Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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This thick and creamy broccoli cheddar soup comes together in just an hour for a comforting and cozy dinner you’ll be making on repeat this fall and winter.

Broccoli cheddar soup is one of those perfect meals where you get to indulge in something ultra comforting and cozy, but not feel too bad about it since you’re still eating your veggies! Made with a simple roux instead of cream, our broccoli cheddar soup is super satisfying without being too heavy.

Sure, there’s plenty of cheese in this soup, but let’s not kid ourselves here. Anything with the words “cheddar soup” is basically an excuse to eat cheese sauce as a meal. So while this soup isn’t necessarily healthy, it is a creamy, cheesy, and delicious way to eat your broccoli!

What This Recipe Entails

Our broccoli cheddar soup is made with simple ingredients like onion, garlic, broccoli, and creamy extra sharp white cheddar cheese. There isn’t much to prep other than the onion, broccoli, and cheese, so most of your time will be spent cooking.

• Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

You can always save yourself on prep time by using packaged broccoli florets instead of a full head of broccoli. However, we always recommend shredding your own cheese straight from the block! If you use shredded cheese from a bag, it won’t melt as well and will give your soup a grainy texture.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients

You can make homemade broccoli cheddar soup with just a few simple ingredients:

• Butter
• Yellow onion
• Garlic
• All-purpose flour
• 2% milk
• Vegetable broth
• Broccoli
• Paprika
• Ground turmeric
• Extra sharp white cheddar cheese
• Salt

You’ll use the butter and flour to make a roux, which is what gives this soup its thick and creamy texture. This allows you to make a super creamy broccoli cheddar soup without heavy cream, which we always prefer since it’s both healthier and cheaper.

We like to season our soup with paprika and turmeric to give it just a little extra oomph. These don’t really lend any spice to the soup, but they brighten the flavors of the onion and garlic. Plus, the turmeric makes the coloring of this soup extra yellow!

As for the cheese: don’t use shredded cheese from a bag! This kind of cheese is typically coated in a powdery substance to prevent the shreds from sticking together. This means the cheese won’t melt as easily into your soup, and may leave it with a grainy texture. For the best results, please use block cheddar and shred it yourself with a box grater like this one.

How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup

To make this Panera style broccoli cheddar soup, you’ll need to make a roux – this is what gives the soup its thick and creamy texture. If you’ve never made a roux before, don’t worry! It’s simply a mixture of fat and flour that helps to thicken sauces, soups, and stews. You can learn more about roux here.

Once you’ve made the roux, it’s as simple as adding the liquid, simmering the broccoli, and then melting in the cheese. All in all, this recipe takes about 50 minutes to cook, so leave yourself ample time to make dinner so you don’t feel rushed.

Here are step by step instructions for how to make our broccoli cheddar soup:

1. First, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Then, add the onions and garlic, and sweat them out for a few minutes until they’re slightly softened and no longer giving off moisture.
2. Next, sprinkle in the flour and then constantly stir the mixture in a figure 8 motion until the roux puffs up. Try to move quickly so that the roux does not burn or clump.
3. Then, add the milk a little at a time (I like to do intervals of about a quarter to a half cup), stirring constantly to incorporate the roux. Then, do the same with the vegetable broth. Make sure to allow each addition of liquid to fully heat up (it should be steaming lightly) before adding more liquid.
4. Now, stir in the broccoli, paprika, and ground turmeric. Increase the heat to bring the pot to a simmer, then lower the heat as needed to keep it at a simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Be careful not to let the pot boil, as you only want to reduce the soup by about a quarter or so.
5. Finally, turn the heat to low and stir in the cheese in batches until it’s melted. Adjust salt to taste and serve hot, preferably with a side of freshly baked bread.

The trick with this soup is to have patience. We know, we know, it’s hard when you’re hungry and you’re smelling the delicious aromas of garlic, onion, and cheese. But if you give the roux plenty of time to cook, and take your time stirring in the liquids, simmering the broccoli, and melting in the cheese, you’ll end up with a perfect creamy soup. Trust us, it’s worth the wait!

Tips For Making A Roux Based Soup

Typically, a roux is made with equal parts fat and flour. However, our recipe uses additional fat as the onion and garlic will absorb some of it during cooking before you build the roux.

When cooking the roux, stirring it in a figure 8 motion helps the fat and flour molecules incorporate evenly. Make sure that you wait until it puffs up before adding the liquid – you need to give it enough time to cook the raw flavor of the flour out of the roux.

It’s important to keep the roux moving until all of the liquid has been incorporated. This will ensure you end up with a smooth and silky soup, instead of a broken roux which can cause clumps.

Finally, make sure that the soup does not come to a boil when you’re simmering the broccoli. The roux will thicken the soup as it simmers over 10 to 20 minutes, so you don’t need to boil it and reduce it like some other soup recipes.

Serving Suggestions

Broccoli cheddar soup is best served with fresh, fluffy bread if you ask us! Alex has been making artisan loaves with recipes from our Flour Water Salt Yeast cookbook, and they go beautifully with this creamy soup.

It feels just like a meal from Panera when you rip off a piece of bread and dunk it in this bowl of hot, cheesy goodness.

Broccoli cheddar soup is the perfect dish for cozy fall and winter dinners and holiday meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. One batch is the perfect amount for a family of 4, or plenty to hide away for yourself and enjoy leftovers throughout the week!

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store leftover broccoli cheddar soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The longer it sits, the soup may separate slightly in the container, so give it a good stir before portioning it out to reheat.

To reheat, either:

• Microwave the soup for about 2 to 3 minutes per serving, stirring once or twice
• Warm the soup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, covered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally