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Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup (Paleo)

Thick, creamy, chunky, dairy-free vegan broccoli “cheddar” soup. You’ll never guess the secret ingredients that make this soup taste rich, creamy, and cheesy!

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup - dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, paleo, and delicious

This soup is one of those ideas I’ve had mulling around my head for months but didn’t press the go button until I knew from start-to-finish how I was going to execute it.

You see, true to my non-perfectionist ways, it isn’t atypical for me to just fling myself into a recipe and see what surfaces, but as I age I’ve realized the true value in waiting it out until I can fully wrap my mind around the task at hand. #Progress.

At first, I thought I was going to blend this broccoli “cheddar” soup to make the whole thing silky-smooth and creamy, but truth be told, I’ve been more into the chunky soup lately.

There’s just something about the chewing process that makes a meal feel more substantial.

Needless to say, I arrived at this broccoli-carrot-potato trifecta chunk soup with a super flavorful broth that will blow your mind when you find out what it’s made out of in the next paragraph.

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup - dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, paleo, and delicious

Trick to to making vegan soups creamy?

I’ve learned the secret to creamy cream-less soups is blending a boiled potato with the broth (in this case, I used store-bought vegetable broth), coconut milk, and some tapioca flour to give it that thick, creamy consistency without the use of dairy.

If tapioca flour isn’t an ingredient you regularly carry, you can omit it. If you have potato starch or corn starch, you can replace the tapioca flour with either, or simply leave out any added starches.

To give the soup that cheesy flavor while keeping it dairy-free, I use nutritional yeast. If you are new to nutritional yeast, it’s basically the alpha omega when it comes to making vegan sauces and soups taste cheesy and is a great topper for your salad and rice bowls.

You’ll notice I use two Yukon gold potatoes for the recipe – one gets blended for the broth for that creamy texture, and the other gets chopped to go into the soup.

If you’re trying to keep this lower on the carb end of the spectrum, you can absolutely omit the potato that gets chopped up.

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup - dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, paleo, and delicious

AND if you’ve been into creamy soups lately, you can absolutely blend the whole thing for that ultra thick, silky soup.

If you aren’t vegan and love the concept of adding bacon, you can absolutely do so! If you aren’t sensitive to corn, you can toss in some fresh corn kernels as well and make this a sort of broccoli-corn chowder. I also love this soup with chicken bone broth instead of vegetable broth, so there’s always that option as well!

More Healthy Soup Recipes:

Chunky soup for president!

If you make this Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe, feel free to snap a photo and share it on Instagram, tagging me at @The.Roasted.Root!

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup - dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, paleo, and delicious

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This creamy, delicious broccoli "cheddar" soup is a vegan approach to this classic. So tasty!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
4 people

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place potatoes in a pot and fill with water. Bring to a full boil and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until very soft when poked with a fork. Drain and place one potato in a blender and place the other potato on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel and chop the potato.
  • Add the broth, coconut milk, cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, and sea salt to the blender and blend until completely smooth.
  • Heat the oil to medium heat in a large stock pot. Add the carrot and broccoli and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened but are still al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the leek and sauté until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the chopped potato and the broth mixture to the stock pot. Bring to a full boil, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
  • Serve soup with bread or side salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4 - Calories: 249kcal - Carbohydrates: 27g - Protein: 8g - Fat: 13g - Fiber: 5g - Sugar: 8g
Course: Soups, Stews, & Chilies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free, easy healthy recipes, gluten free recipes, gut healthy recipes, healthy
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 249kcal
Author: Julia
Recipe Rating




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BobT

Tuesday 13th of December 2022

It's a great soup! I had some leftover mashed taters, so used those. Also, soups like this can always use celery, so I put in 3 stalks.

Julia

Wednesday 14th of December 2022

Love that! Thanks for sharing, Bob!

Shirley

Wednesday 16th of March 2022

We made this soup last night, but we added a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. We didn't mind the extra dairy. The soup was rich and creamy as if we had used cream, but without the heaviness or extra calories.

Julia

Thursday 17th of March 2022

I'm so thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! I bet it was magnificent with the cheddar!

JoAnn Buel

Saturday 14th of November 2020

Is tapioca flour the same as tapioca starch?

Julia

Tuesday 17th of November 2020

Hi JoAnn! It is! Let me know if you have any other questions. xo

Shelby Miller

Monday 26th of November 2018

Do I peel the potato that goes into the blender?

Julia

Monday 26th of November 2018

Hi Shelby! I typically peel the potato :D Hope you enjoy the soup!

Tracy

Monday 29th of January 2018

Just made this. Absolutely delicious!

Julia

Monday 29th of January 2018

I'm so happy to hear it, Tracy! :D xo

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