You'd never guess that this creamy vegan broccoli soup is totally dairy-free! It's made of a rich, savory blend of potatoes, veggies, and herbs.
Drumroll, please! This vegan broccoli soup recipe is super creamy, comforting, and brimming with cheesy flavor. I started working on it after I posted a photo of this gorgeous pile of broccoli on Instagram with a call out for broccoli recipe requests. Overwhelmingly, people asked for a healthy/vegan broccoli cheese soup. Jack loves cheesy broccoli soup (and most cheesy things, to be honest), so we were both excited to take on the challenge. I’m happy to report that the results do not disappoint!
This vegan broccoli soup recipe is not to be confused with cream of broccoli soup. I have a super delicious, very green, Creamy Broccoli Soup on page 55 of my first cookbook. It’s made with leeks, coconut milk, broccoli, lemon, and spinach. It’s light, healthy, and tastes similar to a soup my mom made for me while I was growing up.
This recipe – vegan broccoli cheddar soup – is thicker, richer, and more cheese-like. I think you’re going to love it.
Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe Ingredients
Tasting this vegan broccoli soup, you’d never guess that it’s made without cheese or cream. Its creamy texture and rich taste come from these plant-based ingredients:
- Broccoli, of course! I get tons of requests for recipes that use a whole bunch of broccoli, so here, I do – stalk and all! I blend the stalk into the soup’s creamy base and pulse in the florets for texture. If you’re looking for more whole-vegetable recipes, try making a broccoli salad or cauliflower rice next. Waste not, want not!
- Cashews and potatoes – This combination is a great one for giving vegan recipes a gooey cheesy texture. Like in my vegan cheese recipe, it makes this soup rich and creamy.
- Carrots – For cheesy color.
- Celery, onion, and garlic – They add savory depth of flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice – For tang.
- Fresh dill – It’s the secret ingredient that ties this soup together! It helps give it a delicious cheesy flavor without an ounce of cheese.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
To make this recipe, start by sautéing the onion, carrots, celery, and broccoli stems until they soften. Stir in the potatoes and garlic. Then, add the broth and simmer!
Meanwhile, steam all but 1 cup of the broccoli florets until they’re tender, but still bright green.
When the potatoes are soft, transfer the soup to a blender along with the cashews, vinegar, and mustard, and blend until smooth. Add the broccoli florets that you’ve steamed, as well as the lemon juice and dill. Pulse until the florets are incorporated, but still chunky. Enjoy!
Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe Tips
- Top it with something crunchy. Whenever I’m making creamy soup, I love to top it with crunchy garnishes for textural contrast. While the soup simmers, roast the last of the broccoli florets and make a batch of quick homemade croutons. These crispy toppings will take your vegan broccoli soup to a whole new level!
- Don’t blend the broccoli too much. You don’t want this soup to become a smooth puree; it should have some texture. Blend the potatoes, celery, onions, broccoli stalk, and carrots until they’re completely smooth, but just pulse in the steamed florets. They add lovely green flecks and texture to the soup.
- Don’t skip the dill! Even if dill isn’t your thing, I urge you to try it in this recipe. It’s essential for mimicking the rich, complex flavor of sharp cheddar cheese. If you want to skip it, I recommend blending in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast to make the soup taste more cheesy.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this vegan broccoli soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Cream of Mushroom SoupÂ
- Best Lentil Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Tomato Basil SoupÂ
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Or any of these 30 Best Soup Recipes!
And for more tasty vegan recipes, check out this post!
Vegan Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped celery
- â…“ cup chopped carrots
- 1 pound broccoli, stems diced, florets chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small Yukon Gold potato, diced (1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups cubed bread, for croutons
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, broccoli stems, salt, and several grinds of pepper and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic and stir, then add the broth and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Let cool slightly.
- Set aside 1 cup of the broccoli florets to roast as a topping for the soup. Place the remaining florets in a steamer basket, and set over a pot filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Meanwhile, place the reserved broccoli florets and the bread cubes on the baking sheets. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast until the bread is crispy and the broccoli is tender and browned around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the soup to the blender and add the cashews, apple cider vinegar, and mustard, and blend until creamy. Work in batches, if necessary. Add the steamed broccoli florets, dill, and lemon juice, and pulse until the broccoli is incorporated but still chunky. The soup should be thick; if it's too thick, add 1/2 cup water to thin to your desired consistency.
- Season to taste and serve the soup in bowls with the roasted broccoli and croutons on top.
Notes
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Just in the process of making this. When do you add the dill in?
Will this soup freeze well? Currently making it, can’t wait to try!
Hi Sim, it freezes pretty well.
I loved it!!! My husband usually hates broccoli, but he couldn’t get enough of this soup. I didn’t have fresh dill, so I substituted some roasted dill seed and celery seed and used stone ground mustard instead of Dijon. I’m saving this to try when I have fresh dill.
Would this soup be freezer friendly?
Hi Frances, I’ve successfully frozen this soup before, but just a heads up that it can separate a little as it thaws. I recommend reheating it on the stove, stirring often and adding water as needed to help it return to a creamy consistency.
if I make a double batch does it freeze well?
Really delicious! Everyone should try this.
So glad you enjoyed it, Deb!
Are the raw cashews supposed to be soaked at all? Planning to make tomorrow…
Hi Tina, You don’t need to soak them if you have a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix. With another blender, I’d recommend soaking them for 6 hours or overnight.
Made the soup this week and loved it! Im avoiding garlic at the moment so I used some asefetida instead and only a tiny bit of onion and it was still flavourful and filling. Definitely a keeper. Thank you.
Great soup. Didn’t change a thing. Followed exactly to the t. Dill is definitely a great addition. You can taste for sure. I did add about table spoon of nutritional yeast. Great soup.lid you’re looking for a healthy version this is it. Will make again.
Wow! This recipe was soooo good.! I didn’t have Dijon mustard, so used regular. I also didn’t have fresh dill so used dry. I think those would take this dish to the next level, though that would be hard to imagine since the way I made it was already so good. A winner for sure
We love this recipe so much! I found it after my husband told me that broccoli doesn’t go in soup and totally proved him wrong. It’s his favorite soup now. 😉 I made a double batch tonight. It definitely takes me longer than 50 minutes to complete the recipe, but maybe I’m slow at chopping and prepping all the veggies. Worth it every time! Thanks for sharing this delicious soup recipe. 🙂
omg this is so good! I loathe dill lol but you are so right, it adds sharpness that mimics the cheddar. Stellar. Excited to try other soup recipes from you. thank you!