This vegan broccoli cheddar soup is creamy, cheesy, comforting--and ready in about 30 minutes. If you like Panera's broccoli cheddar soup, you'll love this healthier vegetarian and vegan version.
Much like my Wisconsin beer cheese soup, this has everything you'd want--and nothing you don't--in an oil-free, gluten-free and dairy-free broccoli cheese soup recipe.
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What I love about this vegan broccoli potato cheese soup
First, let's talk cheese. So many vegan recipes call for store-bought vegan cheese that's oil-based and unhealthy.
But the homemade cheddar sauce in this recipe tastes SO much better that once you've tried it, you'll want to try in in other recipes too, like my portobello burgers, for starts.
Next, there's the veggies. This whole food, plant-based soup is full of delicious broccoli cheese flavor, and it's packed with healthy veggies like carrots, celery and potatoes--all blended together into a glorious, creamy bowl of golden yumminess!
And of course, it's chock full of healthy broccoli!
In fact, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and kale are so important in our diet that Dr. Michael Greger recommends that we eat at least one serving every day.
So while I love broccoli in a salad or simply steamed, I can't imagine a much tastier way to eat it than by cooking up this super satisfying, healthy broccoli soup recipe.
Ingredients
- broccoli
- Yukon gold potatoes
- celery ribs
- carrots
- yellow onion
- garlic
- low sodium vegetable broth
For the Cheddar Sauce
- raw, unsalted cashews
- low sodium vegetable broth
- nutritional yeast
- apple cider vinegar
- tomato paste
- vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Dijon mustard
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- pink Himalayan salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: cayenne pepper for heat
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these photos and instructions to help make it great, every time. Please also see the full recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1. Sauté the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and potatoes.
Step 2. Add the broccoli and veggie broth.
Step 3. While the soup is simmering, add the cheddar sauce ingredients to a high speed blender.
Step 4. Process on high until smooth and creamy.
Step 5. Add the cheddar sauce to the pot of soup, mix well, and remove from the heat.
Step 6. Add half the soup to the blender and process. Repeat with the rest of the soup.
Step 7. Return to the pot, and heat.
Step 8 (optional). For broccoli croutons, roast small broccoli florets in the oven while the soup is simmering.
Pro tips
- Never over process a potato soup. Over stirring, mixing or mashing potatoes will result in an unappetizing gluey, gummy mess. Blend just to get a little creamy, about 15-30 seconds.
- Use a high speed blender for the cheddar sauce. Even after soaking the cashews, little chunks of nuts can remain unless you have a high powered blender to make the sauce smooth and creamy. Check for any bits of nuts in the sauce before you add it to the soup.
- Hack and hold your broccoli. To maximize the nutrition in broccoli, you need to activate the sulforaphane (a powerful antioxidant) by chopping it at least 40 minutes before eating it or cooking with it.
Substitutions and variations
- Cauliflower - you could easily sub cauliflower in the recipe, or use a half and half mix of broccoli and cauliflower.
- Butternut squash - swap the carrots for butternut squash for an easy, nutritious variation.
- For a nut free variation -- that's also high in fiber and low in calories -- use my chickpea cheese sauce recipe as the base for your cheddar sauce.
- For a simple, healthy broccoli potato soup - double the potatoes, increase the broth by a cup (or add a cup of plant milk), and skip the cheese sauce altogether.
- Roasted broccoli soup - for a more intense broccoli flavor, roast your broccoli florets at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes before adding them to the soup.
What to eat with broccoli cheddar soup
This soup is delicious with a healthy side salad as a light meal or as a starter to a main course.
Of course, this soup would be a perfect sandwich companion. Pair it with a chickpea 'egg salad' sandwich, this hearty roasted mushroom sandwich, and definitely this Panera copycat Mediterranean sandwich.
And if you just can't get enough cheddar cheesy goodness (I mean, can we ever really?), make these portobello mushroom burgers with cheddar sauce at the same time.
FAQs
Yes! Just swap my chickpea cheese sauce in the recipe. To keep the cheddar flavor, add the ingredients listed in the cheddar sauce recipe (Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, etc.)
This recipe is intended to produce a creamy soup, that still has little bits of broccoli and veggies visible. If you want a perfectly creamy soup, you'll need to blend it longer.
However, this could make the potatoes gluey. I recommend blending a little at a time, and taste testing frequently to make sure you don't over blend.
Or, skip the potatoes and increase the carrots, so you can blend more thoroughly and still get a good result. Finally, use a high speed blender rather than an immersion blender for the creamiest soups.
Store this soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Happy, whole food plant-based cooking, y'all!
-Elizabeth xo
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More whole food, plant-based soup and stew recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion 1-inch diced
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes 1-inch diced
- 2 celery ribs 1-inch diced
- 2 carrots 1-inch diced
- 4 garlic cloves smashed and minced
- 5 cups broccoli florets about 1 pound (Optional: reserve some florets for a broccoli crouton garnish, if desired To maximize nutrition, chop 45 minutes or more before cooking, see notes.)
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
For the Cheddar Sauce
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashew pieces soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper for heat, if desired
- pink Himalayan salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cover your cashews in hot water and soak for 15 minutes for the cheddar sauce.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and potatoes with about a tablespoon of water on medium high heat until the vegetables begin to get soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add water a little at a time if things begin to stick.
- Add the broccoli florets and 5 cups of stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- To Make the Cheddar Sauce. While the soup is simmering, drain the soaked cashews, and add them to a high speed blender. Add 1 cup of broth, the apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and optional cayenne pepper. Blend on high speed until smoth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- When the vegetables are tender, add the cheddar sauce to the pot, and stir well.
- Turn the heat off stove. Add soup to the blender in batches, and process until blended but still a little chunky--or to your desired consistency--about 15 to 30 seconds. (Or use an immersion blender ro blend in the pot.) DON'T OVER BLEND - see notes.
- Return the blended soup to the pot and heat through, about 3-5 minutes.
- To make the optional broccoli croutons: place a handful of reserved broccoli florets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, or until just tender and lightly browned.
Notes
- Never over process a potato soup. Over stirring, mixing or mashing potatoes will result in an unappetizing gluey, gummy mess. Blend just to get a little creamy, about 15-30 seconds.
- Use a high speed blender for the cheddar sauce. Even after soaking the cashews, little chunks of nuts can remain unless you have a high powered blender to make the sauce smooth and creamy. Check for any bits of nuts in the sauce before you add it to the soup.
- Hack and hold your broccoli. To maximize the nutrition in broccoli, you need to activate the sulforaphane (a powerful antioxidant) by chopping it at least 40 minutes before eating it or cooking with it. See this video for more details.
- Cheese Sauce. This recipe makes a rich, cheddar-flavored soup. But you can use any vegan/compliant cheese sauce. For example, my Easy Cheese Sauce is a simpler version, or my Chickpea Cheese Sauce is a high fiber, low fat version.
Shawnah
This is the best soup recipe hands down! Love it! Kid friendly you can’t ask for more.
Elizabeth Shah
Hey Shawnah! Thanks a bunch for the kind words. Anything that gets the kiddos to eat broccoli, right? So glad you're enjoying this recipe.
Dennis
Can we substitute the chickpea cheese for the cashew cheese?
Elizabeth Shah
Absolutely!
Gayla
This was delicious. I'm not a fan of nutritional yeast so i didn't use it and it was still wonderful.
Elizabeth Shah
Hi Gayla! So glad you liked this soup, and that it worked well even without the nutritional yeast. Thanks so much for your comment & review! 🙂
chahinez
I love love love making cheese sauce using cashews! They make for such a creamy finished product! I actually made a vegan mushroom and kale pasta a while back and used them for it so I have leftover cashews that I can use to make this delicious vegan broccoli soup!
So excited 🙂 !!
Elizabeth Shah
Agree, cashews make about the creamiest vegan cheese sauce ever! Hope you like the soup 🙂