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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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Is there a suggested method for freezing the soup such as freezing after step 2? Thank you so much!
Hi Ashley,
I would freeze after step 3. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
We’ve made this a dozen times! The last few times we omitted the broccoli and tripled the zucchini. I think I like the texture better. This is definitely a go to for us!
Hey Shannon,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
I veganized the recipe by using nondairy butter, milk and cheese. I also omitted the salt. I made it on the stove top. The soup is wonderful!
Hi Maureen,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I’m sorry didn’t mean to only give stars above.
Thanks again!
Cheese curteled, so I put it back in the blender which worked. The soup is very smooth now so I thought I’d add chopped zuchinni to my bowl when I eat it.
Thanks for trying the recipe Carla!
Cheese curteled.
Hi Carla,
So sorry to hear this, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I added a drained can of cannellini beans to the instant pot with the zucchini/broccoli/etc. then whizzed it all with the stick mixer in the instant pot. the cheese didn’t curdle and i used the stick mixer again while it was on saute to make sure all the cheese melted properly and it was perfect. probably a bit easier than adding flour to the onions and the beans give it some extra protein. it was really good.
Hi Raya,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xx
I made this last night in my Instant Pot. Oh my- DELICIOUS! The nutmeg took this to a new level of flavor. Will be making again and again- thank you! 🙂
Hey Alexis,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this recipe for my family, and it was delicious. I’d like to make it again – thoughts on using 2% milk instead?
Hey there,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! 2% milk will work just fine here:) xTieghan
Great recipe, but if making the stovetop version, add the milk and bring it up to temperature BEFORE adding the cheese. If you put the milk in just after the cheese, it tempers and you end up with caked bits of unmelted cheese throughout.
Thanks for the feedback Devin, I hope you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 xTieghan
Made the stove top version tonight. Yummy!
Hey! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 xxTieghan
I look forward to trying this!
Can you please share a rough weight for the zucchini? I would really appreciate it. Thanks!~
Quick, easy, healthy, delicious…thank you Tieghan!!
Hey there! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I hope you enjoyed it! xTieghan
I did the recipe exactly but the cheese did not melt even after boiling and just globbed in the soup. I would love to know what happened! Also no hate-I love your website and have tried many of your recipes with success!
Hey Stephanie! I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything you did differently? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This was so so good! I did the slow cooker recipe -the only change was that I omitted the olive oil. I made this with your pumpkin beer bread – what a great weeknight dinner!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
I would LOVE to make this recipe, as I have loved all your other recipes!! I have a dairy allergy though, and am wondering what dairy free milk you would suggest I substitute the whole milk for?
Hi there! I would use almond or oat milk 🙂 xTieghan