This Vegan Broccoli Soup is super creamy and luscious and loaded with lots of healthy broccoli! Seasoned with jalapeno and corn, it has a flavorful Mexican twist. Video! Love Broccoli? See our 20+ Fresh, Yummy Broccoli Recipes
Ohhhhhhh how we’ve been loving this Vegan Broccoli Soup this week! Think of this like Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but made vegan and kicked up and notch with poblano peppers and jalapenos. Doesn’t that sound good? It is!
It’s not spicy, just super flavorful! Cashew cream (or sub hemp seeds) gives the soup its rich creaminess. Nutritional yeast gives it its cheesy flavor. Or feel free to use vegan Daiya Cheddar Shreds that actually melt.
What I like about this plant-based soup is how it really is mostly broccoli. Blending part of the cooked broccoli with the cashews gives it such a silky luxurious texture, it feels good in your mouth. But don’t take my word for it- give it a try and see.
To finish the creamy vegan broccoli soup, add the flavorful tempering oil. Quickly saute sliced jalapeno in olive oil with whole cumin seeds and Aleppo. Throw in some corn if you have some in your freezer, and just spoon this over the soup. So tasty!
Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup | 60-sec Video
Down here in Santa Barbara, where things grow year-round, the farmers market is full of veggies like broccoli and peppers. I feel a little spoiled after spending years in Eastern Washington where the farmer’s markets basically shut down for the long winter.
How to make Vegan Broccoli Soup:
For this recipe, you’ll need about a whole pound (or 7-8 cups) of broccoli florets. I always include the stems as well- slicing them thinly.
The soup starts with sauteing the onion, garlic and peppers. I used two poblanos and 1 jalapeno. The soup was mildly spicy. Barely spicy truthfully. There is a lot of broccoli to counteract the peppers.
If you are worried about heat, perhaps start with 1/2 a jalapeno.
Once the onions and peppers are tender, add the vegetable broth and water and herbs and spices and broccoli.
Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until the broccoli is tender, 10-12 minutes.
Take two cups of the tender broccoli florets and two cups of the vegetable broth and place it in a blender.
Add the soaked cashews. If using a high-powered blender, no need to soak the cashews.
If using a regular blender, soak them 4-8 hours or overnight- or you could do a “cheater soak”- just simmer them in a small pot of hot water for about 15 minutes and drain.
Shush, don’t tell! No seriously, it’s fine in pinch.
So I usually start with just one cup broccoli and 1 cup broth with the cashews, blend until smooth, then add the second cup of broccoli and broth.
How to make it Vibrant Green!
Now, the color of the soup will be a little drab- unless you do this trick, which if you’ve been here a while, you’ll already know. 😉
Add a couple of handfuls of raw baby spinach to the blender, and blend until smooth. This will give the soup a lovely vibrance that will make it far more appetizing.
Plus you get all the added nutrients from the spinach.
Win-win!
Pour this vibrant silky smooth concoction into the pot.
Reduce heat and gently stir over low heat, careful not to simmer too long, or you will lose the lovely color. Look at this vegan-ized cream of broccoli soup! So vibrant!
To make the flavorful tempering oil – which of course you can adapt to what you have on hand, simply saute a sliced jalapeno, some whole cumin seeds and maybe corn if you have it, or if not, pumpkin seeds, or something crunchy and some chili flakes or Aleppo.
Spoon this flavorful finishing oil over the soup, after you’ve dished it up, for a burst of flavor.
So there you have it… Jalapeño Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
So simple! So tasty! So healthy! 
This Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup cooks up quickly for weeknight dinners and heats up perfectly for midweek lunches (either in a microwave or on the stovetop- set on low) and best of all, packs a powerful punch of healthy nutrients.So much goodness here!
Can you substitute cauliflower for broccoli?
Cauliflower can easily be substituted for broccoli in the recipe, just be sure to use the same amount!
I hope you are having a good start to your workweek. Enjoy this Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup- it is one of my favorite vegan soups! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
xoxo
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- Roasted Broccoli Salad
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Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Prep Time: 18
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: soup, main, vegan,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: northwest
Description
Vegan Broccoli Soup with “cheddar” and jalapeño – a fast and easy weeknight recipe that is healthy, vegan and keto!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4–6 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1–2 poblano peppers, diced (I like 2)
- 1 jalapeno, diced fine (use 1/2 for less spice- see notes)
- 7 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (about 1 – 1 1/4 pound, stems ok if cut thinly)
- 4 cups veggie broth (or 4 cups water + 1 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf (optional, remove before blending)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- —-
- 3/4 cup raw cashews (soaked or simmered, see notes) or hemp hearts
- 2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see notes)
- 1–2 large handful baby spinach (for vibrant color)
Optional Finishing oil:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch chili flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup corn kernals, frozen is ok (optional)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Optional Garnish:
- cilantro or scallions, lime
Instructions
- Heat oil in a big pot over medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, poblanos and jalapeno, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, broth, water, bay leaf, coriander, oregano, salt, and pepper. The liquid should just cover the veggies. Cover, bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until broccoli is tender, about 10-12. minutes. Turn heat off and remove bay leaf.
- BLEND: Place roughly 1 cup of the broccoli and 1 cup of broth into a blender. Let cool 5 minutes. Add the cashews and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
- Cover tightly with blender lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender “explosion”. Blend until silky smooth.
- Add one more cup broccoli and one more cup broth. Blend again until silky smooth.
- To the blender, add 1-2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach for that extra vibrant “green” color, and blend until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Pour this back in the broccoli soup pot, mix and heat gently over low heat, careful not to boil or simmer too long, or you will lose the lovely vibrant green color.
- Taste for salt, heat, and acid. Add a little squeeze of lime if you like, or extra chili flakes or more pepper. For extra “cheesy” flavor add another tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
- Make the finishing oil: Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add sliced jalapeno, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, chili flakes, and optional corn kernals or pumkin seeds. Heat until cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute. Serve the soup in bowls and spoon a little finishing oil over the soup (when serving) in a crescent shape.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro or scallions or a wedge of lime.
Notes
If using a high-powered blender, no need to soak the cashews. Regular Blender? Soak cashews for 4-8 hours (or overnight) in cold water. OR for a quick “cheater” soak, simmer cashews in a little pot of simmering water for 15 mintues to soften, drain before blending.
No Cashews? Feel free substitute hemp seeds for the cashews (or sour cream).
No Nutritional Yeast? Feel free to sub vegan melty cheese (like Daiya chedder shreds) for the nutritional yeast -just add it to the pot (1/2 cup or so) or sprinkle a little over individual servings.
Spice level: With 2 poblanos and 1 jalpeno, soup was still very mildly spicy. You can double or half the jalapeno or leave it out entirely if worried about heat. Up to you. 🙂
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup- with the finishing oil.
- Calories: 267
- Sugar: 7.3 g
- Sodium: 436.6 mg
- Fat: 18.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 6.2 g
- Protein: 7.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I have to say that I’m a soup girl, I like to make soup often…so I know my soups and I LOVED this soup! I used roasted anaheim peppers (because I didn’t have any others) and I omitted the onion and garlic (SIBO restrictions)…and it turned out great!! I love the depth of flavor and the topping with pumpkin seeds is a must in my opinion as it added just the right amount of extra texture and crunch!!
Thank you for making all these amazing recipes, this soup is certainly a repeat!!
Really delicious! I added mushrooms to the recipe! Next time I think I will repeat the blend step once more and add in more cashews to make it a touch creamier. Thanks for sharing this!
Very good! I didnt add the finishing oil but I did put extra nooch and about a half teaspoon of cumin. Tip: use gloves when cutting the peppers!!
My favorite soup recipe that I have ever made! Since going vegan I have really missed truly creamy soups and this hits the spot. We love spice in my family so this has been a family favorite, even for my 11 month old!
Spicy. Delicious.
I’m vegan and my moms gluten free and we loved this one so much. Followed the recipe exactly except the spinach just because I didn’t mind the color on its own. So good thank you!
Soooo good! made it just the way the recipe reads….love it with the finishing oil too. Will be making this again and again.
Another winning recipe! I didn’t have a jalapeño on hand, so omitted that, but the balance was just fine for me with a little kick from the poblano. I enjoyed it for several days after making it.
I made this today, as part of my batch cooking for week-long lunches. It is absolutely delicious, creamy, and very filling. I’m thinking that this might be good as a sauce to pour over roasted potatoes, or rice.
Totally
I am confused. If this is supposed to be a vegan recipe, why are you suggesting chicken broth to use?
Hi Kristi, I want people to use what they have or prefer. Of course, you can use veggie broth and keep it vegan. There are also non-vegans who cook from the blog too- and more often they have chicken broth. I don’t want this to stop them from making the recipe.
Is this recipe able to be stored/reheated?
Yes, it should reheat just fine. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I made this tonight for my toddler & husband, absolutely amazing! I decided to add an avocado into it as well when I blended the spinach to make it a little bit thicker/creamier & it did not disappoint. Definitely will be making this again!
Sylvia, I made this today and it was incredible! You never disappoint! 🙂
So good- my teenagers loved it too
I had to use jarred mild jalapeños as it was all I had but perfect spice for my non spicy loving son
I don’t usually post comments on recipes but my fiance and I enjoyed this recipe so much I had to. I followed the instructions and it came out so good. I boiled/simmered the raw cashews in water since I did not have 4-6 hours to let them soak. 10/10 would recommend
Thanks so much Mauricio!
One of my favourite soups. Flavourful and easy to make.
My family love it .thank You. we always appreciate your vegan recipes
My husband really liked this! He’s wonderful but PICKY! I did not have the time to make the oil for a garnish but it was delicious without it. I put the corn in the soup, as well. I have a Vitamix blender and, therefore, did not have to do anything with the cashews except put them in the blender. YAY! Thanks more than you know!!!
Hi! I’m going to make this tomorrow, as it sounds delicious! I am thinking about using cannellini beans to make it creamy instead of using cashews. I wanted to make it a bit more low fat. Have you, Sylvia, or anyone else, tried this? Thanks!
I haven’t but I bet that would work, but maybe include some cashews?
excellent and easy! so flavorful
this recipe is so good! I used anaheim instead of poblano peppers. the topping was essential – it really leveled up the dish. what would you recommend as a side for this? I just had bread and was pretty hungry a few hours later.
Thanks, Bridget. Maybe a side of protein, like crispy Mexican tofu or Grilled Chipotle Chicken?
OMGEEE!!! I’m trying to convert my fiancé to eat more plant based foods so every week I’ve been trying different recipes. He said this soup was by FAR the best vegan food that he’s had 😂. He said he wants it again next weekend. Would love to follow you for more recipes! This soup was absolutely tasty!!
Great to hear!
This one is a keeper. I love broccoli and the flavor, texture and appearance are all really lovely. I think next time I will try toasting the poblano chilies a bit on a comal just for fun. I really love the extra zest that the oil/corn adds. Thank you!
Thanks so much Ana- happy you enjoyed this!
I cooked it yesterday, and it was easy & delicious!
Tasty & spicy as we like.
Great to hear!
We loved this soup! I’m from Canada but live in Dubai and could only find regular chilis to use in this (they worked fine). I will double up on the finishing oil next time as we used all of it pretty quickly. Thank you for sharing this; we will definitely be cooking this again soon.
Awesome Rhonda! Glad you liked this. 🙌