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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.
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!
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This is an amazing soup, just perfect for winter. Second time I didn’t add the coconut milk, I found it rich enough with the cheddar cheese.
Hey Liz,
Awesome!! Love hearing that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a go! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Will this work with With light coconut milk?
Hi Tara,
Yes, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Loved the tastes. I followed it but it came out kind of thin? Any suggestions?
Hey Kristen,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! You could blend less of the soup to make it on the thicker side. xxT
This soup was delicious! Made exactly as written. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Hey Cathy,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxT
This is the BEST soup I have made in a very long time. Added half and half instead of coconut milk. It will be on my Winter list of soups. Thanks for creating such a healthy soup that is so delicious!
Hey Anne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
I made a few modifications and loved this!!!
I added half of a zucchini for some extra veggies and used 1/4 C milk and 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream in lieu of coconut milk.
I also used an immersion blender.
Pure perfection!
Hey Andrea,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
I never post comments but this soup is so good and so easy to make and best of all everyone loves it so much I make it almost once a week for my family. My hat’s off to you. Thank you!
Hey Steve,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
Made this last night!! So easy and flavorful! A little more kick in the lunch leftovers from the cayenne! Delicious!!
Hey Rhonda,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
This was one of the best soups I’ve made this winter. Loved the hint of cayenne. After simmering the broccoli, I used a potato masher to break it down in chunks. And the soup went really well with your beer bread recipe.
Hey Judy,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was a winner!! xTieghan
This broccoli cheddar soup was so delicious. My family loved it and I loved that I got to sneak in some extra veggies. This will now be our go to broccoli cheddar soup.
Linda
Hey Linda,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
I forgot carrots. Okay to skip?
Hey Anna,
Yes, totally fine to do that! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is so very delicious!
Hey Ginny,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
hey!
I dont have any cauliflower – anyway I could subsititue more carrots, or sweet potatoe? Thoughts?
Hey Michelle,
Sure, carrots would work or just use more broccoli. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made this and split into two batches: one for my dairy-free kid and one pot for the rest of us. Everybody loved this recipe and it was VERY easy to make a vegan version with non-dairy cheese. Thank you so much! This will definitely be on rotation at our house.
Hi Kelly,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
This was a fabulous soup that I’ll be saving to make again, but will be making the pretzels for sure. I didn’t want to open up a can of coconut milk so used light coffee cream and it was a great substitute. Also chopped up an extra carrot because I needed to use it up.
Also found that I didn’t need to add it back into the Vitamix after cooking the broccoli. Guess I chopped it down fine enough and didn’t mind some lumps.
Now, I have so much extra, I hope it will freeze ok if I pop one serving in the fridge.
PS- went a little rogue and tossed in some bacon crumble. ? so maybe not so light now!!!
Hi Tamara,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
I’ve been looking for some lighter soups to make and this one popped up. Once I made it, I felt it was a little bland and added a couple of teaspoons of Dijon mustard and some Mrs. Dash onion and herb seasoning and it perked right up! Will be using this one again for sure. Thanks Tiegan!
Hey Lynn,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT