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Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup – super creamy, “cheesy” broccoli soup made from whole food ingredients. No fake processed cheese!! Oil free and gluten free too!
I’ve been meaning to create a cheesy broccoli soup for awhile now. I’ve tried a few different versions, but none of them seemed blog-worthy….until now. You could also call this “broccoli with an overabundance of cheese sauce” because it’s that thick and creamy and delicious. But, I ate it with a spoon and therefore it’s soup. 🙂
Inspiration from Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
My Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese is one of the most popular recipes on my blog (only one recipe is loved more and that’s my Buffalo Cauliflower Bites). It’s popular for a good reason – it’s AMAZING! Seriously the BEST vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever had…and so many of you agree.
I figured that if butternut squash makes great mac and cheese, then it should also make great cheesy soup. I tweaked my Butternut Mac sauce just a bit to lend itself more to a soup base and it worked out so well. You could probably drink the stuff, but I haven’t tried that…yet.
Made from Whole Foods
The best part about this cheesy vegan soup is that it’s made from real whole foods. No fake processed cheese! The combo of yukon gold potatoes, butternut squash, sweet onion, pumpkin seeds and some spices combine to make a truly cheesy flavor. I also added some nutritional yeast to the mix. I’m actually not a huge fan of sauces that rely on “nooch” for their cheesy flavor. I’ve used it here just as enhancement to the flavor, not the main part. You could even leave it out if you don’t want to use it or can’t find it. (Do NOT substitute any other kind of yeast!).
Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
I hope you love this Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup as much as we do. If you give it a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating. You can also find me on social media, so snap a quick pic and be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!
Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped yukon gold potatoes
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash
- 1 sweet onion (chopped)
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- dash of pepper
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional - but does increase the "cheesy" flavor)
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, butternut squash, onion and broth in a medium size pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the veggies are tender.
- Transfer the potato/squash mixture to a high speed blender. Add the pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, turmeric, nutmeg, salt/pepper, and nutritional yeast if using. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer back to the pot over medium heat. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover the pot and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
- Serve immediately.
Element says
Is the consistency such that it might work for a fondue? Or would it need to be thickened up?
Jenn S. says
Well, I haven’t had fondue is close to 20 years, so hard to say. It’s definitely creamy, but might need a little more “stretch.”
Deb says
Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but where the recipe says to transfer the potato/squash mix to a blender, does that include the cooking broth or just the veggies? I’m guessing veggies AND broth but I’d like to be certain. Thank you.
Jenn S. says
Transfer the veggies and 1/4 cup of the liquid (OR 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid instead). Enjoy1
Cathy says
Love it – really delicious. My 12 year old son and husband, who are not vegan, loved it as well.
Jenn S. says
Yay, that’s great, Cathy! Thank you so much for making it and stopping by to share your results!
Kat says
This soup looks delish, but was wanting to know the nutrtion facts
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Kat! I don’t know the nutrition facts off the top of my head, but there are a number of free online nutrition counters, such as nutritiondata.com or myfitnesspal.com. Just input the ingredient list and it should give you a rough idea.
shir says
It is very hard to find a healthy meal that the entire family genuinely enjoys.
I took a chance on this knowing we (the entire family) are not big fans of squash.
And i am SOOOOO glad i did. We all seriously love this. My 5 year old said it’s his new favorite dinner. My two year old actually SAT down and ate it quietly… like what? this never happens.
I am super impressed with this soup! thank you!! Cannot wait to make it again…. and next time it will be doubled!
Jenn S. says
Oh, Shir, this makes me so happy!! My son doesn’t particularly like squash either if I just roast it, but he loves this soup and he loves the Butternut Mac I make with it too. Thank you so much for stopping by to leave your feedback. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of your week!