Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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This Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is so good you’ll never miss the flour and heavy cream. Made from a few simple ingredients, easy this soup recipe is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly night.
Creamy, light and flavorful, this will be your favorite way to enjoy broccoli cheddar soup from now on. It’s the perfect meal prep item for a busy week.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Extra veggies. For this soup recipe, I boiled fresh cauliflower and pureed it in the food processor. This creamy cauliflower replaces the flour and heavy cream that is oftentimes found in creamy soups.
Tastes amazing. Plus, you do not even taste the cauliflower. It’s the perfect way to thicken this soup, add nutrients, and keep it on the lighter side without sacrificing any flavor.
Versatile. Serve this soup with a side of crusty bread, cornbread or crackers. Enjoy for lunch or dinner.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – For this recipe, I used salted butter. You could substitute olive oil if you’re dairy free. However, the butter adds a lot of flavor.
- Onion – Use yellow or sweet onion for this recipe. Dice it into small even sized pieces.
- Broccoli – Wash and dry the broccoli, then cut it into small pieces. You can use the stem if you want or remove it. Either way is fine. Be sure that you have 3 cups of chopped broccoli when you’re done. You’ll also want the broccoli to be the same size. This way it will cook evenly in the pan.
- Shredded Carrots – Use shredded carrots for this recipe. Roughly chop the carrots before adding them to the pan. This way you’ll have small, easy to eat pieces versus long matchsticks. Option to grate fresh carrots instead.
- Broth – Use chicken flavored bone broth for this recipe. You can also use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer.
- Milk – For this recipe, I used 2% milk. You could use whole milk but the 2% milk works perfectly. If you’re dairy free you can try a dairy free alternative.
- Cauliflower – Boil a pot of water and cook the cauliflower until it is fork tender. Drain off the water and add the softened cauliflower to the food processor. Buzz the cauliflower until it is smooth and creamy.
- Cheese – I like using mild shredded cheddar cheese for this recipe. It melts quickly and adds the perfect amount of cheese flavor.
- Seasonings – Simple kosher salt and cracked black pepper are perfect for this soup. It enhances the flavor without taking away from the broccoli and cheddar.
Variations
- Add more flavor. If you want, you can add minced garlic to the soup. Add this when you’re sautéing the onions.
- Add protein. Add shredded chicken for a punch of protein or try my Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe. It’s delicious.
- Make it spicy. If you love a little spice try adding a few shakes of hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
How to Make
Puree the Cauliflower
- Boil a pot or water and cook the cauliflower florets until fork tender. Drain off the water and add the fork tender cauliflower to a food processor. Buzz until smooth and creamy, no lumps. Set aside.
Make the Soup
- Place a pot over medium high heat. Add the butter. Once it melted, add the diced onions and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent, then add the chopped broccoli florets and julienned carrots. Saute.
- Once the broccoli and carrots are soft but not browned, deglaze with the chicken broth. Next, add the milk. Stir well. Then, add the cauliflower puree and let everything simmer. Once it reduces add the shredded cheese. Simmer the soup until it reaches your preferred thickness. If it gets too thick, add a splash more broth. Serve hot and enjoy.
Storage
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat soup in the microwave until heated through. Option to reheat this soup in a soup pot on the stovetop as well. If it is too thick, simply add a small amount of chicken broth or water to help loosen it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do if my soup is too thin?
Simmer it on the stovetop uncovered and let it reduce to your desired thickness.
Can I add other ingredients?
Yes! Try adding more vegetable, protein, beans or whatever you enjoy most.
Other Soup Recipes to Consider Trying
Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is so good you’ll never miss the flour and heavy cream. Made from a few simple ingredients, easy this soup recipe is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly night.
Equipment
- 1 pot to boil cauliflower
- 1 colander
- 1 blender or food processor
- 1 3.5 quart soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, or olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion, diced small
- kosher salt, to taste
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups broccoli florets, remove stems, dice small
- 1 cup carrots, shredded or grated
- 2.5 cups chicken bone broth, or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 24 ounces cauliflower florets, boiled, drained and pureed
- 2 – 2.5 cups mild shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Puree the Cauliflower
- Boil a pot or water and cook the cauliflower florets until fork tender. Drain off the water and add the fork tender cauliflower to a food processor. Buzz until smooth and creamy, no lumps. Set aside.
Make the Soup
- Place a pot over medium high heat. Add the butter. Once it melted, add the diced onions and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent, then add the chopped broccoli florets and julienned carrots. Saute.
- Once the broccoli and carrots are soft but not browned, deglaze with the chicken broth. Next, add the milk. Stir well. Then, add the cauliflower puree and let everything simmer. Once it reduces add the shredded cheese. Simmer the soup until it reaches your preferred thickness. If it gets too thick, add a splash more broth. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat soup in the microwave until heated through. Option to reheat this soup in a soup pot on the stovetop as well. If it is too thick, simply add a small amount of chicken broth or water to help loosen it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 724mg, Potassium: 686mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 4384IU, Vitamin C: 98mg, Calcium: 377mg, Iron: 1mg
9 Comments on “Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup”
Delicious!! Love that no flour or heavy cream is needed – you would never know!
Thanks, Mary!! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is the BOMB! I can’t get over how thick and rich it is without the aid of flour or heavy cream. A definite keeper. Thank u for Sharing
We made this tonight! Was quite delicious! I did have to make some minor changes. We have not been drinking milk. I used almond milk and half a cup of heavy cream. Because I didn’t have carrots, I used celery. Also, because it was already made, I threw in a couple pieces of bacon! It was a great way to use up last nights mashed cauliflower! My husband said this is FOR SURE a make again!!
Can I purée broccoli instead of cauliflower?
I would use the cauliflower. It acts as a binder for the soup. Not confident that you’d get the same result with broccoli.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was soo good! You would never know it was cauliflower making the soup that creamy. Exactly what we needed on this cold fall night. I did add 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon paprika for a little spice but besides that I followed the recipe as is and it was a hit! Can’t wait to make again.
Can you freeze this soup?
My only concern is that since this recipe does not have cream, it might make the soup more watery when it thaws out. However, yes, technically you can.