Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup (No Flour No Cream)

Healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe! This is by far THE best healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe ever! My broccoli cheddar soup tastes just like Panera, but with much healthier ingredients.

The best part about this cozy winter soup recipe is that you don't have to skip the cheddar cheese for healthy broccoli cheddar soup! Cheese can definitely be part of your healthy diet. As a registered dietitian, I eat and LOVE cheese too!

You can make my healthy broccoli cheddar soup on the stovetop, crockpot, or even your instant pot. It is so easy to make and comes together in under 30 minutes (even the stovetop version)!

I recently updated this healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe to be even healthier and made with a delicious homemade cashew cream instead of coconut milk. I also removed the flour and whole milk for a flour free creamy broccoli soup without any milk!

If you love homemade healthy soup recipes, make sure to try my popular Purple Sweet Potato Soup with Bone Broth, Red Lentil Soup with Bone Broth, and Roasted Tomato Soup with Bone Broth made with my Gut Healing Homemade Bone Broth Recipe!

HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP INGREDIENTS

My healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe without cream is loaded with hidden veggies like broccoli, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery! Husband and toddler approved soup! Here's the ingredients in my healthy creamy broccoli cheddar soup without cream:

• 4 tablespoons avocado oil or organic butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 large carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 teaspoons pink sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground mustard powder
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 3 cups bone broth
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup raw cashews
• ½-3/4 cup filtered water
• ½ teaspoon salt

Can you believe that you can make super creamy and delicious healthy broccoli cheddar soup? I'm not keeping it a secret any more! You can make your soup creamy with just raw cashews and water. It is so much more nutrient dense than adding heavy cream!

IS BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP UNHEALTHY?

Basic broccoli cheddar soup might seem like the healthiest soup option since the broccoli is clearly in there!! But, as a registered dietitian, I'm here to tell you that it is not the healthiest soup choice because it has a lot of butter, heavy cream and flour.

These ingredients are not necessarily unhealthy, but they can become unhealthy when eaten in excess, especially if you opt for the white flour bread bowl.

HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP HEALTHY?

So if you're looking at a classic broccoli cheddar soup recipe you might see that it calls for butter (which I'm not against at all!!), a lot of flour, water or stock, heavy cream, and a lot of cheese.

I took a classic and highly rated basic broccoli cheddar soup recipe and swapped out ingredients to give you more healthy benefits without compromising the taste! And in 2023, I updated my healthy broccoli cheddar soup to also be flourless and whole milk free.

Here's what I did:

• Instead of butter, I used avocado oil (or grass fed butter). Sometimes I also love using ghee!
• I added extra garlic for the anti-inflammatory benefits of garlic
• I removed the flour completely
• Instead of water or stock, I used high protein bone broth that's excellent for your gut health
• I doubled the broccoli for extra fiber to feed good gut bacteria
• I doubled the carrots for the gut healthy benefits and more fiber!
• For more veggies, I added celery
• I replaced heavy cream with homemade cashew cream for much more nutrients!
• I left the cheese, but I chose organic cheese to eliminate the added hormones and additives

Butter is not necessarily bad at all! You can definitely eat butter as part of a healthy diet. Just keep in mind to get all the healthy benefits from butter (mainly vitamin A), make sure you are buying organic butter.

GUT HEALTHY BENEFITS OF BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP!

As a registered dietitian and expert in gut health and epigenetics, I want to tell you a bit about how incredibly healing this broccoli soup recipe is for your gut health! This soup recipe is packed with gut healing ingredients that support healthy bacteria in your gut and also reduce inflammation. Let's look at the healthy ingredients!

1. Garlic is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. So it can also reduce bad gut bacteria and at the same time feed the good gut bacteria!
2. Carrots, Celery, & Broccoli are all high in fiber that feeds our good gut bugs! In order for good gut health, we need to be eating a high fiber diet! Fiber is food for our good gut bacteria to eat and thrive.
3. Bone Broth is one of the most healthy and healing things you can eat for your gut health! It heals and sooths the intestinal wall and is also packed with protein!
4. Cashews in my cashew cream are packed with healthy fats and fiber that can also help heal your intestinal walls and support your intestinal flora to grow happy and healthy!

Good gut health is a gateway to good health all over your body. From good skin, hair and nails, to a better mood, and even better sleep! Our gut regulates virtually everything in our bodies and we need to take better care of our guts!

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP AT HOME- STOVETOP VERSION

My healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe is incredibly easy to make and is excellent for your gut health! This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes, and tastes even better than Panera broccoli cheddar soup!

STEP 1- Prepare your ingredients

I like to start by chopping and getting out all the ingredients for my healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe so I can quickly add them as I'm cooking.

Broccoli cheddar soup ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons avocado oil or organic butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (equals approximately 2 tablespoons minced garlic)
• 2 teaspoons pink sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 large carrot, chopped (or 1 cup baby carrots)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cups bone broth (chicken or beef)
• 1 cup cashew cream (1 cup soaked raw cashews blended with ½ cup filtered water, ½ teaspoon salt)
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

STEP 2- Sauté onion till starting to caramelize

Place a Dutch oven or large pot on your stove and set to medium heat. Add the 4 tablespoons of avocado oil or butter. Once the oil is hot (or the butter is melted), add the chopped onion.

Cook your onion until it is very soft and becoming caramelized (brown) on the edges. I love caramelized onion in my healthy broccoli cheddar soup it gives so much base flavor!

Add the garlic cloves and stir until they are just fragrant. Make sure to NOT brown the garlic.

STEP 3- Add the veggies and bone broth

Next, add in the:

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1 chopped stalk of celery
• 4 cups chopped broccoli
• 3 cups bone broth

You can do these ingredients in either order: the veggies and spices first, and then the bone broth. Or, the bone broth first, then the veggies and spices. It doesn't really matter!

Cover and cook until your vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. While the veggies cook, make your homemade cashew cream with soaked raw cashews.

If you're dairy free, or just don't like heavy cream, or want a healthy alternative then make my homemade cashew cream!

HOMEMADE CASHEW CREAM IN PLACE OF HEAVY CREAM

1. Soak 1 cup raw cashews overnight in cool filtered water
2. Drain the water the next day and add them to a high powered blender
3. Add ½ cup filtered water and ½ teaspoon salt
4. Blend on high until the cashew cream is completely silky smooth
5. (add more water if you need to get to the consistency of heavy cream)

STEP 4- Puree and serve!

Once your vegetables are soft, remove about 1 cup of the soup and set it to the side. If you don't want any chunks in your soup and want a total puree, skip this step.

Use an immersion blender to puree your soup.

Add the 1 cup of reserved soup back in along with the 1 cup prepared cashew cream and 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is just melted.

Serve warm and enjoy!

HOW TO STORE BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

Store your soup in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days! I love dividing my soup into small glass containers so I have a cup of healthy soup handy to eat any time! This makes the perfect healthy winter lunch prep to bring with you to work!

VARIATIONS

SMOKY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP. If you like a smoky flavor in your soup, you can add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika along with your other spices!

HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP WITH CAULIFLOWER. If you love cauliflower in soup, or just want more vegetable diversity in your soup, you can add 2 cups of cauliflower and 2 cups of broccoli in place of the 4 cups of broccoli.

HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP WITH MILK. You can use 3 cups of whole organic milk in place of the bone broth in my recipe here!

More Healthy Soup Recipes with Gut Healing Bone Broth you're going to love!

• Ramen Noodle Soup in 20 minutes
• Tomato Soup with Bone Broth
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Bone Broth
• Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Bone Broth
• Purple Sweet Potato Soup with Bone Broth
• 13 Bean Soup with Bone Broth
• Shorbat Adas (Arabic Lentil Stew)
• Golden Red Lentil Soup with Bone Broth
• Beef and Veggie Stew with Bone Broth

FAQ'S

Frequently asked questions about my healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe.

How fattening is broccoli cheddar soup?

Broccoli cheddar soup fat and calories will vary depending on what was added to it. 1 bowl of broccoli cheddar soup at Panera is about 370 calories.

Is broccoli cheddar soup healthy when sick?

Depending on how sick you are, it is usually best to stick to lighter soups when sick. The best thing to drink when you're sick is tea and bone broth. The extra fat and dairy in this broccoli cheddar soup might be harder on your gut when it is fighting infections.

How can I make healthy broccoli cheddar soup in my crockpot?

You can make my healthy soup in your crockpot easily! Follow steps 1-4 the same way as below with the crockpot set to high heat to give your onions a nice sauté. Next, add all other ingredients, cover and cook on high for about 3 hours or low for about 5-6 hours.

Use your immersion blender to puree the soup right in your crockpot, leaving out 1 cup of reserved soup if you like chunky broccoli cheddar soup.

How do I make healthy broccoli cheddar soup in my instant pot?

Making this soup in the instant pot is even more of a time saver! You can take your soup from ready in 30 minutes to ready in 15 minutes!

Set your instant pot to SAUTE. Follow steps 1-4 the same way as below. Next, add all other ingredients, cover and set vent to SEAL. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, either allow pressure to naturally release, or quick release if you're ready to eat!

Use your immersion blender to puree the soup in your instant pot, leaving out 1 cup of reserved soup if you like chunky broccoli cheddar soup.

If you try my  Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!