Broccoli Soup
This easy, creamy vegan broccoli soup recipe is so smooth and luxurious without needing any dairy! Packed with vegetables, plus a secret ingredient to add richness, you’ll want to add this beautiful and flavorful soup to your recipe folder for cozy winter nights.
Easy Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe
Broccoli soup is a favorite in our house, and I make it regularly throughout the fall and winter. My girls love broccoli – go figure! – and I love that they love it, so this is in our dinner rotation often. Pair it with a loaf of freshly baked bread (gluten-free or not) and some cheese and you’ve got a great dinner. A handful of vegetables including garlic, carrots, and a potato (to add an incredible note of creaminess without needing any cream!), plus lots of broccoli and vegetable broth or water go into this wonderfully textured vegan broccoli soup.
Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Soup Recipe
The gorgeously smooth texture of this soup is one to write home about! Or, errr, just make it at home. It’s a lovely vegetable soup that makes the most of the vegetables you’ll tuck into it and satisfies without leaving you stuffed. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Simply vegan: I love a good vegetable-based soup that doesn’t need any dairy or extras, and this one nicely fits my requirements.
- Gluten-free: All of the ingredients included are naturally gluten-free, so if you’re keeping gluten-free you won’t have any worries.
- SO easy: This soup truly is an easy one to cook – just saute, cook, and puree. Done! It’s a fantastic weeknight dinner and you can save leftovers for lunch the next day.
What You’ll Need
A quick trip to the produce aisle will yield everything you’ll need to tuck into this velvety vegan broccoli soup. I’ve outlined the ingredients list below – check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full amounts and detailed instructions, this is just an overview. I didn’t include an ingredients photo because I think we all know what broccoli and these other basics look like!
- Olive oil – I always use extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic – You can add more garlic if you like
- Carrot – To help form the savory base of the soup
- Potato – I use an easy russet potato, medium-large size.
- Broccoli
- Vegetable broth – Or sub water
- Water – To cook the vegetables
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Make soup: Saute the garlic and carrot in olive oil, then add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook until soft.
- Puree: In a blender or using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
This is such an easy soup, and I have a few suggestions to help it turn out perfectly! See below:
- Use an immersion blender. I love leaving the soup in the pot and using an immersion blender to whiz it into creamy perfection. Be careful, because the vegetables and liquid will be hot (but, I prefer this method to pouring the hot soup into a blender and then back into the pot!).
- Add more vegetables. You can make this into broccoli-spinach soup by adding chopped spinach or baby spinach leaves to the pot a few minutes before you puree it. Make sure the spinach wilts into the broth before you blend it.
- Other potatoes. A russet is always my go-to for this soup because they tend to be a nice size and I can use one and be done. However, any potato will do. You could use 3-4 small red or white potatoes with similar results.
- Add cream. No! Yes? OK, this would not be a vegan soup unless you added coconut cream if you add a splash of heavy cream. However, if you’re in the mood to take it up a notch, you can stir in a little heavy cream to each bowl before serving, or try a swirl of sour cream or Greek yogurt. (dairy-free if needed).
Serving Options
I love to make a loaf of no knead bread or grab a loaf of seeded sourdough from our local market. Or you could try:
- Cornbread – Bake this gluten free cornbread recipe into muffins or in a pan and serve warm along with bowls of vegan broccoli soup.
- Biscuits – I love a batch of whole grain gluten free biscuits to dip into broccoli soup!
- Popovers – Light as air and sooooo fluffy (though, not gluten-free), popovers with a little salted butter are amazing with bowls of soup.
- Salad – For a heartier side, make a quinoa salad with apples, or put together a simple green salad with lots of fresh crunchy vegetables.
Proper Storage
Here’s how to store any leftover soup:
- Fridge – Place cooled, leftover vegan broccoli soup in an airtight container – I like a glass Mason jar or equivalent with a tight-fitting lid – and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Portion the soup into individual servings and place them in freezer-safe, sealable bags. You can store them flat in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost the soup in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat – Heat the soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat until hot. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for a minute at a time. Give the soup a stir, and keep reheating as necessary.
More Soup Recipes
Vegan Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , sliced
- 1 carrot , peeled and diced
- 1 russet potato , peeled and diced
- 4 heads broccoli
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 3 cups water
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the garlic and saute garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for a few more minutes. Add the potatoes, broccoli, and the broth or water, and the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and broccoli begin to soften.
- Remove from heat then puree in a food processor or with a stick blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the soup to the pot and heat it gently over low heat. Serve hot.