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A close up of a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup with a spoon.
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4.99 from 95 votes

Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

A deliciously cozy recipe for Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup. We love serving it in a sourdough bread bowl or with a side of crusty bread for dipping. This soup is the ultimate comfort food!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 445kcal
Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

soup

  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ onion chopped
  • cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 celery stalk finely diced
  • cup broccoli chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar
  • salt and pepper to taste

garnish

  • 1 cup shredded cheddar

Instructions

  • Place large pot over medium heat and melt butter. Add onion and sweat, about 5 minutes.
  • Whisk in flour and cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in chicken stock and season generously with salt and pepper.
  • Stir in celery and broccoli and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in milk and continue to simmer until soup is thick enough to just coat the back of a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. (soup should still have a 'soupy' texture)
  • Remove pot from heat and stir in cheddar in small handfuls, waiting until cheese melts to add more cheese.
  • Season with salt and pepper and top with more cheddar. Serve.

Video

Notes

Makes: ~1 1/2 quarts
Tips and Tricks for Broccoli Cheddar Soup Success
This Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe is really simple but there are a couple important factors in making it successfully.
  • It’s important to remember that low and slow for adding the cheese is key. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese in small handfuls. Removing the pot from the heat will ensure your soup doesn’t separate, while still maintaining enough heat to melt the cheese.
  • Also make sure the added shredded cheese fully incorporates and melts into the soup before adding more. This will guarantee the soup stays creamy and smooth. If the cheese is added too quickly you run the risk of your soup becoming gritty.
Make Ahead Instructions for Our Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Our soup can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To reheat, pour soup into a pot and place over medium-low to low heat. Stir soup occasionally to ensure it heats back up evenly. It’s important that the soup comes back up to temperature slowly so that it stays thick, creamy and smooth. Reheating the soup too quickly can make the soup gritty and lose its body.
If you find that your soup still gets too thin after its been heated scoop 1/2 cup of the warm soup into a small bowl and whisk together with 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch until smooth. Pour mixture back into the pot, stir together and simmer until soup slightly thickens.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 524mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1263IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 547mg | Iron: 1mg