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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
I made this soup with my 96 year old Dad and he did such a great job chopping up the broccoli that I didn’t have to use the second step of pureeing the broccoli. We loved the soup! I would say I had to add a little more broth to cut the coconut taste down but other than that its a thick creamy yummy soup that was easy to make. Thank you again for sharing your yummy recipes!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
I usually love your recipes – you’re one of my favorite food bloggers – but this was a miss for me, especially the coconut milk. I don’t think it needed it and even though j used unsweetened, it still gave the soup a sweet taste. To make it creamier maybe evaporated milk would have been better.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry it was not enjoyed. If coconut milk is not your thing, I would try skim milk:) xTieghan
I actually added more spice (cayenne and smoked paprika) for the leftovers and it was much better. Recommend that if others feel it’s too sweet. Skim milk is also a great idea.
Awesome!!
Phenomenal soup! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My family absolutely loved it
Hi Mary,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I have no doubt I’ll love this recipe, but before I make it, would light sharp cheddar cheese work okay? It just happens to be what I have in my fridge right now.
Thanks!
Hey Brenda,
Yes, that will work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Delicious! I substituted white beans because I didn’t have any cauliflower, and it was creamy enough to skip the coconut milk. Served with homemade garlic knots. YUM!
Loved the flavor of this soup. Will definitely keep making it. Very tasty!
Hi Carol,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
Hi Katie,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
This is a delicious recipe. Came out perfect and creamy for a frigid New England day!
Hi Ali,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. xxTieghan
Very delicious, thank you!
Hi Marilee,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
This soup is sooooooo delicious!!!!!!!!! Everyone in my family raves about it – so happy we have this recipe now in our rotation. Loved it!!!!
Hi there,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
I did make this as written. I agree with other commenters that the base is creamy without the coconut milk but I added because it’s yummy with the paprika and cayenne. Def worth making the pretzels to go with
Hi Shelley,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
Followed recipe closely and soup was delicious. It was even more delicious on Day 2!
Hi Cathy,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
Delicious! I added more than a pinch of salt and pepper. Added 1cup water as well. Also used immersion blender to blend and worked great.
Hi Deanna,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
My MIL was craving this soup but we’re trying to eat just a little bit healthier in the house for the new year. She can’t even tell a difference from her OG recipe. I doubled the batch and it’s nearly gone after four days. We are big fans of this recipe in this house! 🙂
Hi Katie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious! As others mentioned, we omitted the coconut milk. It was creamy and cheesy without it. Great way to get in more veggies.
Hi Mikaela,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
The yummiest! I love how luscious and creamy it was without any cream!
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Tasty and a hit with the boyfriend. Added grilled jalapeño brats at the end and it was the perfect pairing.
Hi Sammantha,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious! Used 1 quart chicken stock and 1 full can of the coconut milk. Will definitely make again.
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I made this soup over the weekend and it was a HIT!! We had a cold Saturday, and this soup was perfect for the day. Ty so much!!
Hi Alina,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan