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.
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.
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.
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!
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
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:
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Serve hot. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for a few days.
Recipe Notes
Peeled and finely-chopped broccoli stems can also be added!
SOY-FREE: Use chickpea miso.
Other comforting soups and stews from the website: (as you can see, I don’t do brothy soups :D)
Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup
Samosa Soup
Chickpea Turmeric Stew
Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Carmen says
This looks amazing, I really want to try it and am wondering if anyone has tried to do this recipe in an instant pot?
Sylvi Ramos says
Can this soup be frozen? Will it still be creamy?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think this will freeze pretty well but you might want to keep the broccoli slightly al dente before freezing it so that it’s not overcooked when you reheat.
Kyla says
This recipe is so great! I added a ton of nooch to mine to make it more of a cheesy flavor. Although I am just now seeing that you have an actual cheeze version which I will need to try next! I just love this creamy soup base, it’s so yummy and nutritious!
BG says
Looks delicious, but I’m curious… where is the saturated fat coming from? And is there a way to reduce the amount of sodium too? Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Cashews, olive oil and miso (made of soybeans) all have naturally occurring small amounts of saturated fat. You can reduce the cashews, or substitute them with cooked cauliflower for a lower fat soup.
To reduce the sodium, use unsalted white beans and unsalted or low sodium vegetable broth. You can also choose a brand of nutritional yeast with lower sodium and maybe reduce the miso, although that is important for flavor.
Pamela A Coble says
This is delicious….2nd time I’ve made it. Made my 2nd batch to share with soup Sunday at church! So good and so hardy! Yes, it is hard to believe that it’s vegan….
Sue says
Can you recommend something other than the cashews to add the creaminess? My daughter is allergic to milk and nuts so no cashews or cheese to add creaminess.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can try substituting the cashews with a smaller amount of sunflower seeds (not the full amount so that there isn’t too much sunflower flavor) and then add an extra tablespoon or so of oil for more richness.
Lisa J says
This recipe is amazing! I would say it’s like pot pie filling, but better because it’s healthier. I added chopped fresh jalapeño with the onion/garlic step.
Marie says
Five stars! This was delicious. I’m a fairly picky plant-based cook, and was skeptical this could bring sufficient creaminess, depth of flavor, and nutrition. It delivered! There’s a decent amount of veggie prepping, but that means I’m feeding my family lots of veggies – score!
I made a couple changes. I boiled the cashews WITH the potato cubes instead of separately soaking them. Drained, didn’t rinse.
To my own bowl I sprinkled some cayenne pepper and extra salt and pepper. Yummy!
I have a toddler so after the broccoli was added and cooked I used an immersion blender to make it easier for him to enjoy it with us. And he did enjoy it! Thanks for such a wonderfully satisfying fall recipe 👍
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So glad to hear that, thanks for sharing your tips!
Janine Groehler says
Love this soup! I would like to know what the serving size is in terms of cups. I’m using a food tracking log and have no idea how much 1/3 of recipe is. I doubled the recipe and my husband already helped himself to a nice portion, so I’m not able to just measure my pot of soup. Thanks
Nada says
Hi, I am so excited to try this. I have been looking for something like this for a long time. Miso isn’t available where I live unfortunately. Which substitute would you recommend best?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can omit the miso and add extra lemon juice or nutritional yeast.
Nisha Harjani says
Made this tonight & it was amazing! I used two red potatoes since that’s all I had and frozen broccoli to save time, came out wonderful! Thanks so much! Will be making again !
Cat says
I can’t get enough of this recipe> I make it so often, probably a couple of times per month. It’s so good for taking in a thermos, mmmm!
C says
This was so delicious. I followed the recipe with the exception of using a little white wine to deglaze the pan. I will absolutely be making this again. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Mariam says
Mmm I just made this and the only alteration I made was adding some extra lemon juice and a teaspoon of sage. Thank you so much it’s delicious !!
Ashley G says
This soup is fabulous! Thank you so much for the recipe- I made it on Sunday and I have been enjoying it every day this week for lunch. I followed the directions exactly, but then added in about a cup and a half of kale towards the end. Its so hearty, creamy, and flavorful! I will make this over and over again!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it, and adding kale is a great idea!
Mavis says
Planning to make this soon. I cook for one usually and don’t have too much room for freezing. Should I just have all ingredients if I want to make half of the servings in your recipe?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Mavis, if you want to make a half recipe, yes, just halve everything.
Stephanie says
Can you make cashew cream mixture ahead and store in refrigerator?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Definitely!
Tati says
Just cooked this with my son…amazing!
Love the cashew cream to add to another recipes.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad you and your son enjoyed it. I use this cashew cream base in all sorts of soups and stews!
Amanda Roosmets says
Absolutely delisious a new family favourite! Both my kids are picky eaters so the first time we tried it they wouldnt touch it. Until i whipped up some old fashioned dough boys from grandmas reciepe book substatuted butter for vegan butter and made monster balls in the soup just like hotel transylvania now they ask for mobsterball soup at least twice a week. Thanks so much!
For anyone who wants dough boy reciepe its-
1 and a half cups white flour
Tsp salt
4 tblsp vegan butter or butter (cold mix into flower)
2tblsp baking powder
Ice cold water added alittle at a time until you have a dough
Then break ito balls , these will be monster balls,
Drop all the ball into the soup on a boil then cover with the lid for 10 min no peeking! If they are done they will be dry almost like bread on the inside when you break them open.
When times up they should be floating on the serface remove all the balls and let cool on a plat add tonsoup bowls when serving.
For added effect put a mouth and eyes into the dough boys using a spoon.
Daphne says
I agree with previous comments which prompted me to try this, absolutely delicious, creamy and full of texture will be making the cashew cream and using in soups regularly. I added the potato last to this mixture and noticed it transform the mixture to a more creamy texture. Found the quantity enough for two soups of this quantity. Yum Yum 😋
Kenneth Malc says
The soup was delicious creamy and full of texture. I loved making it and eating it and would love some of your other recipes.
Gail A Blaha says
Hi! I am so excted to try this but wondered if i might ask, do you think it will change the creaminess of the soup by using a sweet potato instead of russet? Obviously it will change the color but wondered it would be more soupy because sweet potato is softer?
thank you
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Gail – great Q. I haven’t tried substituting sweet potato, but I’m very curious – I could see it being really tasty in this! The soup won’t be quite as thick because the Russet potato is so starchy, and creates a suspension when blended. However, I think it will still be nice and creamy from the cashews. Definitely let me know how it goes.
Barbara says
This is delicious, filling and healthy! Thank you.🙏🏻
Ben says
Dang, this is good. Better than the “real” thing.
Laurie Kudoba says
This soup was amazing! Creamy and filling and nutritious!
Katie says
Love this recipie!! I have made it twice now and it’s officially become a family favorite!
Jeppy says
In terms of boiling the cashews: do you keep the cashews in boiling water for an hour? Or do you boil water, then pour over the cashews to soak for an hour?
Looking forward to making this recipe! I too love chunky soups and this looks delicious.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The latter – pour boiling hat water over them and then let soak. Hope you enjoy!
Jeppy says
Thank you!
This soup was DELICIOUS!!! I bought a whole wheat baguette and it’s complementing the soup perfectly. Thank you so much, this is definitely a recipe I’ll be going back to again and again 🙂
Kimberly says
I was so excited to try this and found myself just eating the creamy sauce right out of the food processor in pure delight! It’s so good and fills the empty void I’ve had for cheese lol. I didn’t have the miso to add this first time so I subbed sea salt. I am totally going to use this as a dip and topping too! Amazing and delicious so thank you so much for this!
JORDAN says
I’m not usually a commenter, but I’ve tried a few of your recipes and this one is just wonderful. It really does satisfy cravings for something hearty- something I’ve been struggling with after cutting out animal products. And tons of protein packed ingredients! Thank you so much!
electricscootershq.org says
This soup looks absolutely gorgeous I don t think I d even notice it s vegan, considering how thick and rich and creamy it looks! I m putting this one on my to-do list for the weekend.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it!
Claire says
Thank you so much, it’s one on my best soup ever, so creamy <3
I will follow a picture soon on FB