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Home » Vegan Soup Recipes » Creamy Broccoli Soup (Secretly Healthy!)

Creamy Broccoli Soup (Secretly Healthy!)

December 18, 2016 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 45 Comments

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My creamy vegan broccoli soup is so many things that the original cream of broccoli soup never was to me: it’s creamy but also delicate in flavor; it’s a hearty, filling, satisfying soup that won’t send you into a food coma and/or spiral of regret; and it’s full of nutritious ingredients (but you’d never know it!). I always get asked for this recipe and I’m happy I finally got around to sharing it here.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup | Yup, it's Vegan. Healthy, dairy-free broccoli soup made with nutritious ingredients.

My coworker saw me eating this creamy broccoli soup with a side of rice and tried to convince me that it’s not really soup. Okay, so he totally had a point. It’s kind of an open secret around here, but I don’t like watery/brothy soups (I feel the same way about smoothies). I want the soup too thick to drink. Break out the spoon and savor it! Every bite here is creamy, flavorful, and full of broccoli. Of course, if your preference falls somewhere other than mine you can easily change the amount of broth to suit you.

A thick, filling and satisfying soup filled with healthy veggies, on a creamy cashew base, with red pepper flakes and crisps to top

Closeup of vegan broccoli soup with chunks of onion, celery, carrots, and broccoli for a hearty but healthy dinner

I also top my vegan creamy broccoli soup with a copious amount of crackers. Because, texture texture texture! Adding a little bit of crunch is something I do with many of the things that I eat, whether it’s a few chopped peanuts, breadcrumbs, crackers, or crispy fresh vegetables. But I assure you, the topping isn’t necessary in order to enjoy this amazing, healthy soup.

Creamy cashews, umami miso, rich white beans, and hearty potato blended to make a nutritious soup base filled with hearty chunks of vegetables

Closeup of a bowl of rich and warming vegan broccoli soup filled with vegetables and garnished with oyster crackers and parsley

This recipe is fairly closely adapted from a reader favorite on this website, my creamy vegan wild rice soup. However, this updated recipe is even easier and more streamlined. Enjoy! If you make this creamy vegan broccoli soup, let me know in the comments and/or tag me in your picture with #yupitsvegan and @yupitsvegan. I love hearing from you!

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4.96 from 24 votes

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup

Healthy vegan broccoli soup, made with a creamy base of cashews and white beans and flecked with perfectly crisp-tender broccoli florets. Absolutely nobody can tell this soup is vegan!
Course Soup, vegetables
Cuisine gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword creamy vegan broccoli, healthy cream of broccoli soup, vegan broccoli soup
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 45 minutes minutes
Servings 3 servings
Calories 378kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the cashew cream mixture:

  • 1 medium russet potato cooked (peel on or off - your choice) (I boil mine)
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews soaked in water overnight or in boiling water for 1 hour
  • 1 and 1/2 cups cooked white beans (equal to 1 standard can)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tbsp white or yellow miso
  • 1/2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice white balsamic vinegar, or other acid

For the creamy vegan broccoli soup:

  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 rib of celery diced or thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot peeled and diced
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • salt to taste (I used a little under 1 teaspoon)
  • 4 cups finely-chopped broccoli divided

Instructions

Make the cashew cream mixture:

  • Drain the cashews and add them to a food processor or blender along with the cooked potato and white beans. Blend until smooth. This may take a couple of minutes with stopping to scrape down the sides; add liquid as needed to help blend. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, and lemon juice, and blend to combine. Remove from the food processor and set aside in a bowl. There is no need to clean out the food processor yet.

Make the creamy vegan broccoli soup:

  • Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, and stir. Continue cooking the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the celery and carrot, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable broth, and bring the pot to a boil. While you wait, add 1 cup of chopped broccoli to the food processor and pulse until broccoli is broken into crumb-sized pieces.
  • After the pot boils, reduce it to a simmer. Stir in the reserved cashew cream mixture, all of the broccoli, and salt. Cover the pot, and cook covered for 12-16 minutes, stirring occasionally (making sure to scrape around the bottom and sides when you do), until the broccoli is bright green and tender, or cooked to your liking.
  • Serve hot. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for a few days.

Notes

Peeled and finely-chopped broccoli stems can also be added!
SOY-FREE: Use chickpea miso.

Nutrition

Serving: 1third recipe | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 1632mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4600IU | Vitamin C: 85.8mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 4.3mg

Other comforting soups and stews from the website: (as you can see, I don’t do brothy soups :D)

Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup | Yup, it's Vegan

Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup

Samosa Soup | Yup, it's Vegan

Samosa Soup

Chickpea Turmeric Stew with Sweet Potato

Chickpea Turmeric Stew

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup | Yup, it's Vegan

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

Filed Under: Soup Tagged With: gluten-free, grain-free, greens, legumes, nuts and seeds, refined sugar-free, soy-free, sweetener-free

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Comments

  1. Kati says

    December 11, 2020 at 18:31

    5 stars
    I can’t even tell you how much I loved this recipe!!!! It tasted so creamy and I really couldn’t tell it wasn’t filled with milk and butter. This one will go on our regular rotation 👏🏻 Thanks!

    Reply
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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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