Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Each bite is perfectly thick and cheesy yet surprisingly dairy-free! It's creamy, decadent, packed with flavor, and it comes together in under 45 minutes.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cashews soaked
- 2 cups Water
- ½ cup Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion finely diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 cup Shredded Carrots
- 1 large Broccoli Crown
- ¾ cup Shredded Broccoli Stalk optional
- 2 cups Diced White Potatoes peeled
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt see note
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
- 4 cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
- ¾ cup Vegan Shredded Cheddar Cheese I used Violife
Instructions
- Bring a cup of water to a boil. Add the cashews to a heat-safe bowl and pour the hot water over the cashews. Allow them to soak for at least 20 minutes.
- After they have softened, add them to a high-speed blender along with the water and nutritional yeast. Blend until completely smooth.
- Helpful tip: Touch the cashew cream and rub it between two fingers. If it has any texture, keep blending.
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 7-10 minutes or until it becomes translucent and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the onions and stir until no raw flour is visible.
- Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and set aside. I chop the broccoli crown into florets and then shred the broccoli stalk and add it to the soup pot. This is optional but it's a great way to reduce waste.
- Stir in the shredded carrots, shredded broccoli stalk, peeled and diced potatoes, paprika, ground mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a slight boil then quickly reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- If you want a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to pulse the mixture a few times leaving some texture.
- Add the cashew cream and broccoli florets. If you prefer smaller pieces of broccoli, chop them smaller.
- Bring the soup back a slight boil then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in the vegan cheese and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until melted.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper to preference.
- Divide into serving bowls and top with extra vegan cheese, fresh parsley, and chili flakes. Serve with fresh bread!
Notes
Important Note about Salt: Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1:1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
If you're soup is gritty or grainy, the cashews weren't blended long enough. To prevent this from happening, rub the cashew cream between two fingers and if you feel any texture, keep blending.
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