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.
Delicious! The amounts and seasoning were perfect. Afterall, you do want to taste some of the broccoli and the cheddar cheese and I also liked the consistency. I’m not a fan of very thick soups like one has in some restaurants and all you taste is cheese and it just feels too heavy in your stomach. This was perfect. I also do recommend using a block of cheese and grating it yourself. I loved it! Thank you again, now I have a perfect recipe for a good broccoli cheddar soup!
My favorite soup! For those saying it’s not thick enough when you incorporate the stock you have to do it slowly and wait for it to boil after every pour so it thickens! I do it again with the half and half and it’s perfect and creamy every time!
So easy and so good. I double the broccoli and carrots for extra veggies, then keep the lid on while simmering so any broccoli above the broth level steams. An immersion blender is awesome to get a mixed texture. Delicious!
So delicious! My go-to recipe for broccoli cheddar soup.
This soup was delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for a great meal
It’s so delicious, thanks dear
Delicious no-fail recipe!
Love this recipe. My family loves it too! This will be my go-to broccoli soup. Thanks for sharing.
I make this soup every fall and winter. It’s very creamy and hearty plus the kids love it too!
I’ve been using this recipe for years and it’s never failed us! Perfectly creamy and loaded with tenders veggies even the kiddos love it!! 5 stars ⭐️
I made this tonight and it was creamy and delicious. I used 1 cup or less of heavy whipping cream, all I had in the fridge.
I just made this soup and I can not believe how delicious it is…I feel like I just ordered a Broccoli cheese bread bowl from Panera…Kudos to the person who put this recipe together
First time making my favorite soup so much better when done on your own
Love the the results of the soup.
Not what Panera serves but ok
This recipe was delicious! I made 1/2 of the 1x recipe. I used the heavy cream.
This has quickly become one of my favorite recipes!
Thank you for the recipe, the soup was quick to make and so delicious. I used about 75% half and half and 25% heavy cream.
I made the broccoli and cheddar soup today. It is delicious. Thank you for your wonderful and quick recipe
I made the Boccolli and Cheddar soup today. it is delicious. Thank you for your wonderful and quick recipe
Good recipe to use up extra broccoli substituted celery for carrots and added 1/2 the half and half/ replaced w extra stock.
Made this soup today! Amazing!!! I added 1 diced potato but other than that followed your recipe and LOVED it!
As a Weight Watcher, I was able to lighten the calories and still enjoy this recipe. I used 1% milk, low fat cheddar cheese. I added the cheese to my own bowl and a splash of Half n Half. So delicious!
This recipe worked out great. I used 3 heads of broccoli because 1 didn’t seem like enough. I will make this again.
Definitely not healthy, but very delicious!
I doubled the recipe and made it for our small group. It was so delicious! I also used an immersion blender before adding the cheese and half and half and it was the perfect texture. Everyone loved it!
So happy to hear that, Mariah!
Awesome soup. Friends loved it. I doubled recipe. Used extra broccoli since it was frozen. Just used the whole bag
This is my second time making this soup, it is so good. I will never buy this soup from Panera Bread again.
Agreed!🙌🏻
To be honest, the measurements are off. It’s impossible for 3 cups of broccoli to simmer in only 2 cups of chicken broth. I had to add another cup of broth so the broccoli was covered.
The flavor is good but mine turned out gritty 😩 the temperature was turned down I used 2cups heavy cream and 2 cups milk as I did a double the recipe.
The grittyness is most likely from the pre-shredded cheese as they use fillers to keep it from clumping. Next time, please try freshly shredded cheese!
Made as noted, with the exception of using vegan heavy cream. It was delicious and perfect for dipping your favorite bread. My 93 years Mom loved it. Will definitely make it again.