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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
Hello. I love the Half-Baked Harvest recipes and have cooked (with the help of my husband – much better cook:)) and we love! The soup was sadly a fail for me- really bland. I am new to the kitchen so trying to guess what I messed up! How many cups of cauliflower should I have used? I might have misjudged the size of a small head of cauliflower. Also, I did substitute almond flour for the flour – could that be a bit of the issue? Thanks so much – appreciate any tips!
Hey Amy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues. I would say the small head of cauliflower equaled 2 cups, but the great thing about this recipe is that doesn’t need to be exact. The almond flour may have affected the texture of your soup. Was there anything else you omitted? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This recipe is a winner! I don’t cook with coconut milk so I was a bit hesitate but WOW. Creamy and delicious but not heavy. Made some pretzels on the side and this will definitely be in our soup rotation.
Hi Lauren,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Very, very good soup. Converted my husband to broccoli cheddar soup. And I now have 3 quarts in the freezer for those nights when I just don’t want to cook (which is not often) or as a starter for a dinner party (more likely)! Thanks Teighan.
Hey Susan,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Sounds great! Do you think this could be made in an instant pot!
Hi Erin,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you, I would probably do 6 minutes on high pressure. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I was wondering how much is one serving?
Hey there,
I would say about a cup and a half. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious! I love that it had so many veggies packed into it. I used 3 cups of broccoli and 4 cups of broth (no extra water) and it was the perfect consistency!
Hey Marisa,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
I made this yesterday and it’s SO good!
Definitely a keeper. Very filling and creamy.
Hi Jen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
By far the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had!!! So flavorful and delicious! It fed my family and they loved it too. Will definitely make again soon!!!
Hi Mary,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Oh sooooo yummy! Really hits the spot. The only change I made was to add a full cup of coconut milk instead of just half. Delicious!
Hey Ellen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Sounds delicious and something my picky toddler will eat. Bonus for extra veggies! Thanks for all the yummy recipes. Can’t wait to try this one this week. I’ve followed you for years and everything I make comes out delish!
Hey Rebecca,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
I made this yesterday and it was delicious!!! The immersion blender was key to pureeing the cauliflower and broccoli mixture. I set aside sliced carrots and small broccoli florets for texture in the soup. I added them at the end before the coconut cream and cheese. I used regular sharp cheddar and a Vermont white sharp cheddar blend and the consensus was that it was great! Even though it makes a ton, I am almost out and will make more again soon. I found 6 cups of broth and no extra water to be the perfect amount of broth.
Thanks for an awesome soup recipe! So healthy and yummy!
Hi Debbie,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Really good! I made one substitution–oat milk for coconut cream–and decreased the broth to four cups. The cauliflower made the soup so creamy and full bodied, and I feel good about all the vegetables in it. I’ll be sharing this batch with a friend!
Hi there,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Amazingly delicious & super simple.
Didn’t even use coconut milk and it was SO CREAMY! Definitely will be on rotation ?
Thank T for another winner ?
Hi Kelly,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Outstanding!!!! I can’t emphasize enough how good this is. Two teaspoons of dried thyme looked like a lot, but it’s superb!
Forgot to rate it. Five stars!
Thanks again Roberta!
And one more thing. I used broccoli and cauliflower from the freezer the freezer. Quick and easy.
Hi Roberta,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan