My kids and I are obsessed with broccoli cheddar soup. We used to love to go to Panera's close to our home to enjoy this delicious soup, but it has been shut down ever since the pandemic, so naturally, we were on a mission to create a perfect broccoli cheese soup.
There are lots of variations and options to make this soup your own. You can add extra veggies, different cheeses, garlic and onions, a little nutmeg to the finished soup, green onions, sour cream, etc. The list goes on and on. I was inspired by a recipe, thanks to Natasha's Kitchen.
Ingredients - Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe is creamy, loaded with broccoli and 2 kinds of cheese to give this amazing flavor.
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets. (approx. 4 cups)
1 medium carrot, matchstick cut or shredded carrots (approx. ½ cup)
1 medium onion, chopped.
8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups) + more to garnish
½ cup parmesan cheese, mild, shredded
2 TBS butter
4 cups chicken broth (I used 4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon mixed with 4 cups of water, which equals to 4 cups broth)
1 cup heavy cream (light cream or milk will work too, but may not be as creamy)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black ground pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
3 TBS flour
1. Heat butter in the inner pot of the Instant pot, add onions and saute for 5 minutes
2. Add broth, broccoli, carrots, garlic powder, salt & pepper, nutmeg, thyme
3. Place on Manual high pressure, sealing position for 5 minutes
4. Do a quick release and stir in cream
5. Place pot back on saute but do not bring to boil - stir in cheeses
The soup should be already thick and creamy, but if not thick enough for you, here are few extra options -
Option 1. In a separate small bowl, combine ½ cup cream with 3 tablespoon flour and whisk until smooth and no longer lumpy. The mixture will be thick like frosting. Whisk in the cream/flour mixture into the prepared soup, whisking for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth and thickened.
Option 2. Add corn starch and mix it according to instructions
Option 3. For low carb thickener, I use 2 TBS of plain gelatin. Mix it with hot water according to instructions
Recipe notes:
1. You can make this Broccoli Cheddar soup vegetarian if you add vegetable bouillon instead of chicken broth.
2. If cheese clumping occurs, this mostly means that the cheese is heavily processed. Shred your own block of extra sharp cheddar or mild cheddar instead.
3. Do not overdo carrots, maximum is ½ cup for this recipe in my opinion, or else carrots may over-power the flavor of broc&cheese
4. Serve it in a bread bowl or in a soup bowl. For a low-carb version, just throw away the bread. It's that easy LOL. But seriously this soup is very filling and you don't need the bread.
5. Broccoli cheddar soup stovetop. This soup is easily made the same way on the stovetop. Follow the same precise instructions and let it simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until broccoli is very soft and breaks into small parts easily.
Instant Pot potato soup, which is creamy without the added flour, loaded with goodness like a baked potato, and is also Gluten-free!
Instant Pot Hamburger Cauliflower soup, low carb and keto-friendly.
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Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Low Carb and Keto Friendly
Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy and loaded with broccoli and a blend of 2 kinds of cheese to give this amazing flavor. Serving broccoli soup in bread bowls is a real treat.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets. (approx. 4 cups)
- 1 medium carrot, matchstick cut or shredded carrots (approx. ½ cup)
- 1 medium onion, chopped.
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups) + more to garnish
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, mild, shredded
- 2 TBS butter
- 4 cups chicken broth (I used 4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon mixed with 4 cups of water, which equals to 4 cups broth)
- 1 cup heavy cream (light cream or milk will work too, but may not be as creamy)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 3 TBS flour
Instructions
1. Heat butter in the inner pot of the Instant pot, add onions and saute for 5 minutes
2. Add broth, broccoli, carrots, garlic powder, salt & pepper, nutmeg, thyme
3. Place on Manual high pressure, sealing position for 5 minutes
4. Do a quick release and stir in cream
5. Place pot back on saute but do not bring to boil - stir in cheeses
Notes
How to make Broccoli Cheddar soup thicker
Recipe notes:
1. You can make this Broccoli Cheddar soup vegetarian if you add vegetable bouillon instead of chicken broth.2. If cheese clumping occurs, this mostly means that the cheese is heavily processed. Shred your own block of extra sharp cheddar or mild cheddar instead.3. Do not overdo carrots, maximum is ½ cup for this recipe in my opinion, or else carrots may over-power the flavor of broc&cheese4. Serve it in a bread bowl or in a soup bowl. For a low-carb version, just throw away the bread. It's that easy LOL. But seriously this soup is very filling and you don't need the bread.5. Broccoli cheddar soup stovetop. This soup is easily made the same way on the stovetop. Follow the same precise instructions and let it simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until broccoli is very soft and breaks into small parts easily.
Erin Ridings
This was good! I like the recipe and I definitely used too many carrots and they were overpowering to the soup. I didn't read your recommendation to watch out for that. My broccoli disintegrated though; any tips on how to avoid this next time? And I may even use a tad more cheese next time too!
Irina
HI Erin,
Yes, lots of carrots definitely owerpower the taste of the soup. I recommend not more than half a cup of carrots. But glad you made it still liked it.
Regarding broccoli - yes, you want to disintegrate the broccoli and break it into a small pieces by stirring and stirring. If you want to large bulky pieces of broccoli present, I recommend to take some out before stirring or blending in. Also, if using pressure cooker, be sure to cook no more than 5 minutes, which is more than enough in pressure cooker. I hope this helps
Linda
Looks delicious! . Can’t wait to try these! Broccoli cheddar soup is my favorite
Wendy B.
This recipe is so delish . . .and simple. Loved it!
I love soup, but hubby is not a big fan. He is happier if the soup is thick & not watery . . .he is also a meat & potatoes kinda guy. This said, I used 2Tbls rice flour when I sauted the onion. Then to satisfy the meat part, I added 24 frozen cocktail size turkey meatballs & added 2 minutes (for a total of 7 minutes cooking time. At the end, when I added the cream, I added 2Tbls of 'Wondera'. I discovered that this is the secret to perfect gravy . . .and it is! This was the last touch that thickened the soup just perfect. All in all the soup was a huge hit! Served it with a hearty loaf of multi-grain bread. Hubby loved it all!
Irina
Hi Wendy
My husband is too, loves thick and creamy soup. Glad you were able to modify it to your liking and he loved it ?
Wow thank you for Wondera suggestion I will definitely look for it and give it a try...
Warm regards,
Jae
This is AMAZING! I just got an instant pot and this was the first recipe I made (eating it while I type!); it was perfect and my very picky eight year old just asked for a second serving. Thanks for the share!
Chris
You boc. And cheddar soup sound really good and easy. My granddaughter love that soup
Irina
It is so easy to make and taste fantastic... it's my family's favorite... I hope you'll give it a try for your granddaughter
Dave
Delicious! I've tried it twice with great results. Used gelatin for a low carb thickener. Not as thick as we would normally like it but sacrifices must be made 😛
Question: what cook time would you recommend for doubling it? I have the room in the pressure cooker and would love to invite people over to enjoy it.
Thanks in advance.
Irina
For low carb thickener gelatin is my preferred because other thickener gives you the aftertaste and it will go inside your food
.. gelatin doesn't...
If you want to double the recipe, cook just the same time... it would come to pressure double longer. So that's your longer cooking time ?