Cream of Broccoli Soup (Print)

A velvety soup featuring fresh broccoli blended with aromatic vegetables and finished with cream for rich, satisfying flavor.

# What you'll need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 large head broccoli, chopped into florets (about 1 pound 2 ounces)
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus extra for garnish (optional)

→ Fats & Seasonings

07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
11 - Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)
13 - Croutons (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and minced garlic. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Add the chopped broccoli florets and stir to combine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until the broccoli is very tender.
04 - Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a countertop blender, blend the soup until completely smooth.
05 - Stir in the heavy cream and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently reheat over low heat if needed, but do not boil after adding cream.
06 - Ladle into bowls. Garnish with extra cream, fresh chives, or croutons as desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The immersion blender does all the hard work, transforming humble ingredients into something that tastes deceptively fancy with minimal effort.
  • The soup freezes beautifully, so you can double the batch and have emergency comfort food ready whenever life gets overwhelming.
02 -
  • If you blend while the soup is too hot, the steam can create pressure in your blender causing the lid to fly off and hot soup to splash everywhere, a painful lesson I learned the hard way.
  • Adding a peeled, diced potato with the broccoli creates an even silkier texture without adding extra cream, something I discovered while trying to stretch this recipe during leaner times.
03 -
  • Save the broccoli stems that many recipes tell you to discard, peel away the tough outer layer, and chop the tender cores to add to your soup for extra nutrition and less waste.
  • For an extra layer of flavor complexity, roast half the broccoli florets before adding them to the soup, giving you both the fresh green taste and deeper, caramelized notes.
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