Reasons to Love Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Restuarant-Quality Soup. This recipe for Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup is a copycat version of Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup, yet costs a fraction of the price! It is rich, creamy, and loaded with shredded carrots, broccoli, and sharp cheese.

Kid-Friendly Recipe. What better way to entice picky eaters to eat their veggies, than adding cheese into the mix? This broccoli cheddar soup is a great way to entice kids

No Processed Cheese. Instead of using processed cheese or condensed soup, this recipe is made using freshly grated cheddar cheese to deliver the richest, cheesiest broccoli soup.

30-Minute Soup Recipe. Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Tomato Soup and Instant Pot French Onion Soup, this recipe for Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes.

Notes On Ingredients

Ingredients for broccoli cheddar soup labeled on counter.

Broccoli: While you can substitute fresh broccoli florets for frozen broccoli florets, I much prefer the taste and texture when using fresh, not frozen broccoli.

Carrots: The carrots will add a nice color and slight sweetness to this rich soup. You can use finely grated or minced carrots, whichever you prefer. If mincing the carrots, just be sure to finely, finely dice them so that they cook in the same amount of time as the broccoli.

Broth: To keep this soup vegetarian, use low-sodium vegetable broth. If you aren't vegetarian, feel free to use low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken stock.

Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is a must to give Broccoli Cheddar Soup its signature flavor. It is crucial to grate the cheese yourself, rather than using bagged shredded cheese to ensure an even, smooth melt.

Onion: Use a yellow or white onion. If you have really picky eaters, feel free to omit the diced onion and instead add 1 teaspoon of onion powder to the soup for flavor.

Half and Half: Half and half finish the soup with a rich, creamy finish. To lighten things up while still keeping this soup creamy, you can use whole milk in place of half and half. Alternatively, you can use heavy cream for a really rich soup.

Cornstarch: Instead of using flour to thicken this soup, a cornstarch slurry is added to the soup at the end of pressure cooking, which prevents a burn notice from happening. Feel free to replace the cornstarch with arrowroot powder.

Butter/Oil: I prefer using a mixture of both for sauteeing the onions and carrots. The butter gives the soup additional richness, and the oil helps prevent the butter from burning. If you opt to skip sauteeing the onions and carrots, omit both.

∗ Cut Down on Food Waste ∗

Save the stem of the broccoli and shred it, as you would do with cabbage. It makes a delicious addition to fried rice or the filling for vegetable eggrolls.

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Saute the carrots and onions. While you can certainly skip sauteeing the carrots and onions, taking a few minutes to do this will help to bring out the natural sweetness of the onions and carrots and add incredible depth to the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. If have the time, it is worth the minimal extra effort.

Sauteed carrots and onions in butter in the inner pot.

Use precise cooking time. In order to ensure your broccoli doesn't overcook, you want to set the pressure cooker to cook for zero minutes with exactly five minutes of natural pressure.

Use freshly grated cheese. For the smoothest melt and creamiest soup, you want to grate the cheese yourself rather than using bagged shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has been coated with anti-caking agents and can make your soup have a gritty texture.

Instant Pot with broccoli cheese soup before and after adding cheese and cream.

Serving Suggestions

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup makes a cozy lunch or a satisfying dinner, especially when paired with bread and salad.

I often pair this soup with a Copycat Panera Greek Salad and Homemade Italian Bread for a true knock-off of dining at Panera. Caesar Salad and homemade wheat rolls also pair well with this Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe.

More Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup Recipes

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Comments

5 from 16 votes (6 ratings without comment)