Instant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup is a super creamy broccoli cheddar, lightened up and thickened with more veggies! You'll never miss the cream!
How many veggies can I pack into one bowl of soup?
Or as the kids might ask, “Why do you blend veggies into everything?!”
To which I say, “I can happily make you a spinach salad with lots of veggies for you to eat instead.”
“Okay mom, go ahead and blend spinach into my smoothie.”
Mama's always right.
Well, this soup is no exception in my mission to get more veggies into my family's bellies. And let me just say, eating veggies has never been so enjoyable.
This ultra-creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup includes carrots for sweetness and a whole bunch of zucchini to mimic the rich, creamy texture of heavy cream.
The star ingredient, broccoli, is highlighted so well by the other accompanying vegetables and spices, I simply cannot stop slurping bowl after bowl of this soup!
Which brings me to a very important question when it comes to Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
Are you Team Smooth or Team Chunky?
For me, it's all about the perfect mix of both. I want broccoli flavor pureed throughout the soup as well as chunks of broccoli to bite on while I eat.
My kids, of course, want it smooth as a baby's booty with zero proof that they are in fact eating, and enjoying, their most dreaded vegetable.
Well, I'm taking care of everybody with a little Instant Pot trick. More on that in a sec.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
- Dare I say, this is the healthiest, most vitamin-packed broccoli soup you've ever eaten? Have another bowl! Or three!
- Creamy and luscious without a bit of heavy cream.
- FAST and EASY with the help of an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker!
- Perfect for devouring inside a Bread Bowl – a crusty, artisan-style bread bowl especially!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP – CHUNKY STYLE
- Use the saute function on your Instant Pot to saute onions in melted butter
- Add carrots, zucchini, spices, and broth
- Place a steamer basket of broccoli on top
- Cook for 5 minutes then quickly release the pressure so the broccoli won't be too overcooked
- Dump about half of the broccoli into the pot
- Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (a tabletop blender will also work)
- Stir in milk and cheese
- Stir in remaining broccoli
- Stir and enjoy!
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
HOW TO MAKE SMOOTH BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT
If you want a completely smooth broccoli soup, there is no need for a steamer basket as mentioned in step 3 above. Simply dump the broccoli in with the carrots and zucchini and proceed with the rest of the directions.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
- Use extra sharp cheddar. You'll get more flavor and won't have to use as much cheese to achieve the flavor we love in broccoli cheese soup.
- Serve in a bread bowl. This soup is perfect for a bread bowl because it's thick and won't quickly soak into the bread and ruin it before you've even started eating.
- To make prep quick and easy, I like to buy bags of washed and cut broccoli florets. Frozen will also work if you plan on pureeing the entire thing.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
- Store: Place cooled soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave, in the Instant Pot on saute, or in a pan on the stovetop.
- Freeze: I suspect this soup might not freeze very well because it contains milk products that typically become grainy once thawed. Report back if you try it!
VARIATIONS
- Make it spicy! Increase the cayenne pepper for a kick.
- Make it greener! Throw in a couple of handfuls of spinach when you blend it. Trust me, it's amazing.
- Make it classic! Leave out the zucchini and stir in 1-2 cups of heavy cream after it's blended.
I can bet you haven't had Broccoli Soup like this before!!! I'm ecstatic for you to try it! I see lots of cozy pjs, warm fires, and bread bowls loaded with Broccoli Zucchini Soup in your future.
If quietly eating soup by a fake fire isn't your reality, feel free to join me in a realistic world of enjoying broccoli soup around a chaotic table of children who all want to tell you the greatest and worst things that happened to them that day – at the same time. Quite possibly my favorite moment of the day 🙂
Enjoy!
MORE CREAMY SOUPS MADE CREAMY WITH VEGETABLES
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup – our favorite of all time
- Instant Pot Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Magic Sunshine Soup AKA Turmeric Soup
- Instant Pot Healthy Butternut Squash Soup with a Thai Twist
TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT BROCCOLI ZUCCHINI CHEDDAR SOUP
PrintInstant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup
Creamy, cheesy Instant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup is a healthy, wholesome take on the classic.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small sweet or yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 ounce bag of broccoli florets (or about 5 cups broccoli florets)
- 1 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole)
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Select saute on the pressure cooker pot and add butter.
- When melted, add onions and saute 3 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add carrots, zucchini, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and broth.
- Place a steamer basket inside the pot and top with the broccoli.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
- Remove the steamer basket. Add about half of the broccoli back to the pot.
- Use an immersion blender to blend soup until completely smooth. Alternatively you can pour the mixture into a high speed blender and puree until smooth.
- Select saute. Add milk and cheese and stir until melted and smooth.
- Stir remaining broccoli into the soup.
- Serve hot topped with homemade croutons, crackers, and/or cheese.
Notes
- If you want the soup extra chunky, do not puree any of the broccoli into the soup. Simply stir it in once you’ve blended the rest of the soup with the milk and cheese.
- If you want a completely smooth soup, add the broccoli to the rest of the ingredients (skipping the steamer basket step).
- This soup is perfect for a bread bowl!
- Homemade croutons are delicious in this soup. I provide directions for homemade croutons in this French Onion Soup recipe.
Keywords: Broccoli Cheese soup, broccoli soup, healthy soup
Fabulous soup! I’m currently being very ‘carb-conscious’ so the zucchini thickener instead of a roux was perfect. Thanks for the frequent recipe inspiration!
★★★★★
I find that if I substitute Butcher Box ground sweet Italian pork for almost any dish that calls for ground beef makes it super fabulous. People just love it.
Do you think I could use cauliflower instead of zucchini? Just wondering.
Linda, absolutely! I bet that would be delicious!
The flavor was excellent. My soup was very thin. Did I chop the vegetables too fine?
★★★★★
Belinda, hmm, mine is typically quite thick no matter how I cut the veggies. Try using less broth next time and see if that helps!
Thank you! Will do.
I was a little scared that this might taste too vegetable-y (that’s a word, right?!) for my kids. And, I did get a few complaints, but I really liked the soup and also enjoyed leftovers for lunch! I used cream in place of the milk, and sharp cheese. Yum! Thank you!
Aubri, that’s totally a word, haha! My kids are funny. It all depends on their mood, how hungry they are, or whatever the factor is, sometimes they’ll eat 3 bowls and sometimes they won’t eat a spoonful. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi. Looks delicious……Do you think coconut milk would in place of milk? (Instant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup). TIA!
Ellie, Yes, I think it would be delightful 🙂
It came out great with the coconut milk! Thanks for the delicious recipe………
Ellie, Thanks for the update! I love being able to pass that along to people.