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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 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, 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 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 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.
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!
Hi! Just made this and I feel like some flavor is off. Maybe it’s the coconut milk. I’m not a coconut fan. Can I use heavy cream next time instead of coconut milk? Or would plain milk be best?
Hey Jill,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Plain milk or cream would work well for you next time. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I didn’t have coconut milk so I used low-fat 1% milk instead. The texture was still so silky and creamy. I love this recipe!
Wow! So delicious- However I have never met a recipe of Tieghan’s that I didn’t love!!!!
this will be part of my regular rotation. thanks for sharing.
Hey Tara,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
We absolutely loved this! A cream base made out of cauliflower is my new go-to thing (I did a chicken pot pie with it the other day). This soup is creamy, cheesy and the perfect texture. Huge hit!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
I love this recipe! I have been looking for a broccoli cheddar soup recipe for a while and happened upon your IG page after seeing the NBC Olympics post with your brother holding your book. What great timing and I’m so happy to be one of your followers now! I subbed skim milk for coconut milk after seeing you suggest that option in another comment. The soup was perfectly creamy and the cauliflower flavor ended up blending in beautifully with everything else. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Thank you!
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Absolutely amazing! Rich, creamy little piece of heaven. After making it several times we added 3 cups of diced, COSTCO rotisserie chicken for extra flavor and protein!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
has anyone converted this recipe to crockpot or insta pot?
Hey Meredith,
This recipe will work well in either one. I hope you love the soup, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I was wondering the same, how long would the cauliflower need to cook under pressure?
I would probably do 8 minutes on high pressure.
Finally, a broccoli cheese soup that is easy to make, healthy, all while still being delicious! Thanks Tieghan!!
Hi Hannah,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I really like this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower but you can’t taste it at all. It was easy and quick. Thank you
Hi Candace,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Great recipe. Even my husband loved it and he was skeptical. Made four quarts: enough for dinner the night I made it, a starter for dinner with some friends (4 of us), and another 2 quarts in the freezer for another couple of dinners. Now to tackle the pretzel rolls! ?
Hey Susan,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This was delicious!! Will definitely be a recipe I make again and again. My husband loved it too and his favorite soup has always been the broccoli cheese soup at Panera. Already sent this to a friend who made it as well and loved it.
Hey Juliette,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Unfortunately, this soup was missing something for us. It was good but not great. The flavor was good, but the consistency was thin.
Hi Karen,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
The soup was much better the next day. It thickened up a bit, and I added more pepper. Love all of your recipes!
Hi Karen,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Well this one is going in my recipe box for sure! It’s delicious and satisfying, and really hits the spot on a cold, snowy day. One thing I’ll be doing that someone else on here mentioned ….you could use an immersion blender to make things easier. Thanks for another great recipe ?
Hey Joan,
Fantastic! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xxT
So yummy! This is my second time making it and this time I used my immersion blender which worked so well!
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xxT
You did it again Tieghan! This soup is getting two thumbs up in our household!!! So yummy!
Hi Gretchen,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
This was perfect, just delicious! Thank you!
Hi Karen,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Yummy ? THE Best broccoli ? cheddar soup I’ve ever tasted. I’ve made this twice in 2 weeks and it will be on my winter soup rotation from now on! So delicious ? and hearty.
Hi Liz,
Fantastic! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xxT