Easy Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Why this vegan broccoli cheese soup recipe works:

It's so easy to make! To make this recipe, cook onion, carrots and potato. Blend the mixture and then add broccoli, spices, coconut milk, nutritional yeast and vegan cheddar. That's it!

Meal prep it! Make this soup to have on hand for a few days for lunch during the week.

No cashews used in this recipe! To make the soup creamy, we're using a potato and coconut milk.

A simple way to get your veggies in! This soup is loaded with vegetables. No need for a side salad.

Soup that contains 8 grams of fiber per serving!

Ingredients:

• avocado oil, or neutral oil of choice
• diced yellow onion
• chopped carrots
• vegetable broth
• peeled and cubed Russet potato - Use a Russet potato opposed to other potato varieties because it's starchy and will help the soup thicken a bit.
• broccoli cut into VERY fine pieces
• nutritional yeast
• sweet paprika
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• unsweetened canned full-fat coconut milk - Do not use any other type of milk. Canned full-fat coconut milk is the creamiest. That is why we can use it in place of heavy cream.
• shredded vegan cheddar cheese - I love THIS brand!

A complete list of ingredients, amounts and instructions is located on the recipe card below.

Substitutions:

Use frozen broccoli! You can use frozen broccoli in place of fresh, but make sure you let it thaw and cut it into VERY fine pieces.

If you can't find Russet potatoes, you can use Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes are also starchy enough to make the soup creamy. I don't recommend using waxy potatoes like French fingerling or Red Bliss because they will not help thicken the soup.

How to make vegan broccoli cheddar soup:

Sauté onion in oil for about 2 minutes.

Next, add carrots, potatoes and vegetable broth.

Cover and cook for about 20-24 minutes on medium-low heat, or until the pieces of potato and carrot have softened.

• Turn off the heat.
• Place your immersion blender into the pot and purée the mixture until creamy.

• Turn the heat back on to medium-low.
• Add the broccoli, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, coconut milk.
• Stir everything together.
• Allow the soup to cook for about 5 minutes.

Then, stir in the cheese and cook for 7-10 minutes more, or until the broccoli is tender and the soup is thick.

Recipe pro-tips:

Russet potatoes are best for this recipe because they are very starchy. I don't recommend using waxy potatoes like French fingerling or Red Bliss because they will not help thicken the soup.

I don't recommend standard cow's milk, almond milk or other carton milks for this recipe. They are not thick and creamy enough. The canned coconut milk must be full-fat. Light/lite coconut milk is too liquidy.

I promise the soup doesn't taste coconuty. We're just using the milk for it's texture.

If your veggie stock is salty, I would add less salt.

Serving suggestions:

Serve this vegan broccoli cheese soup with homemade croutons and extra shredded cheese! Alternatively, serve it alongside some crusty bread or a sandwich for dipping.