Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is total comfort food. A vegetable base with a creamy roux and plenty of cheese, makes this soup a stretchy-waistband, Netflix-and-chill kind of cozy day meal!
I’m pretty sure I could live on soups and salads. Soup in the cooler months, salads in the warmer months (aka six months of Texas summer). Maybe throw in a cookie and a scone, and a cocktail (or two).
If you’ve noticed, I’ve been on a soup kick lately, and revamping a few recipes as well. I use my blog as a personal cookbook, so I occasionally see things that need tweaking. What kind of soup have you been enjoying lately? Do tell!
Ingredients needed for Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
- Butter – I use unsalted butter and add salt to taste later.
- Veggies – Leeks (or substitute an onion), celery, carrots, garlic, and broccoli – added in that order.
- Seasonings – Onion powder, and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is used to thicken this soup, instead of adding canned cream of whatever soup.
- Broth – I prefer to use a lower-sodium chicken broth in my soups.
- Milk – The milk will create a thickened, creamy texture to the soup as part of the roux.
- Cheese – Freshly grating your own cheese will guarantee that it melts nicely. I highly recommend using a box grater to grate your own cheese for recipes.
How to make a roux.
Making a roux is the key to creaminess in soups and other dishes. Skip the canned “cream of whatever” and make it with real ingredients.
- start with fats (like butter and oils) and heat until melted
- add flour and whisk to absorb and smoothen
- then add liquids, and simmer until thickened
The longer you whisk the fats and flour, the thinner the thickening agent becomes, and the darker it gets. For this soup, I whisked for just a couple of minutes.
How to make this creamy soup recipe:
- Sauté veggies. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add leek, celery, and carrots, and sauté until softened, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Add seasonings and garlic. Then add the onion powder, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir for about a minute.
- Create a roux. Sprinkle flour over the veggies, and stir for a couple of minutes to fully absorb the flour. The mixture will be thick. Then add the liquids, stir well, and turn heat up slightly to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes to thicken the soup.
- Add broccoli. Add the broccoli florets to soup (along with a bit more salt and pepper) and continue cooking until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in cheese. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheddar cheese. Stir well until fully melted.
- Serve. Serve broccoli cheddar soup with some extra freshly ground black pepper and some crusty bread.
Other soups for you to enjoy:
- Corn Chowder with Bacon – Using fresh corn is key to this soup!
- Sweet Potato Curry Soup – Two of our fav flavors in one – sweet potatoes and curry!
- Chicken Tortilla Soup – One of my all-time favorite soup recipes using homemade enchilada sauce.
A couple fat slices of my mom’s Chewy French Bread are almost a required accompaniment to this creamy soup. Don’t have any clean spoons? Perfect, use bread. 🙂
- Dip
- Scoop
- Shovel
Kitchen Tools used for this recipe: (Affiliate Links)
Make this soup recipe next: Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms
Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.
xoxo ~Sue
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 leek – white parts chopped (or use onion)
- 2 stalks celery – chopped
- 3 medium carrots – chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups 2% milk – or use whole milk
- 7-8 cups broccoli florets – bite sized
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese – add extra for serving
Instructions
- Heat a stock pan over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add leek, celery, and carrots. Sauté until soft, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Create a roux by adding flour. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes to get veggies to absorb flour. It may seem a little dry.
- Add chicken broth and milk. Stir well, and bring to a rolling simmer. This will thicken the soup. Continue to let simmer, and stir, for approximately 10 – 15 minutes, or until thickened.
- Pour broccoli florets into soup, add a little more salt and pepper, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until broccoli is softened.
- Remove pot from heat and add shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
- Serve with some nice crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of cheese.
Notes
- start with fats (like butter and oils) and heat until melted
- add flour and whisk to absorb and smoothen
- then add liquids, and simmer until thickened
I made this soup today – it is delicious! Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hi Lori! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for letting me know that you tried it. 🙂
I made this last night and it was delicious. My youngest child ate 3 bowls of it. Easy to make and very tasty.
Yay!! So glad ya’ll enjoyed it, Robbie! 🙂
This soup is a winner!