Cream of Broccoli Soup
A silky, bright green soup built on gently softened onion and garlic, tender broccoli, and a splash of heavy cream. A quick blend and a squeeze of lemon make it taste fresh, not heavy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 28 min
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 53 min
- Makes
- About 7 cups (1.7 liters), serving 6
Steps
Before you start
- Cut the broccoli into florets and peel and slice the stalks; the stalks add sweetness and body, so don't discard them.
- If using an upright blender, plan to blend in batches and vent the lid, because hot soup expands and can blow the lid off.
- Have the cream at room temperature or at least not ice-cold so it doesn't cool the soup sharply.
- Total time is about 53 minutes, including 5 minutes of cooling before blending.
Prep the vegetables
- Cut the broccoli crowns into 1-inch (2.5 cm) florets.
- Trim the dry end off the stalks, peel the tough outer skin, and slice into ¼-inch (6 mm) rounds.
- Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and peel and cube the potato.
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Ready when: Vegetables are cut into fairly even pieces so they cook at the same rate.
Tip: Keep the florets and stalk slices in separate piles; the stalks need a few minutes' head start.
Soften the onion
- Set a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat.
- Add the butter and olive oil.
- When the butter has melted and stops foaming, add the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 7 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent with no brown edges.
Tip: If the onion begins to brown, lower the heat; browned onion will dull the soup's color and flavor.
Add the garlic
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
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Ready when: Garlic smells fragrant and sweet but has not taken on color.
Tip: Burnt garlic turns bitter, so move on to the next step as soon as it smells fragrant.
Simmer potato and stalks
- Add the broth, potato, broccoli stalk slices, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes.
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Ready when: Potato cubes are nearly tender when pierced with a knife tip.
Tip: The potato gives the soup body without flour, so don't skip it.
Cook the florets
- Stir in the broccoli florets, pushing them into the broth.
- Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
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Ready when: Florets are bright green and a knife slides into the stalks with no resistance; potato crumbles easily against the pot.
Tip: Don't overcook until olive-drab; pull the pot from the heat as soon as everything is tender to keep the color bright.
Cool slightly
- Remove the pot from the heat, uncover, and let it sit for 5 minutes so the soup is safer to blend.
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Ready when: Steam is no longer billowing heavily from the surface.
Blend until smooth
- With an immersion blender, purée directly in the pot for 1 to 2 minutes, moving it around the bottom and sides.
- Or ladle the soup into an upright blender, filling it no more than half full, vent the lid with a towel over it, and blend in batches for 1 minute each, returning the soup to the pot.
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Ready when: Soup is velvety and uniformly green with no visible flecks of stalk.
Tip: Never fill a blender more than half full with hot liquid and never seal the lid tightly; steam pressure can cause burns.
Add the cream
- Set the pot over low heat.
- Stir in the cream, nutmeg if using, and lemon juice.
- Warm for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, without letting it boil.
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Ready when: Soup is steaming and evenly pale green, with tiny bubbles only at the edges.
Tip: Boiling after the cream goes in can dull the color and make the texture grainy.
Season and serve
- Taste and add salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed; broccoli soup usually needs a bit more salt than you expect.
- If too thick, stir in broth or water, ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time.
- Ladle into warm bowls and top with grated cheddar if desired.
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Ready when: Soup tastes savory and balanced, with a bright finish and a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Tip: Season after adding the cream, since dairy mellows the salt level.
Good to know
Tips
- Use the peeled stalks; they're sweet and creamy once blended and cut waste.
- Stop cooking as soon as the broccoli is tender to keep a fresh green color; long simmering turns it khaki.
- For extra-smooth soup, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh strainer.
- For a chunkier texture, blend only about two-thirds of the soup and stir the rest back in.
Make ahead
"Make the soup through the blending step (before adding cream and lemon) up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently, then stir in the cream and lemon juice just before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 2 months (best frozen before adding cream). Reheat over medium-low heat, stirring often, until steaming; do not boil. Thin with a splash of broth or water if it has thickened."
Substitutions
- heavy cream → half-and-half or full-fat canned coconut milk. Half-and-half gives a lighter soup; coconut milk makes it dairy-free with a faint coconut flavor.
- unsalted butter → additional olive oil (1 tablespoon more). Makes the soup vegan if you also swap the cream and skip the cheese.
- Yukon Gold potato → 1 cup (about 150 g) peeled, cubed russet potato or ½ cup cooked white rice. Either thickens the soup; simmer rice with the florets.
- low-sodium vegetable broth → low-sodium chicken broth. Adds deeper flavor but makes the soup non-vegetarian.
