Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

This cream of broccoli soup is dairy-free, thick, flavorful, and easy to make. All you need is frozen broccoli and a few simple ingredients to make this comforting vegan soup.

One of the only soups that can rival the comfort of a bowl of vegan potato soup is this cream of broccoli soup. It's simple, so comforting, and nourishing.

The best part is that it uses simple, inexpensive ingredients and comes together in just over 30 minutes.

This recipe is adapted from my Instant Pot cream of broccoli soup because I know that not everyone has an Instant Pot. The recipe is pretty much exactly the same, with a few adjustments to make vegan broccoli soup work on the stove.

Recipe features

• Flavor: This is a very simple soup, with broccoli as the backbone of the flavor. It has a touch of cheesiness from nutritional yeast and classic savory flavor from onions, celery, and carrot cooked in vegan butter.
• Quick & easy: This recipe requires just about 15 minutes of active time. The rest of the time is spent waiting for the potatoes and broccoli to cook, so all-in-all this is a pretty low-effort soup recipe.
• Made for toppings: This is the kind of soup that's even better with toppings. Add a touch of vegan sour cream and cheddar shreds, tempeh bacon, and crackers for the ultimate bowl of comfort.
• Creamy: It's actually really easy to make dairy-free soups creamy. For this broccoli soup, we use potatoes and soy milk for that classic creamy texture. But don't worry, any variety of non-dairy milk works!

Ingredients

• Frozen broccoli: This recipe uses frozen broccoli for convenience and to shorten the cook time. Fresh broccoli can be used, but will need to cook a little longer than frozen because frozen is already par-cooked.
• Potato: Choose russet or anything labeled as a baking potato. Yukon gold also works. This adds extra depth and creaminess to the soup.
• Mirepoix: This is sweet yellow onion, celery, and carrot. It's a classic soup base that creates the base flavor of broccoli soup. White onion or regular yellow onion also work.
• Nutritional yeast: This adds a touch of cheesiness and savory flavor. Don't skip this, nutritional yeast is a versatile ingredient that I use in a lot of recipes.
• Non-dairy milk: I always have unsweetened, unflavored soy milk on hand but any type of non-dairy milk works here. Just make sure that it is not flavored or sweetened.
• Vegetable bouillon: I use this because it's less expensive and so much more flavorful than most boxed vegetable broth. It comes in a jar and is available next to broth in the soup aisle.

Step by step instructions

Equipment: This recipe makes a lot of soup, so use a Dutch oven or 6-quart stock pot to make broccoli soup.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-heat. Add vegan butter. Once melted, add the diced onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until golden, about 6-8 minutes.

Once golden, add in the minced garlic and salt. Continue cooking until the garlic is golden and aromatic, then stir in the vegetable bouillon. If the onions are sticking to the pot, add a splash of water and stir to deglaze the pot.

Add the remaining ingredients: water, frozen broccoli, diced potato, nutritional yeast and pepper. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to a low simmer over medium-low.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes, then check potatoes for doneness. Continue cooking until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, then pour in the non-dairy milk.

The easiest way to blend broccoli soup is with an immersion blender. This purees the soup but also makes it a little more rustic by leaving some chunks of broccoli and potato.

You can puree the soup in a blender, but be careful to avoid overfilling the blender as steam can build up and cause it to explode.

Variations and topping ideas

• Cashew cream: For an extra creamy and rich soup, try adding ½ cup of cashew cream in place of soy milk. You won't regret it!
• Servings: This recipe makes a lot of soup. You can cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch of soup.
• Cheese and crackers: I always add Ritz-style crackers to soup or serve with some kind of biscuit. Dairy-free cheddar shreds, like the kind SoDelicious or Miyoko's make, are great here. I also like the Chao classic shreds.
• "Bacon": Any kind of vegan bacon is great on top of broccoli soup. I personally love dicing up tempeh bacon, but coconut bacon bits are another good option.

Storage

• Leftovers: Best within 3-4 days. Let cool to room temp before refrigerating in a closed container.
• Reheating: Reheat individual servings in the microwave in just about 2 minutes. Reheat larger batches on the stove over medium heat, stirring until heated through.
• Freezing: This soup freezes well. Either freeze individual servings in small containers or mason jars, or freeze a large batch. Let the soup cool to room temp before freezing. Leave at least an inch of space at the top of the jar/container. For best results, let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

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