Healthy broccoli cheddar soup packed with carrots, broccoli, garlic, and cheese. This creamy velvety soup is much better than Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup and can be made in under 30 minutes for a fraction of the price! 
Soup is an essential winter meal and when it comes to picking our absolute favorite soup, this cheddar broccoli soup has earned the #1 spot. It’s a favorite of kids because of it’s creamy texture and cheesy flavor, and loved by parents because it’s secretly loaded with a ton of nutritious veggies.
If you’ve ever had Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup then you will LOVE this soup. It’s almost a copycat version of it except with much more flavor and texture.
The soup is made with an almost caramelized onion and garlic-based and thickened with a roux (butter and flour mixture) then simmered with veggie stock, broccoli, and carrots. At the very end, half & half and freshly grated cheddar cheese are added to give it a velvety smooth texture.
The result is a deliciously rich, thick and creamy broccoli soup that is loaded with the comforting flavors of broccoli and cheddar. 
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP (BETTER THAN PANERA’S)
To make this delicious cheddar cheese you will only need a handful of ingredients, a large pot, and 30 minutes. Gather all your ingredients and let’s get cooking!
Broccoli: Fresh broccoli florets along with the stems chopped into small bite-size pieces. A 12oz bag of frozen broccoli will also work. The instructions and cooking time are exactly the same.
Carrots: You will need about 1 cup of grated, finely minced, or julienned carrots. It is about 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots. This ingredient is optional and can be adjusted to your taste preference.
Cheddar: To get the best possible flavor, we like to use an 8oz block of mild or medium cheddar cheese. You can also use 2 cups of pre-grated cheddar cheese.
Half & Half: Half and half will yield a texture that is not too thick or too thin. It can also be replaced with milk for a light soup or heavy cream for keto dieters.
Stock: Veggie or chicken stock will work great and if you don’t have any on hand, replace the stock with water and add a bouillon cube.
You will also need a chopped onion, minced garlic, butter, flour, salt pepper and paprika (can be subbed with nutmeg if desired).
Scroll down for the full recipe, video, and nutritional facts. Please don’t forget to rate the recipe below and tag us on Instagram @gimmedelicious!
CAN YOU FREEZE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP?
CAN YOU FREEZE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP?To refrigerate: Place any leftover soup in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove-top over medium-low heat.
To freeze: Place in freezer-safe zip bags and freeze flat or in freezer-safe containers. To reheat, thaw completely then warm on low heat to prevent curdling.
HOW TO SERVE BROCOLLI CHEDDAR SOUP
This delicious soup is packed full of veggies and texture and can be perfectly eaten stand-alone and will make a filling meal. It can also be served in a bread bowl (like in Panera) or with crusty bread for dipping or topped with croutons! If you’re a meat-eater, you can top it with chopped grilled or shredded chicken or mix them in.
30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, ½ stick
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoon AP flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika, or ground nutmeg, optional
- 3 cups broccoli florets, or 1 large head, cut into small pieces
- 1 large carrot, grated, julienned or finely chopped
- 2 cups half & half, or milk or light or heavy cream
- 8 oz block grated cheddar cheese, or 2 cups (mild, medium, or sharp )
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 3-4 minutes or until softened and light gold. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until the flour begins to turn golden in color. Pour in the chicken stock, broccoli florets, carrots, and seasoning. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are cooked through.
- Stir in half & half and cheddar cheese and simmer for another minute. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve with toasted crusty bread or in a bread bowl if desired.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wonderful just the way the recipe says!
Made the soup and it was delicious! Easy recipe with easy to follow directions. Grating carrots (I had smaller ones) wasn’t fun but it was worth it! Will def make it again! And I think the nutmeg does add that special something to the soup!
Came out really yummy! I doubled the portions and now I have so many leftovers so hopefully it freezes well. I made two changes based on what I had. I did half cauliflower and half broccoli. I also did a mix of whole milk and half and half in order to reduce the calories a bit. Was delicious. Thanks
I used sharp cheddar, I’ll use mild next time. I added another cup of milk to lessen the sharp cheddar flavor. Delicious!
18/11/2023. Absolutely love broccoli and cheese soup I use Stilton cheese with one cup of cheddar and add extra pepper as we like it that way. I don’t do the roux because to me the soup thickens up enough when you have all the ingredients in especially when the cheese and cream are put in. But if it turns out a little on the runny side then I add cornstarch or plain flour mixed with cold water and add it to the towards the end. Served with fresh baked bread and lashing of best butter spread on it Lush 😋😋
6ou were right this is so much better than Panera. The fresh ingredients really make it pop. We are having a rare cool Rainey day here in SW Florida and my hubby thought we should pick up some of Panera’s soup at Aldi. To expensive for the amt. So, instead we made our own. Had all ingredients at home just finished enjoying a bowl. Honestly it was ready in 30 minutes. Delicious, did add the paprika yum!
5his will be on our meal rotation for sure. Thanks for sharing.
I made it with regular milk instead or half and half or heavy cream. I also didn’t have any chicken broth and used two cups of water with Better than bouillon 2 tlb. The roux was excellent, the flavor was very good. The main thing I’d change will be to add a 1/2 cup to a cup of finely chopped broccoli to richen the flavor. Other than that for a 30mjn Recipe and no crazy steps came out delicious. On my second bowl.
Hello! This looks delicious! I plan to make this soon but I was wondering, what is “AP” flour? Is that a brand or type of flour ? Thanks !
Hi Chris! AP is All-Purpose flour. Just the “regular” type of flour!
I would say this is relatively easy to make and an overall decent taste. I did have to add additional seasonings for a better flavor. I will cation you, I think the amount of cheese it too much. I became extremely sick from the amount of dairy, even when I swapped the half & half for soy milk. I realize not everyone is sensitive to dairy, but I typically eat multiple servings of dairy a day, no issues. I have also eaten many bowls of broccoli cheddar soup in my life and never had this happen before lol. Just wanted to let others know that the measurement may be off with this one! If I remade it I’d say 4 ounces is sufficient.
This was perfection! I have been craving a good broccoli cheese soup and this totally fit the bill!
Made this soup ,added two cups of chopped spinache .I used old sharp cheddar cheese ,vegetable broth,also added a little more flour for thickening .I sautéed all vegetables in a large Dutch oven for about 15 min and then added stock.This soup turned out fantastic
Yum!!!
This soup is so good and easy to make.
I’ve made the actual Panera soup and this one is much more healthy
with significantly less calories, carbs and fat.
Super easy and delicious! My friends loved it
Made my wife’s all time favorites list. I doubled the recipe and used half shredded cheddar and half smoked Gouda. Would recommend.
Can you make this soup ahead of time? Or is it best served the same day?
Yes, can it be frozen?
Just made this and we enjoyed it. Added some more carrot and onions. It needed some more salt for our taste, but otherwise perfect. Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!!
Made this soup exactly as instructed and my family loved it! I’m vegan so next time around I’ll sub out the cheese and milk for vegan options and hope it comes out as good as the original. I.m looking forward to trying more recipes from this site! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the lovely feedback!
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the soup! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Excellent soup. I used 4cups of Broccoli.
I’ve made this soup a few times and I love it! I triple the amount of broccoli and carrots because I love vegetables. The first time I made it I added extra garlic and it tasted too garlicy the next day when I reheated it, so I would not recommend exceeding the specified amount.
i used the same ingredients but different quantities and it turned out great 😋 my picky little sister even loved it!!!
Delicious added a few extra seasonings and used Dubkinger, med cheddar, and mozzarella.
I used left-over boiled broccoli from dinner the night before, and doubled the recipe. I made just as the recipe directed, but chopped up all of the veggies and simmered for 30 minutes before adding the half-and-half and cheese. It was Amazing! Served it with garlic bisquick biscuits. My grandkids LOVED it!
Delicious, but “better than Panera’s” is an interesting claim because it is exactly Panera’s recipe plus some garlic.
Came across this recipe, so glad I tried it. I added cauliflower to it and used cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese .
In a word delicious.
i added chicken for some extra taste, extra broccoli as well! never will go back to panera!!
Yum!
Why isn’t there a print option?
There is, it’s in the big blue box right before the Ingredients section starts.
Delicious!! Has anyone tried freezing leftovers?
When I tell you this looked so good! I can’t wait for NY guests to compliment me!
Thanks for this great recipe! I did add garlic powder and white pepper, and more paprika! Substituted salt for vegeta to enhance color and taste!
This recipe was definitely a hit! Saved! Delicious 😋
When I tell you this looked so good! I can’t wait for NY guests to compliment me!
Thanks for this great recipe! I did add garlic powder and white pepper, and more paprika! Substituted salt for vegeta! Delicious 😋