This Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe is made with fresh broccoli, carrots, celery, potatoes, and our secret ingredient- cashews!
When cashews are soaked or boiled, they become so soft, that they can easily blend into cashew cream. That's exactly how this creamy soup gets its luscious texture without any heavy cream!
Probably the best part about this recipe is that it's perfect for meal prep and it's freezer-friendly. This way you can make a big batch, freeze it, and reheat it for when you need a quick and healthy meal.
If you love broccoli, you'll love other recipes on my blog including my cheesy vegan quiche, air fryer broccoli roasted broccoli with garlic, and how to cook frozen broccoli on the stove. And for even more ideas, check out my BEST vegan broccoli recipes.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Get all the details on these simple ingredients in the recipe card at the post's bottom.
- Broccoli: Make sure to pick fresh and bright green broccoli for the best results.
- Potatoes: They give body to the soup, help to thicken it, and make it smooth. However, if you don't want to use potatoes, you can skip them.
- Onion and garlic: In a simple soup like this adding aromatics is essential for building flavor.
- Celery and carrots: You can add different vegetables depending on what you have on hand. Sometimes I like to throw a cup of peas in as well.
- Nutritional yeast: It gives the soup a slightly cheesy flavor without being too overpowering.
- Soy milk: I like to use soy milk because it's rich and creamy, but if you can't have soy, you can use almond milk instead.
- Raw cashews: This is a key ingredient if you want a creamy texture. Make sure to use raw cashews, roasted cashew won't work!
- Vegetable stock: Or use a bouillon cube and water.
- Fresh herbs: This ingredient is optional, but I like throwing in some basil, parsley, or cilantro.
How to Make This Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and when it's hot, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Sprinkle with some salt and let the veggies cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
- Pour a cup of veggie broth and stir to take any browned bits off the bottom. Then, add the rest of the vegetable broth, alongside the cashews, potatoes, broccoli stem, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. After the cashews and the potatoes are soft, add the broccoli florets, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Then, remove the pot from the heat and add your fresh herbs of choice (if using).
4. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Finally, stir in nutritional yeast and lemon juice if desired. Serve!
Top Tips
- Take the time to saute the vegetables. This recipe is made with super basic ingredients, so browning the vegetables in the beginning gives the soup a layer of flavor.
- Use all parts of the broccoli. No need to throw out the broccoli stems or the leaves, you can use it all! Just make sure to peel off the fibrous past from the stem, then cut it into cubes.
- Don't overcook the broccoli! The broccoli florets need just 5 minutes to get ready, more than that and you'll overcook them and will lose the vibrant color.
- Don't have an immersion blender? Use a food processor or a high-speed blender instead. Keep in mind that in this case, it's important to let the soup cool first before transferring it. Don't fill the jar/bowl more than halfway and make sure that you leave the hole in the lid open so that heat can escape
FAQ
Yes, this soup is great for freezing! Let the blended soup cool to room temperature then transfer to a freezer-safe container and save in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Yes, you can omit the cashews if you're allergic or don't want to use them. However, the soup won't be as thick and rich, so I suggest using full-fat coconut milk instead of soy milk to make up for it.
If you want to thicken this soup, you can do a couple of things. First, you can add more cooked potatoes. Simply boil the potatoes in a separate pot and add them to the broccoli soup before blending. Another thing you can do is thicken it using corn starch or flour. All you have to do is mix 1-2 tablespoon of corn starch or flour with some cold water until it's well dissolved, then stir it into the soup.
Yes, if you don't have fresh broccoli, you can totally use a bag of frozen broccoli instead! No need to thaw it, just follow the instructions in the recipe card and it will work out fine.
Yes! First, saute the vegetables and the garlic using the saute function until fragrant. Then, add the rest of the ingredients, cover with the lid, and cook for 8 minutes, followed by a quick release.
Serving
This vegan cream of broccoli soup is delicious served with homemade croutons or roasted cashews for crunch. If you're feeling extra, you can top it with some vegan cheese shreds as well.
If you want to add extra protein, serve it with crispy chickpeas on the side.
Storage
Let the soup cool to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. Save in the fridge for up to a week.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Quinoa Soup with Mini Vegan Meatballs
Copycat Panera Bread Black Bean Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chickpeas
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup raw cashews, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lb (500g) broccoli, chopped into small florets (with the stem, see notes)
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and when it's hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sprinkle some salt and let the veggies cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
- Pour a cup of veggie broth and stir to take any browned bits off the bottom. Then, add the rest of the vegetable broth, alongside the cashews, potatoes, broccoli stem, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- After the cashews and the potatoes are soft, add the broccoli florets, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Then, remove the pot from the heat and add your fresh herbs of choice (if using).
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor if needed, adding more salt, or black pepper to taste. Finally, stir in nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Serve right awat!
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
- Take the time to saute the vegetables. This recipe is made with super basic ingredients, so browning the vegetables in the beginning, gives the soup a layer of flavor.
- Use all parts of the broccoli. No need to throw out the broccoli stems or the leaves, you can use it all! Just make sure to peel off the fibrous past from the stem, then cut it into cubes.
- Don't overcook the broccoli! The broccoli florets need just 5 minutes to get ready, more than that and you'll overcook them and will lose the vibrant color.
- Don't have an immersion blender? Use a food processor or a high-speed blender instead. Keep in mind in this case it's important to let the soup cool first before transferring it. Don't fill the jar/bowl more than halfway and make sure that you leave the hole in the lid open so that heat can escape
Nutrition
Post photography by: Petranka Atanasova.
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