Thick, creamy broccoli potato soup is a comforting meatless meal loaded with nutritious broccoli, hearty potatoes, herbs, and more healthy veggies.
Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup Recipe
We all love that one broccoli cheese soup from Panera Bread. However, today’s broccoli potato soup is a healthier spin on that, made with a luscious blend of fresh broccoli florets, creamy potatoes, and aromatic onions and garlic, all simmered in a rich vegetable stock and a touch of heavy cream. Finished off with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan, this soup is nourishing, hearty, creamy, and delicious. Whether you’re cozying up on a chilly evening or looking for a filling lunch option, this soup will satisfy with each and every spoonful.
Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Potato Soup Recipe
Simple, inexpensive ingredients. The ingredients list for this soup is short and budget-friendly. There’s a good chance that you have most of what you need already!
Rich and creamy. This broccoli potato soup recipe gets most of its creamy texture from the potatoes (and not from loads of added cream). It’s low in fat but tastes totally indulgent, which is my kind of dinner.
One pot. My creamy broccoli potato soup is a one-pot meal that’s ready on the stovetop in 30 minutes or less.
Adaptable. Stir in leftover chicken to bulk up your bowl, or customize the flavors of this hearty homemade soup any way that you’d like.
Ingredients For Broccoli Potato Soup
This healthy broccoli and potato soup recipe keeps it simple in terms of ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full ingredient list and detailed instructions.
Butter and Olive Oil: For sauteeing the veggies.
Aromatics: Diced onion, minced garlic, and thinly sliced carrot create an aromatic flavor base for this soup.
Salt and Pepper
Bay Leaf
Potatoes: I find that starchy varieties, like Russets or Yukon Gold potatoes, make the best bases for creamy soups. Wash and peel your potatoes before you start. However, if you’re using thin-skinned, waxy potatoes, you don’t need to peel them first.
Broccoli: You can make this soup with fresh or frozen broccoli florets.
Broth or Stock: To keep this soup vegetarian, use vegetable stock. Otherwise chicken or beef broth or stock will also work.
Heavy Cream: Blending the potatoes into this soup adds lots of richness, so you only need a touch of actual cream. You can use milk instead of heavy cream; however, the soup won’t be quite as velvety. To make this recipe vegan, substitute regular cream with your choice of non-dairy or plant-based milk or cream.
How to Make Broccoli Potato Soup
This soup takes next to no effort and comes together in one pot on the stove. Whip up a batch any day of the week, or whenever life calls for a bowl of comfort. Here’s how to make it:
Saute the veggies. Start by adding onions, garlic, and carrot to a soup pot with butter and olive oil. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
Simmer with broccoli and potatoes. After, stir in the diced potatoes, broccoli florets, and stock along with a bay leaf. Cover the pot and simmer the veggies for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Blend. Take the pot off the heat, pluck out the bay leaf, and pour in your heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, or a food processor (work in batches), puree the soup ingredients until smooth.
Serve. Lastly, season the soup to taste, garnish with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and serve.
Tips for Broccoli Potato Soup
Use an immersion blender if you have one. It makes pureeing the soup so much easier, as you can blend everything in the pot.
If you’re using a blender or food processor to puree the soup, make sure that you don’t fill past the “max” line and don’t seal the lid so that steam can escape. Hot soup in an airtight blender creates a vacuum, and you’ll wind up with a soup explosion!
If your soup tastes a little bland, it may need more seasoning. Another option is to add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors.
Common Questions
Should I cook potatoes before adding them to soup?
Nope, there’s no need to pre-cook your diced potatoes for this recipe beforehand. The potatoes soften right in the pot with the other ingredients in about 10-15 minutes.
How do I keep potato soup from becoming gluey?
Don’t over-blend the potatoes. Just like mashed potatoes, too much pureeing can cause the potato starches in this soup to bond with the liquids and become gluey.
Variation Ideas
The best part about this broccoli potato soup? Even if you never make it the same way twice, it’s bound to be delicious. Here are some of my favorite variations:
Use cauliflower. Cauliflower is a good alternative to broccoli in this potato soup recipe.
More veggies. Blend in more vegetables like diced and sauteed zucchini, spinach, or kale.
Cheese. After pureeing, melt in shredded cheddar cheese for cheddar broccoli potato soup. You could also try another melting cheese, like Gruyere.
Add protein. Stir in chopped or shredded leftover roast chicken for some cream-of-chicken vibes.
Spicy. If you like your creamy soups with a spicy kick, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes at the end of cooking.
What To Serve With Soup
Serve this potato soup decked out with parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons or with a side of homemade focaccia for dunking. Or, turn your bowl of soup into a meal with one or more of these easy serving ideas:
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Fridge. Store any leftover broccoli potato soup airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat your soup in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Freezer. Freeze this soup in airtight containers or freezer bags and keep it frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost the soup in the fridge before reheating.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Total Time 30 minutesmins
Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
Add onions, garlic, carrots, and season with salt and pepper; cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add in the bay leaf, diced potatoes, broccoli, and stock; cook over high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid, and check that the potatoes are tender. If not, cover with the lid and let them cook for a little bit longer. Once they are tender, take out the bay leaf and discard it.
Remove the pot from the heat; stir in the heavy cream and puree the soup with either an immersion blender, a regular blender, or a food processor. If using a food processor or regular blender, puree the soup in batches and do not pour the whole soup into the food processor all at once.
Taste the soup for salt and pepper and adjust.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and serve.
Blender: Use an immersion blender to blend the soup.
Flavor: For added flavor, adjust seasonings, add favorite herbs and spices, and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
Veggies Variety: Swap broccoli for cauliflower or add zucchini, spinach, or kale.
Cheese: Stir in a handful of shredded cheddar or Gruyere after pureeing and stir until melted.
Protein: Add shredded cooked chicken.
Heat: For a spicy twist, garnish with crushed red pepper flakes.
Do potatoes need pre-cooking? No, they’ll soften in the pot within 15 minutes while the soup cooks.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
