This healthy broccoli soup is for guilt-free eating. It is prepared using all healthy and clean ingredients. A bowl of this warm soup is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. It is also vegan and plant-based.
I am not a vegan or a pure vegetarian. However, I do love eating meatless and completely dairy-free dishes to cut down on some heavy calories. And this creamy broccoli soup is a perfect recipe when I want to avoid dairy.
Yes, this soup is made without dairy cream and butter yet it is super delicious and tempting. Let me disclose the secret ingredient that gives it a creamy texture. And that ingredient is cashew cream.
Let’s dive in to learn more!
Ingredients you will need?
- Broccoli – its a key ingredient in this recipe. Clean and chop it into small pieces
- Carrot – peel, and grate on the largest setting of the box grater
- Cashew cream – it helps to give a creamy texture to the soup without the need to add dairy cream. You can simply make cashew paste or follow this recipe to make cashew cream at home.
- Flour – it will thicken the soup and add a creamy base to the soup
- Garlic – use it to add additional flavors
- Liquid – In this recipe, I use almond milk and water to prepare the soup base. You can also use vegetable stock instead of water.
- Oil – I prefer using avocado oil or olive oil for cooking.
- Seasonings – add salt and black pepper to enhance the taste.
How to make creamy and healthy broccoli soup?
Chop broccoli and grate carrot into small pieces. For giving a creamy texture to this soup, I used cashew cream, almond milk, and a little bit of wheat flour.
To make the creamy base for this soup, cook wheat flour with some oil in a medium pan on low heat for a couple of mins. Once the flour is fragrant, slowly add milk along with water. Whisk continuously while adding milk to avoid forming lumps. Don’t worry if you find some. Simply use a hand blender to the mixture to break down the lumps before adding any vegetables. Then, add the veggies and cook till they are nice and tender.
Your creamy broccoli soup is ready to enjoy for a light lunch or dinner or even as a side. It is also vegan and derives key nutrients from broccoli, carrot, and cashews.
Creamy soup or chunky veggie soup?
If you want a homogeneous and creamy soup without visible veggies in it then at the end of cooking simply blend the soup using a blender. Or, use a hand blender to blend the soup in the pot itself.
And if you want to enjoy the soup with visible colorful veggies then serve it without blending them.
Serving Suggestions!
- Serve the bowl of warm soup as an appetizer. And serve it with some croutons or warm crusty bread or make garlic herb focaccia bread, healthy dinner rolls on the side for added deliciousness.
- It also goes well with a homemade chicken sandwich or Italian veggie sandwich or black bean burger.
- You can also pair it with many pasta dishes such as veggie pasta salad, sweet potato gnocchi viz.,
Helpful Tips!
- Cutting broccoli – trim off the stem and separate the large florets. Then chop the florets into small pieces. The size of the florets depends on how chunky the soup you prefer.
- Preparing carrot – peel, clean, and then grate it on the largest hole side of the box grater. This way it will be visible and would add a nice color to the soup.
- While mixing the flour with milk if you find any lumps simply use a hand blender to break them and get a homogeneous soup base. Do this before adding the vegetables.
Recipe Substitutions!
- Cashew cream – If you are okay with dairy products use regular dairy cream instead. However, it will be rich in saturated fat and cholesterol.
- Flour – whole wheat flour will also work in place of all-purpose flour
- Oil – using any cooking oil is fine in this recipe.
- Milk – use reduced-fat dairy milk instead of almond milk.
- Nutritional yeast – some readers have successfully used nutritional yeast in this soup recipe for the cheesy flavor without dairy.
Recipe Variation!
For classic cream of broccoli soup use regular dairy cream and milk to get the creamy texture in the soup. And add some cheddar cheese at the end of cooking for the cheesy taste.
How is this broccoli soup healthy?
This cream of broccoli soup is healthy as it is prepared using all clean ingredients:
- Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C and K. It also contains carotenoid compounds. It is a low-calorie vegetable with some amount of fiber and protein
- Carrot is a powerhouse of vitamin A. It is also a good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin K
- Cashews are a good source of healthy fat. These are rich sources of dietary minerals, thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin K
- It does not contain added saturated fat from dairy
FAQs
How long broccoli soup will last in the refrigerator?
Leftover soup will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat it in the microwave or bring to boil on the stove before serving.
What is cashew cream? Where can I find it?
Cashew cream is prepared using raw cashew and water. Soak the raw cashews for a few hours and then blend them in a blender with some water until it is smooth and creamy in texture. You can find detailed instructions for making cashew cream at home here. As far as I know, it is not commonly available in grocery stores.
What if I am allergic to nuts?
You can use dairy-based products such as whole cream and regular milk instead of nut milk and cream in this recipe. Some people also use potatoes to get the creamy texture in different soups. However, I haven’t tried using potato in this recipe yet.
YOU WILL ALSO LOVE THESE WHOLESOME SOUPS
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup
- Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
- Vegetable Pasta Soup
- Healthy Vegetarian Barley Soup
- Chicken Barley Soup
- Browse all HEALTHY SOUPS
Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cup roughly chopped broccoli
- 1 cup grated carrot
- ¼ cup cashew cream
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2-3 cloves small garlic minced
- 1 cup almond milk (or regular milk if not vegan)
- 2 cup water (or vegetable stock)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil on a low heat in a medium pan.
- Add garlic and sauté for a few seconds or until fragrant. Then add the flour and cook for about 2 min. Continuously stir it to avoid browning.
- Slowly add milk and water with continuous stirring. Take care not form lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Now add broccoli, grated carrots, salt and pepper. Cook the mixture for about 15-18 mins.
- Add cashew cream, mix well and cook for another 2-3 min.
- Turn off the heat and serve warm to enjoy this bowl of deliciousness.
Notes
- If lumps form, blend the mixture before adding vegetables. I use a hand blender to do this job when I find lumps.
- You can make cashew cream at home. Get the recipe here for homemade cashew cream.
Nutrition
This broccoli soup was originally published in March 2017. In August 2020 it was updated with more useful information and helpful tips. Recipe ingredients and instructions are unchanged.
This is SO delicious! I made it with the water and the regular milk (1%). I also didn’t have cashew cream, but I used walnut milk and I think that worked just as good. But honestly – next time I’m just going to add more regular milk. I cannot believe this recipe doesn’t call for any butter or cheese. It is so incredibly good and creamy!! I’ll definitely be doubling the recipe next time, too!
The ratio of veggies to liquid seemed way off to me, and I was right. 3 cups of liquid to 4 cups of vegetables?? I ended up added another cup and milk and water each, and then the consistency was more like normal soup. I also added onion, nutritional yeast, and a little tumeric. It’s pretty bland otherwise.
Could you maybe sub coconut cream or anything else in place of the cashew cream? My daughter has a severe allergy to cashews so I’m unable to use the cream.:-( Thanks for your help and what looks to be a delicious recipe!!:-)
Does this soup reheat well? I am looking for a good soup recipe for a soup swap.
This is the BEST cream of broccoli soup ever! Thank you for such a delicious, simple recipe.
Hi Shanon,
I’m glad you liked it.
Made this today and uh, amazing!
I added a little more vegetable stock and nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy taste. Thank you!! Great recipe!
Hi Tracey,
I’m glad you liked it 🙂
This was super yummy even in the summer heat. I doubled the recipe so we would have lots of leftovers and added a few more personal preference spices. Absolutely wonderful 🙂 thank you for the recipe.
Hi Jessica!
I am glad you loved it. And thank you for writing your feedback.
This was sooooo good. Had to add way more veggie stock though. I did everything correctly but only 3 cups of liquid didn’t come close to feeding my husband and I. But none the less, this soup is jam up!
Can you sub cashew cream with toffuti vegan sour cream?
Hi Minnie, I never tried toffuti vegan sour cream. So I am not sure how it will taste in this soup. Let us know if you give it a try.
I tried it and it turned out awesome using tofutti sour cream
It is such as AMAZING soup! I made it and I was in shock for the great flavor! Thanks for share it!
Thank you, Melissa for trying out the recipe. And I am glad you like it.
love broccoli, I can’t get cashew cream here what would you suggest as a substitute?
Hi Amanda, you can make cashew cream at home. Here is the link for homemade cashew cream recipe that I published recently https://www.watchwhatueat.com/homemade-cashew-cream-recipe/. Very easy to prepare. If you are not vegan you can add regular dairy cream instead. But it would be a little unhealthy then.
I make dairy -free soups as well…This is a very good recipe. Instead of wheat or All purpose I’d use Besan (Chickpea flour) or even Kala chana flour. It does make a good tasting roux to add to your soups…
Cashew cream and avocado — brilliant healthy hack! This soup looks fantastic!
I am LOVING this healthy soup recipe! I have never seen a healthy version of broccoli cheese that actually looks delicious. Well done!!! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
This soup sounds amazing!
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Michelle
Broccoli soup is our favorite and your version looks wonderful!
Usually not a big fan of broccoli, but this looks tasty! 🙂
What is cashew cream? Where do you find it or can you make it? When do you add the cashew cream?
my question too!
Thank you Marilyn and Steph for noticing. I have updated the recipe.
I have never tried broccoli soup before, but when I look at those photos now I want one:) also the recipe sounds pretty easy ! I need to try to make it !
This looks delicious!! I’ll definitely be making this!