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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Sooooo good!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I’m vegetarian, not vegan, so I’d be okay adding cheese. But my husband has a deadly allergy to cashews. It’s so frustrating that so many vegetarian recipes call for them. Could cheddar be a substitute and in what ratios? Or sunflowers as a reader suggested?
Can’t wait to make this? Can it also be served cold?
This soup is both delicious and incredibly forgiving; I realized too late that I threw in the broccoli at the same time as the onion and carrots, and it still came out fabulous! A quick and easy, veggie-packed lunch or dinner option – it’s going in my regular rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This soup is amazing. I got well into preparing this soup and realized I didn’t have vegetable broth. I subbed water instead and it tastes fantastic. I added some crushed walnuts for protein. This will definitely be added to the dinner rotation.
I’m so glad you loved it!
How well does this freeze? Also, I love your recipes. I bought one of your books because I use so many of your recipes. Now my brother signed up for your emails too! Thanks for all you do
Hi Mary, it freezes pretty well. Aww, thank you so much for your support, I’m so happy to hear you’ve been loving the recipes!
Glad to hear it freezes well! My husband had one of your books when I met him and I went crazy for all the recipes! Then I found more of your recipes online and loved them too! We asked for the second book as part of our wedding registry. Now I love making my favorites but also trying new ones!
I have made this loads of times, people can’t believe it’s vegan they’re blown away by how delicious this is. My favourite go to soup.
I’m so glad it’s been such a hit!
Lovely. Used emulsifier instead of blender and added red chilli flakes. Very tasty and would make this again. Oh, I also used beer bread for Croutons and it paired very well. Cheers!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is a great recipe but I did not like the dill. It had perfect flavor prior to adding. If you do not like dill, and are on the fence wondering if it will enhance the flavor, do not try it or try with a small bowl before adding to the rest as it is overpowering. Will make again without it.
Fantastic soup. Super creamy and delicious. Highly recommended. I used dry dill instead of fresh but I think it worked well.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This soup is amazing! Even kids who normally don’t like vegetables love this soup. I make it for my grandkids, but I must admit I no longer bother with the garnishes…..
I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
OMG, this is the best broccoli soup I’ve ever had. The cashew was an absolute gamechanger and don’t think it needs additional nutritional yeast. I will be making it again!
Yay, I’m so glad you loved it!
OMG!! So good!! Added 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, amazing flavour. Definitely will make again.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can you specify how much broccoli steam goes into the soup? I stopped, as there was no measurement I understood. It just says a pound for steam and florets, but broccoli is mentioned in several places in the instructions.
Hi Nora, use all of the stem pieces that are with your broccoli bunch – it goes in in step 2.
the soup is absolutely delicious. i had everything but dill. used tarragon in its place.
Oh yum, I love tarragon. I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
So delicious! I had some leftover mashed potatoes so I used that instead (which was great becasue I was a bit pressed for time). Man, the flavors in this are great! The ACV and dijon really add a lot. I didn’t have dill to add but I am sure it really brightens it up. Thank you. I will certainly be making this again.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Super delicious. The mustard and vinegar add a ton of flavor. I had a small fennel bulb so I threw it in with the rest of the veggies. This recipe is a winner.
Oh yum, I love fennel. I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Wonderful! I did add the nutritional yeast. I skipped the croutons as my husband is gluten free. Do you have the nutritional info?
I put it into MyFitnessPal without the croutons and it was 253 cal, 27.5g carbs, 13.5g fat, and 8.7g protein
I made this soup! It is very good. I added more onion & garlic than your recipe, and I think it could still use a little more for me. I am oil-free, so I did not use the EVOO. I added the optional Nutritional Yeast. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Any suggestion to substitute the cashews?
I have read you can substitute cashews with sunflower seeds, this is what I’m going to try!
This soup is SOOO GOOD. I made it exactly as written, and added 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast as suggested. Will definitely be making again! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!