There is nothing quite like a nice big bowl of soup. It doesn’t get cold here in Florida very often but when it does, I go looking for something warm to eat. Soup always does the trick. I absolutely love broccoli cheddar soup but traditional restaurant-style broccoli cheddar soup is one of those foods that sneaks in a lot of calories, fat, and sodium. I set out to develop the easiest vegan broccoli cheddar soup that is still hearty, warm, yummy, and healthier than the restaurant version. Mission accomplished. Took out the cheese and the milk and the chicken broth and put in heart healthy cashews, vegetable broth, and the secret to the wonderfulness …. nutritional yeast. There you have it … The easiest vegan broccoli cheddar soup …
What is nutritional yeast?
If you are vegan or looking to cut back on cheese for health reasons, you need nutritional yeast in your life! Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that packs in lots of Vitamin B12 and has a naturally nutty, cheesy flavor. It is perfect for replacing parmesan cheese, sprinkling on popcorn, you can also add it to sauces and stir-fry. You can find it in Whole Foods or in bulk stores, and is sold as flakes or in a powder form. I used flakes in my easiest vegan broccoli cheddar soup, but if you only have the powder, that works too! It truly is the secret ingredient here because of the hearty flavor. It gives the whole soup its cheesy flavor without the cheese! New to nutritional yeast? Read this: Nutritional Yeast 101.
Cashews!
I chose to use cashews here over any other nut to give the soup a creamy, subtle texture, and balance the nutritional yeast. I used cashews that I roasted and salted myself but you can use store-bought cashews or raw if that is all you have. If you are using raw, I suggest increasing the salt to 2 tsp or your soup will be too bland. Boil them and blend them in a blender and what you have is a vegan form of cream sauce.
Broccoli
Final step is to toss in your broccoli, fresh or frozen will do. Either one works in this recipe!
How to Serve The Easiest Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Top it with some homemade croutons and you have dinner or lunch or brunch. Put it in small glass containers and freeze it for busy nights or lunchboxes! Serve alongside your favorite sandwich or wrap or a Chickpea Veggie Burger.
Love soup? Me too!
Try one of my other favorite soup recipes:
- 10 Minute Vegan Hot and Sour Soup
- Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Healthy Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup
- Skinny Tomato Soup
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup: Instant Pot or Stove-Top
- Instant Pot Gujarati Dal
Hope you love it!
The Easiest Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Vegan, no cheese, easy, gluten free, healthy broccoli cheddar soup. Easiest, fool-proof recipe ready in 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
Directions
- Step 1 Place cashews and 2 cups water in a small pot and boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn off heat and leave on burner.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Once hot, add onions. Sprinkle onions with salt to prevent burning. Stir frequently and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent. Sprinkle with water while cooking if they begin to brown.
- Step 3 Once onions are translucent, add vegetable broth and reduce heat to low.
- Step 4 While broth and onions are simmering, transfer cashews with their water to blender along with nutritional yeast and black pepper. Blend until smooth. Once fully blended, pour into the pot with onions and broth being sure to scrape down the sides of the blender to not leave any behind. Mix well until the cashew cream and the broth are a smooth consistency. Add additional water at this point if too thick for your taste.
- Step 5 Add broccoli to the soup mixture, stir gently until fully combined, raise heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
- Step 6 Transfer to serving bowls, top with croutons and enjoy!
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