This Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup is a classic dish, bursting with flavor, naturally gluten-free, and easy to make. Creamy and smooth, this soup is satisfying and light at the same time.
This classic American dish has been popular for countless years and for good reason. You can’t beat a delicious, warm bowl of cheesy soup. It hits all the right spots, even during the warm months.
A vegan broccoli cheddar soup is the epitome of comfort food and is actually a pretty healthy choice since it doesn’t contain cream or regular cheese as opposed to the traditional version. The soup is also easy to adjust and versatile.
As you can tell, this low carb broccoli cheese soup is using nutritional yeast instead of real cheese, yet it tastes “cheesy” and yummy! Many people feel that if they go vegan, they’ll have to deal with strange flavors or no flavors at all. However, this vegan broccoli soup will surprise even the greatest skeptics and change their minds on vegan dishes.
“I Was Obsessed With Cheese”
My boyfriend and I both went vegan in September 2011 but I remember the time as a vegetarian when I was obsessed with cheese! Countless times I said to my boyfriend “All vegans are crazy…” or “I could never go vegan because of cheese…“. I actually convinced him to eat more cheese because I loved it so much and thought it’s healthy. Well, I was totally wrong!
He never really liked cheese and was actually happy going vegan as I couldn’t “force” him anymore to eat cheese, lol! Now I make my own Vegan Cheese Sauce which he loves! The nutritional yeast cheese sauce is actually one of my most popular recipes that can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes!
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast is a popular product among vegans and vegetarians alike as it’s a great source of vitamins and minerals. Outside of this aspect, it also has a delicious flavor that goes well with many foods. It has often been described as having a nutty or cheesy flavor, with various brands varying in flavor.
It comes in the form of powder, flakes, or granules and can easily be found at most whole foods or health food stores. The yeast is deactivated, which means the yeast cells are killed off during the creation process. So, this yeast isn’t like the yeast used in baking.
How To Make Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup?
Making this cheesy vegan broccoli soup is seriously a breeze. All you need is two pots and an immersion blender (or regular blender) to blend the cheesy soup. Check the step-by-step photos below:
STEP 1: In a large pot, heat the oil. Then sauté the onion for around 3 minutes.
STEP 2: Stir in the potatoes, carrots, and garlic.
STEP 3: Once combined, add all the spices, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. In a separate pot, steam the broccoli until fork tender.
STEP 4: Using an immersion blender, blend the carrot and potato soup. You can also use a regular blender.
STEP 5: Blend until the soup is creamy.
STEP 6: Stir in the nutritional yeast and cashew butter. Whisk until smooth.
STEP 7: Add in the steamed broccoli.
STEP 8: Stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired and enjoy!
Helpful Tips & Variations
- Add-in suggestions – You can add in lemon juice if desired. You can add other seasonings or more of certain seasonings based on your own preferences. Just know that certain seasonings can really change the flavor of a soup, so beware when adding new ones.
- Storage – To store your vegan broccoli cheddar soup, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
- Garnish ideas – Top your vegan cheese soup with freshly chopped herbs if desired. You can top it with chives, for example, which is my favorite choice.
- Make it spicy – If you want to add a kick to your soup, you can include some crushed red peppers in with the other seasonings. You can also add in a fresh, sliced jalapeño with the other veggies.
- Make a keto broccoli cheese soup – If you want to make this soup keto-friendly or more low carb, reduce the amount of potatoes to one. If you have a more keto-friendly option that’s similar to potatoes, then you can use that as well. Just know substitutions may make the soup have a different flavor.
- Roast the broccoli – You can roast the broccoli in the oven for even more flavor instead of steaming it.
Substitutes
- Cashew butter – You can use any other nut butter of choice. To me, cashew butter is the best option because the flavor is rather neutral, however, you could also use peanut butter, almond butter, etc. Use cashews if you don’t have nut butter at home. Simply add 1/2 cup of cashews to the soup and boil them with the carrots and potatoes, then blend everything in a blender. Another option would be to use coconut cream!
- Nutritional yeast – As far as I know, there is no substitute for nutritional yeast that makes a dish taste “cheesy”. You could add a little miso paste for flavor but it won’t taste the same.
- Broccoli – You can use frozen broccoli instead of fresh.
Should you decide to give this tasty vegan broccoli cheese soup a try, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan – I would love to see it!
If you love delicious, easy vegan soups, make sure to check out more below:
- Vegan Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Pasta Soup
- Vegan White Bean Soup
- The Best Lentil Soup
- Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Vegan Corn Chowder
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan French Onion Soup
- Vegan Carrot Soup
This Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 (300 g) potatoes peeled & diced
- 2-3 (200 g) carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/3 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast (*see notes)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) cashew butter (*see notes)
- 1 large head (400 g) broccoli (about 3 cups of florets) fresh or frozen
- Fresh herbs to garnish
- A little lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- You can watch the short video for visual instructions.Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Stir in the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Stir to combine. Add all spices, the bay leaf and pour in the vegetable broth.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the veggies are softened.
- Meanwhile, cook broccoli in a different pot. I steamed the florets for a couple of minutes until fork-tender.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender you can also blend it in a blender until completely smooth.
- Add nutritional yeast and the cashew butter. Stir or whisk until smooth.
- Finally, add the cooked broccoli and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt/pepper/spices to taste.
- You can also add a little lemon juice and garnish the soup with fresh herbs (I used chives). Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Check the recipe notes below.
Notes
- Cashew butter - You can use any other nut butter of choice. Use cashews if you don't have nut butter at home. Simply add 1/2 cup of cashews to the soup and boil them with the carrots and potatoes, then blend everything in a blender. Another option would be to use coconut cream!
- Roast the broccoli - You can roast the broccoli in the oven for even more flavor instead of steaming it.
- Make it keto - If you want to keep this keto broccoli cheese soup keto-friendly or more low carb, reduce the amount of potatoes to one. If you have a more keto-friendly option that’s similar to potatoes, then you can use that as well. Just know substitutions may make the soup have a different flavor.
- Nutritional yeast - Read the blog post to find out what nutritional yeast is. Unfortunately, there isn't really a substitute that would make the broccoli soup as "cheesy". You could add a little miso paste for flavor but it won't taste the same.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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How big is a serving?
About 300 grams.
Wow, this was a wonderful soup!! I used unsweetened peanut butter and I think it imparted a really special flavor, so I would recommend it for any other peanut butter lovers who don’t have cashew butter on hand. Would highly recommend adding the optional chives and lemon juice as well. Thank you 🙂
So glad it turned out delicious, Rose. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Made this for dinner and I loved it, my husband liked it. I di not tell him there wasn’t any cheese. I blended the broccoli as well so it all was creamy.
Wonderful! Thanks for your great feedback, Suzanne. 🙂
I’ve been wanting to make this for quite a while but my husband isn’t a massive fan of nutritional yeast so we’ve not got around to it until today. It was really quite delicious. Even my husband quite enjoyed it. I substituted the cashew butter for oat based creme fraiche because I find cashew butter a bit overpowering and it still turned out really creamy.
That’s good to hear, Emma. I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Incredibly delicious! Big hit
Hi Savannah, I am so glad you liked it. 🙂
Yummy soup!
Hi Amanda, I am glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi, this looks delicious ~Can you please tell me if the nutritional Information is for the entire recipe or serving? If by serving, what is the serving size?
Thank you!!
Hi Stacy! It’s for one serving and one serving should be about 1 to 1 1/4 cups. 🙂
Thank you!
You are welcome, Stacy. 🙂
Hello! Hope you are having a good day! What program do you use to calculate the nutritional information automatically??
It’s the recipe plugin I use (WP recipe maker). But in the past I used Cronometer 🙂
This was so delicious and easy to make. I used coconut cream and doubled the recipe. My family loved it! I love all of your recipes so much. I always turn to your blog for inspiration and yummy meals and treats.
Aww, that’s wonderful, Candice! Thanks so much for your sweet comment. 🙂
I am a new vegan and so far I am in LOVE with these recipies you have and this soup… fantastic !!! I appreciate how simple and easy this was! Yummy
I am so glad you liked it, Jill! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Easy and delicious to make. I used whole cashew as suggested. It was creamy and comforting. Thank you for sharing. All the best!
Happy to hear it turned out creamy and comforting! Thanks for your great feedback, Minnie. 🙂
This recipe was equally easy and delicious! I used coconut cream instead of cashew butter because that is what I had on hand, and it was so delicious all three of my children and my husband gobbled it up! Thanks! ❤️
That’s amazing!! I am so glad you all loved the soup. Thanks for your fantastic feedback! 🙂
Hi Ela,
One more time it turned out amazing good looking and tasty meal!
Your recipes is giving me something interesting to do during this difficult time. Soon it will become habit.
Lots of thanks:)
So happy it was a success, Roopa! I am glad you are trying out so many of my recipes. 🙂
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious and super simple! Exactly what I needed, vegan creamy cheesy comfort food! Thank you for suggesting substitutes too, so helpful as I didn’t have cashews/cashew butter.
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup, Tamar! Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe. 🙂
Ahem…
This was bomb as f*ck.
I’m sorry for the profanity, but it’s that good.
@alienjamilyn
Haha, no worries, Jamie! I am glad you liked the soup. 😀
So delicious & easy to make!!
Whole family loved it. I added an extra potato for a little extra thickness but that was the only adjustment!
Super yummy & simple!
Will be making again
Awesome! I am so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for your comment, Rachel. 🙂
Can’t believe how easy this was to make and it’s so yummy! Tastes cheesy and the crunch of the broccoli goes really well with the creamy texture of the soup. I added extra red pepper flakes.
That’s amazing, Thuva! I am so glad you liked the soup. Thanks for your great feedback! 🙂