This vegan cream of broccoli soup is light, healthy and so easy to make. This simple soup is perfect for spring and is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!
Broccoli soup! Who would’ve thought it could be so good. Honestly, not me considering this recipe is made of mostly just broccoli, but somehow it becomes this creamy and incredibly flavorful soup that is perfect for Spring!
This vegan cream of broccoli soup is ready in just about 30 minutes and is made with fresh but simple ingredients. It’s nut free, light and healthy but still has an incredibly creamy consistency but without cream!
Top it off with some fresh herbs and serve it with a sandwich or just enjoy as is!
You can serve it alongside some grilled chicken for added protein, or even blend in some white beans like in my tomato soup for plant protein.
How to make broccoli soup
In a large pot or dutch oven, add the olive oil and diced onion. Saute over medium heat until it starts to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
Add in the minced garlic and diced celery stalk. Saute an additional 5-10 minutes.
Add in all remaining ingredients aside from the lemon and cover. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the broccoli is fork tender. Start with just 1/2 tsp of salt and add more later as desired.
Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. it helps to start the blender on the lowest possible setting and keep the lid slightly ajar so heat can escape.
Add in the lemon juice and blend again. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. I usually add a bit more pepper and lemon juice, but more salt or nutritional yeast is also delicious!
The soup will have a fairly thick consistency at this point, but if you want to thin it out, just add more vegetable broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Transfer back to the pot and serve warm with cashew cream, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh (gluten free) bread!
Serving Suggestions
I like to keep things really simple with this soup! I usually top it off with some olive oil, fresh parsley and cashew cream, and then have some gluten free bread on the side.
I always get this gluten free baguette from the brand Green Lite in the freezer section at Whole Foods!
It doesn’t have quite the same feel as a regular baguette but it’s honestly some of the best gluten free bread I’ve tried.
You can also have this Panera style and do half soup, half salad or sandwich! If you aren’t vegan, it would be great with my lemon pepper salmon or grilled chicken on the side.
How to store and freeze
This vegan cream of broccoli soup does keep, but unfortunately, not for too long. Let it cool completely, then transfer to an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can definitely freeze this soup! You’ll again want to let it cool, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Let it thaw overnight, then reheat on the stove until warm.
What does it taste like?
Valid question! So first and foremost, it doesn’t taste like broccoli puree, even though that’s more or less what it is. It has a slight cheesy flavor from the nutritional yeast, with hints of garlic, onion and parsley. The lemon adds a nice tang too!
How do you thicken vegan cream of broccoli soup?
While you shouldn’t need to thicken it since I’ve written it to be fairly thick, you can blend in some cornstarch to absorb the excess liquid as needed.
On the other hand, if you want to thin it out, you can add in more vegetable broth or non-dairy milk until you reach your desired consistency.
More fresh recipes to try!
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Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion
- 4 cloves garlic 2 tsp minced
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup plain unsweetened non dairy milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2-1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, add the olive oil and diced onion. Saute over medium heat until it starts to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic and diced celery stalk. Saute an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Add in all remaining ingredients aside from the lemon and cover.
- Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the broccoli is fork tender. Start with just 1/2 tsp of salt and add more later as desired.
- Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
- It helps to start the blender on the lowest possible setting and keep the lid slightly ajar so heat can escape.
- Add in the lemon juice and blend again.
- Taste and adjust flavors as desired. I usually add a bit more pepper and lemon juice, but more salt or nutritional yeast is also delicious!
- The soup will have a fairly thick consistency at this point, but if you want to thin it out, just add more vegetable broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Transfer back to the pot and serve warm with cashew cream, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh (gluten free) bread!
Nancy says
I have this soup bubbling in the pot right now and it smells incredible! It gets five stars just for the aroma. I can’t wait to taste it. I am not sure the color will be as bright green as yours as I used homemade vegetable broth that was quite brown from onion skins. I will have to keep that in mind next time.