This creamy broccoli soup is easy to make from scratch with simple ingredients and in just 30 minutes.
You can serve it as a quick lunch or a healthy dinner. We blend in white beans to make it creamy, fulfilling, and protein-rich.
Uh, and you can easily upgrade it to a complete meal by serving it with milky burrata, homemade chili oil, and a slice of crusty bread.
Broccoli soup with burrata? Yes, please!
Since we are trying to eat more veggies, soups have become a staple in our kitchen.
The eternal question, however, is how to add protein to veggie-packed meals while reducing meat consumption.
In this broccoli soup, we add white beans. When blended, the white beans add a respectable amount of wholesome plant protein.
Also, their neutral flavor softens that of the broccoli, and their tender texture makes the soup ultra-creamy – based on our tests, they are more effective than heavy cream and butter.
However, for those of you that need more substance and oomph (like me, Nico, after a long play date with Kiki the cat), we recommend adding a third of a burrata per portion and drizzle with our 5-minute flavored oil with garlic and chili.
Honestly, we’ve never had such a delicious, creamy, and, most importantly, fulfilling broccoli soup.
For our vegan readers, fear not!
The base recipe for broccoli soup is vegan, and you can easily keep it so by topping it with non-dairy burrata or non-dairy feta or by omitting the cheese all at once.
Ingredients for broccoli soup
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Broccoli
We recommend using fresh broccoli. You can use the whole head, including the broccoli florets, broccoli stems, and leaves.
Frozen broccoli works, too; however, in our tests, the soup turned out a little more watery with frozen broccoli.
Leek
Leek and broccoli are great together.
You can substitute onions or shallots for leek.
Garlic
Fresh garlic is best.
Olive oil
We cook the leek in extra virgin olive oil.
Substitute butter, non-dairy butter, or another vegetable oil for olive oil.
White beans
White beans are excellent for creaminess, texture, nutrition, and protein. They also soften the flavor of the broccoli, which is nice.
You can use any canned white beans, such as lima or butter beans, cannellini beans, and great northern beans.
Here, we used lima beans.
You can substitute 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped, or 3/4 cup of heavy cream for the white beans.
Thyme
You can use fresh or dried thyme.
Substitute fresh or dried oregano or an Italian herb mix for thyme.
Vegetable broth
Cook the vegetables in vegetable broth. You can choose a reduced-sodium or regular broth, but in this case, add less salt to the soup.
Salt and pepper
Season with sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Toppings (optional)
We like to top this broccoli soup with burrata and a flavored oil you can make in 5 minutes with olive oil, garlic, chilies, and bay leaves.
Burrata is a southern-Italian cheese which is basically the fusion of mozzarella and cream.
Substitute Greek yogurt, grated cheese like cheddar or parmesan, or non-dairy cheese for burrata.
How to make creamy broccoli soup
US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Cut the leek in half lengthwise, rinse the layers under tap water to remove dirt, and chop it.
Add it to a Dutch oven with the olive oil. Sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes until the leek is shiny and tender. Stir occasionally.
Add pressed garlic and sauté one more minute.
In the meantime, rinse and chop the broccoli into pieces, including the stem and leaves.
Add chopped broccoli, white beans, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the pot.
Cook the veggies on medium heat for two minutes. Stir often.
Add the vegetable broth and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is fork tender. Stir occasionally.
Tip: To speed up cooking, cover the pot with a lid; however, remember to stir occasionally.
Blend the veggies until you reach your desired texture and consistency.
You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender. If you like your soup thinner, add more vegetable broth.
Taste and adjust for salt before serving.
Tip: We recommend an immersion blender with a metal head since the soup is hot.
Serving suggestions
Upgrade this creamy broccoli soup to a main course by serving it with 1/3 to 1/2 burrata per portion, drizzled with chili oil or flavored oil (tadka), and a side of crusty bread.
It’s also delicious with homemade croutons or air-fried croutons, roasted chickpeas, crostini, bruschetta, and no-knead focaccia.
Storage
Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then, warm up in the microwave or a pot with a dash of water.
Freezer: You can freeze broccoli soup for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze it.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator over a few hours or in the microwave.
Similar recipes
SOUPS: Some of our readers’ favorite soups are cauliflower soup, potato leek soup, lentil soup, lentil vegetable soup, Turkish lentil soup, Moroccan lentil soup, and chickpea soup.
For more delicious soup ideas, check out our compilation of 20+ vegetarian soup recipes.
BROCCOLI: Here are some of our easy broccoli recipes with big flavors. Try our creamy broccoli salad, broccoli pasta, roasted broccoli and carrots, and broccoli cauliflower salad.
Broccoli Soup
Equipment
- Immersion blender or standing blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large leek
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pound broccoli about 1 large head including the stem
- 1 can (15 ounces) white beans
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth or more to taste
- 1 burrata optional, see notes below for substitutions
- 3 tablespoons flavored oil optional
Instructions
- MAKE THE FLAVOR BASE: Cut 1 large leek in half lengthwise, rinse the layers under tap water to remove dirt, and chop it.Add it to a Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes until the leek is shiny and tender. Stir occasionally.Add 3 cloves garlic (pressed) and sauté one more minute.
- SIMMER UNTIL TENDER: In the meantime, rinse and chop 1 pound broccoli into pieces, including the stem and leaves.Add broccoli, 1 can (15 ounces) white beans (drained), 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepperto the pot.Sauté the veggies for two minutes stirring often.Add 2 cups vegetable broth and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is fork tender. Stir occasionally.
- BLEND: Blend until you reach your desired texture and consistency.You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender. If you like your soup thinner, add more vegetable broth.Taste and adjust for salt before serving.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve this creamy broccoli soup with 1 burrata, ⅓ of the burrata per portion. You can add the burrata in the center.Drizzle with chili oil or flavored oil, and have it with a side of crusty bread.
Hi Nico & Louise, made this soup yesterday. Followed the recipe exactly except for adding the burrata. Itโs wonderful. Thank you so much for providing such delicious and healthy recipes. Iโm trying to eat clean and your website is such an asset. ๐งก
OH that’s fantastic news!! I love that you find our site a healthful source of recipes – thank you so much for taking the time to write a comment here ๐ฅฐ
I was skeptical of this soup recipe but had lots of broccoli so I decided to try it, So yummy and so easy! So much flavor and texture from so few ingredients! Another winner. Thank you, Nico.
Oh, so wonderful, Linda! We’re delighted you enjoyed it, and that you ended up trying it ๐
Thank you for your kind words, and thanks for being here โค๏ธ Kindest,
Louise
Thank you for this delicious broccoli soup recipe! I used cannellini beans. I omitted the thyme and added some fresh organic basil leaves from our garden. I also added 1 cup organic ricotta to my Vita Mix when blending the broccoli mixture. I also drizzled some organic avocado oil on top of each serving bowl. It was so creamy and satisfying!
Hi Cathy,
That sounds like a high protein broccoli soup, and a delicious serving suggestion! I’m very happy that you enjoyed it ๐
Thank you for taking the time to write a comment here! Kindest, Louise
I lurvvvv this soup! So easy to make and I really enjoyed the process. Definitely, donโt skip the chickpeas!! They make for a great topping with bonus protein. This is definitely a carb load (especially once you find out how good it is to dip bread in haha) but whatโs the harm, eat fruit all day and save lots of room because I know youโll go back for more ! I donโt have an immersion or a big blender, heck I hardly have a kitchen. But, this was confined and simple. I used a small ninja blender and did it in about 3 batches and it did the job. I will definitely be making again !
Hi Katie,
I’m thrilled you loved the soup – especially with the chickpea topping!!
Happy you made it work with the Ninja blender, thanks so much for the tips. And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Have a great weekend when you get there! Kindest,
Louise
Looks easy n delicious but I wish it had less carbs