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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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
“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 !!