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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!
I have a 12 year old vegetarian who doesn’t love vegetables and a 10 year old who doesn’t eat much of anything. We used whole milk, a mixture of sharp and medium cheddar cheese and the immersion blender. It came out amazing. The kids helped me make the pretzels to go with it and it was a huge hit! This will be on our family dinner rotation for 2023! Happy New Year!
Hey Tracy,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
This soup was AWESOME! And a hit with the family…which is difficult with picky eaters! THANK YOU ☺️
Hey Megan,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xx
Delicious! I made with frozen broccoli and cauliflower and only had lite coconut milk, but it turned out great, just a little thinner than expected.
Hey Emily,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
My soup turned out green. Overall pretty good but didn’t have that cheddary flavor
Hi Elaina,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it turned out green! Was there anything you adjusted? What kind of cheddar cheese did you use? Let me know how I can help! xT
Delicious!!!! Highly recommend. My little ones loved it as well.
Hey Katherine,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
This was a hit! Pairing with the soft homemade pretzel was perfect.
Hey Kari,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
This soup is a winner! I used my immersion blender to avoid getting my food processor out, and it worked beautifully. Thank you for creating such lovely recipes!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
I’ve made this twice now, and everyone loves it! So many veggies hidden in this creamy and delicious soup. Thanks, TG!
Hey Christina,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
How can this soup be over a thousand calories per serving?
Hi Shannon,
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. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Our neighbors gave us fresh from their garden cauliflower and broccoli, so this soup was a perfect discovery. I used two cups of a Wisconsin extra sharp cheddar but didn’t find the soup to be very cheesy, just nice and creamy. This will be in our recipe rotation for sure!
Hey Jane,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
This looks delicious!! How can this be made with frozen broccoli florets? My grocery store is out of fresh 🙁
Hey Kate,
You can follow the recipe as written using the frozen broccoli. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This recipe is amazing! Nobody would ever know its made with cauliflower as it’s base. It is so creamy and flavorful. I did use my immersion blender to make it a bit easier. Another delicious recipe! Thanks
Hey Nancy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Just made this and it’s so delicious! Tastes very decadent but no cream! The double purée isn’t time consuming. I didn’t have a head of cauliflower but I did have riced cauliflower and it worked just fine. Will definitely make again!
Made it! Love it! Wish I could post a picture of it in the comments.
Hey Matt,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Hey Barbara,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Can you use milk rather than coconut milk?
Hi Lori,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Would this freeze well?
Veganized this today to use up my leftover holiday crudités and the flavors are perfect! Used an immersion blender so I didn’t have to lift that big pot up over my vitamix 🙂 and had a 1/2 can of coconut milk in the freezer left over from other hbh recipes so good to go! Looking forward to lunch this week ~
Hey Judy,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Hey Kate,
Totally, this would be just fine for you to freeze! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I believe your calorie count is a misprint- considering ingredients I don’t see how ea serving would be 1116 calories, if it is correct not seeing how you could consider it a lighter version.
Hi Judy,
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. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
I calculated it out and it’s about 295 per serving – hope this helps!
Thank you Judy! I count macros so this is helpful. I also thought the count looked off!
Jill – is the 295 based on 6 servings? I appreciate you doing the work to verify this, so thank you!
Thanks so much Jill!!
I made this with whipping cream and triple the cheese and it was amazing!! I love all your recipes. I make around 2 or 3 a week now. I have loved everything so far. Thanks so much!
Hey Kari,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Thanks for trying so many recipes! xT