Thick, creamy and cheesy, this Broccoli Cheddar Soup makes a cozy and comforting meal on a cold day. It’s also a great way to include broccoli into your diet. Pair with a crusty bread for a hearty meal that you would want to make over and over again.

When it’s cold and snowing outside, there’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of creamy soup and this Broccoli Cheddar Soup hits the spot every single time. It’s so thick, creamy and with all that cheesy goodness, it’s the perfect meal for cold days!

Instant Pot is my go to for making soups and some of my favorite ones are the Broccoli Almond Soup and the Vegan Thai Curry Soup. This Broccoli Cheddar Soup has now been officially added to that list. This recipe does involve an extra step on making the roux on the stove-top. I tried making the roux in the IP before pressure cooking but didn’t quite like how it turned out. So, I prefer this method.

Ingredients

Broccoli: remember to chop the florets small, we don’t want big broccoli florets in this soup so make sure to cut into small florets.

Cheddar cheese: it’s most important to use a block of cheddar cheese in this recipe and grate it yourself. The taste will be much better and it will also melt easily in the soup. For vegetarians like me, check the cheese packaging and make sure the cheese is vegetarian and there’s no animal rennet in it.

Milk: to make the soup creamy and rich, use whole milk or half and half. I didn’t have store bought half and half, so I used 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream which is basically the same thing. You can definitely use only whole milk as well, it will be just fine.

Step by Step Method

1- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil to it. Then add 1 medium yellow onion (chopped) and 3-4 large garlic cloves (minced) to it.

2- Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

3- Then add 1 celery rub (diced), 1 large carrot (grated) and 3 heaping cups broccoli florets (small florets). Stir and then add 2 cups vegetable broth or even water will work. Add salt and black pepper to taste and stir.

4- Close the pot with the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally or you can manually release the pressure if it still hasn’t released after 20 minutes.

5- While the soup is cooking in the instant pot, let’s make a roux on the stove-top. Ideally start making the roux once only around 5 minutes are remaining for the pressure to come off so that it doesn’t thick way too much before adding it to the soup. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan on the stove-top. Once it melts, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir using a wire whisk.

6- Continue to stir and cook the flour for around 1 minute. Don’t brown the flour, you just want to cook it a little.

7- Add in 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream to the pan. You can also use 1 cup whole milk or 1 cup half & half here.

8- Stir using the wire whisk until it is all smooth and well combined. Let it cook a bit, until you see bubbles forming on the edges (just about beginning to boil). Turn off heat, the roux would have thickened by now.

9- Once the pressure has released, open the pot and press the sauté button again. Add the prepared roux to the instant pot.

10- Stir until it is well combined with everything else.

11- Now, add in 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or up to 1/4 cup more if you like). Remember to grate the cheese yourself from a block of cheddar cheese. Don’t use already grated cheese here, that doesn’t melt that well and the cheese that you grate yourself also tastes much better. I used medium cheddar but sharp cheddar also works well.

12- Stir until the cheese melts and let the soup simmer for 1 more minute until the cheese has melted and you have a thick, nice and creamy soup. Serve immediately with more cheese on top if you like.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the broccoli cheddar soup with crusty bread or a slice of baguette. You can also serve it in a bread bowl like Panera Bread. Serving the soup along with a nice grilled cheese sandwich is also a great idea. It will make the perfect cold night dinner.

You can also top the soup with croutons (like I did!).

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will be good for 3 to 4 days. The soup thickens considerably when stored so while reheating add some milk. I would recommend re-heating on the stove-top on low heat.

You can also freeze this broccoli cheddar soup. Let it cool completely, then place soup in freezer safe bags and freeze. To re-heat, thaw the bags completely and then re-heat. The milk might curdle when you reheat so do not reheat on high heat.

Stove-top Method

You can easily make this soup on the stove-top. You basically make the roux in a pot, add the veggies with broth and let them cook. And add milk and cheese once the veggies are cooked. Please read the instructions in the recipe card below for complete instructions on the stove-top method.

Useful Tips

• You can spice this instant pot broccoli cheddar soup with some crushed red chili flakes. Add it towards the end before serving or for an extra kick, you can also add some in the soup along with salt and pepper before pressure cooking.

• For the base of the soup, use vegetable broth and if that’s not available water works too. You can also add a cube of vegetable bouillon along with water. Plain water is fine too, I have made this soup with just water and it comes out good.

• Remember it’s important to use a good quality block of cheddar cheese here. The cheese which is already grated had added preservatives in it and that might not melt into the soup as nicely as the cheese from the block would melt. Also, when you grate the cheese yourself, it tasted so much better. You can use either medium or sharp cheddar in this recipe.

If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.