Potato broccoli soup is a classic cold-weather soup that has a creamy texture from the potatoes without tons of added cream!
We love a great broccoli soup and of course, a creamy potato soup is the ultimate comfort food. Together broccoli and potatoes make an amazing meal.
Why We Love this Soup
- It uses simple ingredients that I usually have on hand.
- Most are inexpensive pantry ingredients meaning it’s a great way to feed a crowd on a budget.
- Potatoes add to the creamy texture without adding a lot of extra fat.
- This is a meatless main but great with added leftovers like shrimp or chicken.
- It keeps for about 5 days in the fridge and reheats well for lunches.
Top it with homemade croutons or serve with garlic bread for dipping. Yes, please!
Ingredients and Variations
BROCCOLI Broccoli (and onions & celery) are cooked in a chicken broth base. If time is short, frozen broccoli works just as well!
POTATOES We love russet or baking potatoes in this recipe because they’re nice and starchy. Be sure to peel them first. Waxy thin skinned potatoes (like Yukon gold) will work and you can skip peeling.
CREAM Since the potatoes are blended, you only need a little bit of cream to make this rich soup! Non-dairy creams/milks work well too.
How to Make Potato Broccoli Soup
- Sauté onion & celery in butter, add potatoes & broth. Cover & simmer, add broccoli, cover & cook again.
- Remove 1 cup of broccoli & potatoes; set aside.
- Using an immersion blender, blend remaining soup in the pot until smooth.
- Return everything to pot, stir in both cheeses until melted.
PRO TIP: If an immersion blender (hand blender) is unavailable, pour the soup into a countertop blender instead. Be sure you don’t seal the lid and allow the steam to escape.
Crock Pot:
- Sauté onion & celery in butter in a pan until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add all ingredients to Crock Pot, stir, & cover. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in cheeses & cover. Cook another 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted & soup is creamy.
- Garnish with extra cheese before serving.
Instant Pot:
- Set instant pot to sauté, cook onion & celery in butter until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except cheeses, cover, & set on high for 6 minutes. Allow a natural release of steam.
- Stir in both the cheeses until melted & the soup is creamy.
- Garnish with extra cheese before serving.
Leftovers
- Keep soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days or freeze soup in zippered bags with the date labeled on the outside.
- Lay them flat in the freezer and when they are frozen, store them upright to save freezer space.
- Potato broccoli soup will keep in the freezer up to 6 months.
More Creamy Soups
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quick Potato Corn Chowder
- Zuppa Toscana
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Creamy Tortellini Soup
- Creamy Potato Bacon Soup
Did your family love this Potato Broccoli Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Potato Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 16 ounces baking potatoes peeled and diced, about 2 medium potatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese fresh
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & celery. Cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add potatoes and chicken broth. Cover and simmer 8 minutes.
- Add broccoli and cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes.
- Remove 1 cup of broccoli and potatoes and slightly chop. Set aside.
- Using a hand blender, blend remaining soup in the pot until smooth. Add cream and simmer 1 minute. Stir in reserved broccoli, potatoes, and cheeses.
- Garnish with additional cheese if desired.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I’m making this now. It’s not quite done and already delicious. I added a splash of fish sauce because that just seems to up the level of any soup I make. It doesn’t not taste fishy. I also added a little parsley. When it’s done I’m going to add some pre-cooked frozen shrimp to my bowl just to try. If it works I’ll add some to my pot.
Very good! Kids loved it
It was a rainy day and this was the perfect cozy soup! I didn’t add the cheese but served with cheese biscuits and it turned out delicious!
Glad you enjoyed it, Samantha! Cheese biscuits sound like the perfect pairing.
Love this soup recipe! Always get compliments when I make it. Delicious, vegetarian and wholesome. I make it with almond milk. I’d love to substitute non dairy cheeses for it but, must figure out which cheeses to use. I love dairy cheese but, it doesn’t love me. Not difficult to make and love the fact that it’s made with simple ingredients.
So happy you are loving this recipe! If you find a delicious dairy-free cheese to use we would love to hear how it turns out!
I thought this was very good. Unlike others, not too cheesy or strong broccoli flavor, either. It just seemed like a really balanced soup. Next time, I might add some shredded carrot on top for color contrast or maybe another herb but it was great just as written.
My son started with a very small bowl and after a spoonful, he got up and filled his bowl to the top, lol.
Had to make substitutions as I’m in Mexico, so no cream, cheddar, or russet potatoes but a local queso and white potatoes were just fine. Added grated carrots and used skim milk- This was very tasty and everyone had seconds!
So glad you loved it Jennifer, your version sounds delicious!
Added some leeks & carrots.Omitted the cream.Added some re pepper flakes.Turned out really good.Wonderful way of using up leftover vegetables.Yummy!
Hey there! Can you use veggie broth instead of chicken? Would that still taste good do you think?
Also, I must say I am huge fan of your site! If I need an idea or recipe, I always come here first!
Hi Layla, I am sure it will taste delicious with veggie broth!
I doubled the recipe! Fantastic soup. Will definitely make it again. I didn’t add any cream and it was creamy enough having used the immersion blender. Family enjoyed it. Thank you
These recipe look easy to make and that’s right up my alley. Of course the food is delicious.
Hello again.
You may have updated the recipe, but when you hit “Print”, neither the ingredient “garlic” or when you put it in IS NOT UPDATED. Nor is when you add the cream when you print it out.
Hi Karellyn, I have checked this carefully and do see both of these in the recipe card and on the printed version. May I suggest that you try a different browser? The garlic is added in step 1 and the cream is added in step 5.
Can I put this in the crockpot all day? Hoping to make this while I’m at work!
Hi Sam, you definitely can. You will find crockpot and instant pot instructions in the write up just above the recipe card.
Yummy… made it in a smaller amount for one. Loved it.
So glad everyone loved it Patty!
You show a head of garlic in the picture of ingredients but it’s not in your recipe. I like the soup but it wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped.
Sorry for the confusion, garlic is added after the onions are softened.
The recipe instructs to add 12 cup of cream / milk but I don’t see when to add it in the instructions.
The cream is added in step 5. Enjoy the recipe!
Sorry, at what point is the cream added? It seems to be missing that step
Sorry for the confusion. The cream is added in step 5. I have updated the recipe.
Sounds great..but at what point do I add the half cup of cream?
Sorry for the confusion. The cream is added in step 5. I have updated the recipe.