This easy, creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cheese Soup takes everyone’s favorite broccoli cheese soup and amps it up with even more good-for-you veggies, and it’s ready in less than an hour!
One of the reasons I love soup is it’s a delicious way to eat your vegetables. This soup is the perfect example – you start with 9 cups of raw veggies! But that’s not what you’ll be thinking about while you’re eating it. You’ll just be thinking about how yummy it is…creamy, cheesy, and full of fabulous flavor!
I love classic broccoli cheese soup, but I’ll be honest – I’m picky about it. I want it creamy and slightly thick – not super thick to the point where it’s like paste. I’m not a huge fan of the texture of pureed soups (too much like baby food for me), so I want little chunks of broccoli in there – and lots of them. I want the soup to be super flavorful, and I want to actually taste the cheese.
Who’s with me on this one?
Sadly, too many times when I have ordered broccoli cheese soup out, I have indeed gotten a bowl of thick, pasty, overly pureed, where’s-the-broccoli, is-there-really-cheese-in-here, how-long-ago-was-this-soup-made, gray, flavorless soup. You’ve been there too. Am I right?
The answer? You know what I’m going to say. Make it at home, of course. That way, I get exactly what I want!
First and foremost, I want lots of veggies (look at them all – you’re not getting that in most restaurant or canned soups), so along with the broccoli I add cauliflower, carrots (love the pop of color they add), celery, and onions.
I add a little flour to lightly thicken the soup, but I don’t add so much that it ends up being super thick and pasty.
I use chicken base (Better Than Bouillon is my favorite brand #notsponsored) and water for the broth because I find that it has so much more flavor than canned or boxed chicken broth.
Instead of pureeing the soup, I mash the veggies with a potato masher until they get to exactly the texture I want. I don’t want to wrangle with big pieces. I just want nice little bits that I can see and actually have to chew (If you want to puree it, though, go right ahead!).
Finally, I add some half and half to make the soup creamy and then some sharp cheddar cheese so that you know there’s cheese in there!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Olive oil (regular or light – extra virgin not recommended)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Salt and pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Water
- Chicken base (such as Better Than Bouillon)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Half and half
- Sharp cheddar cheese
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER AND CHEESE SOUP:
Super easy, right? And it only takes about 40 minutes – including chopping all the veggies. You’ll be sitting down to a bowl of this warm and comforting soup before you know it!
TIPS AND TIDBITS:
- I prefer using fresh veggies for the best flavor and texture, but you can use frozen broccoli and cauliflower. Just make sure you reduce the cooking time so they don’t get too mushy.
- You can use boxed or canned chicken broth/stock instead of the chicken base and water (but I can’t guarantee it will be as flavorful!).
- Since I use flour to thicken the soup, this recipe is not gluten-free. However, you could omit the flour to make it gluten-free and then use your favorite gluten-free thickening agent and method (such as cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca starch, etc.) to thicken the soup.
- I don’t recommend freezing this soup. Soups with dairy in them can separate and have an odd texture when frozen and reheated.
I know it’s gilding the lily a bit, but I usually top my soup with a little extra cheese. I also like to sprinkle on some of my Cajun-Spiced Oyster Crackers for some crunch and extra flavor. Grilled cheese cut up into croutons also makes an excellent topper!
Oh, and it’s also fabulous with some of my Easy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits!
I hope you try this recipe for Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cheese Soup and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
- Cajun-Spiced Oyster Crackers
- Spicy Tomato Vegetable Soup
- Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup (Zuppa Toscana)
- Sausage & Tortellini Soup
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, use regular or light – not extra virgin
- 1 cup diced carrots, about 2 medium to large
- 1 cup diced celery, about 2 large ribs
- 1 cup diced onion, about 1 small to medium
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups water
- 4 teaspoons chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 3 cups fresh cauliflower florets
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot (I use a 4-quart or larger), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring.
- Combine the water and chicken base. Add to the pot along with the broccoli and cauliflower.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Using a potato masher, mash the veggies until they reach the desired consistency.
- Add the half and half and the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe makes 4 generous servings of about 2 cups each, which is perfect for a bowl of soup as the main dish, but you could stretch it out to 6 servings of about 1 1/3 cups each if you were serving it as a starter – more like a cup of soup rather than a bowl.
- You can use frozen broccoli and cauliflower. Just be sure to reduce the cooking time so that they don’t get mushy.
- You can use 4 cups of canned or boxed chicken stock in place of the chicken base and water, but the flavor will be a bit different (I think the chicken base has much more flavor).
- Omit the flour to make the soup gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free thickening agent and method to thicken the soup (cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca starch, etc.).
- I don’t recommend freezing this soup. Soups with dairy can separate and take on an odd texture when frozen and reheated.
This post was updated on 2/10/21 (updated images).
Shirley Caldwell
I made this soup last night. It was SO delicious 😋
Michelle
Thank you so much, Shirley! I am so happy that you enjoyed the soup, and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back to comment and rate the recipe!
Joy H
I really look forward to making this, but I’m curious about the nutritional information: ie calories/cup/serving, fat, carbs. Any help would be great!
Michelle
Hey there, Joy! Estimated calories are 471 per serving (about 2 cups of soup). This estimate was calculated based on the ingredients/brands that I used when making the recipe and could vary depending on the specific ingredients that you use. Sorry that I don’t have the other nutrition information yet, such as fat and carbs (working on that!), but you can always use one of the many available recipe nutrition calculators that are available online to get that info. Hope you give the recipe a try and enjoy it!
Colorado Cook
Light, creamy, and delicious. I love the idea of using a pastry blender instead of puréeing it. The texture turned out perfect.
Michelle
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Kathy
Awesome recipe. I added more cheese.
Michelle
Thank you, Kathy! So happy you enjoyed the soup (and more cheese is always yummy)!
Melanie
This is awesome! I made it today for lunch. Really easy and quick to make and it tastes great! I did not have whole carrots so used the bagged little carrots, did not have the chicken base so I used some good build on and no half and half, but used whipping cream. It tastes as good as in a restaurant. Thank you for the recipe!
Michelle
Thank you so much for the awesome comments, Melanie! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the soup, and I love that you made it work with what you had on hand!
Jane
Absolutely delicious! I used arrowroot to thicken rather than flour so it was a Keto soup. I loved it!
Michelle
Thank you so much, Jane! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the soup, and I appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!