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Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar and Zucchini Soup…that’s better than Panera! It’s cozy, but healthy, easy, and so delicious. Grab a couple heads of broccoli, some zucchini, and sharp cheddar cheese, add everything to your instant pot (or slow cooker), set the timer, and in under thirty minutes you’ll have the creamiest, most delicious bowl of cozy broccoli cheddar soup. Trust me, this will become a new fall favorite.
September rolls around and like clockwork, I’m making broccoli cheddar soup. Except this time I’m making it in the instant pot, and making it healthier (and creamier!) with all the end of summer zucchini. I might even dare to say that this is one of the better bowls of broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever made.
And you guys, I LOVE broccoli cheddar soup.
I’m sure a lot of us have a similar story to tell, but as a kid, going to Panera Bread and getting the broccoli cheddar or chicken noodle soup served in a bread bowl was one of my favorite things that mom and I would do on a chilly, rain/snow Ohio day. It was always such a treat. I loved not only the soup, but also just the outing with my mom.
The struggle of getting mom one on one, with five brothers always lurking was real. So these girl’s day only outings were always extra special, and I think that’s another reason why I love broccoli cheddar soup so much.
In addition to soup, mom would also get a whole bunch of the cinnamon crunch bagels to bring home for the boys, which I kind of loved too. That crunchy topping was the best, right?!
Anyway, the point here is that I love a good bowl of broccoli cheddar soup. And while a bread bowl is nice, this soup is honestly the best ever, with or without the bread bowl…
But, I do have a bread bowl recipe (haven’t made these in SO long, but they are SO good, and easy) on HBH. So you know, if you’re feeling it, you should probably make a few bread bowls in addition to this soup. Wow, that’d be extra good.
Moving right along.
If you hadn’t noticed, I’m loving using my instant pot right now. It makes weeknight cooking so quick, easy, and stress free. Judging from the amount of people making and loving this corn chowder, it seems that you guys are into the instant pot too. Cool. This is good!
Many more instant pot (and slow cooker) recipes coming this fall!
Details.
This recipe includes most of the ingredients found in traditional broccoli cheddar soup, but I added zucchini for creaminess and opted out of using any flour or heavy cream. The zucchini breaks down while cooking, and later gets pureed. This leaves the soup lusciously creamy and thick without having to use any cream or flour. Which of course also makes the soup healthier and even gluten free.
Love this!
As with most instant pot recipes, you’ll just be adding everything to the instant pot, setting it, and letting it do its thing. You do need to purée the soup, but if you have an immersion blender that’s very helpful here. If you make a lot of puréed soups, I recommend this immersion blender.
I finished the soup off with a few handfuls of sharp cheddar cheese and plenty of fresh thyme from our summer bounty of herbs. Perfection.
It’s a pretty simple and straight forward recipe, but I really can’t express enough just how delicious it is. If you love cheesy soup, that’s kind of healthy…ish, you have to make this. Perfect for all the chilly nights ahead.
And for those of you who do not own an instant pot, I’ve also included directions to make this in the slow cooker as well. Additionally, you could just as easily make this on the stove top in a large soup pot! As always, just do what works best for you!
If you make this instant pot broccoli cheddar soup, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar and Zucchini Soup
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 1141 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 medium zucchini, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 cups low sodium veggie or chicken broth
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- 1. Set Instant pot to sauté. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion, cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the carrots, zucchini, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour in the broth. Add the broccoli and bay leaves. Cover, select the manual setting, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.2. Once done cooking, use the quick release function and release the steam. Carefully remove the bay leaves and discard. Transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until chunky smooth (not totally puréed). Return to the instant pot.3. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Stir in the milk and cheese, and cook 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- 1. To the slow cooker, add the butter, olive oil, onion, carrots, zucchini, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne and large pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour in the broth. Add the broccoli and bay leaves. Cover, cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-6 hours. 2. Once done cooking, carefully remove the bay leaves and discard. Transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until chunky smooth (not totally pureed). Return to the slow cooker and turn the heat to high.3. Stir in the milk and cheese, and cook 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Stove Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, melt together the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the carrots, zucchini, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne and a large pinch each of salt and pepper, cook another 5 minutes. Pour in the broth. Add the broccoli and bay leaves. Cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.2. Carefully remove the bay leaves and discard. Transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until chunky smooth (not totally puréed). Return to the pot. 3. Stir in the milk and cheese, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Notes
*Some people have had issues with their cheese not melting into the soup. This is because there is no flour in the soup. I don’t have any issues with my cheese not melting into the soup or curdling, but if you are having trouble, add 2-3 tablespoons flour during the last minute of cooking the onion in the very first step. This will help to bind the soup together.
This post was originally published on September 12, 2018
This was really good. Next time I would use less broth, mine was thinner than I would have liked so I had to blend the veggies in completely when I would’ve preferred them a bit chunkier. Used a good block of sharp cheddar and only half the milk and added a spoonful of better than bullion.
I am so glad you loved this soup Grace! Thank you so much!
The soup was easy to make and had lots veggies 🙂
I didn’t ave a problem with the cheese melting at the end. The cayenne gave it quite a kick though- too spicy for my kids- but tasty!
I am so glad you like this soup, Tammi! Thank you!
This soup started an obsession for me! I’ve made it every week since I found it! Thanks Tieghan!
I am so glad you love this soup, Kristin! Thank you!!
Be sure to turn off the ip after adding the cheese, otherwise it will stick to the bottom, and curdle
Thank you Doug!
I’m making this soup for the second time. It’s just the right amount of richness withourt too much fat. It’s light but full flavored. I will be making it again and again. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Norma! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
I’ve made this soup 2x now using the IP directions and it’s easily become a favorite of mine and my roommate’s! Super easy and delicious, thank you for sharing this recipe with us!!
Thank you so much Megan!
This is *so* good! My broccoli hating husband even loved it- he just had two bowls. It was my first Instant Pot recipe and now I can’t wait to try more! Thanks!!
Thank you so much Betsy! That is amazing!
This sounds amazing! Could I follow the same directions for the slow cooker, only cook this in a pot on the stove top?
Hey Rachel! Yes, cooking on the stove, following the directions for the slow cooker works great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thanks! xTieghan
So i was SO excited to make this, I even waited for the weather to cool down (finally!)….and it did not pan out. I followed the directions for the instant pot and it is not a creamy cheese soup it’s more like cheese swimming in broth. Like I have to chew the cheese and it sticks to the roof of my mouth and the utinsils. I can’t inagine why this didn’t work it seemed to be going great and then the end result was not so. I even added more broth and milk to try and maybe dilute the cheese more but it didn’t help. 🙁
Hey Perry, I am so sorry for the trouble. Did you change anything in the recipe? It is really hard for me to know what is happening without know exactly how you cook this. Any details you can give would be really helpful! Also, you can try adding in 1/4 cup flour with the onion. Thus will help to thicken the soup and bind the cheeses together.
Made this last night and it was SO GOOD. My husband saw all the veggies going in and was skeptical, but when he tasted it he was in shock at how good it was!! I added about 1 cup of smoked gouda in place of one cup of cheddar and it was amazing. Will definitely be making this again!
Thank you so much Ellie! I am so glad you enjoyed this!
We made it tonight in my Pampered Chef Quickcooker. It was delicious, just as described. I love the creaminess from the zucchini rather than, flour or heavy cream. Thank you. I tagged you on Instagram. @Missmollysmirror.
Thank you so much Molly!
Used my new Instant pot for the first time making this soup recipe. It tasted great and so easy!
Hope for many more Instant pot recipes.
Thank you so much Annemarie! I am so glad you loved this!
Made this yesterday for lunch. Super simple and flavorful. I added the 3 cups of cheese. Two just wasn’t enough. It also came out much thinner than I would have wanted, but it doesn’t have any thickeners, and maybe I underestimated the amount of zucchini. Will definitely be making again, because it doesn’t require babysitting over the stove!
I am so glad you liked this Vanessa! Thank you!
SO GOOD! I made this while my husband was out of town and froze it. I made just a few modifications to suit our tastes and to sneak in even more veg. Added cauliflower, omitted milk and nutmeg and just made on the stove top since I had the time. It was creamy and delicious, with just the right amount of heat! we ate it the whole week long! Thank you Tieghan! You are truly a culinary artist!
Wow I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much!
Why can’t you simply write out a recipe?
All this yak,yak, yak before getting to the actual recipe is tedious and seems to be a particularly American habit.
What we need is the recipe not a collection of thoughts re ingredients etc etc etc etc
Hi! Personally, I enjoy sharing about my life on my blog. I like writing about my ups and downs, and love hearing from others who read my post and can relate. If you would like to skip this, I provided a “skip to recipe” button at the top of the page. This will take you straight to the recipe! Thanks! ?