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.
Leigh 03.16.2020
So YUMMY!! And easy to prepare!!!
Leigh 03.14.2020
BEST broccoli cheese soup!!! Definitely a keeper!!
Jeanne 02.06.2020
My husband and I loved this soup! It reheats well, also.
Kristin 02.06.2020
So glad to hear that, Jeanne! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Lorene Thom 02.06.2020
Fantastic! I like mine think so I added some cooked rice. This is so versatile. Another winner!!
Denise Lehosky 03.02.2019
I refrigerated the soup and it separated when I warmed it up. Any suggestions? The flavor is good, but I’ve lost the texture. Sad face.
Don Ebberts 02.20.2019
I made this last night and it was really good. I did a lot of searching, trying to find a recipe that didn’t call for heavy cream and didn’t require an immersion blender. I was just about to give up when I found this.
A couple of substitutions that I made:
I used an onion instead of a shallot. I used a whole medium sized onion. I made a note to use a 1/2 an onion next time. I love onion but it was a little much for the other members of my family.
I used Almond Milk instead of Milk Milk. Just because that’s what my wife drinks and that is what we have.
I also used half chicken broth and half vegetable broth, again, because that is what we had.
I also used regular flour, since we are Gluten Tolerant.
Thank you so much. I am looking forward to lunch today. Yum!
Brea 01.27.2019
Can you make this in the crockpot?
Kim 01.25.2019
This soup is so creamy I absolutely Love it
HeatherAnn 08.28.2018
This soup looks fantastic! Husband and I looooove broccoli cheddar soup, so this is on the menu for the first cool day we get. One question: on the cheese, is that an 8oz brick, shredded–or 8oz after shredding?
Kristin 08.28.2018
It would be the same since they’re both 8oz. :) 8oz of shredded cheese is usually around 2 cups of shredded cheese if you’re looking for a measurement vs weight!
HeatherAnn 08.28.2018
LOL….Of course, they both equal 8oz–sorry, I still have Monday brain! The second was what I meant, as in, was it 8oz by weight, or as in 1 cup. :)
Cathy 04.17.2018
Hi, I have made the broccoli cheese soup and at the dinner table, it was fantastic. I saved some for lunch the next day and it was totally gritty and had separated. Was the microwave the culprit? I’d really like to try this again…. So what do they mean by American cheese (Velveeta)> I am Canadian and use shredded good cheddar… Thank you!
Kristin 04.17.2018
Hmm, that is odd, Cathy! Sometimes if milk-based soups are heated too quickly they can separate. If you try it again I’d either warm on 50% power OR slowly warm through in a saucepan. American velveeta is a processed cheese product – mostly all oils – I think very little if any actual cheese. Stick with the good shredded cheddar! ;)
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Pamela A McCrossan 12.27.2017
Can this be put in a crock pot after stove-top preparation? We have a soup group at work and I’d love to bring this in.
Carla C 12.12.2017
This is the best!!!
Denise 11.12.2017
Love your recipe! Could I add small chunks of potatoes?
Jackie 09.16.2017
Every time I make this my soup always curdles with the cheese! Super frustrating! Any suggestions? Otherwise great recipe!
Kristin 09.18.2017
I’m sorry to hear that, Jackie! My suggestions are to use freshly grated cheese versus pre-grated, be sure you’re only sprinkling in about 1/2 cup cheese and stirring until completely melted before adding the next batch, and making sure the soup is off the heat when adding the cheese. I hope this helps!!
Brooke 03.11.2017
What is your trick to chop broccoli quickly?
Kristin 03.12.2017
No trick for broccoli, unfortunately! You could also send the florets through your food processor for a couple pulses to quicken things up!
Jessica 02.27.2017
Hello! I’m making the soup now and am wondering if you ever use the lid when you simmer. The soup is pretty thick right now so am wondering if I should use the lid to maintain some of the moisture because it has to simmer for 20 more minutes. Thanks! :)
Kristin 02.28.2017
You could definitely do that, or if the soup has thickened enough you don’t need to simmer for the entire time. I hope you loved it!
Andrea 01.16.2017
Hey there, this looks good but the V (for vegetarian) is a bit misleading as this recipe calls for chicken stock. I don’t see a substitution listed so it’d be best if you either remove the V or add something like “or vegetable stock” to keep it as precise as possible. Thanks
Kristin 01.16.2017
Great catch, thank you Andrea!
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