Instant Pot Vegan Cream of Broccoli soup is creamy, nutrient-packed, and made with just a few ingredients. You'll love how easy it is to make this comfort food classic in your Instant Pot! Vegan, gluten-free, optional soy-free.
Homemade cream of broccoli soup is so easy to make in the Instant Pot. You only need a few pantry staples and a few minutes of active time, and before you know it you'll have a cozy bowl of nutritious broccoli soup!
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Ingredients
One of the most important ingredients, aside from broccoli, is vegetable broth. Use your favorite broth, and if you can choose one that is reduced sodium.
I add potatoes to vegan cream of broccoli soup to give the soup its classic thickness. To add a little extra creaminess we'll use an unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk like soy milk.
Almond, cashew or oat milk also work.
Onions, garlic, and carrots add warmth and depth. I like to add nutritional yeast for a "cheesey" flavor, but you can also keep it simple with just salt & pepper.
This broccoli soup calls for frozen broccoli instead of fresh. Here's why:
- Less time spent on prep
- Make this soup year round - even when broccoli isn't in season!
- Frozen broccoli is nutritionally equivalent to fresh broccoli
Can I use fresh broccoli instead?
Yes! Frozen and fresh broccoli work in this recipe. You don't even have to change the cooking time.
You will need 32 ounces, or two pounds, or fresh broccoli.
How to make
Step 1. Press the "saute" button on your electric pressure cooker. Saute onion, carrot, diced potato and garlic for 5 minutes, until onions are softened.
Step 2. Add broccoli, black pepper, optional nutritional yeast and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
Step 3. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. It will take 15-18 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. When the two minutes are complete, do a quick pressure release - careful, hot steam will come out for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step 4. Remove the Instant Pot lid. Stir in soy milk (or another milk alternative). Blend the soup using an immersion blender. Be careful not to hit the bottom of the pot with the immersion blender.
Taste for salt & pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley, vegan cheese, and homemade everything bagel crackers or whole wheat garlic knots.
For a serving of protein, try adding air fryer tofu or baked tofu on top.
Looking for more Instant Pot soup recipes?
I also have a stove top version of vegan broccoli soup recipe if you don't have an Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot Lentil Stew
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Did you try this recipe? You can leave a star rating in the recipe card or a review in the comments below. Or check out my cookbook and keep up to date with my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or newsletter!
Recipe
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Instant Pot Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen broccoli
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion from 1 medium onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and diced into ½" cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 and ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk divided in half
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Press the "saute" button on your Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add diced onion, diced carrots, peeled diced potatoes and garlic. Add ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. If onion or garlic stick to the bottom of the pot, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth to deglaze.
- Add ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional). Add frozen broccoli and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
- Put the Instant Pot lid into place and set the valve to sealing. Select "high pressure" and set timer to 2 minutes. It will take 15-18 minutes to come to pressure. When the 2 minutes are complete, do a quick pressure release - careful, a lot of hot steam will come out! It may take up to a minute for all of the steam to release.
- Remove the Instant Pot lid. Test a potato for doneness (see note if not completely done). Stir in ½ cup unsweetened soy milk. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, careful to avoid the bottom of the pot. Once blended, add another ½ cup of soy milk to thin (if needed).
- Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley, additional nutritional yeast for "cheesiness", and your favorite vegan cheese and crackers. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If the potatoes aren't done after 2 minutes of cooking: put the Instant Pot lid back in place and set the timer to 1 minute on high pressure. The Instant Pot will come to pressure much more quickly than before. When the 1 minute timer is complete, do a quick pressure release.
- Almond, cashew, or oat milk can be used in place of soy milk. Make sure to choose an unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk.
- Can I use a regular blender instead or an immersion blender? Short answer: yes. Long answer: Blend the soup in batches and vent frequently as steam can build up in the blender and cause the lid to pop off. Not great. Work in small batches and don't fill your blender completely full.
Stacy says
I just made this. I am oil free and just used some broth to sauté the onions, carrots, potatoes and garlic. I followed the recipe exactly for the rest of it. It is delicious!!!
Notes: Lot of blending to get a good creamy consistency. Also added a bit more nutritional yeast and salt and blended a bit more.
This is one of my new favorites!
Cassidy Reeser says
Thank you for the review! 🙂
victoria rand biller says
Stacy,
Curious why you are oil free.
Trying to decrease cooking with oil as well due to a cholesterol issue.
Polly White says
Agree with Stacy! No oil needed. I have fresh garden broccoli so I will use that. This looks delish!
NC says
Scrumptious! I used a can of coconut milk for my milk-alternative and a shallot for the onion. Even the kiddo slurped this right down. I served it with cheesy garlic bread (Daiya shreds), peppered tofurkey slices and truffle hummus. All the flavors came together so well!
Still pretty new to the IP tribe--this is my second time using that monster. This recipe has steered me in the direction of "okay, yeah, this is pretty cool". The potatoes got tender so fast!
Cassidy Reeser says
That all sounds so good together! I'm glad you liked the recipe!
Tracey says
Hi, I made this soup and it was wonderful. I used a potato masher since I don't have a blender and I actually like the texture. I thickened it with brown rice flour and flax milk. Some follow your heart shredded cheddar and toffuti sour cream and it was the perfect bowl of soup. Great recipe thank you
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for making it.
Debbie Lurie says
I would prefer not using potato. Can I lessen the amount of broth to create a thicker soup? Thank you.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
It may not be as thick as the original recipe but you can try using 1 cup less vegetable broth. If you try I’d like to hear how it goes!
Debbie says
Thank you!
Debbie says
I made the soup! I left out the potato and used a Costco size bag of broccoli (trimmed floret stems a bit). Since I used more broccoli, I used three cups of vegetable broth. I doubled the salt and added a bit more garlic. At the end, I only needed to add 1/2c. of almond milk. It was missing something, so I added some vegan, "butter" (I'm not vegan, but have to stay away from cow dairy), and some coconut aminos. I used the soup setting in my Instant Pot. The soup was nice and thick after using the immersion blender. I think I would leave out the nutritional yeast next time. And there will be a next time. This recipe is a good base for a good broccoli soup. Now I will find out how it freezes as it made a lot. Glad I found this recipe. Thank you.
(A note about the instructions saying to add the oil before the pot reads hot for saute. Instant Pot recommends, that in order to prevent sticking, oil not be added until the pot reads hot.)
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the soup and thank you for the tips!
Frances says
This was so easy and delicious. I used frozen broccoli and I put potato flakes in at the end to thicken because I didn't have potatoes (hate peeling them anyway). Turned out beautifully! So fresh and pretty green, too! And best part: NO DISHES!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Thanks for the review! No dishes is always the best part of cooking in the IP! 🙂
Barb Burge says
If you blend in 1/2 to 1 cup of raw cashews, with a high-powered blender, they make things thicker and creamy without any taste or texture. I use them all the time in my soups.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Great idea, thanks Barb!
Joy says
Could I use fresh broccoli? Would I change the cooking time?
Cassidy Reeser says
You can and I think you should be able to cook it for the same amount of time. Enjoy!
CJ says
I used fresh brocolli and a bit more potato for the same amount of time and it was delish! I did cut the potato quite small and sauteed it with the onions so it was no issue wondering if it would be fully cooked. Thanks for this super easy recipe!
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks for the review!
Juanita Franklin says
Second time making this recipe in a week! Made it in NY Day and my husband loved it! I’m making again this afternoon to take to our kids’ home to play with grandkids! We’re making a crusty bread to go with it! Super yum!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
I bet it will go so well with crusty bread! Thanks for the comment.
Ilene says
I've made this twice so far and it's now one of my favorites. I left out the carrots because I just don't like them. Added a can of cannelini beans, and sage and oregano. I think I added a parsnip last time too. This was easy and fast after a long week. It also freezes well. Thanks for the great recipe!
Cassidy Reeser says
Your additions sound delicious and I love that you added parsnip, that's one ingredient I don't use often enough.
Elisa says
This was very good - thanks
I use Cashew Milk and Avacado Oil,
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Thanks, Elisa! Glad to hear you liked it!
Ron R says
I added some liquid amino's to the recipe. It tasted a bit bland for my taste without it. With that said, my broccoli eating kids loved it (though they too added some pepperoncinis to their bowls).
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Liquid aminos sounds like a great addition! Glad you liked it.
Felicia says
My 1st new instant pot has sat in its shipping box intimidating me for the last couple weeks. This recipe is my first time using it and I was not disappointed! Yum! Thank you ma'am
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD says
Thanks for commenting and happy cooking!