Healthy Broccoli Soup – without any cream
on Jun 10, 2021, Updated Jun 20, 2025
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This Healthy Broccoli Soup is super creamy and has a fantastic broccoli flavour. It’s got no cream in it, and as is the perfect example of healthy food that’s delicious!
A good cream of broccoli soup doesn’t really need any cream in it. Yup, that’s right! Trust me, when I say that you can totally make a thick and creamy soup while still keeping it healthy. Most broccoli cheese soups start with a roux, but this healthy broccoli soup recipe calls for none of that.
My secret to creamy vegetarian soups without any cream has always been potatoes. It’s what I use in my cream of mushroom soup as well, and nobody can tell the difference!
You only need a few ingredients for this healthy broccoli soup, and its super easy to make from scratch, and that too in under 30 minutes!
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Healthy Broccoli Soup Ingredients
- Broccoli: One whole head of fresh broccoli, thoroughly washed, cleaned, and cut into florets
- Potatoes: To add creaminess and body to the soup
- Garlic and Onion: For flavor and aroma
- Stock or Water: To adjust the consistency of the soup. I prefer to use water for this soup, but vegetable stock also tastes really nice
- Cheddar Cheese: For added creaminess and flavor
- Carrots: This one’s totally optional, but I love how carrots add an extra layer of texture and earthy flavors to the dish. Plus, makes this already healthy soup even healthier and more wholesome.
Frequently Asked Questions
My favorite way to thicken no-cream healthy broccoli soup is to use potatoes instead of cream. It gives the same smooth, creamy texture without the heaviness of cream.
To clean broccoli, start with chopping it into small florets. Fill a large bowl with water and a tablespoon of vinegar or salt. Soak the broccoli florets in this mixture for 10-15 minutes to help loosen any hidden dirt and bugs. After 15 minutes, swish the florets around and wash them under cold running water. Repeat this step if needed. Dry gently on a clean kitchen towel and your broccoli is ready to use.
Richa’s Top Tips
- This soup gets thicker as it cools down, so keep that in mind when adjusting the consistency of the soup
- Always allow the mixture to completely cool down before blending it to avoid splatters and accidents
- You can even use an immersion blender directly in the pan to speed up the process. This won’t give you the same super smooth finish of blending it in a mixer, but if you don’t mind a slightly chunky soup, then this will work great
- This soup easily lasts in the fridge (when stored in a clean, air tight container) for about 4 to 5 days
- You can even freeze this soup for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, simply allow it thaw on the counter, reheat and serve for a delicious, easy meal in no time
How To Serve Broccoli Soup
- Some crusty, buttery, garlic bread tastes tastes so good dunked into this soup.
- A side of stir-fried veggies adds the perfect side of crunch and texture that pairs really well here.
- A refreshing salad like the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, Spicy Chicken Cucumber Salad, or this Vegan Pasta Salad makes for a delicious side while keeping things healthy.
- If you like it spicy like me, then serve this broccoli soup with Bibim Guksu for some spicy, slippery goodness–this combination is heavenly
Customisation Ideas
- Add veggies of your choice. Zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, and peas, add lots of texture and nutrition while still keeping things delicious.
- Add a dollop of cream for a soup that’s even even more thick, creamy and indulgent.
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Store this healthy cream of broccoli soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: You can easily reheat this soup on the stove or in the microwave. Feel-free to add a little water to adjust consistency.
- Freezer: You can even freeze it for up to 3 months. Simply thaw on the counter and reheat as usual.
If you want to speeden this up even further, just pressure cook the broccoli and potato. It’ll cook the veggies slightly faster and make the veggies very tender. Seriously, this creamy, healthy broccoli soup with cheddar is SO GOOD you’ll be buying broccoli every week just for this.
I love serving this with some Cheesy Garlic Bread, which is perfect for dunking into the soup. Some other recipes that taste great with this soup are French bread pizza toasts, pepperoni cheese bombs, stuffed pizza bread, and the no yeast pizza.
Watch the Video For Healthy Broccoli Soup
Healthy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped Garlic
- 1 medium Onion, sliced
- 1 large head Broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Water
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Broccoli Florets, extra
- 1/4 cup diced Carrots, extra
- 1/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and saute garlic and onions till the onions are translucent.
- Add broccoli, potatoes, salt and water and bring this to a boil. Once this comes to a roaring boil, reduce the flame and simmer for 15-20 minutes till the broccoli and potatoes are fork tender.
- Let the mixture cool and blend this with milk till the soup is creamy and well blended.
- Pour this back into the pot and add broccoli florets and carrots if using. Simmer this for 5-10 minutes, mix in the grated cheddar and turn off the flame. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- If you want to speeden this up even further, just pressure cook the broccoli and potato. It’ll cook the veggies slightly faster and make the veggies very tender.
- Make it vegan: Use almond or soy based milk. Use vegan cheese or skip it.
- Add in any combination of chopped boiled vegetables to this soup while serving for extra taste and texture.
Nutrition
This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.
thanks for recipe can’t eat chicken sounds wonderful
Hey Barbara, glad to hear you liked the recipe.
Can I make this soup vegan somehow? I’m allergic to milk Protein. Can i substitute the milk and the cheese with something else. Any suggestions on what I could replace it with other then milks
Hey Sam, you can skip the cheese and use almond or soy milk to make this vegan
Excellent! My Braun heavy-duty immersion blender left no lumps. I’m a biologist, don’t recommend storing this soup (or most cooked foods) in the refrigerator for more than three days unless reheated to simmering (microwave works fine), which allows another 3 days. THIS batch of broccoli soup will all be eaten before the third day!
Very easy recipe. A wonderful healthy option to the heavy cream recipes.
Hey Kye, soooooo happy you liked the recipe.
My whole family loved this soup, I had to use lactose free milk for my kids and it is delicious! I will definitely make again.
Hey Avanell, glad to hear that you and your family loved it.
the soup came out well. but after adding milk and grinding in mixie and again boiling it makes the soup to curdle a little due to the milk. how to avoid mild curdling
Hey Premalatha, that generally shouldn’t happen, but to avoid this you can add ¼ tsp cornstarch to the milk. This will prevent curdling
Your background music is so loud and annoying that I cant hear you
Excellent! I use non-dairy milk and it is delicious!
Thank YOU! 🙂
I made this soup and we liked it a lot. I used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes and coconut instead of milk.
Didn’t use the cheese.
You added something creamy to garnish soup before serving. What is it, please?