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6 years ago
by Six Vegan Sisters
If you grew up eating Panera’s rich, cheesy broccoli cheddar soup, you’re going to love this vegan option!
We made this recipe with Panera’s soup in mind. It’s made with plant-based ingredients and is much healthier than the original. For this creamy, delicious soup, you’ll need:
Onion, Garlic, & Broccoli
All Purpose Flour
Vegan Butter(we used this brand)
Rice milk(try this brand!)
Veggie stock(here is an organic option)
Vegan Cheddar cheese (we used Follow Your Heart)
And that’s all! It’s so easy to throw together and is perfect to warm up next to the fireplace with. And the best part? You don’t need to leave the house to get it!
Check out our other hearty recipes to get you through this cold and rainy spring:
Chick’n Noodle Soup
Cashew and Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells w/ Sweet Potato
Creamy Curry Pasta
Get cookin’! And make sure to let us know what you think!
Panera's broccoli cheddar soup was a family favorite before going vegan. We made a much healthier yet just as delicious (maybe even better!) vegan version!
4.83 from 28 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course dinner, lunch
Ingredients
- 1 cup white onions chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely diced
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups rice milk plain, unsweetened
- 3 heaping cups broccoli finely chopped
- 1 1/2 heaping cups julienned carrots
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat.
Stir in the onions & garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
Add the flour and mix well, until the flour is fully incorporated, creating a roux.
Whisk in the vegetable brothand rice milk until roux is completely incorporated.
Bring mixture to a boil.
Bring soup back to medium heat and add broccoli & carrots. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add cheddar cheese (we love Follow Your Heart) and stir until cheese is completely melted.
Remove about 1/4 of the soup from the pot and place it in a high speed blender. Blend until creamy. Add back to the pot and stir well.
Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! We love to add croutons or bread to the soup when serving.
Keyword broccoli, cheddar, lunch, soup, vegansoup
Categories:feastlunch break
- Courtney
- January 21, 2018
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Would you be able to make this a couple days ahead and then heat up?
- [emailprotected]
- January 30, 2018
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Hi Courtney,
That should be fine! I had leftovers a few days later and it was still delicious 🙂 Enjoy!- Amelia
- February 5, 2022
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This soup is so delicious!! I used unsweetened almond milk, daiya block cheddar and added 1/4 cup noosh. My omni fam loved it too!! This is definitely making it into the dinner rotation. Thank you!!
- Steve
- April 6, 2020
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Very tasty soup! To make it even more like the Panera version I like to give it a tiny bit of lemon juice right before serving – I used to always grab a lemon wedge at Panera. Thanks for this recipe!- Marta
- April 6, 2020
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Steve’s wife here!
We’ve been making this soup for a while now, and couldn’t believe there were no raving reviews about it. Best broccoli soup ever, peeps!
Had to comment to say Steve made this for my birthday (today!) since he knows i love it and we’re quarantine-ing.
Thanks for the bomb recipes, sisters!- Miranda
- May 10, 2020
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This soup is extremely creamy, comforting, and addicting! I added about 1/4 cup of nooch as well
- Sarah
- April 27, 2020
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Hey! Does the rice milk make a big difference or can it be an unsweetened soy?
- Six Vegan Sisters
- April 28, 2020
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Hi Sarah! We really prefer rice milk in this recipe because of its neutral flavor, but you can swap it out with plain, unsweetened soy milk if necessary.
- Arliya
- February 15, 2021
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Awesome! Plus soooo much less sodium, hundreds of mg’s less. I used Violife cheddar and almond milk. I also threw in some Chao cheese slices torn up too. I put probably about 2 cups in the vitamix instead of just the small amount it calls for. Instead of fresh garlic I sprinkled on a bit of dried. Wondering if it’s freezable. Will definitely make again! 🙂
- Lynn
- September 7, 2020
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What brand of vegan cheddar cheese did you use? I avoid all shredded vegan cheese because I’ve found they taste horrible 🙁
- Alison
- September 21, 2020
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Hi Lynn!!
Try Daiya cuttingboard style cheddar!- Six Vegan Sisters
- September 21, 2020
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Hi Lynn! You could try shredding up a Daiya cheddar block if you aren’t a fan of shreds. We also love Violife and Follow Your Heart vegan cheeses!
- Sophie
- September 28, 2020
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How many people does this serve?- Joann
- October 7, 2020
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How many servings does this recipe make? Thanks!
- anne
- October 8, 2020
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Hi – can I use GF flour?
thanks – Anne
Delicious!!Though I did not get the gorgeous color in the picture. I added a scoop of nutritional yeast for added cheesy color and flavor.- Anna
- January 17, 2022
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I was expecting to be disappointed but this was great! Definitely don’t skip on blending- it helps make the soup look more like the “real” stuff at Panera
- Valerie
- October 26, 2020
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This recipe turned out delicious! I substituted unsweetened almond milk. I will be making this again! I used the Daiya cheddar block cheese.- Georgia
- November 2, 2020
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Seriously, spot on Panera Broccoli Cheese soup!! I agree with the previous post that says THIS recipe is BETTER! It ticks all of my comfort food boxes! Thank you sisters!- Jasmine
- November 10, 2020
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This is my new favorite soup recipe! I didn’t want it too thick so I didn’t blend it and used Violife brand Colby jack shreds for the cheese. Tasted just like how I remember the Panera soup. 🙌🏻- Valerie
- November 13, 2020
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This recipe is excellent! Definitely making it again.- Sarah
- December 14, 2020
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Do you think the steps could be modified for an instant pot/slow cooker? I’ve made this twice now and it’s the best, but curious to know if I can do it even more easily.
- Jenny
- December 17, 2020
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I followed the recipe exactly except for using unsweetened almond milk and a different vegan cheese but the soup was pretty thin. I was hoping for a creamy, thick soup like Panera. Did I do something wrong?- Hannah
- January 13, 2021
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Mine was fairly thin as well. I wonder if you add some potatoes and include that in the blended portion that would help thicken it up.
- India
- December 23, 2020
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Very good. I normally don’t like dishes with vegan cheese, but this was tasty. I couldn’t find rice milk so I used almond milk. My toddlers loved it and I will be making it again. I also added potatoes to make it richer.- Karen
- January 5, 2021
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Just excellent!! Whole pot was eaten!- Hannah
- January 13, 2021
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So good!! I will definitely be making this again.- Alana
- February 11, 2021
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I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I recently became a vegan and it’s so hard to find food that fits my diet and my kids also enjoy. Thanks!- Leah
- February 13, 2021
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This was great! Just like Panera! Used almond milk and Daiya and it thickened up just fine. Also used Better Than Boullion no chicken base for the broth. Panera uses chicken broth and this really added a nice flavor.- Ella
- February 13, 2021
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eating it right now! i haven’t had broccoli cheddar soup in probably 10 years and this tastes JUST how i remember! thank you so much for this tasty recipe!- Carina
- March 21, 2021
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I’m the only vegan in my house and everyone loved this! Granted, they topped it with dairy cheddar, but still a win! The added nutritional yeast. FYI this could comfortably feed 4 people.- Hannah
- April 5, 2021
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Raw broccoli or already cooked? 🙂
- Natalie
- April 27, 2021
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Hi! So this soup came out delicious so thank you so much for the recipe! The only problem I had was the when I put in the 1/2 cup of flour it did not turn into a roux … it just completely dried up and formed to the cooked onions … what did I do wrong? ☹️ Any help would be great for next time!
- Belyn
- January 21, 2022
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Delicious! I increased garlic to 2 cloves, cause I love garlic. I used almond flour instead of all purpose flour. I also increased broccoli to 4 cups, added a shredded yellow beet, and some spinach. Recipe is a keeper.- Nikki
- March 27, 2022
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The BEST soup I have ever made hands down!!!! I don’t need Panera ANYMORE!- Ruth
- November 7, 2022
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Hi, I made this last night and I can attest, it is better than Panera! Thanks for all the great vegan recipes. Your site has made transitioning from vegetarian to vegan much easier.- Lanae
- February 5, 2023
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This is delicious. I didn’t have any vegan cheddar shreds on hand so I used some Miyoki’s mozzarella and smoked mozzarella, then added some nutritional yeast. Also I used cashew milk. Yummy. Thanks.- Jessica
- September 28, 2023
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I’d like to bring this to a potluck, but I’m curious how to make it work in a slow cooker? Any suggestions?
- Tara
- October 31, 2023
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Made it as directed except used almond milk. Soup was delicious.- Florence
- December 14, 2023
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Great soup! I made it with plant milk and in my instant pot. Made a few modification, but it was great. Split it with a friend and was so excited to have for lunch the next day….only to discover my daughter had eaten it ALL. Making it again tonight, and may need to hide some for myself. Thanks!- Chelséa
- February 8, 2024
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We found this recipe on Pinterest with the claim written across the beautiful picture “better than Panera” – I wish that had been true. Sadly this recipe lacks depth as well as flavor. No seasonings besides salt and pepper… I made this for my family as my partner sent it to me, and we were both very excited! However- I immediately had reservations when I saw there wasn’t any seasoning in the recipe but decided to give it a go anyway. This is a good base if you’re looking to start somewhere- this is NOT even comparable to Panera or any other flavor ladened soup. I’m sorry :/ I just see so many folks raving about this recipe and want others who like a lot of flavor to know this may not be the recipe for them.- Gabrielle
- March 6, 2024
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Made this exactly as directed, and we LOVED it! So simple but so flavorful and delicious! It feels like a warm hug for your tummy!!
