Broccoli Cheese Soup is the ultimate comfort food! This is deliciously cheesy, amazingly rich and creamy, and it has plenty of fresh broccoli (cut into itty bitty pieces of course) dotted throughout.

The BEST Broccoli Cheese Soup

This truly is the best broccoli cheese soup I’ve ever had! Better than the local soup shops and chain restaurants (Panera Bread). And this recipe doesn’t have any of that strange, shelf stable processed cheese like some of those famous versions do.

Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Cut broccoli into tiny pieces. That way they cook faster and the overall texture of the soup is better. No bitting into big chunks of broccoli.
Finley dice up the onions very small or they won’t cook through fast enough. No one wants crunchy onions in this soup.
Use plenty of cheese. And avoid mild or medium cheddar or soup won’t be very flavorful.
Add some parmesan in addition to cheddar. It adds lots of flavor.
Don’t overheat (boil) the béchamel sauce (flour-milk mixture) or it won’t have the same thickening properties.
Don’t use pre-shredded cheeses or the soup may end up grainy, plus the flavor won’t be as good. Start with a block and grate it fresh.
Stir in cheeses off heat so they don’t separate and curdle. You can even let the soup cool for a few minutes first.
Wait to season. I like to add salt at the end after salty cheeses are added, that way you won’t overdue it.

Ready in: 25 minutes
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes

Ingredients

6 Tbsp butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pieces
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/4 cups low-fat milk, then more to thin if desired
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups (packed) finely chopped fresh broccoli florets*
10 oz (2 1/2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese or extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving**
1 oz (1/3 cup) finely shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. Add in onions and cook, stirring frequently until nearly soft, about 4 – 5 minutes.
Add in garlic and flour, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
While whisking, slowly pour in milk then chicken broth. Stir in broccoli.
Cook stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Then reduce heat to low and allow to cook, stirring very frequently, until broccoli is tender, about 6 – 8 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in heavy cream then stir in cheddar and parmesan cheese, mixing until melted.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with more cheddar if desired.

Notes

*From about 2 heads of broccoli, use floret portion only. I began with about 1 lb broccoli crowns, chopped off majority of the stems, then chopped the florets into very small pieces about 1/2 inch. Sometimes I like extra broccoli so I use 4 cups.
**For milder flavor use sharp cheddar for bolder flavor use extra shape cheddar cheese.
**Use freshly shredded cheese from blocks of cheese for best flavor and texture.