I made some Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup for your soul (and your soul, and your soul, and your soul!) Sorry, having an Oprah moment here.
I feel like I can call this Broccoli Cheese Soup perfect because I know what un-perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup tastes like. My first attempt at making this creamy, cozy soup was when I was 13 years old. I stood at the stove with my perm, big bangs, glasses and stretchy pants (just painting you a picture here,) rubbed my hands together in anticipation and exclaimed, let’s do this!
I don’t remember where the recipe came from but it didn’t even call for milk or cream. The more likely explanation is that my novice-chef-self glossed over that rather significant portion of the ingredient list but I digress. I boiled my broth, added my broccoli, then dumped in a truckload of cheese. What could go wrong?
Uh, everything.
Instead of morphing into a thick and luxurious soup, the cheese turned into a previously unknown substance, wrapping its stringy tentacles around the broccoli crowns before descending to the bottom of the pot to its final resting place as an inedible, broccoli-studded orange blob. I’ll never forget it.
All is not lost, however, because nearly two decades later I stepped back up to the proverbial plate and, after a few tries, made the perfect batch of Broccoli Cheese Soup just in time for the start of soup season!
The key to perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup is timing and temperature – I’ll show you how. Oh and freshly grated cheese, and milk, not cream. That’s right, heavy cream is not necessary. Pinky swear!
Tips for Making Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Use whatever milk you’ve got on hand but know that I achieved thick and creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup perfection with skim milk. Yes, you heard that right. No heavy cream needed.
- This recipe works best with freshly grated cheddar cheese. Pre-grated cheese is coated in anti-cakers which means it won’t melt as smoothly.
- When it’s time to add the cheese into the soup, sprinkle it in in batches, stirring until each batch is melted before adding the next batch, vs dumping it all in at once. This will ensure there are no clumps in the final soup.
- The temperature you cook the soup at is key to making sure it doesn’t end up grainy or curdled. Medium heat is best for dairy-based soups.
How to Make It:
Start by melting 3 Tablespoons butter in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat then add 1 large grated carrot and 1 large chopped shallot. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the carrots are tender, 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle in 3 Tablespoons gluten-free flour then whisk to form a paste and cook for 1 minute.
Next, slowly pour in 3 cups gluten-free chicken broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once everything is nice and smooth, add 2 cups milk. Again, use whatever you’ve got on hand – I used skim milk. Turn the heat up just slightly to bring the broth to a bubble (not a rolling boil,) stirring occasionally, then turn the heat back down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, measure out 3 cups fresh broccoli florets chopped small.
Add the broccoli to the soup then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the broccoli is tender.
Remove the pot from the heat then add 8oz freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese in three batches, stirring until completely smooth before adding the next batch. Let each batch slowly melt before adding the next to make sure there’s no clumping whatsoever.
Now, I happen to like bigger hunks of broccoli bobbing in my Broccoli Cheese Soup but if you like yours a little more smooth, take a potato masher to the soup and mash until you get the texture you like. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. I like TONS of fresh cracked black pepper in my Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup!
Ladle the Broccoli Cheese Soup into bowls then top with a bit more shredded cheddar cheese and dig in. Like I said…perfect! Thick, creamy – total comfort food – enjoy!
Similar Recipes:
- Crock Pot Broccoli-Cheddar Potato Soup >
- Healthy Cheeseburger Soup >
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup >
- Gluten Free French Onion Soup >
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Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
Description
Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup is perfectly thick, creamy, and cheesy. The ultimate comfort food!
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free flour (I like Domata or Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Sweet Rice Flour)
- 3 cups gluten-free vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups milk (I used skim)
- 3 cups small-chopped fresh broccoli florets
- 8oz freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
Directions
- Melt butter in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat then add carrots and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until carrots are tender, 3-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in flour then whisk to combine and cook while whisking for 1 minute. Slowly stream in chicken broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps (I add a big splash at a time then whisk until smooth before adding more.) Add milk then season with salt and pepper and then turn heat up to medium-high to bring soup to a simmer. Turn heat down to medium then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add broccoli florets to pot then simmer for 20 more minutes, or until broccoli is tender. Remove pot from heat then add cheese in three batches, stirring until completely smooth before adding the next batch. Mash florets slightly with a potato masher to reach desired texture – this is optional. Taste soup then add salt and pepper if necessary and then ladle into bowls and serve with shredded cheese on top.
- NOTE: I do not recommend freezing this soup.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
broccoli cheddar soup is a class, one of my favorites!
This is the perfect recipe for the first day of fall! It looks amazing. I love the story about your 13 year old self. When I was 13 I was making packaged pasta and pasta sauce!
I just made Broccoli cheese soup yesterday too! Not the exact recipe, but very similar! Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch today! :)
My daughter’s favorite meal! I’m sure this will beat her favorite “Rockne’s” brocc/cheddar soup! P.S. My 13yr old self came home from school EVERY.DAY and made a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and watched my VCR-taped Days of Our Lives. #bigbangsclub
[…] Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup | Iowa Girl Eats […]
You read my mind! I have broccoli cheese soup on the menu this week, but the recipe I’ve used in the past is time consuming. This is the perfect replacement!
This looks so amazing. It’s lunch time here in Kentucky and I’m sipping my pathetic V8 juice whilst reading this. Not the best idea I’ve ever had. I’ll be saving this recipe for a later date :)
http://www.mishmoshmakeup.com
This looks amazing! My favorite broccoli cheddar soup has fine egg noodles in it, so I might have to add them into this. I think I’ll have to try making this for lunch this week!
I love broccoli, hubs loves cauliflower. Since I’m positive this will adapt to cauliflower, too, we’re both going to be happy campers! = )
Soup looks soooo good. Since I’m in braces – broccoli is not my friend. Think I’ll make it with cauliflower instead, also love cauliflower cheese soup!
The only thing this is missing is a bread bowl. Then it would be complete and total HEAVEN.
And I need to get me one of those whisks. Gotta love IKEA.
ps. Do you have to eat this when Lincoln’s not around? Eating it in front of him would be sheer torture!
I LOVE broccoli cheddar soup–it’s my all time favorite! I’m definitely going to try this as soon as the temperatures drop!
Hi IGE,
Do you think freezing this soup would work? I’ve had great luck freezing soups, but the dairy in this one makes me second guess it. I hope the answer is yes – I would love to have this on hand to grab in the morning for a quick lunch and defrost at work!
Thanks,
Jenn
Hey Jenn! As you mentioned, dairy-based soups can sometimes separate when frozen/reheated. I tried it and it was a touch watery. The flavor was still good but the texture wasn’t quite the same as fresh!
Love this soup, broccoli is one of my favorites!
Great way to start soup season which I am SO ready for. I still need to go buy that whisk.
I just made this! Amazing!
Glad you liked the soup, Bridget!
Can I ask why you don’t recommend freezing it??
Dairy-based soups can sometimes separate when frozen/reheated. I tried it and it was a touch watery. The flavor was still good but the texture wasn’t the same as fresh!
Just finished making this recipe and can’t wait to try it!!!!!! Perfect for early fall!
I made this tonight, it was super easy and absolutely delicious! I have finally found a broccoli cheddar soup recipe I am in love with!
Hooray! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Hannah!
Absolutely delicious! Made this tonight and it turned out perfect. The step by step directions were very helpful.
So glad to hear you liked it, and the directions were easy to follow!
Nothing beats a broccoli and cheese soup. And this one came right on time. It’s actually starting to cozy up in our area as well so totally making this soon!
I’m nervous trying a recipe for the first time, but this totally worked for me! It was wonderful. Thanks sooo much.
Thanks for the recipe. Plan on trying it this week. Just wondering if there’s any reason we can’t use Veggie Broth instead of Chicken. I usually substitute it without thinking, but I know almost all Broc/Cheese soups have a base of Chicken Broth, which is why we never eat it! Household of vegetarians around here…
That should be just fine!
[…] Thursday: Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup […]
I just made this! I used almond milk and reduced fat cheddar, and it was SO GOOD. Thanks for the recipe! :-)
workhardeatharder.com
I made this over the weekend and it was SO GOOD. For a little something extra, I squirted just a bit of sriracha sauce in at the very end. We aren’t big hot sauce fans, but this gave the soup a little extra zing and complemented the cheddar, sort of like the cayenne pepper in cheese straws. Thanks for the wonderful recipe–I will definitely make this again when the weather cools down!
I’ve never used a shallot. How is a shallot different from an onion? Thanks.
It’s milder than an onion (onions hurt my husband’s stomach.) You could use 1/2 small onion in its place!
[…] shared on my Facebook page that I made this broccoli cheese soup – and LOVED every spoonful of it! Did I mention it doesn’t use any cream? […]
[…] I treated my parents to dinner last night. I made this Broccoli Cheese soup and it was really good, not to mention it was so easy. Grandma […]
Made this soup last night. Sooo good!! The boyfriend proceeded to have four bowls of it, that good! I finally have a broccoli cheddar soup recipe that doesn’t require cream and velveeta but tastes like it does! Thank you for sharing this, I will now be sharing this with everyone I know!
[…] Broccoli Cheese Soup from Iowa Girl Eats […]
Why did my soup separate? Was not creamy at all. I followed directions!
Hi Lori, I’m sorry to hear that! In my experience, milk-based soups separate when the heat is too high. If you try again I’d make sure to not turn the heat too high when you’re bringing it up to a gentle bubble, and then make sure to immediately turn it back down to medium. I hope this helps!
[…] Broccoli Cheese Soup — this one surprised me because I’ve for some reason always assumed that broccoli cheddar soup would be difficult to make, but this recipe is super easy! The only bummer is that Mike hates cheese soooo this would just be for me. Wait, maybe that’s a benefit? :) […]
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[…] soon as we walked through the door we put on our warm cozy pajama pants and set to work on making broccoli cheddar soup from scratch together. We also made a batch of stove top popcorn and made the adventurous decision to combine […]
[…] Via Iowa Girl Eats […]
I made this last night and it was SO good. I’m enjoying it today as leftovers for lunch with some croutons thrown in. I’m in heaven! :)
[…] Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup […]
Had this for dinner and it was sooo good! This rivals Panera’s. Definitely a keeper
can you cook this in a crock pot
Hey Katherine! I haven’t tried and don’t have much experience cooking dairy/cheese-based soups in the crock pot. Has anyone else tried?
Made this last night and it was delicious! I added garlic powder and onion powder and about a cup more cheese but everything else I kept the same. Hubby loved it too and he isn’t big on broccoli and cheese soup. I added sirachia sauce to my bowl bc I love it! Now when reheating if u can do it on low on the stove. If the microwave is your only option heat in 15 second intervals then stir each time to avoid it separating. I heated a bowl for one minute and it all separated. This was so good and a must try!
I forgot to say this was very very easy!!!
Made this last night and it was delicious!! Thank you for sharing! Any idea the nutritional information on it??
So glad to hear, Lauren! I don’t calculate nutritional information for my recipes, but recommend Livestrong’s Recipe Calculator Tool if you want that info. It’s great and easy to use: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/create/
Thank you for this recipe! I made this yesterday and it turned out amazing!
Regarding your “use what you have” suggestion for milk, I had heavy cream and low-fat buttermilk. I combined the two and boy, does it taste delicious! Similarly, I substituted yellow onion for the shallot. I look forward to my second attempt with the shallot. It will really make a distinct difference, I think. Thanks for the great recipe!
Could you use frozen broccoli instead of fresh? How would you suggest doing that….steam the broccoli first or add it in frozen? Thanks.
Hey Brit! I wouldn’t recommend using frozen broccoli in here (I personally don’t like the texture.) If that’s all you can get your hands on though, I’d thaw and drain very well first!
I have now made this soup several times. I LOVE IT! It is perfect for so many reasons: real, natural ingredients; quick cooking time; no crockpot. I love my crockpot, but often when I want a soup, I want it REIGHT NOW. You are, by far, my favorite food blogger. I love your recipes and your vibe, and I look forward to reading the blog every singe day. Love, Love, Love!!!
Made this tonight–delicious, super simple, and a huge hit with everyone at the table (hard to do!). Thanks for sharing!!
[…] excited to try it in a Broccoli Cheese Soup. I don’t have a recipe to share with you, but this one I found on Pinterest looks pretty […]
[…] simple cheddar cheese soup is adapted from a recipe by Iowa Girl Eats. I wasn’t sure I could get the rancheroos to eat the soup if it had green stuff in it so I […]