Cheesy vegan broccoli soup - this creamy, comforting soup is the perfect warming Autumn meal.
It has a delicious 'cheesy' flavour, creamy texture and is packed with vegetables. Serve with crusty bread for a hearty, filling meal.
Broccoli cheese soup used to be one of my absolute favourite soups before going vegan.
Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the majority of vegan cheeses so it's not a simple swap to make a vegan version.
Fortunately however, nutritional yeast exists! That along with a few other ingredients adds a delicious cheese-like flavour to make a cheesy vegan broccoli soup that I enjoy just as much as I used to.
What Do I Need To Make Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup?:
Broccoli: Obviously. For this soup I use a large head of broccoli, stem and all.
Leek, onion and garlic: These form the flavour base of the soup.
Potato: Adds body and creaminess.
Butter and olive oil: I use part vegan butter, part olive oil for frying the vegetables for the best flavour.
Stock: Use a good quality vegetable bouillon if possible. I like Marigold.
Nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard and bay leaf: These all contribute towards forming the 'cheesy' flavour in the absence of any actual cheese.
Cream: You can use any shop-bought vegan cream such as soy or oat based ones, or use home-made cashew cream. I generally use Alpro soy single cream.
You could use coconut cream instead but it may impart a bit of coconut flavour so it wouldn't be my first choice in this instance.
Baby spinach: Adding in a big handful of baby spinach before blending the soup helps to keep the bright green colour as well as adding extra nutrition.
How To Make Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the chopped onion, leek and garlic and cook gently, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes until soft.
Add the stock, potato, broccoli stalk, bay leaf and mustard. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Add the broccoli florets and cook for about 5 minutes more, until they are tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender along with the cream, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, spinach and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
Blend until smooth then check the seasoning and add more lemon juice/salt/pepper/nutritional yeast as needed.
Top Tips:
For the best results follow the recipe closely and make it exactly as written. The ingredients are all included for a reason and omitting any may result in an inferior flavour.
Don't under-season the soup. A bit of salt and pepper makes a big difference.
Don't add all of the broccoli to the soup at the start, just the chopped up stalk. The florets cook much more quickly so need to be added later.
How To Store It:
The soup will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to four days.
It can also be frozen in a freezer proof container for up to three months. Allow to defrost in the fridge then reheat in a pan or the microwave to serve
More Vegan Soup Recipes:
- Creamy white bean soup
- Creamy vegetable chickpea soup
- Spinach, lentil and butter bean soup
- Vegan corn chowder
- Spiced carrot and pumpkin soup
- Quick black-eyed bean soup
- Vegan sausage stew with lentils and farro
- Vegetable and pearl barley stew with herby dumplings
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 500 g broccoli (1 large head)
- 1 large potato (about 350g)
- 25 g vegan butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 leek sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 1.2 litres (5 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- 120 ml (½ cup) vegan cream
- 6 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
- a big handful of baby spinach
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop the broccoli stalk into pieces and cut the head into small florets. Keep the stalk and florets separate. Peel and dice the potato.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the chopped onion, leek and garlic and cook gently, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Add the stock, potato, broccoli stalk, bay leaf and mustard. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the broccoli florets and cook for about 5 minutes more, until they are tender. You can add a splash more stock if needed, just enough to just about cover the florets. Don't add too much or the soup will be runny.
- Transfer the soup to a blender along with the cream, nutritional yeast, 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, a big handful of spinach and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Blend until smooth then check the seasoning and add more lemon juice/salt/pepper/nutritional yeast as needed. If your blender isn't very big you may need to blend it in a couple of batches.
Notes
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