Thick and creamy with chunks of veggies, this filling vegan broccoli cheddar soup is healthier than the traditional but full of the same cheesy flavor!
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Broccoli and Cheddar soup is warm, thick, and comforting. It’s one of my favorite creamy soups. It’s always so rich and bursting with the sharp flavor of cheddar.
This vegan version of the traditional recipe has all those elements without any real cheese or processed vegan cheese substitutes. It’s made with whole foods and nutrient-rich ingredients. A big bowl of this comforting soup is my favorite way to warm up on a chilly night!
But this vegan soup recipe is not lacking in flavor or cheesiness! I’d say it rivals some of the best broccoli cheddar soups of your past, even the Panera version!
If you’re looking for a healthy yet thick, creamy, and satisfying one-pot meal, give this vegan broccoli cheddar soup a try! You won’t be disappointed!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Soup
- Vegan and Dairy-Free
- Allergy Friendly
- Gluten-Free
- Thick and Creamy
- Cheesy Flavor
- Warm and Comforting
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Onion and Garlic: Diced yellow onion and minced garlic provide aromatics.
Fresh Broccoli Florets: I recommend using two broccoli heads. Or you could also use pre-cut florets to save time. You’ll need about 3 cups of broccoli florets total. You could also substitute frozen broccoli florets if needed.
Vegetable Stock:
Coconut Milk and Almond Milk: Provides a creamy and luxurious texture. You can’t taste the coconut flavor. Use full-fat coconut milk for the ultimate creamy texture, and be sure to use unsweetened and unflavored almond milk.
Cornstarch: Used to thicken the soup.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is yellow and flaky. It has an umami flavor similar to that of cheese, which is why it is often used in soups and sauces to achieve a cheesy flavor. It is also gluten-free and full of vitamins and minerals.
Spices: You’ll need ground mustard, ground turmeric, salt, and black pepper. These spices make this soup yellow and complement the nutritional yeast’s flavor.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
More Veggies: Like tons of broccoli? Add more florets! Also, feel free to add more types of veggies such as carrots, diced potatoes, cauliflower, or whatever your heart desires!
Different Seasonings: Feel free to add more seasonings or change it up! I recommend keeping the turmeric as it gives this a nice color, but add some paprika for a smoky flavor or oregano, thyme, or rosemary for an herbal flavor.
Thicken with Flour: Cornstarch tends to clump, so if you prefer, you can use all-purpose flour or chickpea flour to help thicken the soup instead of cornstarch.
Richer Consistency: If you’d like an even richer consistency substitute full fat coconut milk with coconut cream.
🔪 Tools and Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
- Cutting board and chopping knife to prepare the vegetables.
- Measuring spoons to measure out the spices.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Heat ¼ cup of the vegetable broth over medium heat in a large stockpot. If you’d prefer, you can use one tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the onions. Add the diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the chopped broccoli florets, the remaining veggie broth, and coconut milk. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the nutritional yeast, ground mustard, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and almond milk.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pot, stirring to incorporate. Increase the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the desired thickness is reached.
- Take off of the heat, and serve.
📝 Expert Tips
- Be sure to combine the cornstarch and almond milk together before adding it to the soup. Cornstarch tends to clump. Be sure to stir or whisk the soup as you slowly add the cornstarch and almond milk.
- Simmer the soup low and slow; don’t bring it to a boil. Boiling the soup could result in it curdling!
- If you like a smooth and creamy soup, use an immersion blender.
- A fresh squeeze of lemon juice on top adds a touch of acidity!
❓ FAQS
Yes! This soup is much healthier than its non-vegan counterpart. This is because it doesn’t contain high-cholesterol, high-calorie, or high-fat cheese. Instead, the cheesy flavor comes from nutritional yeast which is a good source of B vitamins, especially B12.
This healthy broccoli “cheddar” soup has 205 calories per serving compared to Panera’s 360 calories per serving. While it has 16 grams of fat, this comes from coconut milk, the fat is monounsaturated, meaning it does not contain cholesterol. It’s the healthy fats your body needs to thrive.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This soup tastes fantastic when served alongside crusty bread and a light salad. It’s such a thick and filling soup that it truly takes the place of the main dish. If you’d like, you can serve it in a bread bowl like they do at Panera! For a little something extra, top your soup with fresh chopped herbs such as parsley or chives! This soup would also taste amazing on top of a baked potato!
⚖️ Serving Size
This recipe makes a large pot of soup. It serves anywhere from 6-8 people, depending on the size of your bowls.
🫙 Storage
Fridge: Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this soup! Allow it to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Label the container with the contents and date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Transfer the soup to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat when reheating from the fridge. If frozen, transfer the soup to the refrigerator to defrost overnight, then transfer it to a saucepan and warm it over medium heat, whisking every so often until it is heated to your preference.
😋 More Vegan Soup Recipes!
🎥 Video
Recipe
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable stock divided
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups broccoli florets cut into small pieces
- 15 oz full-fat coconut milk canned
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat ¼ cup of the vegetable broth over medium heat. Add the diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the chopped broccoli florets, vegetable broth, and coconut milk. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until broccoli is tender for about 8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in the nutritional yeast, ground mustard, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and almond milk.
- Pour the flour mixture into the pot, stirring to incorporate. Increase the heat to medium, and continue to simmer until desired thickness is reached. Take off of the heat, and serve.
Notes
- Be sure to combine the cornstarch and almond milk together before adding it to the soup. Cornstarch has a tendency to clump. Be sure to stir or whisk the soup as you slowly add the cornstarch and almond milk.
- Simmer the soup low and slow, don’t bring it to a boil. Boiling the soup could result in it curdling!
- If you like a smooth and creamy soup, use an immersion blender.
- A fresh squeeze of lemon juice on top adds a touch of acidity!
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Roxana
I love broccoli cheddar soup. And it requires only so few ingredients. Now its nice to have a vegan version so I can make it at bigger gatherings too.
Julie
Looks so creamy, cheesy and hearty! I could go for a big bowl of this deliciousness right now!
veenaazmanov
Soup is one of my favorite Dinner and I love new soup recipes. Cheesy and healthy veggies sounds great.
Melissa
This was delicious! Thank you! I will definitely be making it again. I used light coconut milk and full fat oatly in place of the almond milk. Turned out great!
Nathan
I’m so excited to try this! Broccoli cheddar soup is one of my favorites and I’m really interested to see how it turns out with the nutritional yeast. Thanks for the recipe!
Heather
What a perfect recipe for these chilly Autumn evenings – so warm, thick, and comforting dish – especially with the sharp flavor of cheddar.