If ever there was a meal-worthy soup, it would be this easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup! This bowl full of colorful, chunky vegetables and a super thick cheesy “broth” is sure to leave you warm, happy, and satisfied. Unlike others I’ve tried, my broccoli cheddar soup recipe doesn’t use heavy cream and is slightly lighter on the cheese, so you still get all that creamy, cheesy goodness without feeling totally weighed down. But you can always add more cheese if you’d like! #norules.
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“Tried this, and my husband said it was the best broccoli cheddar soup he’d ever had, and all three kids asked for seconds! We’re going to be adding this to our regular rotation. Thanks for another stellar recipe!”
Ashley
Hearty Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
This cheesy homemade soup is so incredibly forgiving, which makes it one of my favorite creamy soups. The ingredients are kitchen staples like butter, flour, broth, milk, and cheddar, plus onion, broccoli, and carrots. But you can swap out some of the ingredients, add more cheese, or even blend the soup if preferred…it’ll still be just as cozy and satisfying!
Recipe Success Tips & Variations
- Use freshly shredded sharp cheddar for the best flavor and texture! Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that can affect the texture of your soup.
- Make it vegetarian. I used chicken broth as the base for my soup because it tends to be a little more on the mild side, and the light color doesn’t overshadow the orange color of the cheese. However, you can use vegetable broth instead to make this a vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup. Just be aware that it tends to have a stronger flavor, and the darker color may darken your soup.
- I dice my carrots fairly chunky, but you can dice them really small or slice them into matchsticks (like the Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup) if you’d like.
- Use any cheese you like (or a mix of cheeses). I use a sharp cheddar to impart a strong cheesy flavor into my soup, but use what you’ve got! Some readers have tried mozzarella, Parmesan, various cheddars (mild, smoked, etc), and a Mexican cheese blend.
- Add even more cheese than I use below if you want your soup extra cheesy.
- Want to make it spicy? Increase the cayenne pepper and use a habanero cheddar or pepper jack cheese!
- This broccoli cheddar soup is supposed to be a thick, hearty soup. If you want it EVEN thicker, go ahead and use an immersion blender to blend the veggies before adding your cheese. Or if you prefer a thinner soup, add a touch more broth or milk.
The Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Cost $5.34 recipe / $1.33 serving
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 1 lb. broccoli ($1.97*)
- 2 carrots ($0.23)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.40)
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26**)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.36)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (shredded, $1.27)
Video
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients.
- Dice the onion and chop the broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice the carrots.
- Add the butter and onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
- Pour in chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
- Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in the whole milk, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
- Add the chopped broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it's to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted. ***
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Soup Pot
- Grater
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup Step-by-Step videos
Sauté the onion: Start by dicing 1 yellow onion and chopping 1 lb. of broccoli into very small pieces. Peel and slice 2 carrots. Next, add 4 Tbsp butter and the diced onion to a large soup pot and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add 4 Tbsp flour and sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the flour is coating the bottom of the pot and is a light golden brown color.
Add the chicken broth: Pour in 2 cups chicken broth and whisk to dissolve the flour. Turn the heat up to medium-high and, while stirring often, bring the broth to a simmer. When it reaches a simmer it will thicken to a gravy consistency.
Add the seasonings: Turn the heat down to medium and whisk in 2 cups whole milk, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper. Allow the broth to come back to a simmer.
Add the veggies: Now add the chopped broccoli and carrots to the pot.
Simmer: Continue to simmer the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Test a piece of carrot or broccoli to make sure it’s to your desired tenderness. If not, simmer a bit longer.
Add the cheese: Turn the heat to medium-low and stir 6 oz. shredded cheese into the soup, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted. It’s important that your heat is reduced to medium-low here to ensure a nice emulsion and avoid any separation.
Serve: Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth—I did not add any). Serve and enjoy!
Soooo thick and cheesy!! 😍
What Goes with Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
This homemade soup, with its super thick and cheesy “broth,” is just begging for some crackers or my thick, crusty no knead bread for scooping up every last drop. I love saltine crackers with mine, but ranch oyster crackers would be awesome. Some crumbled air fried tortilla chips would also add the satisfying crunch I crave. But who says the soup has to be a solo event? A side sandwich would also be great. I LOVE a classic BLT or a cottage cheese wrap stuffed with salad veggies with my soups!
How to Store Leftovers
Most of my soup recipes are big batch, so you can freeze the leftovers and stock your freezer with all that goodness, but this soup is the exception. Cheese sauces (and, in this case, broths) thickened with a butter and flour roux don’t hold up to freezing and thawing. But don’t worry, I made this a small batch cheese soup recipe, so you don’t have to deal with too many leftovers. This recipe makes four generous servings.
That said, this creamy cheddar broccoli soup will stay good in your fridge for 3-4 days. And boy, are the leftovers DELICIOUS! They reheat beautifully in the microwave, or can be reheated on the stove top over medium-low heat, stirring often.
More Broccoli Cheddar Recipes
Our Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe was originally published 9/22/20. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 10/3/25.
I love this recipe – the kids prefer that we shred the carrots rather than slice them, and I think it helps the soup cook a little more quickly. I like to add a dollop of sour cream and some red pepper flakes to my bowl!
The first time I tried making broccoli cheddar soup, soon after I got married, was an unmitigated disaster. We tried to power through but ended up having to toss it — the broccoli was overcooked and the flavor and texture were terrible. But THIS SOUP! This soup has redeemed me! It’s creamy and cheesy and the broccoli comes out the perfect texture. I’ve made it twice now and it has been so so good each time! I’m going to make it for my in-laws this week, and I’m sure they’ll enjoy it just as much as my husband and I do!
I made this soup for lunch, and it was incredibly flavorful and fulfilling! I don’t usually do soups for lunch since they make me hungry too soon after the meal but this didn’t. I substituted the cheddar with strong black emmental which I happened to have in the fridge along with the other simple ingredients!
This is my favorite broccoli soup recipe EVER! I’ve shared it with everyone. ♥️ it!
Been making this for years–for me, and not Hubs, who hates broccoli. I like spice and have done this with pepper jack, but nothing trumps the taste of sharp cheddar. Consequently, in addition to the diced onion, I saute some diced poblano and jalapeno chilis. I also use a clove or two, depending on size, of finely minced garlic instead of the garlic powder. I dice the carrots to 1/4″ or even smaller, but other than that, follow this recipe. The carrots could even be grated. If it wasn’t absolutely delicious, I wouldn’t have been making it for so many years!
Super yummy!
Hands down one of the best soups I’ve made. I used chickpea flour and added bacon :) as for the veg I cheated a little and used thawed frozen broccoli. It came out great and there were sadly no leftovers the next day. Will definitely be making this again!
Just made this for lunch. It was simple and delicious. I used a bit of habanero cheese and cheddar because we like spice. Also used an immersion blender but only for a bit. We like the bites of veg. Really loved it.
I made this soup today and it was great!
No offense, but I’m a 63-year-old man.That is taken over the kitchen for my handicapped.Wife, when you say something is easy.Twelve ingredients doesn’t make it easy.
To make things easier you could purchase shredded/crinkle sliced/or even frozen sliced carrots, frozen cut broccoli, frozen diced onions, and shredded cheese. This would cut down on the prep time and still give you a very delicious soup at the end.
I’m sorry,but,this is about as basic as you can get..they do powered and canned soups of the same variety that you could add some extra veggies to,or more cheese,,,but we’re talking quality over convince here ..good luck
DELICIOUS!!!I did use shredded Mexican blend and used more than called for (extra cheesey). I also used coconut milk and added bacon. I will definitely make again.
Delicious and so easy! Most of the ingredients were on sale this week- so that was a bonus!
Absolutely loved this!! My Fiancé is not a big soup person and he devoured three bowls. I’m just sad there aren’t more leftovers. If I were to double this recipe, would I double the amount of butter and flour, too? Thanks! :)
Really good Beth on a cold, rainy PNW Monday! Like another poster I had some Kraft Singles needing to be used & with shredded Bandon Sharp it hit the spot. No carrot handy but I subbed about a 1/2 cup of ‘peas & carrots’ in which added some nice color contrast. I’d make again…..thanks for the motivation!…………Bill
I loved the method for this recipe, it was streamlined and easy to follow. And so delicious! I’ve made several times as written, and it’s perfect. It’s flexible enough that when I only had half the cheddar, I made up the difference with some Kraft singles and some Parmesan and it was just as good.
Do you think gluten free flour would work?
I think that should work fine!