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! 30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)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. 30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)

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

30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)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!)

4.72 from 633 votes

30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)

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! 
Prep10 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Servings 4 people

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

Serving: 1bowl (1/4th recipe), Calories: 570kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 28g, Cholesterol: 134mg, Sodium: 1225mg, Potassium: 529mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4381IU, Vitamin C: 65mg, Calcium: 603mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: broccoli, cheddar, cheese, Panera, soup
like this recipe? Rate & Comment below!

30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)

30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)
30 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Better than Panera!)


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480 Comments

  1. Tasted great. I cheated by using pre shredded carrots and pre cut broccoli to save time, but I sliced up the cheese off the block myself. I added a little more seasoning with a bit of nutritional yeast since I had no paprika.

  2. Taste was great! Only issue is that it was not a creamy soup. The liquid looked curdled. I made the recipe exactly as indicated. Everything was fresh. Suggestions?

    1. I’m not sure what went wrong but the only thing I can think of is if you used pre-shredded Cheese. Please let me know if you do decide to give it another try!

    2. You can’t let the soup boil after you add the milk or I’ll settle separate

    3. Have to agree. I followed the recipe as noted. And I used the block cheese to shred myself. But it was not a thick creamy soup. Not sure what I did wrong…I’m thinking maybe it had to do when I added the flour. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Plan to make it again.

      1. Did you use milk or cream? milk won’t make a thick soup as opposed to cream so I suggest next time try heavy cream for a super creamy soup!

  3. I can’t get over how good this is with how simple it is. I am a lazy cook so I used a frozen bag of California blend and a half bag of frozen broccoli. I also scooped out all the carrots and cauliflower and pureed them after they were soft. I used a bag of triple cheddar shredded cheese and added shredded chicken. So dang good and so simple!

  4. Very quick, tasty and easy recipe..no grainy issues using pre-shredded cheese..usually grainy comes in if the heat is to high, the excess heat squeezes out the fat from the cheese causing grainy and curdled textures.

  5. This was my first time making it and it was delicious. My husband even got seconds and said it was better than Panera. I added a tiny bit more salt and used packaged cheese and it came out amazing. Will be making this again!

  6. Absolutely delicious! A new family favourite! Easy recipe to follow and common ingredients. I used a shallot instead of an onion and used my immersion blender before I added the whole milk. So tasty it’s on my soup rotation now! Thanks!

    1. I made this today. It was delicious. I used frozen broccoli as I have a bunch in my freezer that needs to be used up. I also used 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of 2% milk, as I didnt have half &half. Otherwise I followed the recipe. I’ve only made chicjen soup from scratch but I will be making this more often now. Easy and delicious.

  7. I love everything about this and it tastes gooooodddd 🙂

  8. I needed to use up some frozen chopped onions, carrots celery and broccoli, so this fit the bill. I added in nutmeg and nutritional yeast at the end—so good!

  9. So tasty! Doubled the recipe, did 8 oz sharp cheddar & 8 oz cheddar. Wasn’t grainy at all as I shredded it. So delicious and will definitely make again. Thanks!

  10. I was wanting to make this for dinner tonight. I was curious if you can use frozen broccoli in this??

      1. Did you cook the frozen broccoli first or did you add it in frozen?

  11. 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!

  12. First time making it, it was delicious! Thank you!

  13. 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!

  14. 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!

  15. 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.

  16. 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!

  17. 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?

    1. 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 🙂

  18. 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!!

  19. 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

  20. Can you please tell me what you mean by half and half,the soup looks great and I can’t wait to try it.

    1. Half and half is half milk and half cream. You can find it at the grocery store, with the milk.

  21. 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.

  22. 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!

    1. 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!!

      1. 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.

  23. 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!!

  24. 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.

    1. Followed recipe to a t and it came out terribly. Taste like flour. I even tried adding more spices.

      1. You most likely did not cook down the flour all the way thus resulting in the flour taste.

  25. 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!!!

  26. This is a great soup. I only made 1/2 the recipe. Now I wish I had made more. Yummy!

  27. I followed to a T and it came out perfect. So easy and tasty!

  28. Can the AP flour be substituted with almond flour?