Gluten-free Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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This gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup is full of broccoli and cheese; it's even better than Panera, all made at home in under 30 minutes!

Soup season is here, and that means I am making all the gluten-free soups for my family. This gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup is on repeat because it's one of their favorites. I love that they love it and that I can make it in no time at all. Just be warned, you might want to make a double batch if you want any leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day.

Jump to:

• Is broccoli cheddar soup gluten-free?
• Ingredients.
• Steps.
• Thickening soup.
• Tips and Tricks
• Alternate cooking methods.
• Storing soups.
• Freezing soups.
• Soup for a crowd.
• Serving suggestions.
• More gluten-free soups.
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments and Ratings

Is broccoli cheddar soup gluten-free?

Panera's version of their broccoli cheddar soup does contain wheat; therefore, it's not gluten-free. The same goes for Campbell's version of their canned broccoli cheese soup. Don't worry, though, if you love this soup; this version of my gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup is, and you still end up with the perfectly creamy, delicious soup that the whole family will love!

Ingredients.

This gluten-free broccoli cheese soup recipe comes together fast and with only a few ingredients.

• Broccoli - I think fresh broccoli works best for this soup. When I use frozen, the soup does not tend to thicken as much, and I like my broccoli cheese soup thick. If you are using frozen, I highly suggest letting it thaw and drain before using it in this recipe.
• Carrots - I tend to do a thick shred, or you can also julienne your carrots, depending on preference.
• Onion - I prefer a yellow onion in this broccoli cheddar soup for a little extra texture and a bit of sweetness.
• Cheese - Using a mixture in this recipe is my preference, but you can sub in all cheddar if you want to sub in all cheddar. I would suggest using a good cheddar cheese like Tillamook medium sharp cheese. Cheeses vary by flavor, and some lack it, which can lead to more seasonings to counter this.
• Cream Cheese - Adding just a little bit of cream cheese to the soup helps to make it extra creamy.
• Half and Half - This helps to yield a soup that is not too thick or too thin. You can use milk or heavy cream, but you might need to watch the thickness of your soup and adjust it to your liking.
• Stock - I prefer the flavor of chicken stock in this recipe, but it's still delicious with vegetable stock subbed in if you want to make this a vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup.
• Spices.

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Steps.

1. Saute the onions.
2. Add the broccoli, carrots, spices, and stock to the pot with the onions.
3. Let it simmer until the broccoli is fork-tender.
4. Once the broccoli is tender, add the cream cheese and the half and half.
5. Gently stir it until the cream cheese has melted into the soup.
6. Finally, stir in the cheese and adjust the spices as needed.

Thickening soup.

I prefer this soup as is, but if you want your base to be a little bit thicker, you can use a gluten-free thickener. For soup, I don't actually prefer something like cornstarch, which can actually lose its thickening capabilities with a lot of heat or stirring. Instead, I suggest using something like arrowroot or potato starch. You can even use a little bit of sweet rice flour. If you are going to use a gluten-free flour blend, look for one without xanthan gum.

• To thicken the soup, you can either add the thickener to the onions once they are cooked. or you can mix it with some of the stock before adding it and letting it simmer.
• If you want a thicker soup without a thickener, you can also blend the broccoli and carrots into the soup with either an immersion blender or pulling some of the soup out and blending it in a blender before returning it to the pot.

Tips and Tricks

• Use fresh broccoli for the best texture and flavor.
• Chop the broccoli into small florets so they cook evenly.
• Help keep your soup from getting grainy by adding the cheese a little bit at a time and making sure it melts before adding more.
• Hand shred your cheese. Many pre-packaged kinds of cheese have anti-caking ingredients, which can prevent the cheese from fully incorporating into the soup.

Alternate cooking methods.

• Since this gluten-free soup has dairy in it, I don't recommend using the slow cooker to make it over the stovetop. If you want to use the slow cooker, I would say use it for keeping the soup warm, but make it on the stove, so you don't end up with curdled soup.
• I also do NOT recommend using an Instant pot for this soup recipe either. The broccoli gets overcooked and becomes very mushy, so the final soup does not have the greatest texture.

Storing soups.

This gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup is delicious the same day, but it will keep in the fridge for up to three days once it's made.

Freezing soups.

I suggest storing this soup in individual portions if you plan to freeze it for later. To defrost stick it straight into a pot on the stove to help prevent excess curdling from the dairy in the soup as it warms up.

Soup for a crowd.

This gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup recipe makes 4-6 decent-sized bowls of soup. You can just as easily double the batch if you have extra hungry family members you are feeding or you want to serve it for a larger crowd.

Serving suggestions.

By far, I love to serve this soup with some homemade gluten-free french bread. I mean, what is more, comforting than freshly baked bread? My kids love it when I make some gluten-free brioche and turn it into paninis for dipping. There is no wrong way to serve this easy gluten-free soup.

More gluten-free soups.

If you like this soup, you might also enjoy my Apple Potato Leek Soup, or check out these other gluten-free soups next.

📖 Recipe

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!