I made some Perfect Broccoli Cheddar 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 Cheddar Soup perfect because I know what un-perfect Broccoli Cheddar 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!Â
I don’t remember where the recipe came from but IÂ DOÂ remember that it didn’t even call for milk or cream. (The more likely explanation is that my novice-chef-self glossed over that important part 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 aka its final resting place as an inedible, broccoli-studded orange blob. I’ll never forget it.
Two decades and some change later I stepped back up to the proverbial plate and, after a few tries, achieved the perfect batch of Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Redemption is mine!
The key to perfect Broccoli Cheddar 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 for the most cozy, creamy bowl of Broccoli Cheddar Soup you’ve ever made at home. Pinky swear!
Tips for Making Perfect Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Use whatever milk you’ve got on hand but know that I achieved thick and creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup perfection with skim milk. Yes, you heard that right. No heavy cream needed.
- You MUST use freshly grated cheddar cheese to get creamy broccoli cheese soup. Pre-grated cheese is coated in anti-caking agents 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 Broccoli Cheese Soup at is key to making sure it doesn’t end up grainy or curdled. Medium heat is best for dairy-based soups so it doesn’t boil and curdle.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by melting butter in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat then add grated carrot and chopped shallot. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the carrots are tender, 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle in gluten free flour (or AP flour if you don’t need to eat GF) then whisk to form a paste and cook for 1 minute.
Next, slowly pour in chicken broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once everything is nice and smooth, add milk. Again, use whatever you’ve got on hand – I like skim milk, or 2% milk for a bit of a richer flavor.
Turn the heat up just slightly to bring the broth to a simmer – NOT BOIL – stirring occasionally, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, dice fresh broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces.
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 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
- Healthy Cheeseburger Soup
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
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Perfect Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Description
Perfect Broccoli Cheddar Soup is hearty, cheesy, comfort food! I'll show you the correct timing and temperature to get the PERFECT outcome.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free flour blend
- 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 then add milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper then turn heat up to medium-high to bring soup to a simmer. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer - NOT BOIL - 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. Ladle into bowls then serve with extra shredded cheese on top.
Notes
- I do not recommend freezing > thawing dairy-based soups such as this one as they have the tendency to break and/or curdle when reheated.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Kathrine 10.27.2014
can you cook this in a crock pot
Kristin 10.28.2014
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?
Sherrie 10.26.2014
Had this for dinner and it was sooo good! This rivals Panera’s. Definitely a keeper
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Jenn 10.16.2014
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! :)
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Lori 10.04.2014
Why did my soup separate? Was not creamy at all. I followed directions!
Kristin 10.07.2014
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!
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Heather 09.30.2014
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!
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Kathy 09.30.2014
I’ve never used a shallot. How is a shallot different from an onion? Thanks.
Kristin 09.30.2014
It’s milder than an onion (onions hurt my husband’s stomach.) You could use 1/2 small onion in its place!
Phyllis 09.29.2014
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!
Alex 09.28.2014
I just made this! I used almond milk and reduced fat cheddar, and it was SO GOOD. Thanks for the recipe! :-)
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lee lee 09.25.2014
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…
Kristin 09.25.2014
That should be just fine!
Lisa 09.25.2014
I’m nervous trying a recipe for the first time, but this totally worked for me! It was wonderful. Thanks sooo much.
Jessica @FoodLuvBites 09.24.2014
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!