Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe

Satisfy your craving for comfort food with this super creamy and ultra cheesy vegan broccoli cheddar soup! This soup is made with all plant-based ingredients, it’s ready in less than 1 hour, and it can be made in the slow cooker.

This delicious vegan soup is rich, loaded with broccoli, and it has the best cheesy cheddar flavor! It’s super creamy without using any butter, processed vegan cheddar cheese, or heavy cream. If you love satisfying, plant-based, comfort food meals that are easy to make and are ready in less than one hour, you should definitely give this recipe a try! 

Ingredients & Substitutions

This broccoli cheddar soup is easy to make with a combination of fresh vegetables and pantry staples. Let’s go over the most important ingredients and substitutions if you need them.

• Potatoes – These starchy root veggies make the texture of the soup so thick and creamy! I like to use russet potatoes, but you could also use Yukon gold potatoes. Cauliflower can be used for a low-carb option.
• Carrots – This ingredient is used for flavor and for color to make it look like cheddar cheese. You can substitute red bell peppers.
• Cashews – These buttery nuts make the soup taste so rich and creamy. You can substitute raw sunflower seeds for a similar texture.
• Nutritional Yeast – This is what gives broccoli soup its cheesy cheddar flavor!
• Almond Milk – Nut milk adds to the creaminess of the soup. You can use any nut milk that you have, as long as it’s unsweetened and not vanilla-flavored.
• Broccoli – You can use fresh or frozen broccoli to make this soup.
• Turmeric – A little bit of turmeric gives this soup the perfect yellow cheddar cheese color!

How to Make It

In a large dutch oven, saute the diced onion and garlic. Add the potatoes, carrots, cashews, salt, and water. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let it cook until everything is soft and tender.

Add all of the cooked vegetables, dry seasonings, apple cider vinegar, and almond milk to a high-speed blender and blend it on high until it’s smooth and creamy. It should look like melted cheddar cheese.

Pour the “cheddar cheese” sauce back into the pan along with the rest of the almond milk and increase the heat until it’s bubbling a little bit. Add the broccoli and lemon juice and let it cook until the broccoli is tender but not mushy.