Satisfy your craving for comfort food with this super creamy and ultra cheesy vegan broccoli cheddar soup! This soup is made with all plant-based ingredients, it's ready in less than 1 hour, and it can be made in the slow cooker.
This delicious vegan soup is rich, loaded with broccoli, and it has the best cheesy cheddar flavor! It’s super creamy without using any butter, processed vegan cheddar cheese, or heavy cream. If you love satisfying, plant-based, comfort food meals that are easy to make and are ready in less than one hour, you should definitely give this recipe a try!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This broccoli cheddar soup is easy to make with a combination of fresh vegetables and pantry staples. Let's go over the most important ingredients and substitutions if you need them.
- Potatoes - These starchy root veggies make the texture of the soup so thick and creamy! I like to use russet potatoes, but you could also use Yukon gold potatoes. Cauliflower can be used for a low-carb option.
- Carrots - This ingredient is used for flavor and for color to make it look like cheddar cheese. You can substitute red bell peppers.
- Cashews - These buttery nuts make the soup taste so rich and creamy. You can substitute raw sunflower seeds for a similar texture.
- Nutritional Yeast - This is what gives broccoli soup its cheesy cheddar flavor!
- Almond Milk - Nut milk adds to the creaminess of the soup. You can use any nut milk that you have, as long as it's unsweetened and not vanilla-flavored.
- Broccoli - You can use fresh or frozen broccoli to make this soup.
- Turmeric - A little bit of turmeric gives this soup the perfect yellow cheddar cheese color!
How to Make It
In a large dutch oven, saute the diced onion and garlic. (Photo 1) Add the potatoes, carrots, cashews, salt, and water (Photo 2). Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let it cook until everything is soft and tender.
Add all of the cooked vegetables, dry seasonings, apple cider vinegar, and almond milk to a high-speed blender and blend it on high until it’s smooth and creamy (Photos 3 & 4). It should look like melted cheddar cheese.
Pour the "cheddar cheese" sauce back into the pan along with the rest of the almond milk and increase the heat until it's bubbling a little bit (Photo 5). Add the broccoli and lemon juice and let it cook until the broccoli is tender but not mushy (Photo 6).
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve the vegan broccoli cheddar soup with a couple slices of toasted crusty bread to dip or in a bread bowl with a side of avocado arugula tomato salad. Any of the following side dishes would be great with it too!
- Maple Dijon Brussel Sprouts
- Lemon Garlic Asparagus
- Roasted Beetroot and Feta Salad
- Lemon Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
If you have any leftovers, I like to drizzle the broccoli and cheddar cheese soup over baked potatoes or rice with extra broccoli and great northern beans or chickpeas. Trust me, it's delicious!
Success Tips
- You don't need to pre-soak the cashews because they'll soften when they're cooking with the potatoes and carrots.
- You can also use an immersion stick to blend the soup, but it might take a little bit longer to get a smooth texture.
- Cut the broccoli florets into small, bite-sized pieces so the soup is easier to eat.
- Don't discard the broccoli stems, they are 100% edible! You can cut them into small pieces and add them to the soup along with the rest of the florets. If you only want the florets for this recipe, you can freeze the diced stems and use them to make vegetable barley soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! I often use frozen vegetables instead of fresh and it tastes just as good. You can add the frozen broccoli directly to the soup or you can let it defrost in the fridge overnight if you want to cut it into smaller pieces.
Sure! Put all of the ingredients (except for the broccoli) into a large slow cooker and set it to cook on High for 3 hours. Then puree the soup in a blender and pour it back into the slow cooker. Stir in the broccoli, replace the lid, and let it cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
The vegan cheddar cheese sauce in this soup is made with veggies! You can add shredded vegan cheddar cheese if you want, but it's not necessary. It really won't add anything to the flavor or texture of this soup.
How To Store It
Store the leftover soup in the fridge for 2-3 days. You could also freeze leftover soup. Put the soup in an airtight and freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for 2-3 months.
When you're ready to eat it, take the broccoli and cheddar cheese soup out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you can reheat the soup in the microwave or in a pot over medium heat on the stovetop. You may need to add a little bit of broth or water to the soup if it's too thick.
Want More Creamy Vegan Recipes?
- Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing
- Vegan Cream Cheese (Made with sunflower seeds!)
- Zesty Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Cheddar Macaroni Cheese
- Vegan Zuppa Toscana
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot or 6-Qt Dutch Oven
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup water (to saute)
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 5 medium garlic cloves minced
- 3 ½ cups russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 ½ cups carrots sliced
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chili pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 lbs broccoli (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large 6-qt dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the diced onion in ½ cup of broth or water until it's soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add a little bit more liquid if it gets too dry.
- Next, add the potatoes, carrots, cashews, ½ tsp salt, and 3 cups of water to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium and cover it. Let it cook for 20 minutes or until everything is soft.
- While the vegetables and cashews are cooking, prep the broccoli. If you use the whole broccoli crown, cut 1 ½ - 2 inches off the bottom of the stem (it's really tough and fibrous) and then dice the rest of the stem. You don't need to peel it first. Cut the florets into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Let the veggie and cashew mixture cool a little bit before you transfer it to the blender. Depending on the size of your blender cup, you may need to work in batches if it isn't big enough.
- Carefully transfer the cooked vegetable and cashew mixture to a large blender cup along with 1 cup almond milk, ½ cup nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp chili pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Blend on high until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Pour the puree back into the pot and stir in the remaining 3 cups of almond milk. Increase the heat to medium and bring the soup to a low simmer. Chop the broccoli into small pieces and put it into the pot. Let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the broccoli is tender but not mushy.
- Finish with 2 tbsp of lemon juice and add more salt and pepper to taste. Add more broth or water if the soup is too thick.
Mmm comfort food! This is most definitely worth a try. 🙂
Thanks, Ashley! Enjoy!
Is there a way to make this recipe in a crockpot instead of a Dutch oven. I work late nights and prepping meals then turning on a crock pot works much easier for me.
I haven't tried it but I definitely think it would work!
This was delicious and fast.
Thank you, Shaina! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Could you replace the potatoes and use cauliflower instead? Would it change the consistency?
Hi, Taryn! You could definitely replace the potatoes with cauliflower but the consistency won't be as thick as if you used potatoes. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I tried it with cauliflower and it was ok. I will be sticking with the potatoes next time. Thanks for this recipe.
This looks so good! We have a lot of allergies over here. Are there any substitutions for nutritional yeast?
Hi Ali! I'm sorry but don't know of anything that you could substitute for the nooch but you could just leave it out. I hope you enjoy it!
My husband and I totally enjoyed this extremely flavorful soup! I put half the broccoli in the blender, and half the broccoli in the pot. Loved it. thank you! 5 star rating - for some reason, my computer (maybe Chrome?) won't let me highlight more than 2 stars! No!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you both enjoyed the recipe! I'll have to look into the star issue, I'm not sure what could be causing that but I really appreciate that you tried to leave a 5 star rating! =)
LOVE this recipe! Have made it every week for the past month, and I'm not vegetarian or vegan 🙂 would you have the approximate nutritional information / caloric value for a cup of soup?
Hello! I'm sorry, I don't have the nutritional value for the recipe but I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe!
My boyfriend and I are new to the vegan diet. The hardest part for us both is the cheese and, of course, cheesy soups! I made this tonight for dinner and we loved it! Definitely going to be making it again throughout this coming cold season! It's perfectly creamy and had a great cheese flavor.
Thank you!
I'm so glad you both enjoyed the soup, Kayla! Thank you so much for letting me know! If you like quesadillas, give the cheesy veggie quesadillas a try next, my hubby is obsessed with them and he didn't even know it wasn't dairy cheese until I told him!
Could this be done without the cashews or chickpeas?
Hi Natacha! The cashews just add a smooth creaminess to the soup (I haven't tried it yet without) but I don't see why you can make it without them. The potatoes will still give the soup the creamy richness that you want in broccoli "cheese" soup. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy =)
Hello! You can but it won't be as creamy without the cashews.
Wow! This soup is AMAZING!!!! First time trying a vegan recepis that was based around cheese! I am so impressed & can not wait to share with family & friends hear on out! Especially during the fall season! Thank you For a very flavorful, easy meal!
Thank you so much, Lizzy, your comment made my day! I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup, it's one of our favorites too! I hope you get to try some of my other vegan cheese recipes!
Hello! I LOVE this soup! I have not had Panera version, but I loved Whole Foods version...until I became allergic to dairy, gluten and corn. I have made this twice now and it's perfect!
I modified and used cannelloni beans for cashews and sweet potato for russet. Pure bliss! Thank you for sharing your kitchen table with us ❤
Thank you so much for letting me know! I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup, I'm going to try it with sweet potatoes next time...yum!
I'd like to try substituting cauliflower for the potatoes. Any idea on quantity?
Hi Becky, I haven't tried it with cauliflower yet but I would definitely use the whole head. Potatoes have a thicker consistency than cauliflower once they're blended so I wouldn't skimp, you want the soup to be super creamy so it replicates the thick cheesy texture of traditional broccoli cheese soup! Let me know how it turns out!
Hi Stacey - I am going to give this recipe a try. Do you know if it freezes well? Thanks!
Hi, Trisha! I'm sorry, I haven't tried freezing it. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
This soup sounds AMAZING! I used to love broccoli and cheese soup, but since my body doesn't tolerate dairy anymore, that's one of the foods I've cut out almost entirely. I'm definitely bookmarking this recipe for future reference! Love that you used all natural ingredients to achieve that cheesy flavor too! Can't wait to make it!
Thank you so much, Joscelyn! I hope you enjoy it!
This soup looks fantastic! My mouth is definitely watering. I'm going to save this recipe and try it soon. I love finding new recipes!
Thank you!
Okay so I'm probably about as opposite of a vegan as you can get haha BUT this is super cool. I had no idea that so many things could create an equally cheesy, creamy dish! It's intriguing to me for sure and I love the added nutritional value. not sure I could break away from my panera bowl though lol!
I know, it's hard! I used to loveeee a bread bowl of broccoli cheese soup but this soup really does hit the spot! Promise =)
I'll be adding this to this week's menu. I tried to make this soup months ago using Daiya cheese, but it just didn't work out, so I'm so glad I came across this recipe. Looks delicious!
That's one of the brands I tried and didn't care for either. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This soup looks so mouthwatering! I want to make it for lunch today! I think I'll just run over to the store and buy the ingredients I'm missing. Thanks for sharing such a great soup recipe! (Fyi, I don't like soups bit this one in particular I'd totally devour it!)
*I'm trying to give this recipe 5 stars but it won't let me, it just lets me up to 3....just so you know 🙂
Thank you for letting me know, I'll look into it! I hope you enjoy the soup!
I have found a vegan cheese that I love! But I totally agree you can make yummy 'cheesy' food without it!
Which brand do you like? I'll give it a try!
This looks delicious! I've had things made with "cashew cheese" before and it's really great! The kids took a holistic cooking class and made the best nachos with it. I will give the a try for sure because I too love that soup at Panera, LOL! I'm also switching things up to make some healthier choices these days, so this comes right on time!
That's wonderful that your kids are open to trying different forms of cooking, I love that! Nachos with cashew "cheese" sauce is one of our favorite treat snacks! I hope you enjoy the soup as much as we do! =)