Panera Style Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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This broccoli cheddar soup recipe started with a bowl at Panera on the last day of a trip to the US. Back home I kept making it until the consistency was right: thick, creamy, and with enough broccoli that you can see it in every spoonful. It cooks in the Instant Pot with 3 minutes at pressure, and the stovetop method is here too.
Why This Recipe Works
- Plenty of broccoli. About 14 ounces (400 grams) of chopped broccoli goes into four servings, so it is in every spoonful.
- Thick without a blender. A quick butter and flour roux and grated carrot give the soup body, and it stays chunky.
- Instant Pot or stovetop. This broccoli cheddar soup recipe takes 3 minutes at high pressure with a quick release, or 7 to 8 minutes covered in a pot on the stovetop.
- Half a cup of cream. That is all the cream in the pot. The recipe card estimates about 211 calories and 11 grams of protein per serving.
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Full quantities are in the recipe card. These are the ones worth a word.
- Broccoli. Fresh broccoli gives the best result: one large head or two small ones, chopped into small pieces.
- Cheddar. I use a mix of sharp and mild cheddar. Buy a block and grate it yourself.
- Carrot. Grate it on the large holes of a box grater so it cooks in the same time as the broccoli.
- Butter and all-purpose flour. Together they make the roux that thickens the soup.
- Water and a stock cube. I use 3 cups of water with a vegetarian stock cube. You can use 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth in place of both.
- Cream. Any fresh cream works.
- Onion and garlic (optional). I often make this soup without them. If you want them, well-rated broccoli cheddar soup recipes use about 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced. That amount comes from those recipes, not from my own testing.
- Equipment. I make this in an Instant Pot Duo 6-quart. For the stovetop method I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Any heavy pot with a lid works.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
1. Make the roux. Set the Instant Pot to Saute. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir constantly for about a minute. If you are using onion and garlic, add them now and cook for a minute more.
2. Add the liquid and seasoning. Pour in 3 cups of water and add the stock cube (or use 3 cups of vegetable broth instead), then the cream, and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot so no flour is stuck to it. Stir in the mustard powder, parsley, salt and black pepper.
3. Add the vegetables. Add the grated carrot and chopped broccoli and mix well.
4. Pressure cook. Lock the lid and turn the valve to Sealing. Cook on High pressure for 3 minutes. When the pot beeps, do a quick release.
5. Finish with cheese. Switch back to Saute. Add the paprika and the cheddar, stir, and cook for 2 minutes, until the cheese has melted into the soup. Serve with a pinch of paprika and a little more grated cheese on top.
On the stovetop. Follow steps 1 to 3 in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, until the broccoli and carrot are tender. Stir in the cheese and paprika and simmer for 2 minutes. The full method for both is in the recipe card below.
Rekha’s Note
Grate the cheese at home. Pre-grated cheese usually has an anti-caking coating, and it never melts into the soup as smoothly. This is a rich bowl, so I keep the cream to half a cup and let the broccoli and carrot do the rest. One serving has about 11 grams of protein by the card’s estimate, most of it from the cheddar.
Rekha
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 400 grams Broccoli
- 100 grams carrot
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp All Purpose flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup Cream
Instructions
Making Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Instant Pot
- Switch on the Instant pot on saute mode. Add butter and melt it now add all purpose flour. Toast this all purpose flour by continuously stirring it for a minute.
- Add in chopped onion and garlic and saute them for a minute. I often make it without onion and garlic.
- Now add 3 cups of water and stock cube for flavour. If you do not want to use stock cube skip this cube and water and use 3 cups of low sodium vegetable broth instead.
- Add cream and give it a good stir.
- Now add mustard powder, parsley, salt and black pepper. Mix them well.
- Add grated carrot, chopped broccoli and mix well.
- Cover instant pot with the lid and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position. Set the pressure on high and for 3 minutes.
- When it is done Instant pot beeps and then you can do a quick pressure release.
- Now set the instant pot on saute mode again and add in paprika and cheddar cheese.
- Mix this and cook for 2 minutes
- Serve in a soup bowl sprinkle some paprika and grated cheese and a crusty sour dough toast to dip in. ENJOY this Panera style Easy Instant pot Broccoli cheddar soup.
Stovetop Pot Method
- Follow the method exactly as I have shared in Instant pot till step 6.
- Next cover the pot with a lid and cook for 7-8 minute on medium heat till broccoli and carrot is tender.
- Once these vegetables are cooked through add in cheese, paprika and simmer for 2 minutes. Easy Broccoli Cheese soup is ready!
Rekha’s Notes
Nutrition
- Grainy or stringy cheese? It is usually pre-grated cheese or too much heat. Use freshly grated cheddar, add it a handful at a time, and stop cooking as soon as it melts.
- Burn message on the Instant Pot? Flour stuck to the bottom is the usual cause. Scrape the pot well after the liquid goes in. More in my guide to the Instant Pot burn notice.
- Broccoli too soft? Release the pressure as soon as the pot beeps. The broccoli keeps cooking while the pot sits sealed.
- Too thick? Stir in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth.
- Too thin? Simmer on Saute for a few more minutes, stirring. The soup also thickens as it cools.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Variations
- A different cheese. Any mild cheese works in place of cheddar, such as Colby Jack, Manchego or Swiss.
- No onion, no garlic. Leave both out. This is how I often make it.
- Different herbs. Dried thyme, oregano or mixed herbs can replace the parsley.
- Without wheat flour. Use rice flour, potato flour or almond flour in place of the all-purpose flour, and check that your stock cube is gluten-free.
- In a sandwich. The same two ingredients go into my broccoli cheddar grilled cheese.
What to Serve With Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Crusty bread. I pair it with a toasted slice of sourdough for dipping.
- Garlic bread. A thick slice of scallion garlic and cheese bread is very good dunked in the bowl.
- Rolls. Homemade soft dinner rolls work for a holiday table.
- A second soup. For a soup night, put it next to my tomato soup recipe or the roasted tomato soup.
- Sides. Pan-roasted Greek fries or a corn salad also go well with it.
Meal Prep and Storage
- Fridge. Keep leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. This soup is not freezer friendly. The cream and cheese separate when it is thawed and reheated, so make only what you will eat within 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm it on low heat on the stovetop, stirring now and then, and do not let it boil. If it has thickened, add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth.
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Common Questions
Can I make broccoli cheddar soup without an Instant Pot?
Yes. Make it in a Dutch oven or heavy pot on the stovetop: after the vegetables go in, cover and cook on medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes until tender. Then stir in the cheese and paprika and simmer for 2 minutes.
Can I use frozen broccoli in broccoli cheddar soup?
Fresh broccoli gives the best result. I have not tested frozen broccoli, but it can be substituted: my guess is to pressure cook it for 1 minute on High instead of 3.
Why is my broccoli cheddar soup grainy?
The cheese did not melt smoothly. Pre-grated cheese and high heat are the usual causes, so grate the cheddar yourself and add it gradually at the end.
Can you freeze broccoli cheddar soup?
It is not freezer friendly. The cream and cheese separate after thawing, so the soup does not come back smooth. Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days instead.
There is no cream on the list of ingredients, but it is listed in the instructions to “Add cream and give it a good stir”. How much cream should be added?
Will try