Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Why you’ll love it

Homemade is best, and you’ll definitely see why with this easy recipe. This broccoli cheese soup has a very creamy, coat-the-back-of-a-spoon body to it. You also can feel good knowing exactly what goes into it. It will be a favorite with picky eaters in your family!

This is everything you want in a broccoli cheddar soup. I love Panera as much as the next person when I’m on the go, but my version is actually so much tastier than a straight-up Panera copycat broccoli soup recipe would be. It’s thick, silky, and has tons of flavor!

What you’ll need

• Butter – to sauté the aromatics
• Onion and garlic – I prefer Vidalia (sweet) onion, but you can use a yellow onion.
• Flour – it thickens the soup
• Dijon mustard – this is my secret ingredient to set this soup apart from the rest. Don’t worry, you don’t taste it specifically! It just adds savory depth of flavor.
• Broth – you can use vegetable broth if you need this to be vegetarian, but I do find chicken broth (or stock) has more flavor
• Heavy cream – for luxuriousness and texture
• Broccoli – I used fresh broccoli, but you can use frozen broccoli
• Carrots – pre-cut matchstick carrots make it easy
• Cheddar cheese – the cheese you buy really impacts the flavor of this soup! I can’t emphasize this enough. Buy a good quality sharp/old cheddar and grate it yourself.
• Cayenne – it’s optional but highly recommended to give depth of flavor

How to make broccoli cheddar soup

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and then sauté the onion until softened. Stir in the garlic, followed by the flour. Make a quick roux, and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Slowly whisk in the broth until all the flour clumps have dissolved. Add the Dijon mustard and then the cream, broccoli, and carrots, and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the broccoli and carrots are tender and the broth has thickened up.

Reduce the heat, and gradually stir in the cheddar (this prevents it from getting grainy). Let it cook for a few more minutes, then season to taste with the cayenne pepper and salt & pepper.

Substitutions and variations

• Sub the heavy cream at your own risk for something with a lower fat content; it will be less rich and/or alter the taste completely.
• You could always thinly slice a small carrot up instead of using pre-cut ones. Don’t add too many carrots, or the soup will taste more like carrots than it probably should.
• The cayenne is option but strongly recommended. This amount won’t make this soup spicy, and it just gives it more dimension. That said, you can leave it out if necessary.