Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Why you’ll love it

It’s everything you want in a broccoli cheddar soup. Ok, I love Panera as much as the next person when I’m on the go, but my version is actually so much tastier than a straight-up Panera copycat recipe would be. It’s thick, silky, and has tons more flavor! There are no fancy ingredients in here.

Homemade is best, and you’ll definitely see why with this easy recipe. This broccoli cheese soup has an incredible creamy, coat-the-back-of-a-spoon body to it. You can feel good knowing exactly what goes into it. Why copy a restaurant when you can do so much better in your own kitchen?

What goes into it

• Butter – it starts our soup off right with the buttery base to sauté the aromatics
• Onion and garlic – they immediately give this soup a savory foundation. I prefer Vidalia (sweet) onion, but you can use a yellow onion.
• Flour – it thickens the soup. Don’t skip it!
• Dijon mustard – this is my secret ingredient to set this soup apart from the rest. Don’t worry, you don’t taste it specifically! It just gives a robust savory flavor you didn’t even know you needed.
• Broth – you can use vegetable broth if you need this to be vegetarian, but I do find chicken broth (or stock) has more flavor
• Cream – we’re using heavy cream here for luxuriousness. Sub at your own risk for something with a lower fat content; it will be less rich and/or alter the taste completely.
• Broccoli – I used fresh broccoli, but you can use frozen broccoli
• Carrots – pre-cut matchstick carrots are easiest, but you could always thinly slice a small carrot up. Don’t add too many carrots or the soup will taste more like carrots than it probably should.
• Cheddar cheese – the cheese you buy really impacts the flavor of this soup! I can’t emphasize this enough. Buy a good quality sharp/old cheddar and grate it yourself.
• Cayenne – it’s optional but highly recommended to give depth of flavor. This amount won’t make this soup spicy, and it just gives it more dimension.

How to make broccoli cheddar soup

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

In a soup pot, melt the butter and then sauté the onion. Stir in the garlic, followed by the flour. Make a quick roux and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Slowly whisk in the broth until all the flour clumps have dissolved. Add the Dijon mustard and then the cream, broccoli, and carrots, and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the broccoli and carrots are tender and the broth has thickened up (about 15-20 minutes).

Reduce the heat to low, and gradually stir in the cheddar (this prevents it from getting grainy). Let it cook for a few more minutes, then season to taste with the cayenne pepper and salt & pepper. Enjoy!