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Welcoming these chilly winter days with this Lighter Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Itโs cozy, creamy, secretly full of vegetables, and totally delicious. This soup is made simply in one large pot with purรฉed 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. Itโs such a delicious healthier take on my favorite broccoli cheddar soup.
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Iโve definitely shared my love for broccoli cheddar soup many times over the years. Itโs one of those soups that for me, brings back all the best memories. Iโve loved a bowl broccoli cheddar since the days of my mom taking me out for lunch, way back when we lived in Cleveland.
It wasnโt that often that weโd 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 havenโt had Panera since probably 6th grade, but I remember it being creamy, cheesy, and so delicious. Iโve loved a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup ever since. I feel like a lot of you have similar stories. Itโs 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 purรฉe to add creaminess, plus an extra serving of vegetables too. It worked perfectly, and youโd 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 doesnโt include, a double purรฉe.
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. Purรฉe this mix until itโs super creamy. You donโt want any chunks of cauliflower left over.
If you enjoy chunks of carrot in your soup, be sure to pull those out before purรฉing the cauliflower.
Return the creamy base to the stove, then in goes the fresh broccoli. Youโll need to cook the broccoli until itโs tender too, then do another round of blending. This time, donโt 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 creamyโฆbut without any heavy cream!
Iโd highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread or pretzels. You need something for dipping!
Alright, and with that, Iโm going to leave you all to it. If your week needs some warming soup, this is it. Iโm actually beyond excited to make this again soon!
Looking for other soup recipes?ย Here are a few ideas:ย
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, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lighter Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredientsย
- 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
Instructionsย
- 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 purรฉe 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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made this and was a little worried as some of the reviews said this was bland so I doubled the spices and it turned out amazing! Had nothing but good feedback about it and would definitely make it again. I just used an immersion blender and that worked just perfect to make it nice and smooth.
Hey Emma,
Wonderful! Thanks for choosing to make this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
We love this recipe! Do you think it would freeze well?
Hi Amanda,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and taking the time to comment, Iโm so glad it was enjoyed!
Yes, you can definitely freeze this soup.
I love this recipe, but one thing that it can improve upon is to suggest using an immersion blender: with an immersion blender, everything gets much easier and it basically becomes a one pot recipe!
Hey Vincenzo,
Fantastic! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it!
AWFUL
Love this recipe and make it all the time! Serve with crust bread!! I also use cauliflower rice for a quicker recipe.
Hey Mindy,
Thank you so much! I am thrilled to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you! Thanks for giving it a try!
Iโve been making this soup on repeat for a while and I found that I donโt need the cheese or coconut milk. Itโs super tasty just with the vegetables and broth.
Hey there,
Happy Monday! Iโm grateful you made this recipe and for your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Sorry but how is this 1,116 calories per serving?Iโm so confused, haha thanks in advance. With those ingredients listed it should be closer to 330 calories for 6 servings.
Hi Danielle,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. Itโs not something weโd prefer to be using. We are required to. Iโm sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Well I made it tonight and itโs absolutely delicious! So thanks for getting back to me โบ๏ธ
Thanks so much, Danielle!!
Iโve made this quite a few times- todayโs the first time I used smoked cheddar since thatโs what I had on hand – I will be using that from here on out!!! Really complemented all the flavours and upped this soup game even more! So delicious thanks ๐
Hey Collette,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
Terrific recipe for a winter cold snap. My family enjoyed the subtle flavor – this soup is creamy and cheesy without being OTT or giving anyone in my family a stomachache. I thickened it with 1:1 flour and it worked beautifully. Wish I had time to make the pretzels to go with it! My recipe notes say “Best broccoli cheese soup we have ever had”!
Hey Julie,
Fantastic! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
Delicious healthy soup for the cold winter months. My kids had no idea that there was cauliflower in it!!
Hey Jennie,
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a nice Sunday:) xx
I agree with another comment-very bland. I added onion powder and garlic powder (since everything had already be sautรฉed). Lots of salt and pepper. More smoked paprika, some Goudaโฆa dash of soy sauceโฆnow it is pretty good. I like the idea of the cauliflower in there, but with the carrot and the coconut mild, it was sweetโฆ
Hi Judy,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it. xx
Can you use Half and Half if you donโt have canned coconut milk?
Hi Jenny,
Sure, I think that would work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
FYI: I don’t think the nutrition information of 1116 kcal per serving is correct. I know this will vary depending on the particular ingredients, quantities used, but I used a separate calorie counter and got roughly 300 calories per serving.
Literally aweful. There was no flavor at all. It was watery and not edible.
Hi Troy,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is something that I can help with! xx