Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

Why I Know You'll Love This Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe

• Wholesome ingredients. This soup is chock full of veggies, including broccoli, carrots, and zucchini. Meanwhile, blended raw cashews and almond milk enrich the broth. It's hearty and super satisfying.
• Rich and flavorful. To top it all off, nutritional yeast lends this soup a “cheesy” flavor that mimics the richness of traditional cream of broccoli and broccoli cheddar soup recipes.
• One pot. All the broccoli, veggies, and soup ingredients get simmered together in one pot. I use a blender afterward, but if you have an immersion blender, it's an entirely one-pot meal!

What You’ll Need

Here’s everything you need to make this comforting veggie soup. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the article to see the exact amounts for each ingredient.

• Olive oil – Or your preferred cooking oil.
• Zucchini – You can replace the zucchini with another type of squash, like butternut squash, if you prefer.
• Carrots and onions – I like to use yellow onions for this recipe, but white or red onions will also work.
• Garlic – If needed, substitute one tablespoon of jarred garlic, or ¼ – ½ teaspoon garlic powder per fresh clove.
• Broccoli – You only want to use the florets in this recipe. You can save the stalks to simmer into a homemade vegetable broth if you'd like.
• Cashews – Make sure to use cashews that are raw and unsalted.
• Vegetable broth – This can be store-bought or homemade.
• Almond milk – If you prefer, you can use other types of non-dairy milk, like oat or coconut milk. Just make sure that you use milk that is unseasoned and unsweetened.
• Nutritional yeast – Nutritional yeast adds depth of flavor to the soup.
• Lemon juice – Be sure to use freshly-squeezed lemon juice.

How to Make Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here’s how to make this vegan cream of broccoli in one pot. It’s so easy and takes well under an hour to cook.

• Cook the aromatics. Heat the oil in a pot. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, zucchini, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the garlic is fragrant.

• Add the broccoli and broth. Put the broccoli, vegetable broth, water, and cashews into the pot. 
• Cook. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover the soup and let it simmer until the broccoli is soft, which should take about 20 minutes. 

• Blend. Pour the soup into a blender, and blend until smooth. Then pour the soup back into the pot. 
• Add the rest of the ingredients. Put the almond milk, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice into the soup, and stir to combine. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed, then serve. 

Recipe Tips

• Homemade stock. Soup is always better if you use a homemade broth. I like to use my Instant Pot Mushroom Vegan Bone Broth when making this recipe. It adds an extra layer of richness to the soup.
• Blending tips. If you don’t have a standing blender, you can use a stick blender in the soup pot. And if you don’t have either, you can blend the soup in batches in a food processor. If you’re aiming for the smoothest soup possible, pour the blended soup through a sieve before adding it back to the pot.
• Spice it up. If you like a kick of heat, then I recommend adding some red pepper flakes to the soup. You can also add fresh peppers or hot sauce if you prefer. 
• Have fun with toppings. I love to garnish my soups. This creamy squash and broccoli soup would go well with a lot of different garnishes, so add whatever sounds good to you. I recommend olive oil, chili flakes, croutons, vegan creme fraiche, and fresh herbs. 

What to Serve With Vegan Broccoli Soup

This veggie-loaded vegcan broccoli soup is a satisfying and well-rounded meal on its own. But I love a good side dish, so I often serve it with fluffy pumpkin cornbread for sopping up the leftover soup. I also have favorites like vegan spinach artichoke dip, or these gluten-free veggie fritters.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Broccoli Soup

• Store in the fridge. Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheat. Reheat the soup on the stove over medium heat until warm, or in a microwave on 80% power in 20-second increments.
• Freeze. This soup freezes really well for easy weeknight meals. Keep it in an airtight container and it will stay good in the freezer for 6 months. Defrost or thaw the soup completely before reheating it. 

More Easy Vegan Soup Recipes 

• Leek and Potato Soup
• Tortilla Soup with Quinoa
• Moroccan Lentil Soup
• Cauliflower Soup