This easy Vegan Broccoli Soup is creamy, delicious, and perfect for warming you up on cool nights. Chock full of healthy vegetables and protein, this lighter version of the comfort classic is sure to satisfy. Perfect for kids and anyone who needs a little extra help getting their veggies.
Back in the day, I used to love the Broccoli Soup from Panera--it's one of their most popular recipes but it's unfortunately not vegan. So I was definitely inspired by that cult classic when developing this Vegan Broccoli Soup recipe. Of course, I cut out the dairy and added both creaminess and extra protein with the chickpeas.
This Broccoli Soup is full of a variety of healthy veggies and you can blend it to be perfectly smooth and creamy or leave a little bit of chunkiness.
I love how quick, simple, and delicious this soup recipe is. Not only is it budget-friendly and kid-friendly, but it's super comforting and perfect for cold fall and winter nights. I hope you love it, too!
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You'll love this Vegan Broccoli Soup recipe because it's:
- Simple & Easy
- Quick to Cook
- Vegan / Vegetarian
- Kid-friendly
- Gluten-Free
- Nut-free
- WFPB & Oil-Free
- Low-Fat/Low-Calorie
- High-Protein
- Creamy & Delicious!
Why use shredded carrots?
As I mentioned earlier, I was inspired by Panera's broccoli soup, which uses shredded carrots. But I also like the shredded carrots because they cook up more quickly and have a nice texture. Since I bought pre-shredded carrots they also saved me some prep time. That said, if you want to use diced carrots, it's no problem.
Why add chickpeas?
I tested a version of this soup without the chickpeas and it tasted fine, but I wanted to add more creaminess, protein, and--dare I say--cheesiness. Chickpeas seemed like the perfect choice. (As for the chickpeas adding creaminess and cheesiness to the soup, I was inspired by this Chickpea Cheese Sauce by Healthy Midwestern Girl, which you definitely need to try if you haven't already!)
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Definitely! Frozen vegetables like broccoli, which could be soggy in other dishes, are perfect for soups because they going to be cooked in liquid and blended anyway. You could also save time by using pre-chopped frozen onions and carrots.
Can I use a slow cooker or instant pot?
Yes! Just wait to blend and add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and nutmeg until right before serving.
For a slow cooker, you can saute the onion, carrots, and celery before adding everything to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
For an instant pot, you can saute the aromatics using the saute mode. Then add the chickpeas, potatoes, broccoli, soy milk, and veggie broth. Switch to high-pressure mode, and cook for about 8 minutes. Do a quick release and then blend.
Ingredients
- Vidalia onion--Any kind of white or yellow onion would work here. In a pinch you could even use a red onion.
- shredded carrots--I like the convenience of shredded carrots, but feel free to use diced carrots instead.
- celery
- garlic--Whole garlic cloves are my choice here, but pre-minced or granulated garlic makes a fine substitute.
- salt
- dried oregano
- vegetable broth
- soy milk--Use any type of unsweetened plant milk like coconut or oat milk.
- yellow potatoes--Yukon gold or something similar. I would avoid red potatoes.
- chickpeas--Drained and rinsed. I use canned chickpeas for convenience, but home-cooked are also fine.
- broccoli--About one head of broccoli, roughly chopped. You can keep the stems for this recipe since it will all get blended up anyway. A bag of fresh pre-chopped broccoli or frozen broccoli is also a fine substitute.
- nutritional yeast
- lemon juice--This adds a little brightness to the soup.
- grated nutmeg
- fresh cracked pepper
*See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- At the end you can mix in shredded vegan cheese to make a cheesier Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
- Swap the chickpeas for white beans.
- Keep some of the chopped florets aside and roast them in the air fryer. Then add them to the soup after blending for a chunkier texture.
- If you're making a recipe like Broccoli Salad, which results in a lot of leftover broccoli stems, you could make this recipe with just broccoli stems.
- Looking for more vegan soup recipes? Some of my favorites are Classic Potato Soup and Potato Leek Soup.
Instructions
- Start by prepping your vegetables. Peel and dice the onion and garlic. Trim and dice the celery. Shred or chop the carrots (you can save time by buying preshredded carrots). Peel and cube the potatoes. Roughly chop the broccoli (including the stems). Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, salt, and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the veggies start to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. (Careful--garlic burns easily).
- Next add the veggie broth, soy milk, potatoes, broccoli, and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine. Turn up the heat to medium high and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup. You can blend until it's completely smooth or leave some chunkiness. For me, the magic ratio is ¾ blended, but you can blend it to your own preference.
- Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Serve and enjoy right away garnished with fresh-cracked Black Pepper, Vegan Bacon Bits, and Vegan Sour Cream. Or store for later.
Pro Tips for Picky Eaters
- If you're serving this to kids who have textural sensitivities or who are self-proclaimed vegetable haters, consider blending this soup until it's completely smooth.
- If you have kids who will only eat potato soup, then call it potato soup! For some reason my kids think the idea of "broccoli soup" is wierd, but they have no problem eating "potato soup with broccoli." Go figure.
How to serve
- Serve this broccoli soup with potatoes as a main course, side dish, or starter.
- Garnish with fresh-cracked Black Pepper, Vegan Bacon Bits and Vegan Sour Cream.
- Serve with crusty bread, toast, or cornbread..
- Pair with a salad like this Italian Chopped Salad or this Hearty Country Salad.
Can I make it ahead?
Definitely! This soup can be made ahead and reheated. Or you can make it in a slow cooker or instant pot. I've made it in the instant pot on the slow cooker setting and it worked perfectly since I could saute the veggies without having to use any other dishes.
How to store
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
More vegan comfort-food recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Broccoli Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 ribs celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups soy milk
- ½ pound yellow potatoes
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 pound broccoli about 1 head of broccoli
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Optional Garnishes
- fresh cracked pepper
- vegan bacon bits
- vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Start by prepping your vegetables. Peel and dice the onion and garlic. Trim and dice the celery. Shred or chop the carrots. Peel and cube the potatoes. Roughly chop the broccoli (Including the stems).
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, salt, and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the veggies start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. (Careful--garlic burns easily).
- Next add the veggie broth, soy milk, potatoes, broccoli, and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup. You can blend until it's completely smooth or leave some chunkiness.
- Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Serve and enjoy right away garnished with fresh-cracked Black Pepper, Vegan Bacon Bits, and Vegan Sour Cream.
Notes
- Be sure to include the broccoli stems.
- This soup can be made in a slow cooker or instant pot. See tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you don't have an immersion blender you could mash the soup with a potato masher (it would be on the chunkier side, but it would work) or you could carefully transfer it to a heat-safe blender.
Nutrition
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Did you try this recipe? Have a question? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP!
Selma Hamza says
This was easy to make and so tasty! Thank you for sharing this recipe
Julianne Lynch says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Ami says
This is my first time making this vegan soup and I’m not much of a cook but a baker hehe it was good to me! But I have a question, when chopping one onion, do I chop it all into small pieces? I figured one diced onion and my mom tasted it and she wasn’t pleased with it :/ but I’ll definitely make it again, to keep practicing, so far pretty tasty and good natural flavor!
Julianne Lynch says
When you dice an onion, it's usually smaller pieces. In this recipe, you do end up blending the soup so it's not quite as important. In the process shot above, you can see that the dice is small but not super fine.
Amy says
lovely soup! I blended about 2/3 of the veggies and the texture turned out great. so refreshing to see a broccoli soup that isn’t just the average ‘broccoli and cheddar’ 🙂
Julianne Lynch says
Thanks!! I'm so glad you liked it!
Jan says
Love the soup. I've made it twice super easy and nutritional. I have made it with the chickpeas and without. I think I like it without, also added more potatoes then and one quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes. This is such a wonderful soup!! Thank you for sharing!
Julianne Lynch says
I'm so glad you like it! It's such a versatile recipe that you can easily sub ingredients in and out without a problem!
Kathy says
Hello,
This looks so good and I would really like to try it. I have heart disease and a tendency for high potassium so I have to limit my daily potassium. I’m wondering if your nutrition panel is for the whole batch of soup, or for 1 of the 6 servings?
Thanks so much! This sounds so divine!!
Julianne Lynch says
Thanks! The nutritional info is per serving. Please keep in mind that this is an estimate made using a nutritional calculator and many factors, such as the size of the broccoli head that you use, will cause the exact numbers to vary. For serious health issues, you might want to weigh the broccoli you use and calculate the nutrition more precisely.
Jackie says
Dinner tonight!
Julianne Lynch says
Great!!
grannie says
I used the vitamix on the raw veggies and only cooked the onions to carmelize them. Everything else i put in the vitamix raw with water. Then, instead of white potatoes or yukon gold, all I had was sweet potatoes so i put them in the microwave, cooked them, then added them to the soup. Mixed in a bunch of spices, turmeric, black pepper, garlic powder, red chili flakes, salt seasoning blend. Dumped it all in the crockpot and let it cook. It's not done yet but it already tastes awesome, thank you for a quick soup idea that is so healthy! 🙂
Julianne Lynch says
I never thought of trying this with sweet potatoes, but it sounds great! so glad you liked the recipe!
grannie says
Forgot to say, I'm roasting the chickpeas in the air fryer and added the cooked sweet potatoes and mashed in the crockpot.
Julianne Lynch says
Sounds great!
Sarah says
Can you use almond milk instead of soy milk?
Julianne Lynch says
Almond milk is a little sweeter than soy, but there should be enough other flavors to balance it out.
Kathy Ingallinera says
I thought I had chickpeas but was out, so used a can of pinto beans and it worked out great! My dog and I both love it.
Julianne Lynch says
That sounds like a great substitute! I'm so glad you liked it!
Holly says
Looks great, excited to try it out. I'll probably sneak a few other greens in here, like a little frozen spinach and green peas.
Question: can I use a package of silken (or soft) tofu in place of chickpeas? I want to make this as creamy and protein filled as I can, without throwing the flavor off.
Julianne Lynch says
Hi Holly, I haven't tried it with silken tofu, though I suspect that would work since silken tofu is great for adding to soups in general.
Annmarie says
I thought it was good, just a bit bland, which is fine because you can’t take out spiciness! 🤯 So, I just added some more spices lie marjoram, sage, basil, onion powder, garlic salt, thyme, fresh dill, red pepper flakes, & fresh parsley. I also used a sweet potato instead of a white potato for more nutrition. I also added a zucchini & a squash to up the nutrition even more. Thanks!
Julianne Lynch says
Great! I'm glad you were able to adjust the seasonings and ingredients to your taste.
Tatiana says
Thank you Julianne! I didn't have nutritional yeast, no chickpeas :), but it was still delicious.
Julianne Lynch says
Yay! Good to know it worked out anyway!