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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Delicious! I made this just as it is written, but with dried dill instead of fresh. Added the 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Steamed the broccoli florets for 0 mins in the Instant Pot. Made ahead to warm up on Christmas morning. Looking forward to this cozy soup on a cold, winter morning with family. Will serve with sourdough croutons. I will make this again and again. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Love this soup! I can’t believe how creamy it is with no dairy! I also love the addition of croutons and roasted broccoli as toppings. I used the nooch sub instead of dill and it tasted very cheesy!
Hi Shira, I’m so glad you loved it!
This soup is amazing!! I make it often. My whole family likes it! even the 13&14 year olds! So healthy and heartwarming! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad you love it!
I made this for the December cooking challenge and it’s pretty good! I found the celery flavor to be a little bit weird, but overall very delicious. I was surprised at how well the dill went with the flavor. I added some nutritional yeast which I definitely recommend as well.
Hi Katelyn, I’m glad you liked the soup!
Hi, my daughter is allergic to all nuts and dairy … is there something you would substitute for the cashews? Thanks!
I’ve substitutes white beans for the cashews in similar recipes and it works great.
Yep, white beans would be a great sub here! You might need more than 1/2 cup to get a nice creamy consistency, but I’d start with that and add more as needed.
Am I missing something? Where is the nutritional yeast in the Vegan Broccoli Soup?
Hi Deborah, nutritional yeast isn’t necessary in the soup – I just left a note at the bottom of the recipe saying that some readers have enjoyed adding a little. The soup has a creamy cheese-like flavor either way.
Ever tried in the instant pot or crock pot?
Hi Katie, we haven’t tried this one in the Instant Pot.
Wow, I can’t believe how good this is. I didn’t tell my son it was vegan until he started eating. He is a cheese lover and had no idea. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi Nicki, Amazing! So glad the recipe was a hit!
I love how packed full of veggies this soup is. No guilt with this broccoli “cheese”! I added the nutritional yeast and it is something I’m already planning on making again!
Hi Stef, so glad you loved it!
I’m excited to make this soup. Do you have any thoughts on canning it?
We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. However, I probably wouldn’t recommend it with the cashew/potato combo. I hope you enjoy the soup!
I was curious if the cashews need to be soaked to soften them?
Hi Rachel, I don’t soak mine – with a high speed blender it’s not entirely necessary but you could if you want to.
Not sure if my comment posted. This soup is amazing. My soup looked just like your picture. I felt so proud!! This is definitely a soup to serve company. I added the nutritional yeast. Thank you so much for all these incredible recipes. I am a huge fan!!
I’m so glad you loved the soup so much!
This absolutely is delicious. I love that my soup looks just like your picture. Thank you so much. It is impressive and I will definitely serve it to company
Absolutely delicious! So easy and fulfilling. My fave comfort food
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is outstanding! Seriously, go make this soup right now! Easy and so flavorful!
We’re so glad you love the soup!
This is soooo good! It has that cheesy richness of broccoli-cheese soup, and it’s really pretty easy to make. Definitely a keeper!
We’re so glad you love it!
This soup was the best ever soup recipe! My picky eater toddler even liked it. But i served her before blending in the florets so it’s smooth. Taste at that point was amazing, so in balance, one wonders what’s in it;)
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
Any way to use frozen broccoli ?
Hi Megan, I think frozen broccoli would work fine here. It doesn’t roast as well (for the topping) but should be just fine in the soup.
I just made the soup and it is absolutely delicious! But I do have a question. Somehow mine end it up a dark murky color rather than the nice bright yellow you have. Do you have any idea why?
This recipe is fabulous! I was in a hurry and neglected to set aside broccoli for steaming. I had set aside the roasting broccoli so at least I had that. Regardless of my mistake, the flavor was absolutely delicious. This will be a go-to recipe for me! Thanks!
This soup is absolutely wonderful. I made it exactly as the recipe dictates with the exception of fresh dill- I substituted about a tsp. of dried dill weed instead. Super thick and “cheezy” and seems to have that same texture/style as the Panera broccoli cheese soup I remember liking so much. Super tasty and going in the rotation.
I’m so glad you loved it!