This Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup is an excellent example of the concept of healthier comfort food. Let’s be honest, it’s mostly just a big bowl of veggies—with a little cheese and milk for richness and flavor. Eating a bowl of this soup is pretty much exactly like eating a salad. Okay, so maybe not exactly like it, but darn close.

The key to making sure this soup is super (souper!) creamy and delicious—an immersion blender (AKA: a stick blender). Instead of loading this soup up with heavy cream or tons of butter, the thick and creamy texture comes from pureeing the majority of the veggies into a velvety-smooth soup.
You can definitely use a regular blender and just transfer batches back and forth between the blender and the stove. But honestly? The $25 you spend on an immersion blender will more than pay for itself in hassle and labor costs in its lifetime. If you don’t own one, you definitely should. I have this Cuisinart one, and it’s great—although they tend to burnt out after 2-3 years of use.
Honestly, I think this soup is a meal all on it’s own, but if you want to round out dinner, add some crusty bread, like this easy, yeast-free soda bread, and a fresh garden salad. Boom. Comfort food done healthy. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup
This Broccoli, Cheddar, and Potato Soup is warm, comforting and full of good-for-you veggies your whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk (whole dairy milk or full fat coconut milk at good options)
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 petite Yukon Gold potatoes), peeled and diced
- 4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about five minutes.
- Sprinkle with flour, stir, and cook for two minutes to thicken any remaining liquid.
- Add the chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, cover and cook until broccoli is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Blend soup with an immersion blender (or use a regular stand blender by carefully transferring the hot soup) until smooth.
- Turn off heat, stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
To make this recipe vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
To make this recipe gluten-free: Use arrowroot powder or tapioca starch instead of flour.
To make this recipe dairy-free: Use coconut oil, almond milk and non-dairy cheese instead of butter, milk and cheddar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 507Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 641mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 31g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
Can you clarify how much potato to use by weight?
Hi, Julie! We don’t have the weight measurements for this recipe, but a quick online search could help clear that up for you. I found that 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes weigh approximately 300g or around 10 ounces when I looked just now. Hopefully this helps. Let us know how it turns out for you!
YUM! I just finished making this and it’s amazing! I don’t know why I ever cooked broccoli in any way other than this soup. I’m currently licking the spoon like it’s brownie batter 🙂
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! My husband is a big fan of all these ingredients, I mean who wouldn’t be! Can’t wait to try it.
http://www.melodramaticadventures.com
YUM!
Do you know what the calorie count on this is? I made it & it is delicious.
Here is a great copy and paste nutrition info calculator that should help: https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Yummy! I can’t wait to try this on another snow week this week!
I kinda wanted an immersion blender, but you just gave me a reason to go out and buy one.
This looks delicious!!
Out of curiosity, is there a strong celery flavor? My bf hates celery.
I’m thinking this is my weekend soup making adventure too…I don’t eat a lot of broccoli, but this is a way for me to get the nutrients in a soup I know I’ll love!!
You’ll love it! Even though there is a lot of broccoli, it doesn’t taste overhwhelmingly broccolish.
Bless your heart, Cass. I am making this this weekend. I got an immersion blender for Christmas and haven’t used it yet. I HAVE FOUND MY ANSWER.
Ooooooh, I love my immersion blender! I use it for everything! Let me know how it turns out.
Okay, I made it, and it is SO FREAKING GOOD.