Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and creamy without heavy cream or flour. Loaded with vegetables and ready in 30 minutes, it’s a staple winter soup recipe in our house!
Cozy soups like this broccoli feta soup and creamy butternut squash soup are our favorites when it’s cold and dark outside.
Table of Contents
Healthy broccoli cheddar soup made silky smooth using only simple real food ingredients. Originally posted in 2017, I have re-tested the recipe and updated it with new photos. Then served with no yeast dinner rolls and I had one happy family!
I think the best part is that everyone can load up their own bowl with as much cheddar cheese as they like.:)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Lightened up broccoli cheddar soup: Once blended this soup looks at tastes just like any fast food joint broccoli cheese soup. Just so much healthier and better for you!
- Chock full of vegetables: Not that I’m against flour, butter, cheese and heavy cream in moderation. But the fact that we can replace them with 13 cups of vegetables is mind blowing to me!
- Easy to make: Sometimes healthified recipes are labor intensive. We don’t do that on iFoodReal. This soup is a true one pot meal, ready in 30 minutes and using very simple ingredients.
- No flour: I decided not to make the roux and instead puree starchy vegetables to make soup creamy. So it’s perfect for gluten-free diet followers.
Ingredients for Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This is just a photo overview. Full recipe card is located below.
- Broccoli: You will need 2 heads of finely chopped fresh broccoli, no stalk.
- Butternut squash: This bright orange colored vegetable makes soup yellow and adds body.
- Potatoes: Starchy potatoes eliminate the need to use flour and thicken this cream of broccoli soup.
- Onion and garlic: Sauteed in butter for a major flavor boost.
- Broth: If you want a vegetarian soup, use low sodium vegetable broth. Otherwise, low sodium chicken broth is absolutely fine.
- Milk: You can use any milk but keep in mind higher fat % milk will make soup more creamy. I used 3.25% milk. You can use any plant-based milk like unsweetened almond milk etc.
- Cheddar cheese: Use flavorful cheese like sharp cheddar. Since we are using such a small amount, cheese has to be flavorful.
- Salt and pepper.
How to Make Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
I like to use a Dutch oven or a large pot you can saute in. It makes it a one pot meal!
- Sauté onion, garlic and carrots in melted butter in well preheated pot on medium heat. Do so for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened a bit.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add cubed butternut squash and potatoes, chopped broccoli, broth, milk, salt, pepper and cook covered for 10 minutes, after bringing it to a boil. Just until veggies have softened to puree easily.
- Puree the soup: Using an immersion blender, puree the soup right in a pot until desired consistency.
- Add cheese: Add cheddar and stir until melted.
Tips for Best Results
- Dice the veggies: Medium dice the butternut squash and potatoes, so they cook quickly. We want them very tender for pureeing.
- Butternut squash substitutions: You can use acorn squash or sweet potato in place of butternut squash.
- Chunky soup: Remove broccoli and other veggies 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Serving Suggestions
I like to make a batch of soup and freeze for easy lunches. For lunch, I like to enjoy broccoli cheddar soup with crusty and higher in protein bread like Greek yogurt bread or cottage cheese bread.
For dinner, you can serve it with simple cottage cheese flatbread wrap to up the protein in a meal. Or with healthy tuna melt and a side salad.
How to Store 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 kids’ “I’m hungry” right away.
Store and reheat: Soup will last 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in a small pot over low-medium heat.
Freeze: 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.
FAQs
You can use frozen broccoli 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.
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 Natural Release. Then release remaining pressure by turning valve to Venting. After follow this recipe. Or try this Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup recipe.
Yes. Saute veggies in a skillet, then combine with remaining ingredients, minus the milk and cheddar, in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours or on High for 2 hours. Add milk, blend and add cheese.
More Favorite Broccoli Recipes
- Healthy broccoli salad
- Healthy chicken broccoli casserole
- Crustless broccoli quiche
- Broccoli and penne pasta
More Soup Recipes to Try
Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots shredded or 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 4 cups butternut squash cubed
- 3 cups potatoes cubed
- 6 cups broccoli 2 heads, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 2 cups whole milk or any milk
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on medium heat and melt butter. Add garlic, onion, and carrots, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add butternut squash, potatoes, broccoli, vegetable broth, milk, salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Add cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
- Serve hot sprinkled with more 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.
Really good soup and easy to make. I made it with oat milk and it was delicious. Great on a winter day.
Awesome. Thank you for your wonderful review, Lisa.
This really was amazing! No one would ever know that there was as little cheese in it as there is. My husband is a very picky eater. If he knew it was mainly squash he probably wouldn’t eat it again. He had 3 bowls of soup when it was first prepared. I can’t wait to try more of your meals. So far, the two that I tried are fabulous. Planning to make the chicken chili soup today!
That’s so great to hear, Ann! I’m so happy your family loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing that with me!
How can I easily cube butternut squash without cutting myself or worrying about hacking something? I never can easily cube or peel butternut squash, so I don’t use it.
In this butternut squash soup I show how I do it. Plus sharp knife helps a lot.
You could try and poke a few spots with a knife and place in micro wave for a minute or so , depending the power of your appliance. Careful it gets hot so wear the oven mitts when you grab the squash. Should be much easier to slice and clean then.
I have dietary restrictions due to having Celiac disease. Do you think I could substitute the cheese with some nutritional yeast? I know cheese gives it that very creamy and rich taste and texture. If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate them. I love your recipes.
Yes you absolutely can because what makes this soup creamy is the squash and potatoes. I love nutritional yeast. 🙂 Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Great recipe! In fact, I try just about every recipe you post and I’m never disappointed!
Yay. Awesome, happy to hear, Sherrin!
Excellent recipe! Like it a lot, like taste and simplicity! Thank you very much!
You are very welcome, Oksana.
Thanks. i love your blog. Thank you for all the great ideas!
Very interesting ingredients squash and potatoes? well worth a try I have made many of Broccoli soup never with squash This a well thought recipe, I will do this tonight after I shop.
I hope you like it, Ernest. Happy to hear from you. Yes, squash adds colour and creaminess without much altering the taste when combined with potatoes.
Tried this one out last night, never made a soup from scratch before, so I was iffy on if I did anything correctly, but it came out delicious! I have one question though, presentation-wise, how did you manage such a deep orange color for the base?? Maybe it’s because I used heavier milk than unsweetened almond, but mine was nearly white, and after adding the cheese only took on a slightly yellow tint. Doesn’t matter either way since it came out so good, was just curious!
Oh, yay!!! Soups are so forgiving! I grew up on soups, can’t imagine eating one from a can. I swear they are the hardest food to screw up as you can often fix it after the taste test. So happy you tried it. You can do it!
What squash did you use? The only thing I can think of is the squash. I used butternut squash. Oh, and yellow potatoes which are also called gold yukon. I don’t think anything else would matter in this recipe for the colour change. My cheese was white too.
This became a staple in our house!