Name: Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. & 1/4 Cup Butter; 1 Medium Onion (diced); 2 Cups Chicken Broth; 2 Cups Half & Half; 12 oz. Broccoli (chopped); 2 Carrots (peeled and diced); 1/4-1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp. Smoked Paprika; 2-3 Cloves of Garlic (minced); 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard; 1/4 tsp Pepper; 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg; 1/4 Cup Flour; 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or 1 8oz. brick shredded)

Jump to Recipe -

This easy soup is rich, delicious and full of flavor! Broccoli and cheddar cheese combine to create a smooth creamy soup that is perfect for a chilly evening!

Soup is one of our favorite dinners in the fall and winter, if you need other soup ideas check out my pizza soup, roasted garlic potato & bacon soup, and butternut squash soup! Whip up a batch of my 3 ingredient beer biscuits to go on the side!

White bowl on a white wooden surface full of broccoli cheese soup

When I was in high school I worked at the Rennisance Festival every season, and one of my favorite parts was the soup in a breat bowl booth. They had delicious broccoli chese soup and on a cool fall day it was the best!

So for years I’ve been looking for the perfect broccoli cheddar soup, but I wanted it to be easy, so when I discovered I could make it in the Instant Pot I was super excited.

a white bowl full of broccoli cheese soup with a white plate full of rolls and an Instant Pot in the background

Is this broccoli cheese soup vegetarian?

This soup is chock full of veggies including carrots, broccoli and onions, so it is a great vegetarian option. The only small swap that you’ll need to make is using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. My vegetable bullion is a great thing to keep on hand to make this kind of swap.

Is this soup Keto friendly?

There are a ton of people living the keto or low carb lifestyle and it can be hard to find your favorite dishes to fit into those diets.

Thankfully this recipe can be adapted easily to be a keto broccoli cheese soup! You can swap out the flour 1:1 for a keto flour blend, or use 1 tsp xantham gum in replacement of the flour.

You can also omit the carrots, they are keto friendly in moderation but if you need to cut more carbs for the day you can leave the carrots out.

A couple of notes before we start-

You can use fresh or frozen broccoli in this recipe. I prefer to use fresh and mostly florets, but to make it easier you can use frozen chopped or florets.

Freshly shredded cheddar cheese melts the best, you can use pre-shredded but the texture of the final product may not be as smooth.

I mix everything to gether with the immersion blender at the end and it creates a nice smooth creamy soup. If you prefer a chunkier soup you can just stir in the cheese and half and half at the end and leave the veggie chunks.

Ingredients for broccoli cheese soup cheese, broccoli, half and half, spices, butter, onions, carrots & garlic

Here’s what you’ll need to make this broccoli cheese soup-

1/4 Cup & 1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Medium Onion (diced)
2 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Half and Half
12 oz Broccoli (chopped, fresh or frozen)
2 Medium Carrots (peeled and diced)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Smoked Paprika
2-3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or 1 8 oz brick shredded)

Using the saute function on your Instant Pot melt 1 Tbsp. butter and add in the diced onion and garlic cloves. Saute for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. *Note- the saute feature on my Instant Pot gets very hot, if needed use the “keep warm” button to turn the heat down a bit.

Now add in the 1/4 cup of butter and flour, continue heating and whisk together until smooth and bubbly. (If you are using a keto or gluten-free option this is great article for making a roux with alternatives)

Diced onions and garlic in the bottom of an instant pot.

Turn turn off the heat and whisk in your chicken broth.

Add in Broccoli, carrots, salt, smoked paprika, mustard, pepper, and nutmeg.

Secure your lid into place and using the manual setting cook on high for 8 minutes.

After cooking allow to natural release for 10 minutes and then release the pressure.

Add in the half and half and shredded cheese. Stir together with a large spoon or blend with an immersion blender.

Now it’s ready to serve! This broccoli cheddar soup goes great with nice crusty rolls, soft biscuits, or a bread bowl!