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.
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!
That recipe was soooo simple, but delicious!!! My husband loved it.
This recipe was pretty easy and came out good. I’m not a huge fan of super creamy soups, so I tweaked it a little. I eyeballed the broccoli florets, so I might have used too much, which led to me needing to add 2 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth to make sure there was enough liquid to boil the veggies. I decided to throw this in my Vitamix before I returned it to the pot, and added a cup and a half of half and half. I also only used 6oz of cheese. For me personally, I think it turned out great.
The soup came out awesome and it’s really good
Thank you
My 93 yr. Mom really liked it,I did not have carrots, I also omitted the flour, came out GREAT,VERY TASTY.
Great recipe! Everyone loved it!
Excellent! Followed recipe exactly and indeed, it was better than Panera!
Once.you got.the recipe loaded…put.your phone.on airplane mode
Yummy! I used a Qt of stock and half whole milk and half heavy cream. Next time I’d add a little more onion, carrot and brocolli.
For those who have made it with whole milk or 2%, does it actually taste good? I really, really don’t want to use light cream or fat free light cream. What about non dairy milk like oat? I have that in my fridge.
I can’t tell what year or month this recipe or comments were published, but I made it tonight (November 2022) and it is SOOOOO good! Use organic grass-fed 2% milk and Tillamok cheddar. It’s for a friend who has cancer and requested milk, but if it were for me I would use unsweetened full-fat soy milk, my preference for non-dairy savory recipes. You could even try it totally vegan with Follow Your Heart cheddar, which I think would be the best brand for this recipe. That’s my two cents!
WOW. I usually hate broccoli cheddar soup. Made this for my husband in bread bowls because he was feeling under the weather. Between him, me, and the kids we were scraping the bowl for more. Delicious! Made it as written with fresh broccoli and got compliments from all.
Hands down the best recipe for broccoli cheddar soup. Thank you!
This recipe was amazing. I added 1 extra cup of stock and topped it with home-made croutons. DELICIOUS! There was non leftover. Ate it all. Whole family loved it. ❤️
Delicious! Thank you!
I make this a lot. Typically I use a combination of evaporated and whole milk and it is so smooth. Tonight I used cauliflower in place of the broccoli. Delicious. I did partially cook the cauliflower ahead of time. I always add a little mustard and a few sprinkles of Parmesan for added sharpness. It is so good.
Not sure why there are a few complaints about this lacking flavour, as it turned out excellent. However, I changed it a bit and made double the amount so we have enough to feed about 8 people. The key things are to use FRESH ground pepper and Himalayan salt or some type of salt with extra flavor… not that cheap mass produced table salt.
For chicken broth use the Organic Chicken Base Better Than Bouillon. This stuff is made from chickens and is the best you will buy, we used this in a restaurant that I worked in. Just boil your 1 Quart of water (32 oz) and add 4 teaspoons of the Better Than Bouillon base to the hot water and use a hand whisk so that it dissolves well.
Full stick of butter
2 whole medium onion chopped/diced
2 ounces of minced garlic
8 tablespoon AP flour (I use the King Arthur Flour Unbleached All-Purpose/ don’t use that bleached trash)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 tsp Himalayan Salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp of Hungarian Paprika
3 large heads, cut into small pieces
1 large carrot grated
4 cups (1-quart container) half & half (I use fat-free because otherwise, this soup will be EXTREMELY fattening)
12 oz block sharp cheddar cheese (buy a whole block and just cut into like 20 cubes so it melts better)
This is how I make it and dang is it good. My 10-year-old son wanted Broccoli Cheddar Soup and I was not going to get that can stuff, because as we all know, that stuff is completely loaded in salt… and fresh is always best.
Anyways, this is my second time making it and this is how I made it. I shared some with a neighbor and she LOVED IT….
Best thing is to make this soup along with fresh sourdough bread that you just baked about 1 hour ago. A bowl of this soup with Sourdough bread is divine!!!!
Amazing! And so easy! I live overseas and was craving this soup. I was skeptical of how it would turn out because I’m partial to Panera Bread’s. This was spot on, so easy to make, and hit the spot. I added a little more onions and garlic based on some comments, but even if you felt it needed more at the end, you could season with onion and garlic powder if need be. Other recipes say to add the milk /cream early on which would curdle or separate. This recipe has the correct order and works seamlessly. This will be a regular in our household now! Thank you so much!
Not impressed. I followed the recipe to a T. If I make it again I would add a lot more onions & garlic. It does not have a lot of flavor even with more cheese.
You did gimmedeliciuos. This was so good. Thank you.
This recipe was very good, my husband scarfed it down and complimented me on the soup. I added a bit of provolone and a good dose of Cajun seasoning
It was excellent
Excellent recipe and can be made very quickly.
Very good recipe. I doubled it, added the carrots with the onions and let them soften, added plenty of salt and pepper, and used nutmeg. I did use sharp cheddar and half and half. Definitely a keeper.
I didn’t cook the broccoli long enough, my fault, but the flavor lacked something. Needed more zing.
Agree 100%
The base recipe is good, but I’m one of those cook with your heart kinda people, I add more onion and more garlic, also I add ginger powder, extra on all the listed spices, slap ya momma seasoning, a tiny dash of chili powder, a dash of clove, and just a splash of soy sauce. I also use sharp cheddar and I’m telling yall my family can’t get enough. Better than Perera 100%.
I was really impressed with how easy the recipe was to follow and how easy the ingredients were to get together. If I made this again I would probably add a little more broth and less cheese but honestly the soup came out silky, flavorful and delicious! I have no real complaints !!!!