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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 made tonight for my mom recovering from surgery. I substituted the stock for chicken bone broth (more protein!). Omg!!! I’m floored at how delicious it is. I kept saying it was so good and asking if everyone could believe there was only a few cups of cheese for the dairy. I’m lactose intolerant too so it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy a cup of broccoli cheddar soup! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.
Hey Liz,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Really not good. If you’re craving panera-style broccoli cheese soup, this will not satisfy you. I’m not really sure what the cauliflower and coconut milk are doing in here, but they’re not doing anybody any favors. There needs to be about half the broccoli and triple the cheese. Probably some heavy cream too.
I do not recommend.
This is the second time I’ve made this incredible soup. Super flavorful, tons of veggie goodness and delicious. The only thing I’m confused by is the calories per serving…. 1116? I can’t believe that is accurate. Everything else….. PERFECTION.
Hey Genevieve,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out!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! xT
Can I substitute potatoes for the cauliflower?
Hey there,
Sure, I bet potatoes would be delicious! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Can I freeze this soup?
Hi Denise,
Totally, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Looks yummy! Do you recommend a particular type of vegetable broth? I have one vegetarian in the family and I get worried about replacing chicken broth or stock with vegetable. Some seem to be tomato based, which wouldn’t make sense in this recipe, right? Thanks!
Hey Cece,
Hmmm I would just make sure you get one that isn’t tomato based, Kettle and Fire is a great brand! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hot soup in a blender should not be recommended in this recipe – left me with a burned arm and huge kitchen mess. Sorry this one didn’t work out better.
Hi Linda,
So sorry to hear this. You need to make sure your blender is a brand that is built for high temps, Vitamix is one of those. Again, sorry to hear you had trouble with this! xx
Hi~ I use my handheld immersion blender right in the pot…no need to transfer hot soup and came out perfect!
Thanks for sharing Jackie!!
Try using immersion blender – easier clean up too!
so good. Definitely will make this again
Hey Ellen,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx