Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup (no cashews!)
by Olivia Biermann
on October 23, 2025
This creamy vegan broccoli cheddar soup has the cheesy flavour and thick creamy texture you love, made with no dairy or cashews and ready in 35 minutes.
No nuts in this soup!
Contrary to popular belief on the internet, you don’t need cashews to make a creamy vegan soup! After testing a few versions, I realized the secret was sitting right in my fridge – potatoes and carrots! When blended, they create that thick and silky texture you’d expect for a creamy beloved soup like this one. I love this method because it keeps the recipe nut free but is just as rich and satisfying – no soaking or high-speed blender required.
During testing, I tried a few different ratios for colour and texture before landing on this one – just the right amount of potato for body and carrots for golden colour. Once that silky base comes together, its all about layering in flavour: nutritional yeast for cheesy depth, a handful of melty cheddar, and tender broccoli florets to finish it off!
Tips for the BEST broccoli cheese soup
Remove larger broccoli pieces once they are bright green, to prevent mushiness.
Blend the soup base before adding the broccoli florets back in to keep that golden cheddar colour.
Use both nutritional yeast and vegan cheese for the ultimate cheesy flavour.
Simplicity wins for me, every time!
All you need are some simple ingredients, a soup pot and a regular blender (or immersion blender) to whip up this completely dairy-free “cheddar” soup! It’s rich, satisfying and honestly one of those recipes I couldn’t stop taste testing straight from the pot!
Soup is my go-to comfort food and this one is velvety, rich and made with a base of simple veggies like carrots and potato. If you love this style of soup, I know you would love my smoky potato leek soup with chilli crisp croutons – it’s made in a similar way and is a fan favourite for a reason!
And I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t suggest making this fuss-free no-knead artisan bread to go with it! Serve toasted slices on the side or rip it into chunks and toast in the oven for homemade dunkable croutons.
Tips for storing and reheating your soup:
This soup thickens quite a bit as it cools, thanks to the potatoes. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When I was testing this soup, I was surprised at how well it keeps for leftovers!
When reheating, all it needs is a splash of broth or milk to loosen it back up to your desired consistency. It was just as creamy and delicious as the first day I made it!
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup (no cashews!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This creamy vegan broccoli cheddar soup has the cheesy flavour and thick creamy texture you love, made with no dairy or cashews and ready in 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 2 cups vegetablebroth
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk like almond or soy
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Optional: 1 tbsp fresh dill & parsley, minced
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add the carrots, potato, broccoli, broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, then cook about 5 minutes, until broccoli is bright green and fork-tender.
- Using a slotted spoon or pair of tongs, remove large broccoli florets from soup and set aside.
- Continue simmering soup about 10-15 minutes, until potato and carrot is fork-tender.
- Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- Transfer soup back to pot. Add nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, reserved broccoli and lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more if necessary.
- Stir until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh herbs, if desired.
To clarify, you remove the broccoli chunks and only blend the potato, carrot, etc mixture by itself? Can you reheat the soup with the broccoli florets in it?
Yes, I just remove the large florets before blending so the soup doesn’t turn green :). Then I add them back in so there are chunks of broccoli, for added texture! But you can leave them in if you want to blend it all smooth and don’t mind a green soup!