Contrary to what you may think, going dairy free doesn’t mean creamy soups are thing of the past. They are, in fact, just as easy to make and you won’t even be able to tell the difference.
I’d even so far as to say this soup is as good as Panera’s broccoli cheese soup. It’s creamy, savory and just as indulgent as you remember.
More creamy soup recipes: sweet potato soup / asparagus soup / autumn squash soup / baked potato soup
How to make vegan broccoli cheese soup:
To make this soup dairy free, I started building flavor from the beginning with onion and garlic. Then I used a combination of vegetable broth, almond milk and canned coconut milk for the liquid.
I used canned coconut milk because it’s as thick as heavy cream, but I always like to balance out the sweetness with another dairy free milk, like almond.
To give the soup the right color and flavory, I added 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and a little ground mustard, turmeric and paprika. And, of course, you’ll need salt.
Then I thickened it all up with a slurry of flour and the rest of my almond milk. I also added a pinch of nutmeg at the end, but you definitely don’t need it.
As for the broccoli, chop it as small or large as you want. I think it mimics restaurant quality if you let the broccoli cook way-down, so I cut mine fairly small.
You can top you soup with some vegan cheese shreds, or you can go for some homemade croutons. They get nice a soft in the soup and add a really good amount of flavor. Or, you can just stand at the stove and eat from the pot, no garnish necessary. It’s up to you.
Tips for making the creamiest vegan broccoli soup:
- Using a combination of broth, almond (or any alternative milk) and coconut milk gives you a creamy consistency.
- Turmeric, paprika and nutritional yeast contribute to a cheesy, cheddar-like color. You can skip one or the other, but don’t leave out all three.
- Don’t skimp on the salt. Cheese is naturally salty, so when you’re missing it, you’re missing out on that saltiness. Don’t be afraid to add enough salt to make it taste right.
More vegan soup recipes:
- Beer cheese soup
- Vegan cauliflower soup
- Vegan cream of mushroom
- Potage aux legumes
- Vegan tomato soup
More vegan recipes you’ll love:
- Vegan queso
- Almond cheese
- Vegan mac and cheese
- Vegan vodka sauce
- Irish soda bread
- Dairy free cheesecake
Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1/2 tablespoon minced)
- 6 cups roughly chopped broccoli florets
- 1 14.5- ounce can vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups almond milk, divided
- 1 1/3 cups canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Pinch of nutmeg, optional
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add broccoli, broth, 2 cups of almond milk and coconut milk. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil.
- Continue to boil soup until broccoli has softened, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add nutritional yeast, salt, mustard, turmeric and paprika. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and remaining almond milk until smooth. Add to soup.
- Add nutmeg, and continue to simmer soup over medium until desired thickness is reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
OMG! This soup is delicious! So tasty! I wish I had made more! Can’t wait to make this again. Thank you for this amazing recipe! So creamy! I made my own almond milk and I made it extra creamy!
Third time making this, so I figured I should leave a comment. This soup is my absolute favorite. I love cheese but cheese doesn’t love me back, so I have been looking for a good option. I have tweaked the ingredients based on what I have in the kitchen (no ground mustard, oat and almond milk with Nutpods cream for liquids, arrowroot instead of flour) not because of anything that needs changing, but rather the deficits in my pantry when I decide this is for dinner. Reheats beautifully, and I am going to try freezing leftovers today as well. Thank you for this great recipe!!
So yummy! I try to avoid heavy cream and don’t do much dairy aside from cheese so this was the perfect recipe. Love the flavor the nutritional yeast adds and I did throw in some sharp cheddar, which made it even better in my opinion 🙂 super simple and quick
Hi! Can you freeze this soup? We love it and so I’d rather make a big batch to have on hand ☺️
Does this freeze?
I haven’t tried freezing it myself, but I think it would be fine to freeze. You may get some separation when thawing, but I’m sure it will come back together when reheating.
I’ve just gotten my wisdom teeth out and needed something soft to make. I’ve used your recipes before for your vanilla cupcakes and knew this would be good… and it was amazing. Hit the spot after not having a proper meal in my belly. Thank you!
Loved this recipe! I probably tripled the amount of nutritional yeast cause I like the “slap you in the taste buds” kinda cheese flavor. And at the end I took my immersion blender to it to give it a more bisque like texture (I don’t love chunky soups). 10/10 loved this. I also froze part of the batch and it thawed/reheated well
This was so good and tasted like broccoli cheese soup! I added some potatoes too 😍
Looks delicious, do you know if this would freeze well?
I don’t recommend freezing this soup. Coconut milk doesn’t do well when frozen. The fats and solids separate from the liquid and it will ruin the texture of the soup.
This is delicious! I changed a few things and here are my adaptations:
1. Added sliced carrots at the time I started the broccoli cooking
2. Omitted the ground mustard
3. Instead of the flour and milk thickener I did a low-speed immersion blend until I reached the desired chunkiness/thickness
I made homemade bread and yummy! I’m making a second pot per my 6 year old’s request.