4 cups any stock low sodium
• ▢ 3 cups any milk I used unsweetened almond
• ▢ 5 cups 1 lb broccoli, coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 5 oz sharp cheese shredded (cheddar or I used Dubliner Kerrygold)

Instructions 

• Preheat large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven on medium heat and melt butter. Add garlic and onion, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add butternut squash, potatoes, stock and milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 7 minutes.
• Add broccoli and salt, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 4 more minutes. Turn off heat.
• If you like chunky soup (I do), remove broccoli into a bowl with a slotted spoon. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth and silky. Return broccoli and add 4 oz of cheese; stir until cheese has melted. Serve hot sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
• Butternut squash substitutions: You can use acorn squash or sweet potato in place of butternut squash.
• Liquids: Stock or broth and milk. Use low sodium stock from a carton or I like to dilute organic bouillon cubes with hot water. Milk can be any and I used unsweetened almond milk.
• Cheese: Sharp cheddar, Dubliner, gruyere or gouda are great choices. Since we are using little, cheese has to be flavorful.
• Pureeing soup: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour soup into a regular blender and blend in batches. Just make sure you have an opening in the lid open otherwise hot soup will explode all over the kitchen and you. Food processor would work too.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 648mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g

Course: Soup and Stew

Cuisine: North American

Author: Olena Osipov

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