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.
Cooked as directed and used fresh broccoli, used regular milk instead of cream and it was still velvety with lots of favor.
Great recipe. Added some bacon bits and a pinch of nutmeg and the soup was perfect.
I made it to celebrate National Soup Day. Excellent soup. I used 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard. I only added 1/2 cup milk and increased the stock. It’s definitely a keeper.
Fabulous! I had some leftover broccoli and zucchini, and this recipe was the perfect way to use up both. 10/10, will make again!
William maybe something was wrong ( bad milk or cheese or over cooked) I have made it several times and it has always turned out great. Try cooking it slower and grating your own cheese ( shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well as block cheese) I hope you try it again as it’s awesome! 😊
I added some sharp cheddar towards the end and I might’ve overcooked the broccoli but it came out grainy. Is it supposed to? Idk what I did wrong 🤔
I’ve had that happen when I’ve been in a hurry and had the heat too high. The cheese won’t melt correctly. You can lower the temp, add a bit more water or milk, stir to combine better and see if that helps. Also, if you didn,t give the cheese at the end enough time to melt, that can affect it too.
My whole family enjoyed this, which can be rare!
This was so quick and easy and turned out super good. Thanks for this recipe! Will make again
Soo easy!!! So fast!! Had cut up broccoli in freezer. Just threw together!! Super cheesy!!
Yummy. I tripled the recipe and it was ready after an hour or so. Have a lot of hungry peeps, thank you!
Thats good because I have hungry people too
Love the recipe it’s simple and simply delicious. My whole family loves it!
Not bad, but not great either. A pretty average soup. Needed much more salt and vegetable salt. I would use both whipping cream and half n half next time, I think. Overall a pretty bland soup 🙁
Emily,
I can tell, just by reading the recipe, that it should be delicious.
Cooking is not an exact science… and a recipe is a guide, to be adjusted to your personal taste.
Love this. I used more carrot because I love carrots. I also threw in the cheese and let it melt before puttin the half &half. I thought it was a bit thick,so I added about 1/4cup dry white wine..I also used more nutmeg and some white pepper.
Absolutely delicious! Doubled the recipe, used 1 Cup 1/2 & 1/2 and 3 cups whole milk. Omitted nutmeg(not a fan of that spice)
Doesn’t even compare to the soup at Panera! It’s wayyyyy better!!
Also added left over ham to the pot!
This was delicious! Will be making again!
SHUTUP!
Love, love this soup. I did add more broccoli and some shredded chicken(hubby has to have meat). Lol
I will make this again!
This is so good and so easy! I blended a couple ladlefuls to make it even creamier.
Not very nice
Can you freeze this? I’m the only one that likes the soup. My husband doesn’t like cheese with broccoli… I know lol
LOVED IT! Only thing I tweaked was omitting the onion (I’m not a fan), adding 1/4 tsp of nutmeg AND smoked paprika, and using 1.5 cups of half & half and 1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream. I will definitely make this again.
I’ve been making this recipe for awhile now and it’s so delicious! Everyone in my family loves it. I usually add an additional cup of broccoli when I make it because I like a lot of broccol.
I made this tonight with half broccoli a d half cauliflower. It was so good! Thanks for the great recipe!
This is one of my families favorites!! Thank you for sharing!! All three of my picky boys get so excited when they see me cooking this! They don’t like chunks, so I use an immersion blender before I add the half and half and cheese to break it up. I also add about half a cup of fresh Parmesan for a little added zing! So yummy!!!!
So yummy! I substituted flour with corn starch for a gluten free version! I also added SMOKED paprika as well as nutmeg, three in some diced new potatoes and garnished with diced cherry tomatoes. Absolutely delicious !!!!!
ya i have used frozen broccoli before and it has worked great! just not as fresh. hope that helps 🙂
Great soup! I used 1 cup half and half and 1.25 cups 1% milk. And only 1 cup of sharp cheddar shredded cheese. Frozen broccoli. Delicious!
Can I use frozen broccoli in this recipe instead of fresh?
Yes, I just used frozen broccoli cuts. The only thing I changed was the cheese. Only used a cup of sharp cheddar for such a small batch. Was just fine. Used a little more than 1 cup 1% milk and 1 cup half and half. Spices perfect. Delicious soup!
This was great! Better than Panera! Will certainly make again!
I like broccoli and carrots by themself alone. I think next time I will reduce the number of carrots and broccoli I use so there more soup base and not so thick. Overall, it’s a wonderful soup. Flavor is fantastic. Will definitely make this in the future.
YES! Absolutely Delicious. I couldn’t believe how tasty. I was proud to share this recipe with my family. I’m impressed!
Delicious! I made it with my fresh broccoli I picked this summer and froze and then defrosted it. Amazing taste. It was delicious!
Love it! I did 1 cup of milk 1 cup of heavy cream. Delicious !
This is a dangerous recipe. It was really good with New York sharp cheddar. You will not be disappointed. Also a good substitution for butter in this case is margarine if you don’t have any butter on hand. This is going on a list of rotating recipes for the family.
Incredibly easy and yummy! I added turkey stock with a little meat. Along with a diced red jalapeño that gave the soup some nice heat!
Very VERY yummy. But it took way more time to prep (more like 30 minutes). And it didn’t mention when to put the onion in. (I put it in with the other veggies, it worked fine). I also made it with Old Bay instead of paprika. Very good!
Can a different cheese be used for this recipe, such as monterey jack? Trying to use up some shredded cheese in the fridge before vacation. Thanks!
I did a mix of Cheddar and Gruyère. It was delicious. I think that any cheese with similar characteristics would work.
This recipe was delicious! Will definitely make it again!
I don’t like the Panera soup but man I’ve made this one for years now! It’s so good!!!!
This was decent soup. But definitely not better than Panera.
This is so yummy and was super easy to make. My daughter is obsessed with Panera’s soup so I made this tonight. She said it is the best soup she’s ever eaten!
Simple and absolutely delicious! Served with homemade sourdough and it was the perfect meal for our family!