There’s nothing cozier than a bowl on a rainy or chilly day. This creamy broccoli soup is delicious, nourishing, and so easy to make! It only requires a handful of ingredients, which come together quickly. You’re definitely not going to want to go back to the canned version after having your first spoonful of this.
Broccoli is in season from October through April, and this recipe gets put on repeat whenever I get my hands on fresh broccoli from the farmer’s market. I also make my Broccoli Tots and Skillet Broccoli with Forbidden Rice repeatedly. Trust me, if you’ve got a broccoli-hater on your hands, then these recipes will convert them to be a broccoli-lover!
Key Ingredients You Need
- Broccoli — When you select your broccoli, make sure it has tight green florets, and the stalks are firm. Both fresh and frozen broccoli works for this recipe.
- Chicken broth — Use low sodium chicken broth when you’re able to. If you only have regular chicken broth, then decrease the salt added to the soup. You can also swap for vegetable broth if you’d prefer!
How to Make Cream of Broccoli Soup
Step 1: Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of butter. Once melted, add the onions and sauté until soft.
Step 2: Add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Step 3: Next, add broccoli and chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes covered.
Step 4: Use a handheld blender and puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a blender instead.
Step 5: Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and make a roux by melting the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and whisking in the flour. Add it to the soup.
Step 6: Add in the cream and stir until combined.
Tips For This Recipe
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Make sure there is a way for steam to escape before blending the ingredients as the liquid is hot. Also, do not overfill the blender with hot liquid. The steam can build pressure and “blow” the top of your lid off. If the lid has a removable compartment, remove it and cover the hole with a damp towel to allow the steam to leave while keeping the liquid from splashing out.
- Enjoy this recipe chilled or warmed as both ways are delicious.
- If using frozen florets, then you can add the broccoli straight from frozen. There’s no need to thaw it ahead of time.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, feel free to blend only half of the soup or blend it slightly.
- Want to turn this into a broccoli cheddar soup? Stir in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Want to save yourself washing a saucepan? Skip making the roux and add the butter and flour to the broccoli soup directly and whisk vigorously to get the flour balls to dissolve.
- The roux is used to thicken the broccoli soup so don’t skip it!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can definitely turn this into a vegan cream of broccoli soup with just a few simple swaps. Swap the butter for vegan butter, chicken broth with vegetable broth, and the cream for non-dairy milk of your choice, such as canned coconut milk.
You can make this into a gluten-free soup by swapping the flour for gluten-free flour. Sweet rice flour and arrowroot starch make for a great gluten-free substitute as well.
I like to add croutons, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or some small roasted broccoli florets to the soup for some added texture. You can try topping the soup off with some red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, freshly cracked pepper, grated parmesan, or fresh herbs for additional flavor.
Store leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this soup. As we are using cream in this recipe, the soup may separate. However, don’t worry, as it’s just a visual issue, you can simply whisk it back together when you reheat the soup. You can also hold off adding the cream if you plan on freezing the soup and then add the cream once you’re reheating it.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter divided in half
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 cups broccoli florets
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add 2 tablespoon of butter. Once butter is melted, sauté onion until soft.
- Add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Next, add broccoli and chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes covered.
- Use a handheld blender and puree the soup until smooth. Optional to puree soup in a regular blender as well.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add in the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter and flour and whisk until it starts to thicken, then add to soup and stir until everything is combined.
- Stir in the cream to finish off.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Make sure there is a way for steam to escape before blending the ingredients as the liquid is hot. Also, do not overfill the blender with hot liquid. The steam can build pressure and “blow” the top of your lid off. If the lid has a removable compartment, remove it and cover the hole with a damp towel to allow the steam to leave while keeping the liquid from splashing out.
- Enjoy this soup chilled or warmed.
- If using frozen florets, you can add the broccoli straight from frozen. There’s no need to thaw it ahead of time.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, feel free to blend only half of the soup or blend it slightly.
- Want to turn this into a broccoli cheddar soup? Stir in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Want to save yourself washing a saucepan? Skip making the roux and add the butter and flour to the soup directly and whisk vigorously to get the flour balls to dissolve.
- The roux is used to thicken the broccoli soup so don’t skip it!
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