Description
This easy homemade broccoli cheddar soup recipe creates a creamy, restaurant-quality soup in just 35 minutes using simple ingredients. Perfect comfort food for busy weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 large carrot, chopped small
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Croutons if you want them
Instructions
Melt butter in your big pot over medium heat. Toss in the onion, salt, and pepper. Stir it around for about 5 minutes until the onion gets soft and smells amazing.
Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Don’t walk away – garlic goes from perfect to burnt really fast.
Sprinkle the flour over everything and whisk like crazy for 1-2 minutes. You want it to turn golden and smell a little nutty.
Pro Tip: Keep that whisk moving! Nobody wants lumpy soup, and this step prevents that flour taste from ruining everything.
Pour in the milk super slowly while whisking. I’m serious about the slowly part – dump it all in at once and you’ll have chunky soup instead of smooth soup.
Add the broth, broccoli, carrots, and that Dijon. Give it a good stir to mix everything together.
Bring it to a gentle bubble and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. The broccoli should be fork-tender when it’s ready.
Here’s where people mess up – add the cheese slowly! Like, a handful at a time, stirring until each bit melts before adding more. Turn your heat down low for this part.
Pro Tip: Patience pays off here. Rush the cheese and you’ll get a grainy mess. Take your time and get that silky smooth finish.
Taste it and add more salt or pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve hot. Croutons make everything better if you’ve got them!
Notes
Shred your own cheese. The pre-shredded stuff has powder on it that makes soup weird. If you’re lazy like me sometimes, at least buy the good pre-shredded kind.
Want it fancier? Roast the broccoli first. Just toss it in the oven for 15 minutes before adding to soup. Tastes nutty and amazing.
My grandma always added a tiny drop of hot sauce. Not enough to make it spicy, just enough to wake up all the flavors. Works every time.
Don’t let it boil hard once you add milk. Just gentle bubbling. If it’s too thick, add more broth. Too thin? Mix some flour with cold milk and stir it in.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1½ cups
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 50mg