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Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

October 5, 2016 By Chuck Underwood 40 Comments

What is it about Broccoli and Cheese that makes them taste so darn good together?  Anyone remember that yummy Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Panera Bread?  So thick and creamy?   Well, I’m happy to say I made a copycat recipe for Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup the other night – and it is PERFECT!

vegan broccoli cheddar soup

It’s thick, and creamy, and cheesy, and loaded with a ton of broccoli……..just like the real thing.

Of course, there’s not really any cheese in it…..  Instead, I use a medley of vegetables and spices to give it that yummy Cheddar Cheese flavor. And although the original soup was probably never labeled as a healthy soup, I can guarantee you this one is!

Cauliflower
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Celery
Shredded Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Broccoli

Sounds more like Vegetable Soup, doesn’t it?  But I guarantee you when you blend all those yummy vegetables together and add in some spices, it turns into the yummiest Vegan Cheddar Broccoli Soup you’ve ever had.

In fact, my wife declared this her new favorite recipe!

 

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 

vegan broccoli cheddar soup

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup | Brand New Vegan

To make this soup you’ll need a cutting board, one soup pot, and either a blender or an immersion blender.  I have to say, my wife spoiled me this year on my birthday by buying me an immersion blender – and it did the trick perfectly!

Start by cleaning and chopping a medium head of Cauliflower.  Break apart the florets and discard the thick core.  Add the Cauliflower pieces to your soup pot with 4 cups of Low Sodium Vegetable Broth.

Add 1/4 of a roughly chopped onion, 3 stalks of chopped celery, 1 chopped Yukon Gold Potato, and about 1 cup of shredded carrot.

Bring that to a boil and cook for 15-20 min or until the veggies are nice and soft.

Now we need to blend this soup base until it’s nice and creamy.

You can use your blender, just make sure to do it in small batches and be aware of the pressure that usually builds up while blending hot soups.  

Be Careful!

The other option is to use an immersion blender.  This is simply a blender on a stick that you immerse right into your pot.  It sure makes blending hot soups easy and I can’t recommend one enough.

The following link is for the Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender I received on my birthday.  Keep in mind this is an affiliate link – so I will make a small commission if you buy one.

Link to Amazon

Once your soup is completely blended (some small chunks of carrot or celery are fine), let’s start adding our milk and seasoning.  Add the Almond Milk, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Thyme and stir well to mix.

You can make minor adjustments as necessary for your own individual taste.  Once you get it just right – add in a 10oz bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets and cover.  Let it simmer on low heat for 5-10 min until the broccoli is heated through.

Serve with a thick slice of your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

brandnewvegan

 

 

 

vegan broccoli cheddar pin

 

4.65 from 14 votes
vegan-broccoli-cheddar-soup-2
Print
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

This Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup is perfect for those chilly Fall afternoons. A true comfort food favorite with all the original flavor but only a fraction of the calories and fat.

Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Author: Chuck Underwood
Ingredients
  • 1 med Cauliflower (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
  • 10 oz Frozen Broccoli
  • 1 cup Carrot (shredded)
  • 1 med Yukon Gold Potato
  • 3 stalks Celery
  • 1/4 Onion
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
  • 2 Tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 1/2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Thyme
Instructions
  1. Chop all vegetables (except broccoli) and add to soup pot.
  2. Add 4 cups of Vegetable Broth and bring to a boil.
  3. Cook until vegetables are soft and then carefully blend soup using blender or immersion blender.
  4. Stir in milk and all seasonings and mix well.
  5. Adjust any seasonings as necessary and then add frozen broccoli
  6. Simmer on low heat for 5-10 min until broccoli is heated through
  7. Serve with your favorite bread or side dish

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Filed Under: Featured, Most Popular Recipes, Recipes, Soups & Stews

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda

    October 5, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    This is so healthy. Not ony has broccoli but cauliflower too. I will try this today.

    Reply
  2. Pat Harris

    October 10, 2016 at 6:33 am

    Making this for lunch today. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Cathy

    October 16, 2016 at 11:26 am

    I think the “real thing” is THIS recipe 🙂

    Reply
  4. Mark

    December 9, 2016 at 10:03 am

    rookie cook…why the yeast?

    Reply
    • julieblack77

      December 11, 2016 at 8:56 am

      The yeast is not what one typically thinks of if you are thinking of the type that is used in bread making. It’s deactivated & used as a food product in recipes or as a condiment. For many, it has a cheesy, nut type flavor & used as a cheese substitute in vegan recipes. I really like it & always have some on hand.

      Reply
  5. Polly

    December 18, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    I’ve made this soup twice and both times it was delicious ?!

    Today I took about 1/2 of the soup and made broccoli – cheese rice casserole. I added 4 cups of cooked rice, sautéed onions, bell peppers, and celery (the trinity) to 3 cups (not sure if that’s exact ) of the soup. I also added about 1/2 garlic powder and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast. I mixed it well in a Pyrex dish, covered it and microwaved it on 30% for 45 minutes. It was so good. Not quite as gooey and rich as my mother’s made with velveeta. But I can eat 2nd or 3rd s and not worry about Keeling over from all the fat and chemicals!

    Reply
    • Susan

      December 12, 2020 at 10:39 am

      Sounds wonderful! Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
  6. Pamela D

    February 25, 2017 at 8:33 am

    Very good! I used a little less vinegar and a little more salt. Delicious – adding to my rotation!

    Reply
  7. Elizabeth Staeheli

    May 11, 2017 at 9:12 am

    Oh my! It’s raining today and I’m going to make this for dinner! And that immersion blender looks AWESOME! It does so much more than just blend. Thanks for recommending it; I’m a kitchen tool addict.

    Reply
  8. Queen Ido

    June 3, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    Wow wow wow!! This was amaaazing!! Thank you! <3

    Reply
  9. Jul

    August 27, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    How much does this make? It looks delicious!

    Reply
  10. V Smith

    August 28, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Should I use flakes or powder nutritional yeast? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Chuck Underwood

      August 29, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      I always use flaked nutritional yeast.

      Reply
  11. Karen

    September 27, 2017 at 10:50 am

    I made this and I think it is too acidic. I followed the directions exactly. Is there a way to fix it?

    Reply
    • Chuck Underwood

      September 28, 2017 at 11:35 am

      Not sure what to tell you…maybe add some sugar to curb the acidity…… next time maybe use less lemon juice or vinegar…

      Reply
  12. raffinataonline

    October 17, 2017 at 1:05 pm

    OK, so…I’m on my second bowl. This was a great addition to the vegan recipe repertoire. I added a small amount of vinegar and lemon juice to brighten it up a little and used a red potato. It worked out just great. Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Mary

    October 28, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    This was awful. Nothing like Bread Co soup. 😔

    Reply
    • Jodi

      October 12, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      Rude.

      Reply
  14. amy

    November 7, 2017 at 3:59 am

    delicious soup! I felt I could taste the ACV a little to much though – so next time (and there will be a next time) I will try halving the recommended amount. Love most all your recipes! Keep up the great work!

    Reply
  15. Karen Valladares

    December 14, 2017 at 7:40 am

    How many servings would you say this recipe makes?

    Reply
    • Chuck Underwood

      December 14, 2017 at 8:46 am

      At least 4 – probably more like 6. Depends on your serving size.

      Reply
  16. Maine mom

    January 28, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    Wow! Our family is transitioning toward more vegan meals. This was my first time using a substantial amount of nutritional yeast in a recipe. I have at least one very particular eater who is skeptical of unfamiliar textures or flavors. This soup was awesome and everyone in the family liked it. I added the cider vinegar at 1/2 teaspoon at a time until it had the right amount of tang (like a sharp cheddar.) I didn’t have lemon juice and the flavor didn’t seem to be missing anything but I’ll try it with the lemon the next time. With some warm bread, this was a super delicious vegan meal!

    Reply
    • Patti

      March 7, 2020 at 10:53 am

      Just made this soup and I’m delighted. It’s delicious.

      Reply
  17. Stephanie

    February 20, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    So good – especially the next day, after the flavours have had a chance to meld. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  18. Kristen

    March 19, 2018 at 10:26 am

    I stumbled upon this recipe in my efforts to satiate a major broccoli cheddar soup craving…without feeling insanely guilty afterward. Hands down, far and away COMPLETELY hit the spot! I did amend it a bit to utilize on-hand ingredients: I was low on veggie broth so subbed half ckn broth to get my 4 full cups. Also added 1/3 c. Soaked cashews as I cooked the veggies, so I could get the full creaminess/thickness. I was hoping for (but obviously it also upped fat content). The two of us polished this off in 2 days flat, and been craving ever since. About to make it again! Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe!!

    Reply
  19. Elle

    March 27, 2018 at 5:37 pm

    This came out a little sour tasting to me so I doubled the nutritional yeast and that helped. Perhaps it was the lemon I used? My son and husband didn’t care for it but it grew on me the more I ate it. I’m on my 3rd bowl now! I will probably try the recipe again and add the lemon little by little.

    Reply
  20. Cathy

    October 23, 2018 at 3:21 pm

    My family loves this recipe. I put the broccoli in with the other veggies and blend it in so there are no chunks of broccoli. Really satisfies our cravings for Panera broccoli cheddar soup. Thanks for this great no oil vegan recipe!

    Reply
  21. CruznV

    January 3, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    2019 Challenge…. How about an Instant Pot Version.?

    Reply
    • LC

      December 10, 2019 at 9:44 pm

      I made it in the Instant Pot – just put all ingredients into the pot (i used fresh broccoli instead of frozen) and set for 15 min high pressure then natural release (I let it natural release about 20 min then got impatient and quick released the rest). Then blend it up, that’s it! Delicious.

      Reply
  22. Lucia

    January 17, 2019 at 5:39 pm

    You did such a great job with this recipe! But like the others I only used 3/4 teaspoon of acv & 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice. And because I didn’t have any cauliflower I used a half a cup of soaked cashews for creaminess & 1 can of drained chick peas for protein. My whole family loved it! I made beer bread and it came out wonderful together

    Reply
  23. Allison Bognar

    February 3, 2019 at 8:16 pm

    Has anyone tried making this without the nutritional yeast? Wondering how it would work without that ingredient as I am not a fan. Thanks.

    Reply
  24. Adele

    May 26, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    I didn’t have cauliflower or celery so I used an extra potatoe and a little more carrot. I used the 2 tbsp of lemon and the recommended Cav. Next time I’ll cut back on the Cav and lemon. It was good and there certainly will be a next time!

    Reply
  25. C indy

    October 15, 2019 at 8:35 am

    I used half the lemon juice and ACV. I’Ve never liked frozen broccoli so I added steamed fresh broccoli. My non-vegan husband loved it!

    Reply
  26. Katrina

    November 18, 2019 at 4:59 am

    I’m so excited to try this but I wanted to comment on your question to why broccoli and cheese are so good together. My answer is its nostalgic. Because the only way our moms could get us to eat broccoli as young kids is with cheese on top lol!!

    Reply
  27. Jen

    December 11, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Modified this a bit and this soup is NO JOKE. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  28. Barbara Wroten

    January 16, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    I finally got around to making this soup and it is SO good! My only sub was fresh brocolli instead of frozen. Yummy! I think I’ll do as another poster suggested and use my (meager) leftover soup to make a brocolli rice casserole. The recipe makes a lot, maybe 8 servings.

    Reply
  29. Michelle

    January 26, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    This recipe is fantastic! I appreciate how veggie-dense it is! I added diced lightlife tofu pups for some protein and homage to old school mac and cheese with hot dogs vibe! It added an amazing smokey/spicy flavor as well! And I also added diced red bell pepper at the end for an additional pop of color. This soup has the cheesy flavor naturally with the nutritional yeast and other seasonings, soooo good!! Hearty, nutritious, and satisfying!

    Reply
  30. Shaeveon

    February 22, 2020 at 10:33 am

    Hello, this looks and sounds amazing! I was just wondering if you knew how many calories are in this?

    Reply
  31. Darla Ellis

    March 18, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    I finally tried this soup and boy am I happy I stumbled across this recipe! I steamed fresh broccoli in place of the frozen your recipe calls for and it tastes fantastic. I had 2 bowls of this soup and no worries about how many calories I ate. I didn’t even add the almond milk because the cauliflower made it so creamy I didn’t miss milk in the flavor or texture. This is going to be a regular recipe in my house from now on!

    Reply
  32. Neil Ketting

    May 8, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    Made this today was delicious, even my 3 year old granddaughter loved it.

    Reply

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Recipe Key

OFOil Free
GFGluten Free
MMMary's Mini
NFNut Free
SFSoy Free
LFLow Fat
IPInstant Pot
VVegan
brand new vegan

Hi I'm Chuck, and I make switching to a plant-based diet as easy as possible by recreating all of your favorite comfort foods. You're not going to believe how good it tastes and chances are, you're not gonna miss a thing!

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