This Vegan Broccoli Soup is super creamy and luscious and loaded with lots of healthy broccoli! Seasoned with jalapeño and corn, it has a flavorful Mexican twist. Video! Love broccoli? See our 20+ Fresh, Yummy Broccoli Recipes.
We’ve heard from so many of you who’ve made this soup, and we love your feedback!
“OMG make this right away! And if you are lazy (like me) skip the finishing oil and just drizzle olive oil on it. Really blend up the portions in the blender, and it makes for a delicious silky bowl of healthy food. Too good! Don’t wait another day!” - Meghan
“I don’t have a lot of experience making vegan recipes and always thought they would be bland. I was wrong!! The poblano peppers gave it so much flavor and using cashews and nutritional yeast made it ‘cheesy.’ And I love the addition of spinach to give it a bright green color. I learn so much from your recipes!” - Pam
Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Soup
Ohhhhhhh, how we’ve been loving this Vegan Broccoli Soup! Think of it like Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but made vegan and kicked up a notch with poblano peppers and jalapeños. Doesn’t that sound good? It is!
Over the years of developing and testing soups for our restaurant and blog, I’ve found that the key to great vegan soup isn’t just creaminess, it’s balance. This version combines poblanos and jalapeños with plenty of broccoli for a velvety texture and just the right amount of warmth.
It’s not spicy, just super flavorful! Cashew cream (or sub hemp seeds for nut-free) gives the soup its rich creaminess. Nutritional yeast adds cheesy flavor. You can also use vegan Daiya Cheddar Shreds that actually melt.
What I like about this plant-based soup is that it 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 sauté sliced jalapeño in olive oil with whole cumin seeds and Aleppo. Throw in corn if you have some in your freezer, and just spoon this over the soup. So tasty!
Broccoli Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Broccoli: To find the best broccoli, choose one with a vibrant green color and compact florets. The stem should be firm. If cut thinly, you can use the stem in the soup!
- Onion and garlic: For a deep, aromatic base.
- Poblano peppers and jalapeño: You can reduce the amount of peppers for a milder soup, or you can skip the jalapeño entirely if worried about heat. Even with two poblanos and one jalapeño, the soup was still very mild!
- Vegetable broth: Or use water with a “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base. For the best flavor, use our homemade vegetable broth recipe!
- Spices: Bay leaf (optional), salt, coriander, oregano, and black pepper.
- Cashews: Give the soup a rich, creamy texture. Use hemp seeds or vegan sour cream for a nut-free version. If using a high-speed blender, there is no need to soak the cashews. If using a regular blender, soak for 4-8 hours or simmer for 15 minutes (see notes).
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a “cheesy” flavor to the soup. If you don’t have nutritional yeast, you can add vegan cheese, like Daiya Cheddar Shreds (see notes).
- Baby spinach: Sneaks in extra nutrients while enhancing the vibrant green color.
- Optional finishing oil: Olive oil, jalapeño, cumin seeds, chili flakes (optional), corn kernels (frozen is okay; optional), and pumpkin seeds. A crunchy, flavorful topping!
- Optional garnish: Fresh cilantro or scallions and a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice.
How to make Vegan Broccoli Soup
1. Sauté aromatics and peppers. Add olive oil to a large pot and bring the heat to medium. Sauté onion, garlic, poblanos, and jalapeños until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. Simmer. To the pot, add broccoli, broth, water, and spices (bay leaf, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper), ensuring that the liquid just covers the veggies. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
3. Blend. When ready, remove the bay leaf and turn off the heat. Carefully transfer 1 cup of the broccoli and 1 cup of broth to a high-speed blender. Wait 5 minutes before adding the cashews and nutritional yeast. Secure the lid and place a kitchen towel over the top (prevents a blender explosion!). Start low, working up to a faster speed, blending until creamy. Then add another cup of broccoli and a cup of broth, and blend again.
The Secret to Vibrant Green Soup
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 creamy soup a lovely vibrance, making it far more appetizing. Plus, you get all the added nutrients from the spinach. Win-win!
4. Gently warm, taste, and adjust. Pour the creamy broccoli mixture back into the pot, stir, and warm over low heat. Be careful not to boil or simmer for too long, or the color will fade. Taste, adjust for salt, heat, and acid. Add a fresh lime, chili flakes, black pepper, or another tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
5. Prepare the finishing oil (optional). In a small skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add jalapeño, cumin seeds, chili flakes, optional corn kernels, and/or pumpkin seeds. Stir until cumin seeds are fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Garnish and serve. Ladle soup into bowls with a spoonful of finishing oil and its crispy toppings (or a drizzle of olive oil). Garnish with cilantro or scallions and a lime wedge.
So simple! So tasty! So healthy!
Chef’s Tips
- Use the broccoli stems. I like to use the whole broccoli, not just the florets. When measuring 7-8 cups of broccoli, you can include the stalk as long as it is cut thinly.
- Control the color. Bright green soup looks more appetizing! To keep that vibrant hue, blend in baby spinach at the end and avoid simmering the soup after blending.
- Adjust the heat to your preference. I used two poblanos and one jalapeño. 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 half a jalapeño.
- To soak or not to soak the cashews. If using a high-speed blender, there is no need to soak the cashews. If using a regular blender or immersion blender, soak them for 4-8 hours (or overnight) in cold water. For a quick “cheat” soak, simmer cashews for 15 minutes in a pot of water, then drain.
- The finishing oil is optional, but worth it! The finishing oil adds incredible depth. Don’t skip this if you want restaurant-level flavor!
- Optional additions: If desired, you can add chickpeas or white beans for extra protein, or for a heartier soup, add potatoes!
Troubleshooting
- If your soup is watery: If the soup turns out thinner than you’d like, blend a few extra steamed broccoli florets or a small handful of raw cashews (or hemp seeds), add to the soup, and simmer briefly to thicken.
- If your soup separates: This happens if the soup gets too hot after blending. If it happens, re-blend the soup until creamy or whisk in a splash of hot broth and stir over low heat.
- If the color of your soup is dull: Don’t skip the spinach! A handful of baby spinach blended in at the end instantly revives color.
- If the taste is bland: Add a squeeze of lime, an extra pinch of salt, or a touch more nutritional yeast.
- If your soup is too thick: Stir in a little veggie broth or water a few tablespoons at a time until achieving desired consistency.
Storing Broccoli Soup
Not only does this dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup cook up quickly for weeknight dinners, but leftovers heat up perfectly for midweek lunches (either in a microwave or on the stovetop over low heat). And best of all, it packs a powerful punch of healthy nutrients. So much goodness here!
- Refrigerator: Store cooled leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: This soup freezes beautifully! Let cool, then store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and re-blend briefly before reheating for the creamiest texture.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with crusty bread, croutons, sourdough rolls, or vegan cornbread muffins
- Serve alongside a simple spring green salad, grilled corn salad, or warm winter salad
- Add some veggies on the side, like our roasted beets, roasted asparagus, or roasted root vegetables
FAQs
Cauliflower can easily be substituted for broccoli in this recipe. Just be sure to use the same amount!
Overcooking the broccoli can turn the soup bitter and an unappetizing color. Be careful not to simmer the soup for too long, and after the soup is blended, reheat briefly over low heat.
It’s easy! Here we use cashews for a creamy texture, and the nutritional yeast gives the soup a cheesy flavor.
To make our vegan broccoli soup creamy, we use cashew cream, which is essentially just blended cashews.
I hope you are having a good start to your workweek. Enjoy this easy Vegan Broccoli Soup-it is one of my favorite vegan soups! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
If you love this one, you’ll be happy to know we have three other 5-star broccoli soup recipes on the blog, each with its own twist! Try the Broccoli Pesto Soup, Thai Broccoli Soup, and Broccoli and Cheddar Soup next.
xoxo
More Broccoli recipes you may like
Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup | 60-sec Video
After you try this Vegan Broccoli Soup recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Broccoli Soup Recipe (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 18
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: soup, main, vegan,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This super creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup is seasoned with jalapeño and corn for a flavorful Mexican twist! Packed with vegetables, it’s punchy, flavorful and vibrant!
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
- Saute: 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.
- Simmer: 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 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 of broccoli and one more cup of broth. Blend again until silky smooth.
- Add spinach: 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.
- Warm: Pour this back into 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.
- Season: 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 kernels 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 jalapeno, the 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
“Vegan” is the first word in the name of this recipe, and yet chicken broth is listed in the ingredients.
Hi Bahrbe- most of the recipes here are “adaptable”- to fit differing needs. Veggie Broth is listed as the first option. 🙂
This soup was incredible! I usually shy away from recipes that call for blending cashews (even with soaking they always have a grainy texture), but the hemp heart substitution was the best recommendation! Sent the recipe to my family members immediately.
Wonderful Colleen! So glad this worked for you. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent!
Delicious recipe, so simple but tasty. The addition of lime really lifted the flavours.
I’m so glad you liked this Alison!
We tried this soup and absolutely loved it!!!
Excellent! I make this a few times a month. It freezes well too. Thanks for another healthy and tasty recipe!
Great to hear Christine! Thanks so much! 🙏
Omg amazingly yummy! I didn’t have nutritional yeast so I sprinkled vegan cheese on top. Still great! Thank you for a great recipes!
Perfect Colleen- glad you enjoyed it!
AMAZING! For a vegan soup it was so creamy and decedent 😍
Adding to the recipe tin!
Awesome Kirbie!
My veggie-averse teen ate it! Love this recipe.
Awesome Lauren, great to hear!
My girlfriend LOVED this soup. We added sweet corn and a few other veggies. I was so surprised how well this kept in the fridge – even staying bright green. I’d think this would be great for lunch the next day and possibly even meal prep. It’s also given me a new appreciation of pablanos which are easily available at our local Farmer’s Market. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Joni! Love the additions. 😉
So yummy! Mildly spicy with lots of flavour. Thank you!
Awesome Alicia! Glad you enjoyed!
Do you think adding some mung beans for some extra protein would work here? Or do you think it will not be nice for the flavour? Be honest!
I’m not quite sure! Would you blend or leave whole? You could always place a sample of soup into a little cup, add a few beans there and then try?
Do I need to soak the hemp hearts? I’m allergic to cashews.
Thanks so much
No soaking needed!
This soup was delicious and beautiful! And it felt so much better than the heaviness of a creamy cheese soup. It had such a lovely combination of flavors and was especially good with the lime squeezed in and a turn of the salt mill at serving.
The soup is outstanding! My picky 7 year old loves the emerald green color and smooth texture. I love the fresh, healthy and accessible ingredients. Thanks Sylvia!
Loved it!!
Thanks Sylvia. Yummy soup.
Recommend this soup to anyone.
Have made it twice and more delicious each time.
I reduced the amount of garlic (2 cloves) but followed all other steps exactly.
This was delicious! Made it last night exactly as the recipe says with one exception. I didn’t have raw cashews or hemp seeds, just roasted and salted cashews. Rinsed and used the quick boiling method for the cashews and they worked out perfectly. Came out creamy and delicious. Topped with the amazing finishing oil (don’t skip!) and a sprinkle of daiya cheese. And as with all of the other recipes I’ve tried from this site I felt full all evening and didn’t experience any of my usual sweets cravings afterward. Plus it was just as good for lunch today.
Awesome Leah- great to hear!
This soup is amazing!!! I’m not a fan of cheese substitutes but none of that here. Just perfect!!!
This soup is delicious! My husband thought with 2 poblano peppers, it would have been too spicy with the jalapeno as well. We left it out, and it definitely would have been fine with the jalapeno. We also used our immersion blender and it was great! I did blend the initial cup of broccoli and broth with cashews in our blender first. The lime and finishing oil are a must!! All the flavors pull together so nicely and it’s amazing there is no cheese! It does make a ton of soup, so we are going to see how well it freezes. Awesome meal!
I just made this soup — it is SO good!! I was hungry and tired and just wanted a bowl of soup NOW, so I didn’t make the oil. I’m sure it would be even better with the oil, but really good without it. Thank you, Sylvia!
Have made this 3 times…it’s delicious. I’m not vegan so I added feta to the topping instead of the lime squeeze …….delicious. Posted a pic on Instagram and tagged you #feastingathome. Great recipe
Thanks Nat will check it out!
The vegan version of this soup is amazing! All of the cheddar flavor and none of the calories. I use the finishing oil sometimes or a sprinkle of savory granola recipe from a Cauliflower/Celeriac recipe that I have. I love how simple it is to follow your recipes and how complex the tastes are…
Very tasty – Thanks Sylvia! I have a Vitamix but I ended up using my immersion blender which maybe didn’t make the soup as smooth but made clean-up much simpler 🙂
I did this soup today. How divine !!