Creamy 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.
What you will Need to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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 and stems are 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: Make sure to freshly grate your cheese. we use an 8oz block of mild or medium cheddar cheese. You can also use 2 cups of pre-grated cheddar cheese but it won’t be as good because of the fillers placed in the 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).
HOW TO MAKE PANERA BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
Making this delicious broccoli cheddar soup is so easy! To begin, Cook down the onion and butter in a large heavy-duty pan for about 4 minutes or until the onions are slightly golden. Next, saute the garlic for just a few seconds, whisk in the flour until golden, and top with the chicken stock, broccoli, carrots, and seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes then stir in your half & half or heavy cream and a good amount of freshly grated cheddar cheese and you are done!
The result is a super creamy soup packed with flavor and texture. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy this delicious soup any time of the year!
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.
More Delicious Soups To Try
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Red Lentil Soup
- Creamy Lasagna Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was wanting to make this for dinner tonight. I was curious if you can use frozen broccoli in this??
I used frozen broccoli and worked perfectly.
Did you cook the frozen broccoli first or did you add it in frozen?
Soup was delicious! Very basic, but worked out perfectly for my picky 8 year old. I ignored the reviews and used pre-shredded cheese, and my soup wasn’t grainy at all! I would say the one thing is this does not only take 30 minutes to cook – more like an hour total due to chopping up the veggies, waiting for the onions to soften, and then waiting for the carrots and broccoli to soften. But I would definitely recommend this recipe and will be making it again!
Soooo good. And super quick to make.
First time making it, it was delicious! Thank you!
Finally! This is the broccoli cheddar soup recipe I’ve been looking for! I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it was a huge hit with the family. I agree that freshly shredded cheddar is the way to go. Pre-shredded cheese is easier, but creates a gritty texture. I doubled the recipe and made some homemade garlic croutons for a delicious weeknight meal. Thank you for such a tasty recipe!
AMAZING! I doubted I could ever make broccoli cheddar soup that tasted like Panera’s with healthier ingredients and in such a short time! I followed the recipe almost exactly except made the following changes to make it healthier:
-used 2 tblspn oil instead of 4 tblspns of butter
-used milk instead of cream
-used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour
Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
This was a very quick easy recipe not make we loved it so tasty I did add a bit of heat just to spice it up a bit but so good either way.
It’s a keeper.
You nailed this recipe! Just made it for my boys, it is good! I did shred my own cheese and followed directions exactly. This is a keeper!
Love this recipe! First time it was perfect. Second time making it, it was very grainy. What caused the graininess? How can I prevent that?
I imagine that the people dealing with issues regarding the soup turning out grainy, are probably using pre-shredded cheese. Most shredded cheese is dusted with an “anti-caking” agent to keep it from forming a lump in the bag – unfortunately, this makes it gritty when melted.
Solution: shred your own cheese and it’ll be velvety 🙂
DELICIOUS!!! And so fast and simple.🥦🍵
I’ve always been a little scared to make homemade soups but I found this recipe and it seemed to be pretty straight forward and we had all the ingredients on hand so what the heck, why not make it? THIS WAS AMAZING!!! My husband said it’s the best soup he’s every had. Not just best broccoli cheddar soup but best soup EVER!! We’ve already made this twice in two weeks. It’s a winner. THANK YOU!!
Very good and easy to make. It’s a little thick for my taste so next time I’m going to use 1c milk and 1c half and half. But it is very good. Will definitely make again. Thanks for posting
Can you please tell me what you mean by half and half,the soup looks great and I can’t wait to try it.
Half and half is half milk and half cream. You can find it at the grocery store, with the milk.
Could you please explain what you mean by half and half, i get confused.But the soup looks and I am sure tastes great,can’t wait to give it a try.
For my second time making this I decided to make a rue out of the flour and a little bit of butter then added that to the onions and for the cream I tempered it and I got no grainy soup and it was so much better!! But regardless I love this recipe!
Does this soup freeze well after it’s been made?
Can i put this soup in the crock pot to stay warm once I cook it on stove? I’m making this tonight I hope I can get a response before I make it. This soup sounds amazing I can’t wait!!
Yes, you can. Put it on a very low setting just to keep it warm because you don’t want to overheat it and break the cream sauce.
I made this and completely left out the flour, used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half and added a can of Campbell’s Cheddar cheese soup. Husband loves it!! It’s delicious!!
Somehow I messed this up. Followed the recipe, doubled it.. somehow it cam out tasting grainy/four-like. My husband couldn’t even finish a whole bowl.. totally bummed because now I have a double recipe that won’t get eaten.
You most likely did not cook down the flour all the way thus resulting in the flour taste.
Oh yes, you did that with this recipe!! This was a great one to follow. I added my own blend of seasonings (mrs.dash, garlic powder, cayenne, nutmeg, adobo) and my own blend of creams(half and half, evap milk, and almond milk) it turned out sooo good and I made a big batch to meal prep. Thank you!!!
This is a great soup. I only made 1/2 the recipe. Now I wish I had made more. Yummy!
I followed to a T and it came out perfect. So easy and tasty!
Can the AP flour be substituted with almond flour?
Yes, it works!
Oh my gosh. AMAZING! I ended up doing 2.5 cups of cheddar and more salt and pepper at the end! I ate with a baguette and it was to die for!! Just like Panera.
Yum, great to hear!
Made this today and it was so good! I have been so intimidated by the other Cheddar Broccoli Soup recipes I have found so I never tried making it. This was quick, easy and delicious! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
I’m gonna try this just wondering if you can make this in crockpot
Easy delicious 30 min soup ate 2 bowls in 15. I added bacon. 😋😋
Could you sub velveeta for the grated cheese?
Yes, that works perfectly!
This is so yummy!! My husband is not a soup eater but I made it during a Chiefs game & he went back for seconds. He loved it. I’m glad I doubled the receipe.
Wow, I just made this and it’s so delicious! I used low sodium vegetable broth and smoked paprika. I always find broccoli cheese soup in restaurants to be too salty. This was perfect
Yum, thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Amazing recipe. I made it for myself and even though I was down with flu, it was an easy recipe to make. Delicious and soothing. True comfort food
I have made many different types of broccoli cheddar soup. This one is by far the easiest and most flavorful. I’ve made it twice, now. The best compliment is when a foodie friend asks for the recipe.
I’m wandering if this can be made with cauliflower? I loved the broccoli cheese soup so much.
OMG, this was AMAZING. The only thing I did different was to wrap mine in bacon (which kept all that goodness inside). It was truly to DIE FOR!!!!!
I’m having 15 people for dinner how many people does your recipe serve?
This recipe serves 4 people so you would need to make 4x the amount. The recipe servings can be easily adjusted above 🙂
so delicious and easy! thanks for this awesome video!
OMG!!! This has got to be the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had… most definitely better than Panera’s!! I did add more salt, pepper and paprika at the end. Simply the best!!
Could I use fat free half & half?
Yes, you can. It won’t be as creamy but it should work 🙂
I made this recipe tonight exactly as written. I did double the recipe. It is perfect!! So good! This will be my new go to broccoli cheese soup go to recipe.
How many cups total do you think this makes?
This should make at least 6-8 cups of soup.
What if you want to cook in a crock pot or slow cooker what do yuh suggest for cooking time
This recipe is so easy to make! I doubled it. I also used half extra sharp and half mild cheddar. The flavor was spot on! I chose to use whole milk since you are making a roux and there is already a ton of cheese. It turned out perfect!
Delicious recipe! However, mine had a “chalky” taste that I can’t quite put my finger on. I doubled the recipe and used heavy whipping cream. I used Sargento Medium Cheddar slices.
Do you think the chalkiness was the heavy whipping cream or the type of cheese I used??
Thank you!! Other than that, it was delicious!
The chalky taste may be from the pre-shredded cheese if you used any. They add potato starch to keep it from clumping. Next time, I would shred a block of fresh cheddar cheese 🙂
It could also be maybe you didnt let the flour mixture cook enough? Sometimes if you don’t mix it for a good two minutes or so the flour wont all be incorporated
From my experience the chalkiness could possibly have come from not cooking the roux long enough. You have to cook the flour until it becomes light golden brown, approximately 5- 7 minutes.
Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! My 4 year old actual said it “tastes better than Panera!” And was super quick! Nicely done!
So happy to hear that, Fatimah!