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Welcoming these chilly winter days with this Lighter Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup. It’s cozy, creamy, secretly full of vegetables, and totally delicious. This soup is made simply in one large pot with puréed cauliflower (to make it creamy), sharp cheddar cheese, and plenty of broccoli. Plus a little bit of coconut milk gives this soup an even creamier texture. It’s such a delicious healthier take on my favorite broccoli cheddar soup.
I’ve definitely shared my love for broccoli cheddar soup many times over the years. It’s one of those soups that for me, brings back all the best memories. I’ve loved a bowl broccoli cheddar since the days of my mom taking me out for lunch, way back when we lived in Cleveland.
It wasn’t that often that we’d go out for lunch, but when I could convince my mom to take us to Panera bread, it was always the best. The boys would just get bagels, but mom and I would get soup. Either the broccoli cheddar or chicken noodle, but broccoli cheddar was the favorite.
I haven’t had Panera since probably 6th grade, but I remember it being creamy, cheesy, and so delicious. I’ve loved a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup ever since. I feel like a lot of you have similar stories. It’s such an all around loved soup.
The idea
I already have a good broccoli cheddar soup on HBH. But I wanted to create a healthier version that was still just a creamy and delicious.
I thought I could mix in a cauliflower purée to add creaminess, plus an extra serving of vegetables too. It worked perfectly, and you’d never know that cauliflower is even in the soup!
Details
This soup is easy, but it does involve one extra step that a traditional broccoli cheddar soup doesn’t include, a double purée.
Start out simply with an onion, carrots, and broth. Add a head of cauliflower and let the soup simmer until the cauliflower is super tender. Purée this mix until it’s super creamy. You don’t want any chunks of cauliflower left over.
If you enjoy chunks of carrot in your soup, be sure to pull those out before puréing the cauliflower.
Return the creamy base to the stove, then in goes the fresh broccoli. You’ll need to cook the broccoli until it’s tender too, then do another round of blending. This time, don’t blend the soup all the way. I love to leave some chunks of broccoli.
Next, add a little cheddar cheese. Then add a splash of canned coconut milk to make the soup perfectly creamy…but without any heavy cream!
I’d highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread or pretzels. You need something for dipping!
Alright, and with that, I’m going to leave you all to it. If your week needs some warming soup, this is it. I’m actually beyond excited to make this again soon!
Looking for other soup recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana
Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Lastly, if you make this lighter Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lighter Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1116 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
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or gluten free flour
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked (or regular) paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne use to taste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- 1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- 1. Melt together the olive oil and butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the broth. Add the cauliflower and bring to a boil. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. 2. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. If needed add 1-2 cups water, then the broccoli, bay leaves, paprika, cayenne, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.3. Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup in batches until the broccoli is finely chopped, but small chunks still remain. 4. Return the soup to the stove and set over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cheese until melted and creamy. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. If the soup is thick, add broth to thin. Ladle into bowls and top with a little extra cheddar and fresh thyme. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 5, 2022
How can I make this in the crockpot?
Hi Abby,
I would cook on low for 6 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This was the first time that I have ever made broccoli cheddar soup. I just served up a bowl to my husband with a slice of crusty bread and he said it was probably the best
soup he has ever had. That is quite a compliment.
The recipe is super easy to follow and I used an immersion blender.
I actually had some left-over ham and I added that in to the soup at the end.
Winner Winner !!!!
Hey Jeannie,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Soooooo good… I’m obsessed with this soup will defo make again!
Hey Roxanne,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Tried your healthy broccoli cheddar soup recipe today- it is pretty cold and snowy in Michigan so it was an excellent choice for today. My husband loves broccoli cheddar soup but between the salt and fat content of restaurant soup, we steer clear of having it. The recipe turned out great! I missed catching the coconut milk in the recipe before I headed to the grocery store but I added a small amount of half & half to add some more creaminess and that worked. Very tasty and satisfying. I will definitely make it again. Since my hubby has never in his life had cauliflower and said he never planned to, I did not mention the addition to this soup and he did not catch it. It added body and created creaminess for sure. THANK YOU for sharing it with us!
Hey Judy,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Made this last night and it’s really good! I did not need the water and I did use 2 cups of cheese. I like Instant pot with zucchini version a bit better but for a lighter option, this is great!
Hey Cheryl,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
This recipe is so delicious and my kids loved it. Even better the next day!
Hey Carly,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
This soup was very good. I added more broccoli but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and my family loved it.
Hey Therese,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Loved this soup! Easy, quick and FULL of delicious veggies! Love that it’s healthy too!
Hey Susan,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Made this and it taste very good. Only problem is that it didn’t come out creamy but more watery (maybe I will use less broth next time). Any suggestions to make the soup creamier?
Hey there,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. You could puree more of the soup for a creamy texture or use less broth next time. Have the best weekend! xT
I just made this tonight…and it definitely yields enough for an army. Will try using only 4 cups broth next time for a thicker version. My family of 4 will never finish this much soup.
Exact problem I had! I wondered if the 8 cups broth was a misprint after I finished! It was a waste for us and I was so sad about it.
Hi Lillian,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the recipe, the 8 cups of broth is correct. It is soup:) Did you puree some of it? That usually helps to thicken it up. xTieghan
I just checked the recipe and it calls for 6 cups of broth.
Hey Elisa,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. You can freeze the soup:) Have the best weekend! xT
Delicious. I used light coconut milk and it was still delicious.
Hey Jen,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
I made this tonight. I was a bit broth challenged so used a few cups of veggie broth, some veggie chicken broth and a cup and of miso broth. Otherwise followed the recipe and added lots of cheddar! It was so good! One question? Do you think this would freeze ok? It made quite a lot. Thanks as always for a terrific recipe.
Hey Deb,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Yes, these would freeze well for you. Have the best weekend! xT
I made this tonight, I doubled the recipe bc I knew it would be phenomenal!! I could have stopped after blending the cauliflower, maybe a “cream” of cauliflower soup? I used oat milk in place of the the coconut cream, it was perfect. I’ll be keeping this one in regular rotation!
Hey Anne,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
This is absolutely delicious! Perfect for a cold weather day. Made exactly as written, except I used an immersion blender for easier clean up. Thank you for another great hit!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
This was absolutely fabulous! We all loved it! And my kids devoured it, my almost 2-year-old had 3 bowls! And we made the pretzels to go with it… just perfection! Thank you, Tieghan!
I was so excited about this recipe but was terribly disappointed with it! I feel like if I had used half the amount of broth, and less than 1/4 of the cayenne plus added a more creamy/melty cheese it would have been better??? Still fun to try but just not a creamy/cheesy soup like I was expecting.
Hi Lillian,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hey Kim,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT