High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup is ready in 30 minutes and makes cozy soup night easy. It’s ultra-creamy, flavorful, made in one pot with blended cottage, and packed with 19 grams of protein!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This high protein broccoli cheddar soup turned out like Panera’s or a classic diner version but so much healthier.
I do have a broccoli cheddar soup recipe without cottage cheese that uses starchy vegetables as a thickener, but by adding flour, this soup recipe is more like a classic but is much higher in protein.
The cottage cheese makes this broccoli cheddar soup extra creamy without any heavy cream, meaning it’s lighter than the classic version. It’s still rich and satisfying, with 19 grams of protein from naturally protein-packed ingredients and just 279 calories per serving.
We loved this broccoli cheddar soup with cottage cheese so much I made it 3 times last month! It’s highly customizable, works with fresh or frozen broccoli, doesn’t need to be blended, and is a true 30 minute meal!
Ingredients for High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Butter: Used to saute the aromatics and add richness. I used salted butter, but unsalted butter or olive oil work too.
- Onion and garlic: Yellow or white onions both work, and fresh garlic cloves give the best flavor and aroma. Garlic powder works in a pinch.
- All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the soup for that classic creamy texture like at Panera. You can also use whole wheat flour. I prefer flour to cornstarch texture, but see Variations below for more options.
- Chicken broth: I use low sodium chicken broth but you can also substitute vegetable broth.
- Carrots: Add natural sweetness and color. I chop them into small pieces so they hold their shape instead of turning into soft, stringy shreds.
- Broccoli: I used fresh broccoli this time, but I have tested the soup with frozen broccoli and it was wonderful, plus super convenient.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: It’s crucial to use yellow or white cheddar with bold flavor because it’s a big part of the flavor. I like to use aged cheddar or extra old cheddar cheese.
- Cottage cheese: I used 2% cottage cheese, but you can use any fat percentage you like.
- Milk: Any milk works, I used 3.25% dairy milk.
- Optional chicken breasts: I love adding diced chicken for extra protein and when I want a heartier one pot meal. I just toss it with a little oil, salt, and pepper, air fry while the soup cooks, and stir them in at the end.
How to Make High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Saute aromatics: Heat a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft and fragrant.
- Add flour: Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine, it helps thicken the soup.
- Add broth: Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking to keep it smooth and lump free.
- Add veggies: Toss in the carrots, broccoli, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.
- Mash broccoli: Push some broccoli against the pot with a spoon for texture, or leave the florets whole, it’s up to you.
- Blend cottage cheese: Use a blender to puree the cottage cheese with milk.
- Add to the pot: Pour the blended mixture into the soup and bring it to a gentle boil. Turn off heat.
- Add the cheese: Stir in the shredded cheese until melted and gooey, then serve soup hot!
Tips for Best Results
A few tips to make this high protein broccoli cheddar soup recipe even easier for you.
- Hold off on adding salt: I added a pinch since I’ve made this soup a few times, but for your first time, don’t add any salt at the start. The broth and cheeses already have some salt, so taste at the end before adding.
- Use bright sharp cheddar: A sharp, flavorful cheddar really stands out in this soup. A milder cheddar won’t give that same rich, cheesy punch we all love.
- Grate your own cheese: Freshly grated cheese melts better and gives a creamier texture than pre-shredded cheese.
- Add both cheeses with heat off: To prevent curdling. The foam from the blended cottage cheese will settle nicely.
Variations
- Dairy-free: Swap the butter, milk, and cheese for your favorite plant-based alternatives to make it completely dairy-free.
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour to keep it thick without gluten. Coconut flour will work as well, add less to start with. So will cornstarch or arrowroot powder – use twice less amount. Almond flour will not thicken the soup as nicely.
- For more protein: Add cooked chicken, see recipe card below for how I cooked mine. Please note the nutrition listed is without chicken.
- No flour: You can skip the flour, your soup just will be less thick. You could add russet potatoes as an alternative, they will break down during cooking and thicken the soup.
- Puree it: My kids like chunks of broccoli in a soup vs. smooth and creamy, so I smashed broccoli crowns with the back of a spoon and it added nice specks and texture. You can also blend the soup completely.
Serving Ideas
Serve alongside high protein bread to scoop, dunk, and load up on even more protein!
Greek Yogurt Biscuits
Greek Yogurt Bread
Cottage Cheese Biscuits
Greek Yogurt Dinner Rolls
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Keep your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Usually dairy soups don’t freeze well, but I’m pretty sure this one won’t separate as it’s all blended and there is flour. Scoop it into a container with a little room to expand and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: Warm it gently on the stove or in the microwave and enjoy!
More Soup Recipes to Try
High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, salted
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour
- 5 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 6 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese, I used 2%
- 2 cups milk, I used 3.25%
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large chicken breasts*, optional
Instructions
- Preheat large pot on medium heat and add butter. Add onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add flour and whisk to incorporate. Slowly pour in chicken broth, while whisking to avoid lumps.
- Add carrots, broccoli, salt and pepper; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mash broccoli crowns with the back of a wooden spoon, pushing against the walls of the pot. It gives nice texture and look to the soup. Or leave them whole.
- In a high speed blender, blend cottage cheese with milk, if needed (some cottage cheese is more dry and won't blend on its own). Pour into the pot and stir, then just bring to a boil and turn off heat.
- Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve hot.
Notes
- Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Reheat on stovetop over medium heat or in a microwave.
- Freeze: Place in a container with a lid and allow space for the soup to expand. Store up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved it and i say that as a person who’s cooked so much broccoli in my life that it bores me to death. Made this w/o the chicken, added a bit of russet potato so reduced the flour slightly. The cottage cheese gives a rich flavour that milk alone doesn’t achieve, I’m impressed. I even reduced the cheddar to 1 c and the soup was still delicious.
That’s high praise! So glad this soup impressed you.
For lower carb option, instead of flour, do you think if I used riced cauliflower and blended it with the chicken broth, that would thicken the soup?
Yes, it would help for sure.
Absolutely wonderful recipe! We love broccoli cheddar soup but rarely eat it because of the high fat content and how heavy it feels. This was the perfect balance- amazing flavor, great texture, way less fat and way more protein! We will be putting this in the regular dinner rotation! Thanks Olena, your recipes never disappoint!!
That makes me so happy to hear, Kandis! I’m thrilled this lighter broccoli cheddar soup still delivered on flavor and texture and earned a spot in your regular rotation.
Made it tonight 🥰. Great for a cold night here in Michigan. My husband loved it, and suggested putting French fried onions on top .. like the ones you use on green bean casserole. Yummy!
So cozy! Love the French fried onion topping idea, such a great crunch. Glad you both enjoyed it!
Hi. Can you make this in an insta pot? Settings? How long? Thanks
You can but I’m not sure it’s worth it. You would still have to saute everything first and blend after. Pressure cook time will be like 0 mins because it takes IP to build up pressure during which broccoli cooks.