The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup — 🥦🧀🤤 Make the best soup of your life at home in 1 hour! It’s creamy, CHEESY, and loaded with tender pieces of broccoli! Beyond words amazing and WAY better than Panera!
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This is the best broccoli cheese soup. Not only that, it’s some of the best soup I’ve ever tasted, period.
If you like Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, this blows the pants off it.
It’s an easy soup to make and is ready in 1 hour. It’s absolutely perfect comfort food and I couldn’t stop eating it. I ate it for lunch and dinner for a couple straight days until it was gone. I loved this soup beyond words.
I kept the soup vegetarian by using low-sodium vegetable stock rather than chicken stock, and lightened it up by using fat-free half-and-half. But you’d think that it was made with heavy cream based on how thick, rich, and truly decadent it tastes.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients
For this better-than-Panera copycat cheesy broccoli soup recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable broth or stock
- Half and half
- Broccoli florets
- Carrots
- Spices
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is a very easy cheese and broccoli soup recipe, but there are a few fast-moving stages. Read the recipe before you start making the soup so you know what’s coming up next.
- In a small saucepan, add a little butter, the diced onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent and barely browned. Add the garlic, cook, then remove from heat.
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, add the remaining butter, flour, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until flour is thickened.
- Slowly add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly, then the half and half. Let simmer over low heat until it has reduced and thickened some.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, spices, and the onion and garlic you previously set aside.
- Allow soup to simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.
- While soup simmers, grate the cheese. After simmering about 20 to 25 minutes, add most of the cheese, reserving a small amount for garnishing bowls.
Tip for Softening the Vegetables
If you prefer very soft broccoli and carrots, you can either steam them before you add them to the pot and/or make sure the broccoli florets are quite small and the carrots are cut into very thin pieces.
I’ve never found pre-steaming necessary because the soup continues to simmer for 20-25 minutes after adding the broccoli and carrots, which is ample time for me personally for them to soften to my liking. However, in case you prefer very soft vegetables, steaming and/or paying closer attention to their size is an option.
Soup FAQs
Use a high-quality cheddar cheese that you grate yourself. Don’t use the cheapest cheese you can find because the flavor just isn’t there. I prefer extra-sharp, although sharp may be used. Pre-grated cheese in ziptop bags is resistant to melting and won’t incorporate well.
You could try, but it will be mushy. I hate mushy vegetables so I personally never would use frozen broccoli in this soup being that the broccoli is the star of the show.
I love broccoli and used plenty because I prefer big chunks of broccoli in every bite but you can use less. I also used some stalks to make use of the entire head and not waste any, but you can use florets only if preferred. Even people who ‘don’t like broccoli’ should love broccoli when it’s bathed in a creamy, cheesy broth.
There are a few optional spices like smoked paprika, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper. They’re not mandatory if you don’t keep them on hand, but they do add extra depth of flavor, albeit subtle. The cayenne doesn’t make the soup hot in the least, it makes it not taste boring.
Storage and Reheating
To store: Soup will keep in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing the soup because I feel like the cheese and half-and-half will not do well upon thawing and soup could break, but I haven’t actually tried freezing it.
To reheat: Reheat gently in the microwave for 30-second intervals. I find the soup is less likely to ‘break’ or separate when reheated in the microwave rather than on the stovetop, but do what you think is best.
Recipe Video Tutorial
The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup (Better-Than-Panera Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon + 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small or medium sweet yellow onion, diced small
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced finely
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, chicken stock may be substituted
- 2 cups half-and-half, *
- 2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup broccoli stems, diced into bite-size pieces (optional)**
- 2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into very thin rounds, about 1/16th-inch
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika , (or regular paprika) optional and to taste
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder, optional and to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste (doesn’t make soup spicy and serves to enhance flavor)
- 8 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, with a small amount reserved for garnishing***
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter, the diced onion, and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and barely browned, about 4 minutes. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and set pan aside.
- In a large heavy-bottom pot (I use this Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 6-3/4-Quart Oval French (Dutch) Oven) add 4 tablespoons butter, flour, and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until flour is thickened. You are making a roux and it’s very important the mixture is thick or soup will never thicken properly later.
- Slowly add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly.
- Slowly add the half-and-half, whisking constantly.
- Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. Whisk intermittently to re-incorporate the ‘skin’ that inevitably forms, this is normal.
- While mixture is simmering, chop the broccoli and carrots. After simmering 15 to 20 minutes, add the broccoli, carrots, and the onion and garlic you previously set aside.
- Add the salt, pepper, optional paprika, optional dry mustard powder, and optional cayenne. If you don’t have these seasonings on hand, it’s okay, but they do add subtle depth of flavor. Stir to combine.
- Allow soup to simmer over low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened some. Whisk intermittently to re-incorporate the ‘skin’ that inevitably forms, this is normal.
- While soup simmers, grate the cheese. After simmering about 20 to 25 minutes, add most of the cheese, reserving a small amount for garnishing bowls. Stir in the cheese until melted and incorporated fully, less than 1 minute.
- Transfer soup to bowls, garnish with reserved cheese, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Broccoli cheese soup is the best, easy to make ad so delicious. I use Better than Bouillon and it is really good.n
Thanks for letting me know this is a winner for you, Peggy!
This soup is delicious, I always double it when I make it. My family loves it!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Michelle, and I love hearing that your family loves it and that you always double the recipe!
This soup is incredible! My 9 and 12 year old kiddos absolutely love it. It has become a winter dinner staple for our family. It is fun to make and tastes a million times better than any restaurant broccoli cheddar soup I’ve had!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Lisa, and I love hearing that this is a family staple, fun to make, and I agree that it tastes a zillion times better than any broccoli cheese soups in restaurants!
Delicious and a keeper! I added some chopped ham to it
Thanks for letting me know it was delicious and a keeper, Karen!
Delicious soup! Definitely a keeper!
This soup is delicious every time! So easy and rich and yummy and it reheats well! Thank you so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Laura, and I’m glad that this is a winner for you every time and that it reheats well!
Best soup its in my rotation now
Thanks for the 5 star review, Shelley, and I love hearing that this is the best soup in your rotation now!
I’m not someone who cooks often. 1st time I made soup was for church and the crockpot was wiped clean. They loved it!! Many asked for the recipe. I’m not a broccoli fan but this soup is now one of my favorite foods!!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Kellie, and it’s amazing that you love this soup now – even though you’re not a broccoli fan! So glad your church friends loved it as well!
Super- yummy. I’ve made this 5-6 times and it comes out amazing every time.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m so glad to hear this is super yummy and you’ve made it plenty of times and it’s always amazing!
I love this soup…I make it often. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Michelle, and it’s great to hear you love this soup and make it often! Wonderful!
Amazing soup & I make it all the time? Can in serve it in a crockpot for a potluck?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love it and make it often! I have had other readers comment they’ve made it and then transfered it into a slow cooker to keep it warm for potlucks and events with good success.
I won’t use another recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Sarah, and I’m glad this is your now-favorite recipe for broccoli cheese soup!
Absolutely wonderful!!! It was the perfect dinner on a cold, rainy evening. It tastes exactly like the soup at Panera.👏 I probably need to double the roux, only because I used more broccoli. It was a hit with my family! I’m always happy when my boys ask for seconds! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review, MJ, and glad this hit the spot on a cold rainy night! I am happy that your boys asked for seconds and that this was a winner!
This broccoli cheddar soup is delicious. The recipe was easy to follow and the ingredients were easy to find at my local supermarket. I’m lad I doubled the recipe and froze the leftovers…instant dinner for another night !! Thanks for this !!!
Thanks for the five star review, Dennis, and I’m so glad that you really enjoyed this soup and that you even made a double batch to freeze!
This is such a yummy soup. I followed the recipe ALMOST to the “T”. I didn’t have fresh broccoli so I used frozen and chopped it fine then after it cook for 20 minutes I used am immersion blender on it. It is so, so good. I will be making it again.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Debra, and I’m glad to hear that this soup turned out so well for you and that you’ll make it again!
Super Delish!!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Debbie! Glad it was super delish!