I love this dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup. It is creamy, comforting, packed with nutrition and comes together quickly.
The Story:
Before my dietary restrictions, anytime I was sick, my go to was Panera’s famous broccoli cheddar soup. My dairy free version tastes so similar, but without any dairy! The secret to getting that creamy, indulgent texture that you know and love from a broccoli cheddar soup, is… cashews! I know it sounds strange, but believe me. The more and more uses I find for cashews, and the more success I have with using them as a dairy free replacement, the more I fall in love with them. This soup is filled with broccoli, carrots, onion and delicious seasoning for a warm and comforting bowl of nourishment!
Jump to:
🧾 The Ingredients:
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make this dairy free broccoli cheddar soup.
- Broccoli: Obviously, you need broccoli for broccoli cheddar soup.
- Carrots: Shredded carrots add bulk, nutrition, texture and is a must for this Panera dupe recipe.
- Onion: Every good soup needs some sauteed onions.
- Cashews: The key ingredient here to getting a creamy soup. It took me a while to believe it too, but trust me on this one.
- Butter: Everything is better and more flavorful with butter!
- Vegetable Broth: For thinning out the soup and adding flavor.
- Coconut Milk: For additional creaminess and to get the soup texture you’re looking for, use coconut milk from a can. Full fat or light would work in this, as long as it is a good quality brand, from the can!
- Salt: This soup requires a good amount of salt to achieve the proper depth of flavor.
- Pepper: For a little kick and flavor.
- Ground Mustard: Ground mustard has a dual purpose here: flavor and color.
- Onion Powder: Onion powder adds depth and flavor. A key underlying flavor to the soup.
- Garlic Powder: Same, same. Garlic and onion are the foundation building bricks to any good soup!
- Nutritional Yeast: If you’re new to dairy free, plant based or vegan eating, you’ve probably never heard of nutritional yeast. It serves as a cheese flavor replacement as it has the same mild fermented flavor to it. I don’t recommend eating it plain, but when added to a liquid or cream base, it does a good job of recreating a cheese flavor! I won’t say it’s exact, but it comes close. It also works well to match the color of cheese!
Step By Step Preparation Instructions:
- Step 1: First, you are going to get your cashews soaking in water so that they blend easily into a creamy texture. You should soak them for about 3 hours, or if you are short on time, add hot or boiling water over them to soak for an hour.
- Step 2: The first step is to sautee the onion and garlic. Start with the onion until it has softened and turned slightly translucent, then add the garlic and cook for just a minute or 2 until fragrant. Next, add the broth, broccoli and carrots. You want to add enough broth so that the broccoli and carrots are just covered with liquid. Allow this to cook covered, over medium low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the broccoli and carrots have softened.
- Step 3: When your cashews are finished soaking, drain them then add them and the coconut milk to a high powered blender and blend well until it is creamy and smooth.
- Step 4: Once your veggies are softened and fully cooked, add the blended cashews and all the seasonings to the soup. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes so all the flavors come together. Serve with some great gluten free or grain free bread or grilled cheese and you have comfort in a bowl!
Additional Vegan Soup Recipe:
📖 The Recipe:
Dairy-Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- ½ minced white onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1.5 cups full fat coconut milk
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a large bowl of water and allow to soak for 3-4 hours. If short on time, allow them to soak in very hot water for at least an hour.
- Now, to start on the soup. Peel, prep and chop all your veggies.
- In a large pot, satuee the chopped onion in a tablespoon or 2 of butter until softened.
- Add in the garlic and sautee for a minute or 2, until fragrant.
- Add in the vegetable broth, broccoli and carrots. Use just enough broth to cover the veggies so that the end result has a creamy texture and isn’t too thin. Warm over medium low heat, until it has a nice steady simmer.
- Cover and allow to simmer for about 45 min, or until the veggies are nice and soft.
- Drain the cashews and blend them in a high powered blender with the coconut milk until creamy and smooth.
- Once the veggies are finished cooking, add in the blended cashew mixture, all the seasonsings and the reamining butter and allow to cook over low heat for about 10 mintues. Enjoy!
The Finished Product:
Beautiful, vegan, broccoli “cheddar” soup! Perfect for chilly fall days or cold winter days. The days are getting shorter, the heater is coming on, and if you crave comfort like me, go ahead and make this soup this week! I love, love this soup and easily slides in as a replacement to the soup you know and love. It’s so creamy and rich, the cheese is not missed. You will honestly surprise anyone that you serve this to that there ISN’T cheese. Nourishing, warming, comforting. Enjoy!
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