Dairy free broccoli cheddar soup
This vegan broccoli cheddar soup recipe is creamy, comforting and delicious. This classic soup is made with carrots, broccoli, dairy free cheese and cashew cream. Delicious cheesy goodness.
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
If you used to love Panera's broccoli cheddar soup you're going to love this vegan version. (if you need some help ordering vegan at Panera bread, check out this guide to ordering vegan at Panera Bread).
This soup is pretty simple to make and will leave you feeling comforted and satisfied, especially on a rainy day. Serve this delicious soup as is or in a bread bowl.
This recipe is:
- Comforting
- Easy to make
- Dairy free, vegan and vegetarian
- Delicious
- Rich and creamy texture
- Full of cheesy flavor
🧂 Ingredient notes
- Broccoli - I used about two crowns of fresh broccoli. You can also use 4 cups of frozen broccoli. Chop up the broccoli into smaller pieces so you don't get large chunks. This is a great way to get the health benefits from broccoli, if you don't like eating it raw.
- Dairy free vegan cheddar cheese - I used Violife for this recipe. But feel free to use whatever vegan cheese brand you can find.
- Raw soaked cashews - The original recipe calls for heavy cream. When you soak raw cashews in boiled water, then blend them, you get a great alternative to heavy cream. A high speed blender works best, but a normal blender works well too.
- Shredded carrots - This adds a nice extra flavor and vitamins to the soup.
- Nutritional yeast flakes- This is a vegan's best friend when it comes to cheesy dishes. This will add some extra cheesy flavor to your soup, as well as a depth of flavor and some Vitamin B12 if it's been fortified. This has a slightly cheesy, nutty flavor to it.
- Seasonings - I used a little bit of smoked paprika and also garlic powder.
- Onion - What's a soup without sautéd onions? The basis of every soup.
- Fresh Garlic
- Olive oil or vegan butter - To sauté the onions
- Veggie broth - or mix water with vegetable bouillon paste for a great soup base.
↩️ Substitutions
If you don't have cashews, you can use a cup and a half of extra creamy, unsweetened oat milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk) or a can of full fat coconut milk
If you don't have dairy free cheese, use more nutritional yeast. About ½ cup.
✏️ Expert tips
- Top with something crunchy. Make your own croutons by baking and seasoning some stale bread. Or roast and season some broccoli to put on top.
- If you want to use up your broccoli stems, just peel them, cut off the fibrous ends and then shred them to add some more nutrients and flavor to the soup.
🔪 Step by step directions
- Boil some water, then pour it over the cashews in a coffee mug. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes.½ cup raw cashews
- Chop up the broccoli into small pieces. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and shred the carrots.
- Once, the cashews are done soaking for 10 minutes, strain, then blend them with 1 cup of water on high speed until well blended.½ cup raw cashews
- Heat a large soup pot on medium and add the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute.1 teaspoon oil,½ large onion
- Add the garlic and shredded carrots and saute for 1 minute. Add the broccoli, garlic powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, salt, vegetable broth and blended cashew cream and stir. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.4 cloves garlic,1 cup shredded carrot,3 cups broccoli,3 cups vegetable broth,1 teaspoon garlic powder,¼ teaspoon smoked paprika,1 tablespoon nutritional yeast,1 teaspoon salt
- Turn heat off and add in the dairy free cheese and stir until it's melted. Taste and add more salt or seasonings if needed1-2 cups dairy free cheddar cheese
Make sure to scroll to the recipe card for full step-by-step instructions.
❄️ Storing tips
This soup will last in the fridge, in an airtight container for about 5 days. This creamy soup is great to meal prep ahead of time for an easy weeknight meal.
🥣 Serving suggestions
This creamy vegan broccoli soup recipe goes amazingly well with some warm, crusty homemade bread like a French bread or Italian bread.
Serve it with some saltine crackers, or a baked potato as well. Top with some vegan bacon bits as well.
Salad goes well with this soup (like this Israeli couscous salad) as well or a half of a sandwich, like this chickpea salad sandwich or this vegan chicken salad sandwich.
❓FAQ's
Absolutely! This vegan broccoli cheese soup cooks amazingly well in the pressure cooker for an easy recipe.
Just sauté the onion and garlic, add the cashew cream and vegetable broth and seasonings then pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
Release the pressure, then add in the dairy free cheese.
Yes! This soup freezes well. It will last in the freezer in a freezer friendly container for about 3-5 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before warming it up on the stove or in the microwave.
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If you loved this recipe, leave a 5 ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and comment below!
📖 Recipe
Vegan broccoli cheddar soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ large onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 3 cups broccoli (chopped)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1-2 cups dairy free cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Boil some water, then pour it over the cashews in a coffee mug. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes.½ cup raw cashews
- Chop up the broccoli into small pieces. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and shred the carrots.
- Once, the cashews are done soaking for 10 minutes, strain, then blend them with 1 cup of water on high speed until well blended.½ cup raw cashews
- Heat a large soup pot on medium and add the oil. Add the onions and saute for 1 minute.1 teaspoon oil, ½ large onion
- Add the garlic and shredded carrots and saute for 1 minute. Add the broccoli, garlic powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, salt, vegetable broth and blended cashew cream and stir. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.4 cloves garlic, 1 cup shredded carrot, 3 cups broccoli, 3 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt
- Turn heat off and add in the dairy free cheese and stir until it's melted. Taste and add more salt or seasonings if needed1-2 cups dairy free cheddar cheese
Notes
- Top with something crunchy. Make your own croutons by baking and seasoning some stale bread. Or roast and season some broccoli to put on top.
- If you want to use up your broccoli stems, just peel them, cut off the fibrous ends and then shred them to add some more nutrients and flavor to the soup.
- This will last for a week in the fridge in an airtight container. When warming up, it may need a splash of liquid, because it thickens up as it cools.
- This soup freezes well.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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