Healthy Broccoli Soup is a delicious, cozy meal. Easy to make in the instant pot, crockpot, or on the stove – this broccoli cheddar soup is a must make! Gluten free and easily made dairy free, this creamy soup is seriously yummy!
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Introducing the most dreamy, creamy, healthy broccoli soup. (That you are 100% going to fall in LOVE with!)
This soup has quickly become a favorite in our house, right next to Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Sweet Potato Soup and Healthy Potato Soup.
This broccoli soup is one of those recipes that feels totally indulgent and delicious, while actually being made with great ingredients!
Even though this soup tastes indulgent, it has about 1/2 the carbs and sodium compared to what you would get at Panera.
What makes this recipe for Broccoli Cheese Soup healthy?
- Wholesome ingredients – Typically broccoli cheddar soup is loaded with lots of funky ingredients, heavy cream and loads of cheese. This soup doesn’t have that!
- Creaminess from potatoes/veggies – Most broccoli cheddar soup recipes have a lot of heavy cream in them, but this soup just uses 1/2 cup of milk + potatoes to make it thick and creamy!
- Easily customizable – Whether you need to make this dairy free, lower salt, lower carb.. there’s a substitution for basically everything below!
- Veggie loaded – There is one serving of veggies per serving of soup, and you can easily bulk up that amount by adding more carrots, celery or onions.
Now let’s get into how to make this soup!
Ingredients for Healthy Broccoli Soup:
To make healthy broccoli cheddar soup you’ll need:
There are a lot of substituions below for this recipe. Feel free to swap out whatever you need to make this fit with your diet!
How to make the Best Broccoli Cheese Soup
You can make this Healthy Broccoli Soup in the instant pot, crock pot or on the stove.
The photos below show how to make the broccoli soup in the instant pot, but it is pretty much the same no matter what method you use. (And ridiculously easy!)
- In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant.
- Stir in the potatoes, salt, pepper, broccoli and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, until broccoli + potatoes are fork tender.
- Once cooked, add milk and puree the soup using an immersion blender or spoon it into a regular blender. If you use a regular blender be very careful blending hot liquids and remember to vent the blender well. You can leave the soup as chunky as you like it or puree it entirely.
- Once blended stir in the cheese adding it about a quarter of a cup at a time while stirring to avoid it clumping together.
- Garnish with extra cheese, bacon and scallions and serve.
You can make instant pot broccoli cheddar soup or crockpot broccoli cheddar soup, all of the instructions are included below in the recipe card!
I actually prefer to make it in the instant pot, it’s the quickest way (less than 20 mins start to finish!) and is pretty hands off.
The good thing with this soup, is that it’s pretty difficult to mess up.. it doesn’t matter if you over cook it, because it all gets blended up!
Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup Substitutions
There are MANY substitutions for this recipe for healthy broccoli soup. Check them out below!
Oil: You can use coconut or avocado oil in place of olive oil
Veggies: Feel free to add in more carrots, celery or onion to this!
Broth: Use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian or bone broth if you’d like!
Dairy Free: I haven’t tested this recipe with dairy free cheese but I think it would work. You can sub in any non dairy milk. I tested almond milk in this recipe and found no difference in terms of taste/texture.
Cheese: Feel free to use whatever cheese you like. I prefer cheddar, colby jack, fontina or gouda but other shredded cheese will work. It’s better to use a block and grate your own cheese so that it melts best.
Milk: You can use pretty much any milk in this soup. I tested it with coconut cream, almond milk and whole milk. All were delicious. If you’re looking for a lower fat option, use lower fat milk or almond milk. If you want a more rich soup, use heavy cream or coconut cream.
Potatoes: Do not use red skinned potatoes. These have less starch and will make your soup more watery. Use yukon gold or russet potatoes as the starch is what helps with thickening.
Thickness: This soup is not the thick gravy like soup you’d get at Panera in the bread bowl, but it does get thicker as it cools/sets.
Sodium: If you’re looking to reduce sodium, omit the salt and use a salt-free broth. The nutrition facts reflect using a salt free broth.
Spices: Try this Curried Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup if you’re looking to amp up the flavor!
Keto: I have not tried subbing the potato for cauliflower but I think it would work.
Lower fat: Use almond milk or lower fat milk. You can use lower fat cheese but I think it affects the flavor/taste.
Paleo/Whole30: You can use almond milk and omit the cheese to make this paleo/Whole30 friendly.
We like to top ours with scallions and extra cheese, but you can also top with bacon, croutons.. the options are endless 🙂
Tips for blending hot soup:
You can blend this soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or even a food processor.
Make sure to be very careful when blending soup in a regular blender. If you are blending hot soup, it can lead the blender to steam up or build pressure which can result in the top popping off.
To avoid that, here are our tips for blending hot soup in a regular blender.
Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes if you can. It’s best not to take this right off the stove/instant pot/crockpot and put it in the blender. Give it a few minutes uncovered/off heat to release some steam.
Blend the soup in batches. It’s probably best to divide this in half and blend it 1/2 the batch at a time. By doing this you’re leaving room in the blender for the soup to move around.
Remove the center cover from the blender and cover with a towel instead. Most blender tops have a removable plastic piece in the center. Take this center piece out and put a clean dish towel over the opening while blending. (You don’t want soup on the ceiling!). Doing this allows the steam to vent out and prevents pressure from building up in the blender. Make sure to hold your hand over the dish towel to avoid it from moving/splattering.
FAQs for Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
The best cheese to melt in soup is cheddar or gruyere. Make sure to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself for best results!
Broccoli cheese soup may be gritty if you are using pre-shredded cheese. It’s best to buy a block of cheese and grate it fresh.
Broccoli Cheese soup will naturally separate as it cools. To prevent it just warm the soup and stir vigorously.
You can thicken broccoli cheese soup by adding in a little bit of flour or 1/2 teaspoon corn starch.
If your cheese isn’t melting in broccoli cheddar soup, the soup may not be hot enough, or you might have bought the wrong cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting well. It’s best to buy a block of cheese and grate it fresh.
Serving Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup
This soup is best served with a piece of crusty bread. I like to top it with:
- bacon crumbles
- extra cheese
- scallions
Storing Healthy Broccoli Soup
How long will this soup last: This soup will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze broccoli soup? Yes you can! Place in freezer safe container. I love these containers for freezing leftovers! When you’re ready to eat – defrost in the refrigerator the night before, or heat in microwave from frozen or on the stove.
We have more tips on how to freeze soup!
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing !
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven or on the stove.
Is is exactly the same as eating it out of a Panera bread bowl??? No… but honestly, it’s pretty darn close! As the soup cools/sets, it gets thicker and is even more delicious.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
Looking for other soup recipes? Check out these 40+ Healthy Soup Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy soup cookbook.
Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 3 cups broccoli florets about ½ lb
- 2 cups yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced into 2 inch pieces (about ½ lb)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth low or no salt
- 1/2 cup milk dairy or nondairy will work
- 1.5 cups colby jack cheese grated (highly recommend grating yourself to avoid grittiness from stabilizers in pre grated cheese)
Optional:
- scallion, bacon, cheese for garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Start your instant pot on the regular sauté function. Heat olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery , onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add in the potatoes, salt, pepper , broccoli and chicken broth.
- Turn the Instant Pot to High Pressure (Manual on older models) and set time for 3 minutes.
- When finished, quick release the steam. Add milk and puree the soup using an immersion blender or spoon it into a regular blender. If you use a regular blender be very careful blending hot liquids and remember to vent the blender well. You can leave the soup as chunky as you like it or puree it entirely.
- Once blended stir in the cheese adding it about a quarter of a cup at a time while stirring to avoid it clumping together.
- Garnish with extra cheese, bacon and scallions and serve.
Crockpot Instructions
- In a saute pan, heat olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant. (This is optional, but recommended)
- Add sautéd veggies to the crockpot. Stir in the potatoes, salt, pepper, broccoli and chicken broth.
- Set the crockpot to low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Add milk and puree the soup using an immersion blender or spoon it into a regular blender. If you use a regular blender be very careful blending hot liquids and remember to vent the blender well. You can leave the soup as chunky as you like it or puree it entirely.
- Once blended stir in the cheese adding it about a quarter of a cup at a time while stirring to avoid it clumping together.
- Garnish with extra cheese, bacon and scallions and serve.
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant.
- Stir in the potatoes, salt, pepper, broccoli and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, until broccoli + potatoes are fork tender.
- Once cooked, add milk and puree the soup using an immersion blender or spoon it into a regular blender. If you use a regular blender be very careful blending hot liquids and remember to vent the blender well. You can leave the soup as chunky as you like it or puree it entirely.
- Once blended stir in the cheese adding it about a quarter of a cup at a time while stirring to avoid it clumping together.
- Garnish with extra cheese, bacon and scallions and serve.
Venice says
Can’t wait to make this! Can I use frozen broccoli or will it add to much water? I have sooooo many frozen veggies I need to use up 🤗
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Venice – I haven’t tried this with frozen broccoli, but I think it would work! If you try it – let me know!
Venice says
Thank you!!
Katherine says
This recipe is delicious! I cut out a few more calories by subbing the milk for skim, swapping out chicken broth for veggie broth, and upping the carrots. It’s a big hit in my house!
Gwendolyn says
I used frozen broccoli but I did cook it first. Not completely but enough to thaw it. I also did not peel the potatoes. You never noticed, and the taste was just as good.
The soup was delicious!!
Erica says
Made this soup this week for supper. It’s delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Erica!
Karen says
So good! Will make it again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Karen!
AmyG says
Hi Liz,
I can’t wait to make this. Looks good. Thanks for sharing.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks so much, Amy!
Jennifer says
Wow!! I love me some broccoli cheddar soup. I didn’t know it was possible to make a healthier version while keeping the flavor. You MUST try this soup!! You won’t be disappointed.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you SO much, Jennifer!
Jocelyn says
This seriously looks more delicious than Panera’s broccoli soup and that’s a hard one to beat! I love the simple ingredients and how incredibly creamy this looks!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you!! It is soooo creamy, and almost has the exact consistency of Panera!
Courtney C. says
Great recipe! I only had frozen broccoli and frozen carrots (everything else fresh) and it still tasted amazing! This is definitely a keeper. Delish!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks Courtney! So glad you liked it!
Kate says
This came out very well! I subbed almond milk and used cauliflower instead of potatoes. Very creamy tasting, lots of flavor. I had to add some more spices towards the end to kick it up a notch.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Kate! Glad you enjoyed it!
Carol says
Happy to read the comment about subbing the cauliflower for potatoes and the almond milk. Trying that today!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Let us know how you like it, Carol!
Shari says
Easy and everyone loved it!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Love hearing that, Shari!
Sandra says
I just made this soup & my family loves it. It tastes so yummy.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Love hearing that, Sandra! Thank you!
Courtney says
Love these recipes!!!! So good and very thorough!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Courtney! So happy you like them!
Brynna says
This really does taste like Panera Bread!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like it Brynna! Thank you!
Sharon Williams says
Very Good!! Loved it! Thank you!!
Kelly B says
DO NOT sleep on this recipe! It is sooo good! I have now made this a few times and have learned that the potatoes (just like the note above) do influence the thickness of the soup but regardless of that fact, this recipe is DELICIOUS! I love that you use potatoes here instead of cream and other high caloric ingredients to make this and honestly using potatoes as a thickener is now a game changer for all of my cream based soups.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so happy you like it, Kelly!! Thank you!
Anna Larson Kernes says
Mine turned out great! I doubled the recipe because I had a lot of broccoli that needed to be used up:). I used fairlife fat free milk. I omitted the cheese and it was still wonderful. I just sprinkled a little in top and that was plenty to satisfy and still keep it lower cal. Also, my daughter won’t eat cheese or any sort, lol. So, this way people can personalize it to what they need. I fully puréed it and it was so nice and creamy for a cold night..:in SoCal…but it was cold to me, lol. Thanks for the recipe! I NEVER cook, but this was SO easy and still protein , vitamin, and fiber rich. I wish I could post a pic.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So so glad you liked it, Anna! Thank you so much! Next you have to try my Healthy Potato Soup! Just as delish!
Elissa says
One of my favorite lunches used to be Panera’s broccoli soup with extra bread for dipping. This recipe did not disappoint. More flavor than Panera’s. Nice and creamy. I followed the recipe and used almond milk. This will definitely be added to our list of frequently made recipes. Great dinner for the winter time. Next time I will make a double batch so we have leftovers for lunches, it was so good no one left any this time.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Elissa! Comparing it to Panera is pretty high compliment!
Rachel says
The BEST broccoli soup I’ve ever tasted. Creamy without being heavy. Will definitely make again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Rachel! So glad you liked it!
Elissa says
By far my favorite broccoli soup! It’s so good & creamy! I’ve already made it twice!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much!! So glad you liked it!
Lisa DiRuocco says
This soup was so delicious. It tasted creamy without all the heavy cream. It felt healthy and not heavy. I used the crockpot recipe and it was easy as well. Perfect for lunch this week.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Lisa!
Gaby says
Just what I was lookig for, an easy and healthy version of the classic brocolli soup. I also added a bit of bell peppers, a tomato, and coriander leaves for more taste. It was DELICIOUS, creamy, rich and healthy.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Gaby! Thank you!
Liz kane says
I love this soup! This is my second time making it in 10 days! I am on a liquid diet due to oral surgery and this soup is quick and easy and I blend it well and it’s keeping me from starving 😂
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it, Liz!
Samantha says
Absolutely delicious. Great flavor while keeping it relatively healthy!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!
charlie says
Last time I made this (witch was the 5th time) I also added 2 cups of spinach and 1 cup frozen peas. Added Cayenne and currie powder and it was fabulous. I have some fresh asparagus this time, do think that would work as well?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Charlie – So glad you liked this! I haven’t tried it with asparagus but I think it would work!
Kristin says
I love when healthy food can be comforting and tasty! I was able to use dairy cheese and milk and worked perfectly. This was great paired with a chicken panini on a chilly night!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Kristin! Thank you!
Cindy says
This is so good! I used campbell’s chicken with roasted garlic less sodium broth. It turned out amazing. Thank you for this recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Cindy!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Cindy! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Laura says
We absolutely loved the healthy broccoli soup!! I’ve mare broccoli soup before but nothing compares to the clean eating couples recipe! It was soo good, so smooth, creamy and filling because of the potatoes! Our 22month old ate a whole bowl full! One of my favourite parts about the clean eating couples recipes are that you can jump to the recipe and that they offer recipes for IP, crock pot and stove top. Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Laura! I’m so glad you liked it!
Toby says
I used oat milk and did a taste test prior to adding low fat cheese. It would’ve been great even without the cheese! May leave it out next time to save calories and fat. I made it on the stove top, and the broccoli and diced potatoes were cooked after about 15 minutes.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it! I definitely don’t recommend leaving out the cheese – it helps it get so creamy and delicious!
Kate says
So easy and so good!
Beth says
This was delicious. I made it vegan. I used almond milk and cauliflower instead of potatoes. Am definitely going to make more again soon. Thank you!
Howard F. says
I’ve been suffering from ulcerative colitis for quite some time. I decided to give this recipe a shot. It is super easy to prepare. Best of all, it is DELICIOUS! It seems to agree with my stomach. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks.
Angela Sprong says
Love this soup. I had to do a little substituting due to circumstances.
Added a little cauliflower as I didn’t have enough broccoli and no celery so substituted with green beans.
I used low fat cream cheese instead of cheese and milk.
Absolutely delicious 😋 Thank you for sharing your recipes . I look forward to trying more.
Cheryl says
I’m rating this for my grandson who is one. He loves this soup and yells if your not feeding it to him fast enough! I chop the veggies smaller and add 1/2 of the cheese. We freeze it in small containers for him and even after freezing it still tastes great!
Nicole says
My husband didn’t want to cook the frozen broccoli we had in the freezer. Up to him, it would sit in the freezer for another year and then hit the trash. I googled broccoli soup and found this recipe and made it within eeeeh 30-40 minutes. We had everything but carrot so I just used more sweet potato (oh yeah, we sub’d sweet potato) and it was SO GOOD! my 5 and 3 year old ate it up, and the only thing is, we should’ve made more bacon 😉 I’m here to print the recipe to add to very few recipes that I actually cook.
Bonnie says
This soup looks and sounds delicious. I’m trying to use up Stuff in my fridge before we go away. So my question, do you think it would freeze ok.
Love the substitution on cauliflower for potatoes especially because I have that to use up too!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
There’s a whole section in every one of our posts about storage! Pasting it below: Yes you can! Place in freezer safe container. I love Souper Cubes for freezing soup. Code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works to save $$! When you’re ready to eat – defrost in the refrigerator the night before, or heat in microwave from frozen or on the stove.
Meghan Meredith says
My family and I tried this recipe out last night and enjoyed it SO MUCH!
My husband is GF and our family has recently gone “refined sugar free”. So the fact that this soup doesn’t call for flour was a reason we tried it. I did the stove top version and found it wonderfully easy to execute.
Thanks so much for providing a YUMMY HEALTHY recipe for this Broccoi Cheese Soup!
Ashlee M says
Has anyone used a stronger cheese like sharp cheddar? How was it?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m sure that would be fine
Anna Wells says
I loved it. I added a little paprika after it was cooked. It was so good without it too. I like that it’s all blended so my son will like it too. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Renee says
Woooowwwww! I had a bunch of veggies that were slightly past their prime and I looked for a broccoli soup but I’ve been eating clean and have some food sensitivities so it’s hard to find recipes that work. I used about half the cheese, coconut milk with more of the cream than water, and added nutritional yeast to up the cheesy factor without more dairy. Absolutely delicious and doesn’t feel like I’m eating a ton of veggies! (I did add bacon so I’m sure that helped!). Thanks! I’ll be looking through more of your recipes!
Jennifer C says
I made this and subbed riced cauliflower for the potato and added some thyme. It was delicious!