Easy Carrot and Broccoli Soup

Cheesy Carrot and Broccoli Soup with chopped broccoli florets and diced carrots in a creamy and cheesy broth is so full of flavor you will think you got it from your favorite local cafe!

Broccoli cheddar soup seems almost synonymous with a certain bakery cafe (ahem, Panera Bread), but this cheesy vegetable soup is actually super easy to make at home.

Not only can you make a large pot of it and have multiple servings at a cheaper price, but you can also tailor the soup recipe to your exact tastes (more/less salt, make it vegetarian, etc.).

Want the full cafe experience? Serve this cheesy broccoli carrot soup in sourdough bread bowls!

Looking for more delicious soup recipes?

Ingredients

Butter: Butter is mixed with flour to make a roux which is the base of most cream soups, as it is a thickening agent.

Chopped Broccoli: Whether you use a whole head of broccoli or broccoli florets, make sure to cut down the size of the broccoli pieces to be small enough to fit on a spoon and make sure that they are uniform in size.

Chopped Carrots: Carrots add orange color and a little sweetness to this soup.

Onion: Onions are one of the main flavoring agents in this simple cheese soup, so you don't want to skip them.

Chicken Broth: Use chicken broth instead of water for an extra layer of flavor in this soup. If you wanted to make the soup vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Milk: Some broccoli cheese soups call for heavy cream but I decided to lighten it up a bit by using milk instead. Don't worry, between the milk and lots of shredded cheese it is still incredibly rich and creamy.

Shredded Cheese: Use shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese to melt into this vegetable soup.

How to make carrot and broccoli soup

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, broccoli, and carrots and saute until onions are translucent and vegetables begin to soften (about 8-10 minutes).

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Add flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Allow flour taste to cook off for about 1 minute.

Stir in chicken stock and then add milk. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir to melt. Serve warm.

Want to make your vegetable soup less chunky?

I like to cut all of the veggies to a small size when making the soup, and then after cooking the soup check the texture and see if I want it to be thinner or not. If I do, a few pulses of the immersion blender normally does the trick.

If you do not have an immersion blender, ladle half of the soup into a regular blender pulse once or twice, and pour it back into the pot with the rest of the soup.

Can you use frozen broccoli florets?

Of course. Just make sure that the pieces are bite-sized and uniform so they cook alongside the carrots at a similar pace. Broccoli and carrot soup is also a great way to incorporate leftover broccoli (or carrots!) into another recipe.

Storage

Allow soup to cool completely and store carrot and broccoli soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this soup for several months.