Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

A bowl of vegan broccoli soup has croutons on top.

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

This creamy vegan broccoli cheese soup is a healthy soup cleverly disguised as comfort food. It's delicious all the way to the sourdough croutons.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 5

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 386kcal

Author Marly McMillen

Equipment

Ingredients

Broccoli Soup

1 head broccoli
½ cup chopped carrots
1 small small red potato , not peeled, washed and diced (1 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion , peeled and diced
½ cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
4 cups water
4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base**
¼ cup white wine (sub lemon juice)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
½ cup raw cashews

Croutons

2 cups cubed bread (see note)
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

Cups - Metric

Instructions

For the Broccoli Soup

Prepare the Broccoli: Rinse the broccoli. Then cut the crown away from the stems. Cut the crown into bite-sized florets. Cut branch stems into small, bite-size pieces. Discard the main stem. You should have around 4 cups of florets and small stem pieces.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and potato pieces. Sautee until the vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about a minute longer.
Then add water, bouillon, wine, nutritional yeast flakes, cashews, and broccoli florets/pieces. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Use tongs to remove half of the broccoli florets from the pot.
Blend the soup: Remove the center cap from your blender lid. Fill the blender only halfway. Secure the lid on the blender and top with a kitchen towel. Blend on low speed for a few seconds, then slowly increase speed to create a creamy soup. Transfer to a bowl. then repeat with remaining ingredients from the pan. Add about 3/4 of the reserved broccoli florets to the pureed soup, leaving some to place as a topping.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with broccoli florets and croutons.

For The Croutons

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make croutons, place bread cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Toss to coat all the bread pieces.
Spread coated bread cubes on a prepared baking sheet, spreading evenly across the pan. Try not to crowd them too closely together. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Note: Fresh bread could take a little longer to toast whereas older, stale bread will brown more quickly.

Notes

Regarding Vegetable Broth: You can use 4 cups of vegetable broth, but I find a great variety in the quality in store-bought vegetable broth which is why I recommend the Better than Bouillon. It delivers a high-quality broth that has the best flavors.

Quick Cook Method. If you want the vegetables to cook faster, you can place chopped potatoes and carrots in a microwave-safe bowl. Add just a bit of water, and heat for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help them get tender more quickly. Leave them to sit in the microwave until they're cool enough to handle and then transfer to the pot with the rest of the soup ingredients.

Bread for Croutons. Use whatever bread you prefer, or you can try sourdough bread or even gluten-free bread.

Make this Dish Gluten-free. Simply use gluten-free bread for the croutons.

Make-ahead Tips. Make this soup the day before serving and simply reheat it in the pot or microwave. This soup can be stored for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Freezer Tips. Transfer prepared soup to a freezer-safe container. It can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, transfer to the fridge the night before to allow it to thaw. Then cook in the microwave or in a pot until heated through.

Nutrition