This broccoli cheese soup is creamy and full of fresh broccoli flavor. It’s garnished with easy-to-make crispy onions – this is a favorite cold-weather warmer!
Broccoli Cheese Soup
If it’s going to snow and be all freezing cold outside we might as well take advantage of it and make some soup, right?
Surprisingly, the weather folks got it right this time and we got our first glimpse of snow flurries on Monday that quickly turned to a freezing rain/sleet mixture that coated the ground in dangerous icy white stuff. Now the snow/sleet/freezing rain has passed leaving us with frigid temperatures and I can’t say I’m too excited about the overnight low of 8 degrees (!) this week. That’s just wrong.
Of course, the silver lining is that we get to make soup! Soup was made for cold weather – there’s nothing better than slow-simmering a big pot while day-dreaming about snow days, which, by the way, NEVER happens anymore thanks to laptops, VPN, and cell phones. Schools around here close up at just the hint of snow, but we’re stuck working remotely thanks to all the wonderful technology enabling us to stay connected at work. I am so jealous of those kids.
Anyway, we might not get snow days anymore, but we can still have soup. In this case, a big warm bowl of creamy broccoli cheese soup – let’s break it down…
Recipe Notes
- It all starts with some butter, onion, and garlic – is there anything that smells better?
- The minute they hit the heat the most wonderful aroma emerges, which always makes me feel happy inside.
- Once they’ve cooked in goes some flour and veggie stock – the flour/butter combo will help thicken the soup – and then the milk and half & half, which takes the soup to creamy richness heaven.
- Finally, fresh broccoli florets are added at which point the soup just needs to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- In that time it will thicken, the broccoli will cook, and all those flavors will meld together.
- Right at the very end, the cheese is added – I used an aged white cheddar, which is nice and mild.
- This soup is smooth. It’s creamy. It’s cheesy. It’s full of fresh broccoli flavor.
But that’s not all… Let’s not forget the garnish!
- A fun and tasty garnish makes a plain bowl of broccoli cheese soup a fancy one and we like that!
- Even soup needs a little sparkle, so on a whim, while the soup was simmering, I fried up some crispy onions – sounds like a match made in heaven, right? Crispy onions, broccoli, and cheese? So good.
- Along with the crispy onions, I steamed a few extra broccoli florets to pile in the center of the bowl. You know, because it’s pretty.
- You could skip the garnish – the soup is awesome all on its own – but you’d miss out on that great crispy texture. It’s like adding croutons except way better. It’s fun to accessorize your soup!
Altogether the soup and garnish combine into one delicious and warming bowl of goodness.
Happy cooking,
More Soup Recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Soup with Pico de Gallo Garnish
- Hearty Sausage Soup
- Potato Soup with Crispy Pancetta
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This broccoli and cheese soup is creamy and full of fresh broccoli flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 cup half & half
- 4 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped (about 2 heads)
- 8 ounce aged white cheddar cheese, grated
For the Garnish
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- canola oil
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and let them cook until they soften about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and let it all cook another minute or two.
- Add the flour, a little at a time, to the butter, onions, and garlic stirring constantly. Once all of the flour is added let it cook for another couple of minutes before slowly whisking in the vegetable stock. Whisk continuously to ensure there are no lumps of flour. Next, add the milk and half & half. Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer then lower the heat and add the broccoli florets. Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- While the soup is simmering make the garnish. First, soak the sliced onions in the milk for a few minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with the salt and pepper and set aside. Pour some canola oil into a medium pan until it reaches about 1 inch up the side. Heat the oil over medium heat to about 360 degrees.
- Once the oil is at temperature, remove the onions from the milk and toss them in the flour mixture until coated. Shake off the excess flour and then add them to the hot oil. Using tongs gently move them around so they don’t clump up together. Keep an eye on them – once they turn a nice golden brown they’re done. Remove them from the pan to drain on a paper towel.
- For the broccoli garnish, I just steamed the florets using a steamer bag in the microwave. You could also boil them on the stovetop until tender. Once cooked set them aside.
- Once the soup has simmered and the broccoli is tender remove the pot from the heat. At this point, you can keep the soup as is, or blend it for a creamier consistency. I used an immersion blender to puree the soup, although you can also use a stand blender.
- Once blended, stir in the grated cheese, a handful at a time, stirring until it’s melted. Reserved about 1/4 cup of the cheese to use for garnish, if desired. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the steamed broccoli and crispy onions. Top with the remaining grated cheese and a little fresh ground pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 646
- Sugar: 10.3g
- Sodium: 1564.4mg
- Fat: 45.2g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.9g
- Carbohydrates: 38.2g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 24.3g
- Cholesterol: 115.3mg
Keywords: broccoli cheese soup, white cheddar soup, soup with broccoli
Meghan Lynch says
Eek. Add broccoli, but do I cover it?
April Anderson says
Do you mean cover the pot after you add the broccoli? You don’t need to, just simmer it uncovered.
Courtney @ Sweet Salty Tart says
Another way to use crispy onions! YAS! I soo want crispy onions to be the next food fad.
April says
Me, too!!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Your soup sounds good but your garnish makes it sound great.
The Steaming Pot says
It’s getting warm here,, but soup is welcome anytime! I love how you garnish (“accessorize” – nicely put!) it – very creative and appetizing.
★★★★★
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen says
Hi April, I would love a bowl right now, I adore soup. Kind of chilly here too! No snow, but lots of rain.
mymansbelly says
Yay soup! We aren’t quite as cold as you are, but I’m not used to cold at all and trying to adjust to the Winter temps here in TX has not been fun. This soup just looks warm and inviting.
Kelley @ Chef Savvy says
Beautiful pictures! I agree if it’s going to be snowing and freezing might as well make soup!!
Michelle { A Latte Food } says
I am so jealous of your cold weather! We’ve been hitting nearly 80 degrees over in my neck of the woods and I’m dying for some real February weather. But, I would eat this soup rain or shine (which is perfect since it’s all shine out this way 🙂 )! This looks fantastic!
April says
Cold weather is fun for about a minute – I much prefer 80 degrees!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
I looove broccoli cheese soup, it is definitely the absolute best thing to eat when it’s cold out. Your soup looks delicious! Love those crispy onions 🙂