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 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!
Love trying new cuisines at home and want to try truly unique recipes? Make sure to check out my complete guide on Cooking Authentic Arabic Food at Home!
HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP INGREDIENTS
My healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe is loaded with hidden veggies like broccoli, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery! Husband and toddler approved soup! Here's what's in it:
- Avocado oil or grass fed butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Bone broth
- Sea salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cashew Cream (Homemade)
- Sharp cheddar cheese
IS BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP UNHEALTHY?
Basic broccoli cheddar soup might seem like the healthiest soup option since the broccoli is clearly in there!! But it is not the healthiest soup choice because it has a lot of butter, heavy cream, flour and cheese.
These ingredients are not necessarily unhealthy, but they can become unhealthy when eaten in excess, especially if you opt for the 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)
- I added extra garlic
- I removed the flour completely
- Instead of water or stock, I used high protein bone broth
- I doubled the broccoli
- I doubled the carrots
- For more veggies, I added celery
- I replaced heavy cream with homemade cashew cream
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.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP AT HOME- STOVETOP
STEP 1- Prepare your ingredients
I like to start by chopping and getting out all my ingredients 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)
- 3 cups bone broth (chicken or beef)
- 2 teaspoons pink sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 large carrot, chopped (or 1 cup baby carrots)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup coconut 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
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- Make the homemade cashew cream and add the veggies
Next, add in the 3 cups bone broh, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 4 cups chopped broccoli, 1 chopped carrot, and 1 chopped stalk of celery.
Cover and cook until your vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. While the veggies cook, make your homemade cashew cream with soaked raw cashews.
homemade cashew cream to make soups thick and creamy:
- Soak 1 cup raw cashews overnight in cool filtered water
- Drain the water the next day and add them to a high powered blender
- Add ½ cup filtered water and ½ teaspoon salt
- Blend on high until the cashew cream is completely silky smooth
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!
More Healthy Easy Soup Recipes:
- Ramen Noodle Soup in 20 minutes
- The Best Tomato Soup with Bone Broth
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Acorn Squash Soup
- Purple Sweet Potato Soup
- 13 Bean Soup
- Shorbat Adas (Arabic Lentil Stew)
- Golden Red Lentil Soup
- Beef and Veggie Stew
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!
The Best Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup No Flour No Milk
Equipment
- dutch oven or large stock pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
For the healthy broccoli cheddar soup:
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil or organic butter
- 1 lg yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced ~2 tablespoons
- 3 cups bone broth (chicken or beef)
- 2 teaspoon pink sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 lg carrot, chopped or 1 cup baby carrots
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup homemade cashew cream ingredients below
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
For the homemade cashew cream:
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight in cool water
- ½ cup filtered water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 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.**For instant pot and crockpot directions, see notes below**4 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 lg yellow onion, diced
- 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.5 cloves garlic, minced
- Add the bone broth.3 cups bone broth (chicken or beef)
- Next, add in the salt, pepper, paprika, broccoli, carrot, and celery. Cover and cook until your vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.While the soup cooks, blend together the ingredients for the homemade cashew cream. Simply drain the raw cashews and add them to your blender along with the water and salt. Blend until you have a silky smooth cashew cream.2 teaspoon pink sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 4 cups broccoli florets, 1 lg carrot, chopped, 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 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 cashew cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is just melted.1 cup homemade cashew cream, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Anne
This soup was soooo flavorful and delicious! It really comes together in under 30 minutes served with a little crusty bread on the side yum!!
Sam
This is sooo good and I love how many extra veggies you snuck in!! Honestly Panera doesn’t add enough broccoli in there’s and is almost too creamy yours is just perfect thank you !!
Rosemary
I'm so happy you loved it!
Rosemary
I agree!! I'm so glad you loved this version too!