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Creamy vegan broccoli soup made with tender sautéed broccoli and carrots, infused with savory spices, and a rich cashew-based broth. The paleo fall recipe is Whole30 compliant and totally dairy-free, yet full of cheesy flavor and deliciousness—perfect for a cozy family dinner!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- I based this vegan cheddar broccoli soup on the offerings at Panera and TGIFriday’s, hoping to convert the dairy-loving diehards to my cheesy vegan broccoli soup substitution.
- It’s super easy to make and comes together quickly; all you do is sauté the onions, add broccoli and carrots, cover with broth, blend the other ingredients, and combine!
- This soup delivers serious nutritional value, featuring 4 cups of vitamin C-rich broccoli, protein-packed cashews, and beta-carotene-rich carrots. You’re sneaking in clean eating that doesn’t feel like you’re missing out!
- It’s the ideal fall weeknight dinner, reappearing as early-lunchtime-inducing leftovers the next day. And since it’s dairy-free, it’s easy to freeze! You could dip Vegan Zucchini Bread, Gluten Free Cornbread With Honey, or Sweet Potato Cornbread into this soup. Just remember to make vegan modifications when using these bread recipes.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- Begin with ¼ cup of nutritional yeast and work up to ½ cup based on your taste preferences. If you’re new to “nooch,” the flavor can be intense, but if you’re a vegan cooking veteran, you might want the full ½ cup for maximum cheesy goodness.
- That tablespoon of fresh lemon juice isn’t just random—it brightens the entire broccoli cheddar soup vegan recipe and helps balance the richness of the cashews. It’s what makes this taste like the real deal!
- A pinch of turmeric will give you that familiar broccoli cheese soup color that makes everyone’s mouth water. Start small and add more until you get that perfect golden hue that screams “comfort food.”
- Blend the cashew mixture until it’s completely smooth. Any grittiness from under-blended cashews will ruin the luxurious texture you’re going for. When you think it’s smooth enough, blend for another 30 seconds.
More Delicious Vegan Recipes
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Whole30 Instant Pot Tomato Soup (Dairy-Free & Vegan)
- Vegan Pad Thai
- Creamy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Seitan “Chicken”
- Seitan Grilled Chicken with Vegan BBQ Sauce
- Vegan Enchiladas
- Vegan Fried “Chicken” (Made with Tofu)
- Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Vegan Chili
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Creamy vegan broccoli and cheddar soup features tender sautéed broccoli and carrots in a rich, savory cashew broth. Whole30 compliant and totally dairy-free, it's packed with cheesy flavor that’s full of flavor and deliciousness!
servings
Equipment
- medium saucepan with lid
- high-speed blender Vitamix, Blendtec, or similar
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee, if not vegan
- 1 small onion diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock if on Whole30 or not vegan
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrot about 2 medium
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for 4 hours if you don’t have a high-speed blender
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about half a lemon
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 dash cayenne pepper dash
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked pepper to taste
- fresh parsley to serve, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent, stirring often. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add stock, broccoli, and carrots, then cover with a lid. Simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender, combine cashews, water, mustard powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, almond milk, and cayenne pepper. Blend at high speed until very, very smooth. Pour mixture into broccoli mixture and stir until smooth. Add plenty of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Spoon into serving bowls and top with fresh chopped parsley and shredded vegan cheese (optional).
Video
For the Smoothest Texture: Blend the cashew mixture for at least 2 minutes on high speed until completely smooth. If your blender isn’t getting the mixture silky enough, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve before adding to the soup.
Storage and Reheating: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. The soup may thicken when cold – just add a splash of vegetable stock or almond milk to thin it back out.
Make it Whole30: Use ghee instead of olive oil and chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. Make sure your almond milk is Whole30-compliant (no carrageenan or added sugars).
Freezer-Friendly: This soup freezes beautifully for up to 3 months! The dairy-free base won’t curdle like traditional cheese soups. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently.
Cashew Substitute: If you can’t have cashews, try ¾ cup of unsweetened coconut cream (the thick part from a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk) blended with the seasonings instead.
Boost the Flavor: Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar along with the lemon juice for extra tang that mimics traditional cheese soup’s acidity.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 331calProtein: 12gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 562mgPotassium: 805mgTotal Carbs: 27gFiber: 7gSugar: 8gNet Carbs: 20gVitamin A: 8970IUVitamin C: 87mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Thanks for sharing. Loved your recipe. This is my first vegan soup and my husband also loved it. The yeast taste was something I am getting used it. I am trying to do more like a vegan paleo. This really helped curb my hunger 🙂
These is cheese heaven! It’s so creamy. Thanks for sharing!
Great recipe! I am looking for dairy free options and this soup is a keeper. We are not vegan, so I topped the soup with bacon and the results were delicious ?
Because of all the positive comments, I made a double batch of this thinking I’d for sure love it! Mine was more like watery grit. The cashews didn’t give it the creamy texture I’d hoped for- or maybe I did something wrong? Was I supposed to soak the nuts first? Next time I will also do as suggested and not use as much nutritional yeast. I’m not a huge fan of how much that flavor sticks out:(
It’s best to soak or boil the cashews if you don’t have a really high-speed blender.
I do not have a high-speed blender, so I did soak the cashews for several hours. I then drained and rinsed them. In my blender I only used 1/2 cup of the water called for, as I knew the cashews had absorbed a significant amount of water. During blending the mixture was a little thick, so I added in an extra 2 TBSP of almond milk. Then I puréed it until it got quite smooth. The end result was not gritty for me.
This looks so so so delicious! I’ll be making this pale broccoli cheese soup this weekend! I can’t wait to try it!
Made this last night, it was very good, had it for lunch today-it is delicious! I don’t eat exclusively plant based, and I am not always a fan of cheese substitutes, but it really works here. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Griff
Okay. So, I just made this. It’s… AMAZING!!! I added just a little bit more of a few of the seasonings listed (somehow I’m out of black pepper?!) and it was perfect!! Also, I admittedly HATE spending too much time in the kitchen… But this was actually painless!! Thanks!! Already shared this recipe!!
I love hearing that!! So glad you liked it 🙂
We made this tonight and it was wonderful! Thanks for a great recipe! My son, who doesn’t like broccoli, even said he liked it!
Woohoo!! That’s the true test of a recipe 😉 So glad you liked it!
Has anyone been successful in freezing this recipe? I’m trying to find freezer recipes and this sounds delish!
OMG, this soup is delicious! I can’t wait to eat it for lunch this week. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I am so so happy you liked it!