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 so good! Yum!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Very yummy. I adapted to what I had on hand — no dill, no celery — I used about 1/3 c. of chopped rutabaga instead. I used higher ratio of potato and cashew to broccoli –I didn’t measure but I had less than a pound of broccoli. and I used the first potato that I grabbed; I added a little coconut milk because I needed to use it up. There was plenty for another day so I’ll probably change up the seasoning the next time I serve it (lots of wild chives in a nearby park so those will probably be my green garnish the next time),
So glad you enjoyed the soup!
This is my 4th time making this yummy soup! This is an absolutely delicious soup! I am obsessed with the taste of dill and lemon in this soup. Thank you!
Hi Leslie – I’m so glad you’ve loved it so much!
Love this recipe. Such a warming, filling soup. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Made this soup for the family at Christmas and everyone loved it (even the non vegan and non brocolli fans). It’s become a staple now that I make at least once and week and freeze for later and it’s not too much of a hassle. 11/10 reccomend this recipe!
I’m so glad it’s a hit!
Delicious! Wonderful lemon-mustard-dill zing. I had to use dried dill and almonds rather than cashews. I will definitely make it again, the ingredients are all things I have in the pantry (except for broccoli!)
Much tastier and healthier than broccoli cheese soup, IMO.
Hi Jackie, I’m so glad you loved it!
Loved it! I forgot to add the cashews and it is still super tasty. Great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was sooo delicious! I added a bit more potato than suggested and omitted the mustard because I didn’t have any. Loved using dill!
So glad you loved it!
This is absolutely delicious. I added 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast.
Hi Christine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What is the nutritional info on this recipe?
Hi Terri, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes, but if you like, you could plug the recipe into an online nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal.
I was a huge fan of Panera’s broccoli and cheddar soup before developing a dairy allergy many years ago! I am impressed at how close this gets with a healthy twist! I am not usually a fan of nutritional yeast but I think it worked well here. The dill was a bit strong for me. I thought next time about adding a tiny bit more potato or cutting back on the dill to balance it out.
Any ideas on how long this saves and if it would be freezer friendly?
Hi Erin, So glad you enjoyed the recipe! The soup will keep for about 4 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing it, as the cashew/potato combo can have a funny texture once it’s frozen and thawed.
Kudos to the recipe creator! What a sophisticated palate you have! I used vegetarian, chicken flavored, soup base/ bouillon for this, omitted the oil, salt and pepper, and threw everything into an instant pot (minus the last 8 ingredients) because, why not?? and it was STILL simply amazing once all the remaining ingredients were blended in! One of the best soups I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating!! I didn’t want to share it with anyone, but that would be rude so I will… 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is unreal. I added a half cup of Miyokos liquid moz and I sautéed veggies with white wine instead of oil. This truly is the best broccoli cheese soup recipe!
So glad you love it!
Anyone know how this works without cashews? (I have an allergy to them.) Or, any nut-free substitutes? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, depending on your allergy, you could substitute 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds or 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds. If you use sunflower seeds, add more as needed to reach your desired consistency. Hope this helps!
Fabulous flavor! My husband asked for seconds and my 17 year old son who claims he doesn’t like broccoli gobbled it up. (I told him it was a new “potato soup” recipe.) The only ingredient I left out was fresh dill because I didn’t have any on hand. I did add the optional 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. I will definitely make this recipe again.
So glad you and your family loved it!
So creamy and delicious! Added nutritional yeast, really like how creamy and healthy it is with all the vegetables!
do you need to soak the cashews first?
Hi Denise, I don’t find it necessary with a good blender.
I love this vegan and flavorful broccoli soup. It is creamy and tastes delicious. My whole family loves it. Thank you for the easy to follow step by step recipe.
It’s always fun to find a new vegan recipe that is cheesy in taste ~ this broccolli soup did not disappoint! The mix of veggies & herbs made it delicious, and the croutons & roasted broccolli looked “fancy” & tasted great!
Made the vegan version for 3 and everyone loved it. I make my own mustard and I knew it was strong, however in this recipe it was a little too dominant. No one else complained though.