The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup — 🥦🧀🤤 Make the best soup of your life at home in 1 hour! It’s creamy, CHEESY, and loaded with tender pieces of broccoli! Beyond words amazing and WAY better than Panera!
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This is the best broccoli cheese soup. Not only that, it’s some of the best soup I’ve ever tasted, period.
If you like Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, this blows the pants off it.
It’s an easy soup to make and is ready in 1 hour. It’s absolutely perfect comfort food and I couldn’t stop eating it. I ate it for lunch and dinner for a couple straight days until it was gone. I loved this soup beyond words.
I kept the soup vegetarian by using low-sodium vegetable stock rather than chicken stock, and lightened it up by using fat-free half-and-half. But you’d think that it was made with heavy cream based on how thick, rich, and truly decadent it tastes.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients
For this better-than-Panera copycat cheesy broccoli soup recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable broth or stock
- Half and half
- Broccoli florets
- Carrots
- Spices
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is a very easy cheese and broccoli soup recipe, but there are a few fast-moving stages. Read the recipe before you start making the soup so you know what’s coming up next.
- In a small saucepan, add a little butter, the diced onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent and barely browned. Add the garlic, cook, then remove from heat.
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, add the remaining butter, flour, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until flour is thickened.
- Slowly add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly, then the half and half. Let simmer over low heat until it has reduced and thickened some.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, spices, and the onion and garlic you previously set aside.
- Allow soup to simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.
- While soup simmers, grate the cheese. After simmering about 20 to 25 minutes, add most of the cheese, reserving a small amount for garnishing bowls.
Tip for Softening the Vegetables
If you prefer very soft broccoli and carrots, you can either steam them before you add them to the pot and/or make sure the broccoli florets are quite small and the carrots are cut into very thin pieces.
I’ve never found pre-steaming necessary because the soup continues to simmer for 20-25 minutes after adding the broccoli and carrots, which is ample time for me personally for them to soften to my liking. However, in case you prefer very soft vegetables, steaming and/or paying closer attention to their size is an option.
Soup FAQs
Use a high-quality cheddar cheese that you grate yourself. Don’t use the cheapest cheese you can find because the flavor just isn’t there. I prefer extra-sharp, although sharp may be used. Pre-grated cheese in ziptop bags is resistant to melting and won’t incorporate well.
You could try, but it will be mushy. I hate mushy vegetables so I personally never would use frozen broccoli in this soup being that the broccoli is the star of the show.
I love broccoli and used plenty because I prefer big chunks of broccoli in every bite but you can use less. I also used some stalks to make use of the entire head and not waste any, but you can use florets only if preferred. Even people who ‘don’t like broccoli’ should love broccoli when it’s bathed in a creamy, cheesy broth.
There are a few optional spices like smoked paprika, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper. They’re not mandatory if you don’t keep them on hand, but they do add extra depth of flavor, albeit subtle. The cayenne doesn’t make the soup hot in the least, it makes it not taste boring.
Storage and Reheating
To store: Soup will keep in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing the soup because I feel like the cheese and half-and-half will not do well upon thawing and soup could break, but I haven’t actually tried freezing it.
To reheat: Reheat gently in the microwave for 30-second intervals. I find the soup is less likely to ‘break’ or separate when reheated in the microwave rather than on the stovetop, but do what you think is best.
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The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup (Better-Than-Panera Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon + 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small or medium sweet yellow onion, diced small
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced finely
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, chicken stock may be substituted
- 2 cups half-and-half, *
- 2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup broccoli stems, diced into bite-size pieces (optional)**
- 2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into very thin rounds, about 1/16th-inch
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika , (or regular paprika) optional and to taste
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder, optional and to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste (doesn’t make soup spicy and serves to enhance flavor)
- 8 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, with a small amount reserved for garnishing***
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter, the diced onion, and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and barely browned, about 4 minutes. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and set pan aside.
- In a large heavy-bottom pot (I use this Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 6-3/4-Quart Oval French (Dutch) Oven) add 4 tablespoons butter, flour, and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until flour is thickened. You are making a roux and it’s very important the mixture is thick or soup will never thicken properly later.
- Slowly add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly.
- Slowly add the half-and-half, whisking constantly.
- Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. Whisk intermittently to re-incorporate the ‘skin’ that inevitably forms, this is normal.
- While mixture is simmering, chop the broccoli and carrots. After simmering 15 to 20 minutes, add the broccoli, carrots, and the onion and garlic you previously set aside.
- Add the salt, pepper, optional paprika, optional dry mustard powder, and optional cayenne. If you don’t have these seasonings on hand, it’s okay, but they do add subtle depth of flavor. Stir to combine.
- Allow soup to simmer over low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. Whisk intermittently to re-incorporate the ‘skin’ that inevitably forms, this is normal.
- While soup simmers, grate the cheese. After simmering about 20 to 25 minutes, add most of the cheese, reserving a small amount for garnishing bowls. Stir in the cheese until melted and incorporated fully, less than 1 minute.
- Transfer soup to bowls, garnish with reserved cheese, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Amazing recipe! No alterations were made, I will make this for the rest of my life!
Thanks for the 5 star review and that is amazing to hear that you’ll make this for the rest of your life, thanks!!
Absolutely spectacular. It really is one of the best soups we have ever eaten. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s one of the best soups you’ve ever eaten!
This is so yummy, I’ve made it twice. First time exactly by recipe including half-and-half, this last time with milk instead, more broth and less cheese. And I find the lighter version just as yummy. The key is the combo of mustard, paprika and pinch of cayenne. And that’s what makes this recipe different from the others out there. Thank you so much for this.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you have made it both the original way and a “lighter way” and that they both were great! I agree, the spice combo is unique yet essential!
I made it exactly per the recipe. Result was spectacular!! Best soup ever. I was going to pass some along to some friends, but just couldn’t give any of it away. Maybe, next time.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was the best soup ever! Pass your neighbors the link to the recipe – they can make it for themselves haha!
Easy to prepare and delicious! I added an extra clove of garlic and skipped the carrots, Â I will make it again for sure!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you’ll make it again!
Excellent!
Aside from using chicken stock and adding a bit of swiss and parm, I also took 1/2 the soup from the pot and ran it through the food processor (mainly the broccoli stems and carrots, leaving the florets) and then added it back to the pot before adding the cheese. It added a little extra depth and hid more veggies for those that don’t like carrots too much.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that it was excellent!
This is an excellent recipe! Easy to follow and absolutely delicious! Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out absolutely delicious for you!
This was fantastic.  Everyone loved it at a party I made it  for.  Everyone wanted the recipe.  Loved that you used fat free half and half.  I’ve already made more.  Thank you foe a great recipe. Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a big hit and everyone wanted the recipe and you’ve already made more!
If I make the soup the day before could I warm it up successfully in my crockpot.
Yes likely, or kept warm; I would be very gentle with the heat because you don’t want to actually continue to cook it. The cream/milk could turn a bit off as well as the broccoli will get mushy.
Made this for my 23 yr old grandson.for his birthday request. I have not made broccoli cheddar soup before. This recipe was fantastic. Will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out fantastic!
Amazing!!!
Glad it was amazing!
Perfect recipe!Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s perfect for you!
I too used a mix of carrot, onion and celery, diced small. That was the only adjustment I made to the recipe. Wait, I used chicken stock as that’s what I had. This soup is rich, creamy and delicious! I used the recommended 3 cups of broccoli florets and 1 c chopped stems. Next time I think I’ll cut the florets a bit smaller. Averie, every recipe of yours I’ve tried is a winner!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was delicious and that all my recipes have been winners for you, thank you so much!
I have tried this amazing broccoli cheese soup recipe and i found this soup recipe really an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us. Even i have a special broccoli cheese soup recipe as well.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that it turned out amazing for you!
So good! My first time making this. I love the broccoli and cheddar soup from Panera but there’s nothing like homemade. Husband was sick and I wanted to do something nice and make him one of his fave soup from scratch. we both love it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you both loved this soup and agreed, there’s nothing better than homemade!
This soup is absolutely delicious! Â I loved it! Â It is a recipe I will definitely make over and over again. Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that it was absolutely delicious and you’ll make it over and over!