Lunch · American

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Name: Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 0.25 cup (30 g) all purpose flour; 2.5 cups (600 ml) chicken or vegetable broth; 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk; 1 lb (454 g) broccoli, 1 head, cut into small florets, stem peeled and diced; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 0.5 tsp salt, plus more to taste; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 2 cups (227 g) sharp cheddar, grated by hand; 0.25 tsp smoked paprika, optional; Bread bowls or crusty bread, to serve

Broccoli cheddar soup became a thing because of a bakery chain, and every home version fights the same two battles: the soup turning a dull army green, and the cheese breaking into grainy strings instead of melting silky. Both problems have the same cause, heat, and the same fix, patience.

Green soup happens when broccoli boils too long uncovered. Fifteen minutes is the ceiling, lid mostly on, and the florets stay vivid. Grainy cheese happens when sharp cheddar meets boiling liquid. The cheese goes in off the heat, a handful at a time, and melts by residual warmth into a smooth, velvety base.

The body comes from a simple roux of butter and flour, thickened with milk, which is exactly how the bakery version does it. Half the broccoli gets blended for creaminess and half stays in florets, so every spoonful has both silk and structure. One pot, 35 minutes, and it tastes exactly like the bread bowl line remembers.

Jump to recipe

By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.

YES; creamy broccoli cheddar soup with grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in

Photo: @Photos of Japan / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min
Servings: 6
Course: Lunch
Calories, about: 380 per serving

Instructions

1Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion 4 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 30 seconds.
2Sprinkle the flour over and stir for 1 minute, cooking the raw taste out. It should look like wet sand coating the onions.
3Whisk in the broth slowly, then the milk, whisking until smooth. The roux thickens the base in about 3 minutes at a bare simmer.
4Add the broccoli, stem pieces first and florets after a minute, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered, lid slightly ajar, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the stem pieces are fork tender and the broccoli is still bright green. Do not boil it longer; green soup is overcooked broccoli, nothing else.
5Blend about half the soup: either scoop 3 to 4 cups into a blender, vent the lid, and return it, or use an immersion blender with 6 or 7 short pulses. You want a mix of creamy base and visible florets, not a puree.
6Take the pot fully off the heat. Stir in the cheddar a handful at a time, letting each handful melt before the next, until the soup turns silky. If the pot is too hot and the cheese threatens to break, wait 2 minutes and continue. Taste, season, and finish with smoked paprika.

Tap a step to mark it done, saved on this device only. Timer buttons count down right here and beep when time is up.

Why you will love it

35 minutes, one pot, no cream required.
The bright green color actually survives to the table.
Sharp cheddar melts smooth because it goes in off the heat.
Half blended, half florets: the texture that makes this soup famous.
Feeds six for the price of one bread bowl downtown.

Tips

Grate the cheddar by hand. Pre shredded cheese is coated in anti caking starch and will not melt smoothly, which is the number one texture failure in this soup.
Sharp cheddar, not mild. Mild cheddar has less flavor and behaves the same, so there is no reason to use it here.
Cut florets small, bite size. Big chunks flip out of spoons and dominate every bite.
Keep the second half of the soup's broccoli slightly firm; it softens further when reheated, and slightly firm today is perfect tomorrow.

Swaps and variations

Gluten free: what changes: swap the flour for 1 tbsp cornstarch whisked into cold milk and added in step 3.
Half and half instead of milk: what changes: richer and closer to the bakery version, about 60 more calories a bowl.
Broccoli carrot: what changes: add 1 cup grated carrot with the broccoli, the classic orange flecks.
Vegan: what changes: olive oil, flour, vegetable broth, oat milk, and 1.5 cups of your favorite vegan cheddar, added the same off heat way.

What to serve

Bread bowls, obviously, or a baguette for dunking.
A crisp apple, the classic school lunch counter pairing.
Nothing, if it is cold outside and the blanket is within reach.

Storage and reheating

Fridge: 4 days in a sealed container. Reheat gently over medium low, stirring often, until steaming; the microwave in 60 second bursts, stirred between each, also works. Do not boil, cheese soups tighten and can break on a hard boil, though whisking in a splash of milk revives most incidents. Freezing is not recommended, dairy soups with roux turn grainy when thawed. If you must, freeze before adding the cheese and melt it in fresh.

Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.

Questions cooks actually ask

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Yes, in a pinch, but thaw and pat it dry first, and expect a softer texture and a slightly duller color. Fresh broccoli is worth it here because the florets are half the soup's character.

Why is my soup green and dull?

The broccoli boiled too long uncovered. Keep the simmer gentle, lid ajar, 12 to 15 minutes, and pull it while the florets are still vivid. Also, blending while the soup is hot speeds color loss, so blend briefly and no more.

Why did my cheese turn grainy?

The pot was too hot when the cheese went in, or the cheese was pre shredded. Off heat, hand grated cheddar, one handful at a time. If it does break, a brief whisk with the immersion blender on low usually pulls it back together.

Can I make it in a bread bowl?

That is the correct way to serve it. Hollow out round sourdough loaves, toast them 5 minutes at 375 F (190 C), ladle the soup in, and remind everyone the bowl is edible before they leave it behind, which happens once and never again.

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Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Instructions

Why you will love it

Tips

Swaps and variations

What to serve

Storage and reheating

Questions cooks actually ask

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Keep exploring

All lunch recipes

American recipes

Vegetarian recipes

Weeknight recipes

Winter recipes

10 Easy Lunch Ideas That Travel Well