This amazing Broccoli Cheese Soup is delicious and creamy. One of the best soup recipes for home cooks. It is a simple one-pot soup from scratch with multiple options to make it your way.
You can make it with cheddar cheese or mix it with other cheese. You can use fresh, frozen, or leftover broccoli. You can also make it a copycat of Panera broccoli cheddar soup.
🥦Ingredients
Broccoli—fresh, frozen, or leftover
Aromatics—onion, garlic
Cheese—sharp cheddar cheese is preferred; it may be combined with others like Velveeta.
Butter and milk
Broth—chicken or vegetable
Pantry ingredients—flour, salt, pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🥦Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- Making keto broccoli cheese soup
- Broccoli options
- Cheese choices
- Dairy and seasoning choices
- Other recipes you will love
- Copycat of Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup and other variations
- Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Serving broccoli cheese soup
- Storing and reheating leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comments
From Lucilla: "Made this soup today, and it is amazing!! Best Broccoli Cheddar soup I’ve ever had, and it’s easy!! This is a keeper for sure!"
From Savannah: "This recipe was amazing. Thank you so much for helping me find a recipe that's all in one pan."
We love this Broccoli cheese soup recipe. It is the perfect comfort food for a cool day, packed with creamy cheese and tender broccoli. We use it for lunch with family and friends.
I have combined several recipes to use only one pot and use either fresh or frozen broccoli cooked in the soup. I make a simple roux to thicken the soup and add a creamy texture, so no cream or unnecessary fat is added.
With easy step-by-step photo instructions, it's ready in 30 minutes or a bit more. It can be modified for a low-carb or keto diet. The size is easy to adjust, and it freezes well.
👨🍳How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Chop broccoli and an onion.
2. Cook the onion in butter. When clearing, add 1 clove of minced garlic and cook one more minute.
3. Add ¼ cup flour, continue to cook, and stir until browning—about 3 minutes.
4. Slowly add 2 cups of chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low boil. When it starts to thicken, slowly add 2 cups of milk and allow it to thicken.
5. Add broccoli, cover, and simmer until broccoli is tender—about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Option: puree to your taste with an immersion blender or a potato masher.
7. Add the cheese of your choice. I like a mixture of sharp cheddar and Velveeta.
8. Simmer another 5 minutes and serve.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
Making keto broccoli cheese soup
There are only 20 grams of carbohydrates per serving, but about half is from the flour. You can skip thickening with flour and add more cheese or incorporate more broccoli with the blender. There are also low-carb thickeners available.
Broccoli options
I suggest fresh broccoli for this soup, but frozen broccoli can also be used. One large head will make about 3 cups of broccoli florets, and a 12 oz. bag of frozen broccoli will also yield about 3 cups of florets.
Previously cooked leftover broccoli can be used. It can be added after thickening a few minutes before adding the cheese. If you are not using carrots or other things that need to be cooked, add pre-cooked broccoli after thickening the soup and skip the long-simmering.
The florets should be relatively small to fit easily in a spoon. Both fresh and frozen broccoli may need to be cut into smaller chunks. Both will be cooked in the soup.
Cheese choices
Sharp cheddar cheese is the most common cheese for broccoli cheddar soup. I like to use Velveeta for part of the cheese for texture and taste, but you can select the cheeses you like.
If your cheese separates or clumps, it is your cheese, not the recipe. Usually, this will be generic, poor-quality cheese, or outdated cheese. But it rarely happens since we add and melt it at the end of cooking.
Dairy and seasoning choices
Many suggest heavy cream or half & half. I find more than enough milk fat in the cheese—I always use lower-fat milk. But use the dairy or dairy substitute of your choice.
Seasoning options: Add some flavor with an optional touch of nutmeg or paprika. Add about ¼ teaspoon at the start of simmering if you wish—one or the other, not both.
Other recipes you will love
A variation of this recipe is Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup. Other classic soups are Chicken Noodle Soup, Vegetable Beef Soup, or Tomato Basil Soup. This recipe is part of our Our Best Soups.
For other comfort food, try Meatloaf in a Convection Oven, Salisbury Steak Recipe with Onion Gravy, or Meatloaf Burgers.
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Rich and creamy crock pot broccoli cheese soup is super easy to make with frozen or fresh broccoli and only a few minutes of prep before going in your slow cooker—the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.
Copycat of Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup and other variations
If you want to copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup, add carrot and celery with the broccoli and use 100% sharp cheddar cheese.
You will need about 1 cup of carrots. Matchstick-cut carrots are available in most produce departments. Or one large or two smaller carrots can be diced, julienned, or shredded.
The second component is one rib of thinly sliced celery.
Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup
Everything is better with bacon. This is my wife's obsession. Chop three strips of bacon into ½ inch squares and fry until done. Drain and add along with the cheese.
Diced leftover ham also works well to make Ham and Cheese Broccoli Soup.
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Several commenters want to use cauliflower to replace broccoli, but cauliflower may take a few minutes more to cook. So, use the same volume, and the endpoint of the cauliflower is tender, and you should be fine.
Serving broccoli cheese soup
Fancy it up by serving in a bread bowl or go classic with a combination os soup with a tossed green salad or a sandwich: a grilled cheese, cold ham & cheese, a BLT, or other sandwiches.
Served with crackers and a nice bread—try Healthy Biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat), or Julia Child's French Bread.
Storing and reheating leftovers
It stores well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. But at our house, it never lasts more than two days (we eat it).
It will freeze well in an airtight container like a freezer Ziplock bag for 3-4 months.
Reheat on the stovetop with medium-low heat or in a microwave. Thaw first if frozen.
❓FAQs
A single recipe makes about 7 to 8 cups of soup, and you need some working room in the pot to make the roux and mix.
For a single recipe, a four-quart or larger soup pot or Dutch oven. For the suggested double recipe, use a 6 ½ quart Dutch oven.
For a vegan version, swap out the butter, milk, and cheese for plant-based products, but I have some concerns about the quality of plant-based cheese.
For gluten-free diets, like the keto diet, wheat flour should be eliminated, so skip the roux. Substitute half the volume of corn starch by making a slurry with cold water and add it after the broccoli is tender. Simmer until thickened before adding the cheese.
📖 Recipe
Broccoli Cheese Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli large head - or 12 oz bag of frozen broccoli
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 onion - small
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice - assume 4 oz. equals 1 cup if not shredded cheese. Sharp cheddar and Velveeta mix is preferred.
For Panara copycat soup-add with broccoli
- 1 cup carrot - matchstick, shredded, or diced
- 1 rib celery
Instructions
- Rinse and spoon-size chop one head of fresh broccoli, or use 12 oz of frozen broccoli. Trim any larger florets into spoon-size chunks.
- Mince a small or ½ of a medium onion. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 clove of minced garlic and cook one more minute.
- Decrease the heat to medium. Add ¼ cup flour and continue to cook and stir continually until browning some—about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add two cups of chicken or vegetable broth and stir to mix in the flour mixture. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Allow to thicken some, then slowly add 2 cups of milk. Bring to a low boil and allow to thicken.
- Add broccoli, cover, and turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer until broccoli is tender—about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Option: Some people like to puree with an immersion blender through the soup at this point. I only want a little blending, so I suggest a potato masher.
- Add 2 cups of sharp cheese of your choice. I like a mixture of sharp cheddar and Velveeta.
- Simmer another 5 minutes and serve.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Choose the cheeses you like. I prefer half Velveeta and half shredded sharp cheddar, but 100% cheddar is also great.
- Frozen broccoli works fine but may take a few minutes longer to cook but will eliminate about 10 minutes of prep time for fresh broccoli.
- If you want to copycat Panera, then add 1 cup of matchstick-cut carrots and 1 stalk of thinly sliced celery at the same time as the broccoli.
- Make it Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup. Everything is better with bacon. Chop 3 strips of bacon into ½ inch squares and fry until done. Drain and add along with the cheese.
- Great as leftovers. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3 months.
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
There are only 20 grams of carbohydrates per serving, but half is from the flour. You can skip thickening with flour and add more cheese or incorporate more broccoli with the blender. There are also low-carb thickeners available.Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Based on combining Pioneer Woman with an Allrecipes recipe.
Editor's note: This recipe was originally published on December 19, 2015. It has become one of my go-to recipes, and it is now updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigate.
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aizel says
how much is a serving?
DrDan says
About 1 - 1 1/4 cup. So not big servings. I do the recipe and then decide how many reasonable servings there are.
Dan
jc says
This is very good I doubled the ingredients came out with plenty of leftovers.Will make again used velveeta only 16oz.
Jackie Z says
Loved this soup, was easy to make, did it on the stove top in a Dutch oven. This will be my go to since all in ingredients I usually have on hand. Liked using milk instead of half and half. I rate this 5 excellent.
Carole says
This is delicious and is one of my comfort foods. My son and husband don't like creamy soups, so it is my "prizer" when they are not home for supper. No changes to make - simply wonderful
DrDan says
Hi Carole,
They really need to try this one.
Thanks for the note. So happy it works for you.
Dan
Tammy says
Very good and easy. My entire picky family liked it. My son was disappointed that it was all gone. ?
DrDan says
Hi Tammy,
Thanks for the note. I'm making this tomorrow for a light lunch before our evening Thanksgiving pig out.
Have a good holiday
Dan
DrDan says
Thanks for the note.
You can adjust the number of servings in the recipe care above and then print. The 6 servings are average size so cutting in half would be 2 large servings.
The trouble with cutting in half will be only using half a head of broccoli and I usually use canned both (OK it is 14 oz and not 16 oz but close enough) so I would also have half a can of broth. Plus... I love leftovers.
Dan
Payton says
I love this soup !!! It's so rich and creamy, full of flavor . Is it possible to make this for only 2 people ???
Martha Worley says
Have made your recipe several times. Easy easy & so delicious. This freezes great. Just thaw completely & heat up slowly! Thanks a lot!!!
PS Didn't see any stars to click on. Would have a top rating for this.
DrDan says
Hi Martha,
Thanks for the note. This is one of my favorite "original" recipes.
The ratings are now in the "recipe card" and not in the comments like it was before.
Dan
Megan says
Just tried this and it was definitely yummy! Next time you make it try adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of prepared yellow mustard after the cheese is integrated - it really adds that certain something :-)
Andrea says
I've used frozen broccoli and it was great. Tonight I'm using 3 cups chicken broth and only one cup of milk. I'm trying to decrease my dairy. Thanks for the recipe. It is my go to for broccoli and cheese soup.
DrDan says
Hi Andrea, I'm sure that will "work" but there will be a little less creaminess I believe.
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
karlagso says
your soup was a hit with my 16 yr old daughter who's favorite soup was Panera...until yours!!!! question, if you are lactose intolerant and/or calorie conscious can you substitute unsweetened coconut milk or would that affect the flavor?
DrDan says
So sorry I missed your comment. I suspect the coconut milk would be fine. As for the lactose issue, generally the harder the cheese the less lactose but you should be checking with the manufacture about that.
Dan
Brooke says
Made this soup tonight for dinner and it turned out great! It was my first time making a broccoli cheese soup but this was easy to follow and delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
karlagso says
correcting the stars as I had trouble with my ipad
Carole says
Absolutely the best soup, and it heated up great the next day too. Thank you so much!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. I do love this soup.
DrDan
Joan says
The soup is excellent! It does make more than enough for two as I have three pints in the freezer now. Until now, my favorite broccoli cheese soup was at T E Murches and it had the ends of cheese floating in it. Next time I make this, I will put in a few chunks of cheese to float around in the soup.
Chris says
I like Velveeta for things like this too, I don't care, it's too wonderfully creamy! Printed this one off, I know my youngest boy will like this. Happy Holidays to you and your family, Dan!
Cheri says
This looks wonderful and easy. Do you think it would turn out as well with thawed - previously frozen - broccoli?
Thank you for another great recipe to try.
DrDan says
I'm almost positive and it probably would be fine with just putting it in frozen but remember to check for the end point of it being tender before adding the cheese.
DrDan
Sharon Hofmann says
I always use frozen chopped broccoli, but pre cook it in broth for 10-15 min. I have always used Velveeta, bu am using half cheddar with it this time.
Mang says
I found this soup quick and easy. Also added nutmeg, grated carrot and fine diced celery. I hope my friends like it! I eat plant base diet.
Saundra Kelley says
Due to time constraints, I deliberately thawed the broccoli and it worked out just fine. I also used a blend of cheeses - delicious