This creamy broccoli cheddar soup is the best you will ever make! It is rich and creamy, and the best part—it's quick and easy to make!
I am a big fan of broccoli cheddar soup. In fact, my favorite place to get it is Panera Bread. That is the only meal I get there; that is how much I love broccoli cheddar soup.
Growing up, my mom never made any thick soups or chowders. In Ukrainian culture, brothy thin soups were the only option because they were healthier for you, and no one else knew otherwise. When we moved to the States, that is where our palates got to experience these yummy, heartwarming soups like the creamy broccoli cheddar.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients
- Onion Adds flavor when sauteed, a little sweetness to the soup.
- Carrots Just like the onions, carrots add a little sweetness to the soup and color.
- Butter Add to flour to thicken the soup
- Flour Thickening agent for the soup, my favorite way
- Better than Bouillon I use this store bought bouillon because of the flavor it adds to the soup.
- Water Mix the bouillon with water.
- Heavy Cream Provides a rich and velvety soup flavor
- Broccoli is the main ingredient in this soup, hence broccoli and cheddar soup, haha.
- Cheddar Cheese Just like the broccoli, this soup is nothing without the cheddar cheese. I like to get a block and grate some fresh cheese into the soup.
- Salt to taste I did not add salt to my soup because it was flavorful enough for me. If you like your food a little more salty, by all means do season!
How to Make Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Prepare Ingredients so that you are ready to quickly put this soup together as this will go faster than you think. Dice the onions, shred the carrots, cut the broccoli into desired pieces, and shred the cheese; prepare the water and bouillon, and measure out the heavy cream and flour.
Start by sauteing the diced onions. I use a medium pot to make my soup. First step, on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced onions to the butter and saute until softened approximately 5-7 minutes. I like to slightly brown my onions for some color. TIP: You may need to lower the heat a bit if the onions are frying too quickly and not cooking through.
Add the shredded carrots. I like to add and mix in the carrots to the pot after the onions have slightly softened so that the carrots can soften as well. I cover the pot with the lid and on medium low heat I allow the carrots to slightly cook through.
Sprinkle in the flour. Add the flour to the sauteed carrots and onions and mix. Allow th flour to retain some heat and the raw flour smell to cook off for 30 seconds or so.
Pour in the chicken bouillon water mix. Ensure the water and better than bouillon is mixed together prior to starting the soup. Using a whisk, start mixing the vegetables and slowly start pouring in the bouillon. TIP: Pour in the bouillon slowly so that the flour does not clump up.
Whisk in the heavy cream. Right after the bouillon, just like the bouillon, add the heavy cream slowly.
Throw in the broccoli. Add the broccoli into the soup and on low heat, allow the broccoli to soften, about 4-6 minutes.
Sprinkle in the cheese. At this point, I like to turn off the heat and mix in the cheese with a whisk. Add shredded a cheese a little at a time and as you add whisk. If your soup is too hot or the heat too high, the cheese will not melt, trust me. I made that mistake a few times already. It's always easier to add more heat than to have too much and then it's pretty much impossible to rescue the soup.
How to Reheat
It's super easy to reheat cheddar cheese and broccoli soup. There are several different ways, but I always like to reheat mine on the stove. I start with a medium heat and then turn down to low so that it doesn't burn.
PrintCreamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This creamy broccoli cheddar soup is rich in flavor and easy to make for a quick dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 miuntes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small onion or ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Better than Bouillon
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a 4-quart pot, add 1 tablespoon butter and allow to melt on medium heat.
- After the butter melts and the pot has heated through, add the diced onions and cook until they are translucent about 4-6 minutes.
- You may need to turn down heat to medium-low to get the onions to cook properly without burning.
- Add shredded carrots to the cooked onions and soften for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining butter to the pot and allow it to melt.
- Add the better-than-bouillon and thoroughly mix that in the pot.
- Once the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour into the pot and mix it with the other ingredients. Cook for just a few minutes to cook off the flour's raw smell.
- Using a whisk to mix continuously, slowly add the water to the pot.
- Do not pour all the water at once, or the flour will clump, and your soup will have flour chunks.
- Continue mixing with the whisk and slowly add the heavy cream. Soup will be thick here.
- Once you have added all the liquids, add the broccoli florets and mix them into the soup. Allow them to cook for just a few minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheese while still mixing with the whisk.
- Add cheese just a little at a time, melting thoroughly each time you add cheese.
2 responses to “Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup”
Do yourself a favor and make a double batch of this soup! This is so good and so easy.
I substituted the heavy cream for half&half because I didn't have it and it still turned out great!
Улюблений суп! Спробую цей рецепт!