Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, cheesy and packed with veggies. This one-pot dish requires minimal prep work and can be made in under 30 minutes!
Broccoli cheddar soup has been my favorite soup since I was a little girl. I've always loved cooked vegetables, especially cooked broccoli. When broccoli was paired with a cheesy soup, I was in love!
If you make this broccoli cheddar soup, which you totally should, you need to love one other category of food besides broccoli. You must be a cheese/dairy lover! This is not the type of broccoli soup that has blended the broccoli into a thick broth. The thick and creamy richness in this soup comes from milk, heavy cream and cheddar cheese.
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Ingredients needed
- Broccoli - Chop your broccoli into bite-size pieces. Add chopped broccoli stalk if you'd like as well!
- Carrots - The carrots should be peeled and shredded using a box grater or a food processor.
- Onion - White onion is my preference for this recipe. Peel, chop and dice the onion. Yellow onion can be used as well.
- Chicken stock - When it comes to making soups, I prefer to use a stock over a broth. Stocks tend to have more flavor. If you only have a box of broth in your cabinet though, definitely use that! Vegetable broth/stock could be substituted in here as well.
- Whole milk
- Heavy whipping cream
- Butter
- All purpose gluten free flour - I used King Arthur All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for this recipe.
- Cheddar cheese - I used Cabot cheddar for this recipe. I find the flavor of their cheddar cheese to be superior to many other brands. They also obtain their milk from farms in NY and VT which makes them a somewhat local brand for me.
- Minced garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
Equipment needed
- Stock pot or soup pot
- Cutting board & chopping knife
- Box grater
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
What is all purpose gluten free flour?
All purpose gluten free flour is a blend of gluten free flours that are specifically formulated to be a 1:1 substitute for a gluten-based flour. So in other words, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of white (wheat based) flour, you should be able to substitute in 1 cup of all purpose gluten free flour without any issues! Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule. For the most part though, you should be able to make the swap!
Recipe shortcuts
Are you short on time? Maybe you just like to save time like me! Feel free to purchase cheese that is already shredded and pre-shredded carrots. Shredded carrots can be found in the produce aisle near any other packaged produce. You can also purchase a jar of garlic that is already minced. This is a huge timesaver! Sometimes you can find packaged onion that is already diced. Packages of chopped broccoli is usually available as well!
Taking these little shortcuts when cooking can be the difference between getting food on the table at dinnertime or not. If shortcuts will help you get meals prepared for your family, then I say take them!
How to make
- Prep: Prepare your ingredients. Chop the broccoli florets into bite sized pieces. Peel and shred the carrots. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Shred the cheddar cheese.
- Melt: In a large stock pot or soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Sauté: Add the diced onion and the minced garlic to the melted butter and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add: Add the all purpose gluten free flour and mix it into the butter, garlic and onion until the flour is smooth and free of any clumps.
- Whisk: Pour the chicken broth into your soup pan and continuously whisk the mixture. Whisk for about 5-7 minutes over medium heat, until the liquid has thickened and is more of a gravy consistency.
- Cook: Add the broccoli florets and shredded carrot. Cook for 2 minutes to soften the broccoli.
- Simmer: Pour in the milk and the heavy cream and bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Melt: Once simmering, add the cheese. Stir the cheese into the soup until melted.
- Enjoy! Remove the soup from heat. Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with
Broccoli cheddar soup, like most soups, pairs well with salads, sandwiches and fresh baked bread or biscuits! Since broccoli cheddar soup is traditionally a vegetarian soup, it would also pair well with salmon, cod and chicken.
Try Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup out with any of these delicious main dishes!
Is broccoli cheddar soup gluten free?
Most of the ingredients in broccoli cheddar soup are naturally gluten free. Ingredients like broccoli, carrots, seasonings, milk, butter and cheese are all gluten free. However, many soups get their creaminess from flour. This recipe is no exception.
The flour is used to make a roux with the butter and chicken stock. Most traditional flours contain gluten because they are derived from wheat. I swapped the wheat flour with an all-purpose gluten free flour for this recipe. This ingredient swap did not sacrifice taste or texture!
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📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, cheesy and packed with veggies. This one-pot dish requires minimal prep work and can be made in under 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Total Time: 19 minute
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: lunch, dinner
- Method: stove top cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup diced yellow onion
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour
- 5 cups chicken broth/stock
- 5 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups shredded cheddar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add the gluten free all purpose flour and mix it into the butter, onion and garlic until it is smooth and no clumps remain.
- Add the chicken stock. Whisk the mixture continuously over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the mixture has thickened. You will know it has thickened when it starts to coat the sides of the soup pot.
- Add the broccoli florets and shredded carrots. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to soften the broccoli.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the milk and heavy cream. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Remove the soup from heat. Stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Keywords: gluten free broccoli cheddar soup
Frequently asked questions
If your soup is grainy then that means the milk and heavy cream has curdled. This can happen if the soup was cooked on too high of a heat. You can prevent curdling by cooking the soup over low/medium-low heat.
The difference between heavy cream and heavy whipping cream is fat content. Heavy cream has slightly more fat. Heavy cream is preferred for sauce making. They can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
If stored properly, broccoli cheddar soup can last for 3 days in the fridge.
Katie
★★★★★