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 Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- 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, more for drizzling
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ⅓ cup chopped carrots
- 1 lb. broccoli, stems diced, florets chopped
- 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
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 small baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, broccoli stems, salt, and pepper and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic and stir, then add the broth and simmer for 20 minutes 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 with 1-inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and let steam 5 minutes, 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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This was delicious. I made a double batch, and I’m so happy I did. I used water instead of oil to cook the veggies in the pot. I also added nutritional yeast per the note.
Yum! The only broccoli soup I will make from now on.
Thanku for all of your wonderful recipes., especially the delicious vegan ones.
Just a wondering if I can make this soup in advance and freeze it? Or if I could freeze leftovers for work lunches?
Louise🥰
Hi Louise, yep, you can freeze it!
Delicious! I followed the exact recipe instructions and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Oops, I forgot the dill, and I modified this to include 1/2 of broccoli, and 1/2 of asparagus. I also made my own broth with criminology mushrooms, carrots, and other veggie ends from the cuttings and two vegetarian veggie cubes. I substituted Rice vinegar. I found it to be simply — delicious, but it might have been even better. YUM. Worth the work and the wait.
So, I made this for my family the other night. Doubled the recipe to last the weekend and they LOVED it. It tastes so fresh and though you cook down and blend the veggies we found we could still taste them separately. It was so delicious. Now, I waited until dinner time to start preparing this and that was a mistake. The chopping and all took more time than I’d planned for so next time–and there WILL be a next time–I’m going to do a lot of it ahead of time. Delicious!!! Thanks so much!
So, I made this for my family the other night. Doubled the recipe to last the weekend and they LOVED it. It tastes so fresh and though you cook down and blend the veggies we found we could still taste them separately. It was so delicious. Now, I waited until dinner time to start preparing this and that was a mistake. The chopping and all took more time than I’d planned for so next time–and there WILL be a next time–I’m going to do a lot of it ahead of time. Delicious!!! Thanks so much!
I was cruising the internet looking for something to do with frozen broccoli. Of course I can’t simply make it according to the directions, I had no fresh dill, and I don’t eat nuts. I’ve never been successful with vegan cream of broccoli soups before (not for lack of trying). Somehow I decided to give this one a try.
Let me tell you what an incredibly pleasant surprise this was. I subbed an extra 2 potatoes for the cashews and 2 heaping TBS of dried dill for the fresh. Wow. This is so yummy. I did add nutritional yeast, but tasted it before and after, and I think I liked it even better before I added the yeast, the veggies really shined.
This recipe is sooo easy and sooo yummy. Thank you for sharing your talents with us! My hubby and I each had 2 bowls and left the rest of dinner to just sit and get cold. I guess that will be lunch tomorrow.
Hi Karen, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is the best broccoli soup I’ve ever tried! I added a little nutritional yeast, so it was extra “cheesy”. Definitely going to be making this regularly. Thank you 🙂
My family & I LOVED this soup! The first time I made it, i used a bag of broccoli florets instead of the whole broccoli with the stems and it was fine but the next time i got the whole broccoli trees and the tree trunks really add more broccoli flavor to it so don’t skip on that! My only cautionary advice is if you’re looking for a simple one-pot soup, this aint it. haha. From the soup pot to the steaming pot to the blender to the sheet trays of broccoli and croutons, it’s quite involved, and you’re gonna have a lot of dishes to wash! But super worth it for this delicious, hearty & healthy meal.
Hi Jacquie, I’m glad you’ve been loving it!
This soup was amazing! I subbed chicken broth for the veggie broth and left out the dill but it was delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
This recipe is awesome! I couldn’t believe how much it tasted like a cream soup but without the dairy. I will definitely be making this again.
can I make it in the crockpot I love soup in a crockpot
Okay. LISTEN.
I always change recipes. I don’t always trust some of the weird ingredients and mustard with cashews does NOT equal cheese. But I tried it…
And IT DOES!!! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!!!
I am DEVOURING THIS right now and so is my little one!! I loved it so much I made MORE!! THANK YOU!!! I honestly I still can’t believe it… yummmmmmmm
Oh my goodness!!!!! This soup is AMAZING! Just made it and I am in heaven! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Super flavorful!! Love it
This is my new favorite soup! Thank you. So creative and refreshing.
This was so delicious! I didn’t think that the dill would add anything but it made it taste so cheesy. Added in the nutritional yeast just to try to see how cheesy it could be and the answer was… no such thing as too cheesy! Highly recommend 🙂
Forgot to rate!
I’m so glad you loved it! I think the dill really makes it 🙂
This soup slaps. It has simple ingredients that are easily found at a regular grocery store. As a POC, I find vegan recipes to be rather inaccessible (or just not my flavor). This recipe is rich, creamy, and complex. Try it!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can you freeze it?
yep!