Broccoli Potato Soup
Packed with potatoes, broccoli and cheese, this creamy Broccoli Potato Soup is the perfect 30 minute meal for those cold fall and winter nights!
I have a 2-year-old boy, and he never eats soup. But to my pleasant surprise, he ate a full bowl of this broccoli potato soup. That’s a huge win for me, especially because broccoli can sometimes be a difficult vegetable for kids to eat. Lucky for me, my kids do a pretty good job of eating their vegetables.
Is broccoli one of your go-to vegetables or one you prefer to avoid? If you love broccoli, then you’ll love this broccoli soup recipe! If broccoli isn’t your favorite, then a great way to ease into broccoli is using it in dishes with other ingredients: in a stir fry, a smoothie, in a pasta, or, yep you guessed! — In a soup.
I love this soup because it’s creamy, flavorful and easy to make! There’s something so homey and comfy about eating a bowl of soup. It means there’s finally a chill in the air.
Growing up, the broccoli cheddar soup my mom would make is a blended broccoli cheddar soup. There weren’t really chunks of broccoli it was all just pureed together with cheese and other ingredients. I’m more of a chunky broccoli soup kind of gal. I like the texture of the vegetables. In fact, I make sure to cook my broccoli so it is just cooked. I like it to still have that bright green color to it and to not be mushy!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Potatoes – peeled and chopped
- Low sodium chicken broth — If you’d like to make this recipe vegetarian, simply swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth!
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Broccoli – cut into florets (about 2 medium broccoli heads)
- Half and half — Fun fact, half and half is actually half heavy cream, half milk! Half and half is definitely a better option if you’re looking for a healthier option than a full heavy cream, but still want a thicker soup texture than using straight milk.
- Grated cheddar cheese
How to Make Broccoli Potato Soup
- In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the chopped potatoes to the pot and the 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, and then turn the heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the potatoes are slightly fork tender, about 9 minutes. We will be boiling the potatoes even more once we add the broccoli, so you don’t want the potatoes to be excessively soft.
- Remove from heat. Carefully scoop out 2 cups of the soup and potatoes. Set aside. Using an immersion blender, gently blend the contents in the pan. I didn’t blend mine very much, I like a chunkier soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender just skip this step. The soup is great without the immersion blender!
- Add the 2 cups of reserved potatoes and soup back into the pan. Now add the broccoli, salt, pepper, and half and half. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the broccoli is fork tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Serve warm, topped with additional cheese if desired.
Tools Used for This Recipe
- Immersion blender
- Large pot
- Knife and cutting board (for vegetables)
- Soup ladle
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook your broccoli! I like broccoli to still have a bit of a crisp to it. I never cook my broccoli until it’s super soft. You want the broccoli to still have the vibrant green color to it. I’ve found that broccoli doesn’t take that long to cook. But you cook it according to your taste preference.
- If you don’t have half and half or heavy cream you’re welcome to use milk instead. The consistency of your soup won’t be as thick, but if you’re in a bind, that’s a good option.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a bullet or a normal blender to pulse part of the soup. You’re also welcome to skip that step and have an even chunkier soup.
- For a completely vegetarian broccoli potato cheese soup, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
FAQs
- Can you freeze broccoli soup? — A good rule of thumb when it comes to freezing is asking: is there dairy or pasta? Dairy tends to separate when it’s frozen and then thawed. Pasta tends to become mushy after being frozen and thawed. You’re welcome to freeze this soup so long as you remove the portion you are freezing prior to adding the half and half. Then, when you are ready to eat the soup, pull it out of the freezer, let it thaw and then follow the recipe from the part you left off at.
- Can I use milk instead of heavy cream or half and half? — Yes, of course! Use what you have or what you prefer. Just remember, with milk instead of cream, the soup won’t be as thick and creamy.
- How long does it take to make broccoli soup? — This is a pretty quick recipe that only takes about 30 minutes to make.
- What goes well with broccoli soup? — I love soup with homemade rolls!
If you love this broccoli potato soup, you’ll love these recipes:
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Broccoli Caesar Salad
- Broccoli Smoothie — Trust me on this. It doesn’t even taste like broccoli!
- Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- Taco Soup
Broccoli Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 T butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 4 cups potatoes - peeled and chopped (I used golden potatoes, but russets are good too).
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups broccoli - cut into florets (about 2 medium broccoli heads)
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the chopped potatoes to the pot and the 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, and then turn the heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the potatoes are slightly fork tender, about 9 minutes. We will be boiling the potates even more once we add teh broccoli so you don't want the potatoes to be excessively soft.
- Remove from heat. Carefully scoop out 2 cups of the soup and potatoes. Set aside. Using an immersion blender, gently blend the contents in the pan. I didn't blend mine very much, I like a chunkier soup. If you don't have an immersion blender just skip this step. The soup is great without the immersion blender!
- Add the 2 cups of reserved potatoes and soup back into the pan. Now add the broccoli, salt, pepper, and half and half. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the broccoli is fork tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Serve warm, topped with additional cheese if desired.
Notes
This recipe was first published in November 2017, it has been updated with new pictures and better recipe tips and instructions.
Welcome to this delicious corner of the internet! Here I share the recipes my family loves.
