Ingredients
- 5 tbsp Butter
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 (16 oz) bag Frozen broccoli florets, thawed
- 4 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups Heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 tsp Onion powder
- 1 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- 2 1/2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Make a Roux to Thicken the Soup
Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about a minute.
This mixture is called a roux, and it’s the thickener for the soup. Cooking it for a minute gets rid of the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the vegetable broth while whisking continuously. Then, whisk in the heavy cream.
Adding the liquid slowly and whisking is important to prevent lumps.
Simmer the Soup with Broccoli
Add the thawed broccoli florets, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, then immediately reduce the heat to low.
Do not let the soup come to a rolling boil, as the cream can separate.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender.
Add the Cheese and Serve
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until it’s completely melted and the soup is smooth.
Adding the cheese off-heat prevents it from becoming grainy.
Shredding your own cheese from a block will result in a smoother soup, as pre-shredded cheeses often contain anti-caking agents.
At this point, you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency, or you can serve it chunky.
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp Butter
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 bag Frozen broccoli florets 16 oz, thawed
- 4 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups Heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 tsp Onion powder
- 1 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 2 1/2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in vegetable broth, then heavy cream until smooth.
- Add broccoli, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, cook 10-15 minutes until broccoli is tender.
- Remove from heat, stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
- Optional: blend with immersion blender to desired consistency.
