Nut and dairy free, this creamy vegan broccoli cheddar soup is easy, fast, and packed with flavor from wholesome simple ingredients.
Are you a fan of soups? I have become one in recent years and this creamy vegan broccoli cheddar soup is at the top of my list. To be honest, I had my doubts. However, I made a big pot for my brothers for Sunday dinner and they licked it clean! They left me none to actually photograph so I had to make another big pot. Then my husband and in-laws licked that pot clean. Suffice to say, I’ve made this recipe many, many times and each time, none has gone to waste.
One of my biggest pet peeves about vegan soups is that many of them, whilst they don’t lack for flavor, they sometimes lack for protein. I have solved this problem with a hidden secret ingredient that no one would ever guess is in there: white beans! They blend right in and actually enhance the creaminess of the soup.
The Ingredients
What else, besides beans, adds to the creaminess of the soup? Good old-fashioned potatoes! “Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew!” (Any Lord of the Rings fans out there?!). Pureeing potatoes with the white beans creates a solid base for this soup that results in volume and creaminess. It’s the perfect texture.
We’re also adding flavor by using the power of onions, garlic, carrots and celery. To achieve that cheese-type flavor in this vegan creamy broccoli cheddar soup, we’re enlisting the help of nutritional yeast. Instead of heavy dairy cream, I opt to use a can of full fat coconut milk. You cannot taste the coconut at all. However, if you’re allergic to coconut or simply averse to it, you can use another full fat plant milk; I have made this with oat milk and it works great!
Our highlight: the broccoli, of course! A full pound is necessary however, you may want a little extra to sprinkle on top if that’s your style.
The Process
The process is as easy as throwing all the ingredients in a pot, simmering until soft and then blending. What’s really important to note is the texture you want to achieve. Do you want to have it chunky and gritty? Or would you prefer a velvety smooth creaminess? Lucky for you, I have trialed it both ways and I have tips on how to achieve both textures. The one thing I have learned from my kids is that texture matters. Personally, I love the velvety smooth creaminess.
Velvety Smooth: if you’re looking for a smooth texture, using a high speed blender is the best way to achieve this. After the ingredients have simmered and melded sufficiently, you’ll add the broth to a blender and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. When it comes to add the broccoli in, you can blend that smooth too or you can use the “chop” function on the blender to add some chunks of broccoli. Or you can even blend it smooth, chop the steamed broccoli on a cutting board and then toss them into the soup.
Chunky: if you’re looking a chunky texture, then I recommend a handheld immersion blender. Once your ingredients have finished simmering and melding, you blend the base/broth with the handheld blender. Then you add the steamed broccoli and blend it in bursts to leave chunks. You can see this process in a video I have on Instagram here.
Either way, the flavor is the same and you can’t go wrong!
Serving the Soup
You can serve the soup as is or you can toss in some toppings to add flavor and texture. Popular add-ons include extra broccoli chunks (steamed or even oven-roasted!), extra cheese, croutons or fresh crusty bread, a dollop of sour cream, etc. I like to pair my soups with a salad or sandwich but with the addition of the beans here, you don’t even need to add a side! It’s a full and complete balanced meal on its own. Isn’t is such a beautiful thing when you don’t need to cook multiple dishes?!
I hope you enjoy my creamy vegan broccoli cheddar soup! If soups are your jam, then check out these other soup recipes that I have for you:
– Greek Lentil Soup
– Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup
– Lemon Chickpea & Rice Soup
If you’re in need of an amazing pot to not only cook soups in but to serve with style, check out my favorite cast iron Dutch oven pot here.
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
- Big Pot
- Handheld Immersion Blender OR High Speed Blender
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 large onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced potatoes yellow or gold work best
- 1 15oz can of white beans navy, great northern or cannellini work best
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp pepper
- 1 15oz can of full fat coconut milk substitute with 1 cup oat or other plant milk
- 1 pound broccoli florets plus more if adding garnish
Instructions
- Dice the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes. Add the onions and garlic to a big pot with the olive oil and vegan butter.
- Drain and rinse the can of white beans.
- Simmer the onions and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Don't let them burn.
- Add the carrots, celery and potatoes to the onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the veggie broth, coconut milk, white beans, spices and herbs, nutritional yeast, and mustard to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the pot is simmering, add the broccoli to a steamer and steam about 7-8 minutes, until fork tender. (If you're going for a velvety smooth texture, it doesn't matter how soft you steam the broccoli).
For CHUNKY texture
- Turn off the heat after 20 minutes and blend the broth with a handheld immersion blender directly in the pot for about 3-4 minutes, until there are no chunks or whole veggies left in the broth.
- Add the steam broccoli and with the handheld blender, chop the broccoli into the soup. If you want big chunks of broccoli, chop in small bursts. If you want a slightly more blended version, hold the blender in longer.No need to cook longer.
For Velvety Smooth texture
- Carefully add some of the broth to a high speed blender. Be very careful about blending hot things (it can explode) so try to release steam as you go. Fill up only halfway if blending hot. OR pour some of the broth into the blender and wait 10 minutes until the broth has cooled somewhat. Then blend 2-3 minutes until very smooth. You may have to blend in batches depending on how large your blender is.
- Pour the smooth broth in a big bowl and then add more broth from the pot to the blender and blend.
- When you've blended the last of your broth, add the steamed broccoli into the blender with 3 cups of broth and blend until smooth.
- Add all of the smooth broth from the bowl and the blender back to the pot and simmer and stir for 3-5 minutes until well incorporated and hot again.
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