Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy and delicious. This allergy-friendly soup is gluten-free and made without cheese and without cashews. Make it in just 30 minutes!
Make plant-based broccoli cheddar soup without cashews or cheese! An allergy-friendly soup that's just as creamy and dreamy as traditional broccoli cheddar soup.
Shoutout to a friend from college who sent me the beginnings of this recipe. She made this soup on a whim one day, using ingredients she had around the house, and it turned out to be so tasty! She sent me the ingredients, I added just a few tweaks, and here we've arrived at this allergy-friendly soup made from whole plant-food ingredients and pantry staples!
Why I love this Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Dietary needs - this recipe is plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free
- No cashews - many creamy plant-based dishes use cashews to create that classic texture. Not this one. This Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar soup is made without cashews! It's allergy-friendly, yet still creamy and delicious
- Actually healthy - there's no processed vegan cheese in this soup, nor is there any actual dairy. Just whole food ingredients you can feel good about putting in your body
- Plant-based comfort food - curling up under a blanket with a steaming bowl of this soup and a good book.. ahh what a lovely picture. This broccoli cheddar soup is true vegan comfort food
Why this soup works
There isn't actually any cheddar in this soup, vegan or non-vegan. So how does this soup work?
There are three key ingredients to get that cheddar-like flavor, without any cheese: nutritional yeast, vegan yogurt, and carrots.
Nutritional Yeast: nooch, as it's affectionately known in the vegan community, has a cheese-like flavor despite being completely plant-based. It's a great addition to dishes that need that cheesy taste.
Vegan Yogurt: vegan yogurt provides that dairy-like substance but in a much less processed way. Most vegan cheeses are extremely processed, which is why I avoid them. Vegan yogurts are often much less processed and you can find many yogurts with only one or two ingredients. They are much cleaner and still give us the taste and texture we want!
Carrots: um, yes, of course there are carrots in this soup. But carrots do more than just add texture. There's a whole carrot in this soup whose sole purpose is to be soft and cheesy. It's a similar concept to vegan queso, with the right combo of flavors, there's no cheese necessary.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Frozen Broccoli: you can use fresh if you want, but frozen broccoli is quicker and easier than fresh. And, since it's frozen at the peak of freshness, frozen broccoli often has more nutrients than fresh 🙂
- Yellow Onion: or white or red
- Oat Flour: I make my own oat flour by grinding quick oats in my food processor, but store-bought oat flour is perfect too. You could also sub another flour like gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Nutritional Yeast: nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor that helps this soup taste incredibly delicious! Some people can have a sensitivity, so feel free to omit it from the dish.
- Garlic Powder
- Non-Dairy Milk: look for an unsweetened, unflavored milk with minimal ingredients
- Vegetable Broth: look for a veggie broth or stock with no added sugar
- Shredded Carrots: buy them shredded or shred your own
- Whole Carrot
- Nut Butter: any neutral-tasting nut butter will work. I used almond butter.
- Non-Dairy Yogurt: you could also use a non-dairy cream cheese. In either case, look for an unsweetened version with minimal ingredients. You should be able to find non-dairy yogurt in a vegetarian section near the refrigerated and/or dairy section of your local grocery store.
- Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper
How to make Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar Soup without Cashews
Step 1. Microwave the frozen broccoli according to the package instructions. When cool enough to handle, finely chop the broccoli.
Step 2. Sauté the onion in a large pot until soft, 3-5 minutes. Use a splash of the vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
Step 3. Add the flour, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Stir to coat.
Step 4. Add the non-dairy milk, vegetable broth, shredded carrots, whole carrot, and nut butter. Bring to a simmer and let the carrots cook for 5 minutes until soft.
Step 5. Remove half the mixture, making sure to remove the whole carrot, and transfer to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Then transfer the mixture back to the pot.
Step 6. Add the broccoli. Cook 3-5 minutes, until the entire soup is warm.
Step 7. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this soup. Thank you for giving us access to healthy and allergy-friendly ingredients. Amen.
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📖 Recipe
Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar Soup without Cashews
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Frozen Broccoli
- ½ Medium Yellow Onion chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Oat Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast optional
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Cups Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 Cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 Cup Shredded Carrots
- 1 Medium Carrot whole
- ¼ Cup Nut Butter
- ½ Cup Non-Dairy Yogurt or Non-Dairy Cream Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Microwave the frozen broccoli according to the package instructions. When cool enough to handle, finely chop the broccoli.
- Sauté the onion in a large pot until soft, 3-5 minutes. Use a splash of the vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
- Add the flour, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Stir to coat.
- Add the non-dairy milk, vegetable broth, shredded carrots, whole carrot, and nut butter. Bring to a simmer and let the carrots cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Remove half the mixture, making sure to remove the whole carrot, and transfer to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Then transfer the mixture back to the pot.
- Add the broccoli. Cook 3-5 minutes, until the entire soup is warm.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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