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It’s so easy to make a keto Broccoli Cheese Soup that is just as cheesy and delicious as Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup. A simple swap with some sneaky hidden cauliflower makes this healthy soup recipe velvety smooth and creamy while keeping it gluten free and low carb.
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup – Made With Cauliflower
This comforting and easy soup recipe is a healthy copycat of Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup, which used to be one of my favorite things. But since it isn’t gluten free, I can’t just go there anymore and order a You-Pick-Two. Now I make my own with a healthier spin.
Instead of a flour-based roux or cornstarch slurry, it’s thickened with cauliflower. Yes, if this cruciferous vegetable can become cauliflower tots, then it can certainly make a delicious soup.
Sneak in some extra veggies with cauliflower puree while keeping it low carb and gluten free. You won’t believe how creamy and silky smooth is it, with all the cheesy flavor you love.
Some keto broccoli cheese soup recipes use pureed broccoli. But by using cauliflower you still keep the carb count low without giving it a strange greenish color.
What makes this cauliflower broccoli cheddar soup healthier?
Unlike most recipes for broccoli cheese soup, there’s no cream, no butter, and no flour for thickening. This makes it naturally gluten free and low carb. Plus there are no unrefined carbs or extra fat. The cheese makes it rich and flavorful. And when you use a good quality, extra sharp cheese, you don’t have to use as much to still have it taste super cheesy.
And since the soup is made from cauliflower, plus all of the broccoli swimming in that sea of golden goodness, it is full of good vegetable nutrition. Both are low in calories and excellent sources of fiber and vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as the B vitamins including folic acid. Broccoli is an excellent plant source of protein and calcium. And cauliflower is filled with compounds that may help prevent cancer.
Lastly, it only has 9 grams of carbs per serving. And that can easily be reduced by skipping the carrots and even using less onion. There is also the option of swapping some of the chicken broth for heavy cream if you do prefer a higher fat content for your diet needs.
Recipe Ingredients
This comforting broccoli cheese soup recipe feels so comforting and indulgent, but it’s made with a simple list of wholesome ingredients that are all natrually gluten free. Here’s some information you might need, but you can get the full amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Olive oil
- Onion – feel free to use less, skip it altogether, or try a bit of onion powder to reduce the carb count further.
- Cauliflower – one large head, approximately 2 lbs total, yielding 3 to 4 cups or about 1.5 lbs of florets.
- Nutmeg – just a pinch is known to enhance the flavor of any creamy sauce.
- Dry mustard – adds sharpness to help it taste extra cheesy. I always add Colman’s Mustard Powder to my cheese or egg dishes.
- Cayenne pepper – optional, but just a pinch wakes up the flavors.
- Chicken or vegetable broth – from a carton or homemade. I typically use the Kirkland brand from Costco.
- Broccoli – about 3 cups of florets that can be fresh or frozen.
- Carrots – julienned or finely diced. It can be omitted for a keto soup, but add a nice color and texture.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – definitely opt for a nice, sharp cheddar, like Cabot Seriously Sharp.
- Salt and pepper – season to taste.
- Garnishes – add some cooked bacon, a sprinkle of more shredded cheese, or even some minced chives.
How to Make Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup
You won’t believe how simple it is!
Saute the veggies. In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil. Add the cauliflower, nutmeg, dry mustard, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for a minute or two.
Simmer and puree. Add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the cauliflower is very tender. Use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a blender and pureee until it is smooth and creamy.
Cook the veggies. Return the soup to the pot over medium heat. Add the broccoli and carrots, and cook until the broccoli is tender.
Add the cheese. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese a little at a time. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, if desired.
Recipe FAQ’s
Why is my broccoli cheddar soup grainy?
The first ready the soup can be grainy or clumpy is that you added the cheese too fast. If you add it all at once, it will clump and not fully melt and distribute to give you the velvety texture.
Second is that your heat is too high either while you add the cheese or after it has been added. The proteins in the cheese tighten up and cause the fat to separate, giving you a curdled consistency and a greasy soup. Once you have started adding the cheese to the soup, you want to be sure you do not let it boil.
How do you add cheese to soup?
To prevent these problems, you’ll add the cheese at the very end, after the soup is pureed, and the broccoli is cooked to the desired doneness. Then, reduce the heat to low and add the cheese a little at a time. Stir and allow each addition to melt completely and become fully distributed and smooth before adding any more. Then slowly allow it to come back to the desired temperature without letting it boil.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigertor for up to 3 to 4 days. If it begins to smell off, then throw it away.
To reheat it, transfer the leftover soup to a pot on the stove over very low heat and reheat slowly and gently to avoid boiling, as this will cause it to curdle. You can also reheat it in the microwave, but again, you’ll want to do this carefully to avoid curdling. Use 50% power and stir frequently.
Can broccoli cheese soup be frozen?
I would not recommend freezing this broccoli cauliflower cheese soup. Creamy soups typically do not freeze well, as the fats tend to separate when frozen and reheated, leading to an undesirable texture. Also, the broccoli florets will become mushy. So while not unsafe, it would not be as delicious.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is truly satisfying on its own, but there are plenty of delicious options to serve with it.
- Keep it keto. Garnish with bacon or a few keto cheddar crackers.
- Add some bread. If you aren’t low carb, it’s delicious to sop it up with a hunk of Gluten Free French Bread or some Gluten Free Soft Breadsticks.
- Serve with a salad. Drizzle it with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing or Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Have it as a side. Make it a meal with easy cube steaks or Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets.
Shop the Recipe
- Large pot – I like to use a heavy-bottomed pot, such as enameled cast iron. With a nice large soup pot, you can saute the vegetables in the pot, then return the pureed soup to the same pot to let it simmer. The vegetables can saute and caramelize without scorching. And while this soup doesn’t have to simmer for a long time, if you want to keep it warm, it can stay over low heat for a longer time without burning.
- Immersion blender – also called a hand blender or stick blender, an immersion blender allows you to puree the soup right in the pot without transferring it to a blender. This makes it easier, with less mess to clean up.
- Blender – you can use any blender you have, but for the smoothest, most silky soup, I love to use my Blendtec Designer 725. The Wildside+ Jar is nice and big, so you don’t have to blend it in batches, as you would with a smaller blender, and it gets perfectly smooth in seconds. You can even use the “Soup” setting to keep it hot while you blend it. I am a Blendtec ambassador, and should you make any purchases through that link, I will receive a small commission, but that also means you can use the code CUPCAKESANDKALECHIPS to receive 20% off.
- Box grater – don’t forget a good grater to shred all that cheese.
Creamy Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 head cauliflower, core removed and chopped into small florets (about 3-4 cups of florets)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3 cups broccoli fresh florets or frozen
- 1/3 cup julienned carrots (1-2 large carrots)
- 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese plus more for sprinkling on top, if desired
- salt and pepper to taste
- crumbled bacon optional, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, nutmeg, dry mustard, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and peper and saute for a minute or two.
- Add the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for least 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very tender, such that it can be mashed easily with a fork. You can break it up a little while it’s cooking to help speed the process along.
- Use an immersion blender, or transfer the mixture to a blender, and puree until smooth and creamy. Return the soup to the pot over medium heat and add the broccoli and carrot. Bring to simmer and cook 25 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender (if you are using frozen broccoli, you only need to cook until the broccoli is thawed and heated through)
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese a little at a time. If you want a thinner soup, add additional broth, cream, milk, or water to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve in bowls and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
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More low carb soup recipes
- Low Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Greek Avgolemono Soup with Zoodles
- Easy Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Thyme
- Easy Vegetable Soup for a Cold (swap the potatoes for more cauliflower to keep it keto-friendly)
- Low Carb Chile Relleno Chicken Soup from All Day I Dream About Food
This is soooo good ! Creamy and delicious especially with some bacon on top! I also topped w chives cheddar and some olive oil. It almost tastes like baked potato soup! Thanks!
This is our family favorite
Hi! I assume I could use the frozen organic riced cauliflower I have in place of the florets, correct?
I have not tried that. I think it would work, I’m just not sure of the quantity.
This soup was amazing! I make soup from scratch almost every week (after boiling down my Wegman’s plain organic rotisserie chicken for stock), so I’m always looking for great recipes. I couldn’t believe how flavorful it was, with relatively few ingredients. I didn’t even use the bacon! The only thing I changed from the stated recipe was that I oven-roasted the cauliflower (with a little olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder) before adding it. I’m going to try the butternut squash with sage and thyme next week. Thanks!
Great idea for roasting the cauliflower for even more flavor.
Does this soup freeze well? I like to make a big pot and freeze individual servings. (I apologize if this was addressed and I missed it.) Thanks!
I have not frozen this soup, but oftentimes, for soups with cream or cheese, while they can be frozen and thawed safely, the texture can become somewhat grainy and not as smooth.
I have never commented on a recipe before but I had to….:This was amazing. I modified a bit by using 1 1/2 heads cauliflower (as that is what I had), increased the liquid by adding 1 can dealcoholized beer, added 2 garlic cloves and 1-2 tbsp Parmesan. I also had to add about 1/2 cup skim milk to thin it a bit and I chose to dice the carrots rather than julienne and add the cooked bacon to the pot at serving time rather than as a garnish. Awesome! One of the best soups I’ve made. I will use the puréed cauliflower as a soup base a LOT going forward. Thanks!!
Made this today. Followed the recipe pretty much as written, except it seemed pretty thick when I added the broccoli & carrots. Added a cup of water then. At the end I added a cup of milk as well for extra creaminess. Very yummy! Pretty simple, too!!!
Yes, you can definitely adjust the thickness with some water or more broth. So happy you enjoyed it!
This soup is awesome! I used to make a version with canned soup (ugh!) and was looking for something healthier. This is way better, and has no crap in it. Love it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It is one of my favorites too!
Hi!
I was looking for a recipe to use the heads of cauliflower and broccoli that we had in the fridge, figuring that I’d probably steam them and make a reduced-fat cheese sauce to simulate the Birdseye frozen version that’s relatively healthy. But I was delighted to stumble upon your recipe, and we gave it a try for dinner tonight.
It turned out well and both my wife and I liked it. I’ll be honest and say that I’d prefer the version with butter, flower and cream, but too many of those kinds of delicious foods took their toll on me to the detriment of my health, and we no longer eat that way; So we compromise…
I happen to love cauliflower — even raw — so this wasn’t a hard sell to get me to try it. It does yield a creamy texture, despite the absence of high-fat dairy and flour, and doesn’t leave behind much of a cauliflower taste. That’s probably a benefit for many who try this recipe, and are accustomed to rich foods on an everyday basis. They are more likely to not care for it than those of us who have weaned ourselves from that type of diet.
So we give it a ‘very good’ rating and thank you for the time you’ve put into the site.
This looks and sounds delicious. I read all the comments and seems no one else questioned the approx cup amount of cauliflower. I was hoping to see some info on that. I bought an organic head and just got the prettiest one they had. ? I would say it’s medium in size.
Any suggestions or ideas on this?
Thanks.
Hi Barb,
You’ll need about 3 cups of florets. That medium head of cauliflower should be perfect. 🙂
Didn’t like next time I’ll go for a “cream ” soup
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the soup, Pat. I hope you’re able to find something you enjoy more the next time. 🙂
Made this soup today. While a bit time intense, it is awesome. Also added diced cooked potatoes, fantastic!!! Looking for one that is like CoreLife, this is better! Thanks !!!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the soup recipe, Sandy. You’re right that it does take some time to make, but I think the end results are worth it. 🙂
The serving size says 1 gram? That’s….less than a teaspoon? Is this a typo?
Haha, yes, that’s a typo. My apologies! The serving size is 1/6th of the entire recipe, or approximately 1 cup of soup
I’ve made this a few times now – love it! It’s my new go to broccoli cheese soup recipe. Feels healthier by throwing in a head of cauliflower. My family prefers this over my previously used recipe with butter, flour, and tons of cream.
I’m so glad that you found a favorite soup recipe for your family, Courtney! Thanks for rating the recipe!
Could you please include the nutrition value of your recipes. I printed the Creamy cauliflower broccoli cheese soup recipe and I need to know the calories, carbs and fiber
Hi Barbara,
We recently switched over to a new recipe format and we’re working hard to update the recipes on this site with the nutritional information. There are over 1,000 of them, so our apologies for the delay!
I love this recipe. It is so creamy and delicious without the guilt.
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Andi!
Would love to make this in may instant pot – any suggestions as to how to do so? Thanks!
Sara, to make the soup in an Instant Pot, I would start by using the saute button to cook the onion. Then toss in the cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, chicken broth and seasonings and pressure cook on high power for about 5 minutes (you may need to cook it a minute or so longer if your florets are really big). You can use a quick pressure release. Then puree the soup and set the Instant Pot on saute again to stir in the cheese until it melts.
Great! Thanks for that. I made it on the stove top last night and it was delicious. Can’t wait to try it on the instant pot.
My family and I love this recipe. I am wondering if you have the nutritional information for it? I would like to know the net carbs per serving?
Hi Kelly! I’m glad you like the soup recipe! Because nutritional value can change depending on the ingredients used, I don’t have a total for you, but I use this site to calculate nutritional information for recipes and it works really well: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Hi, I tried your soup around September last year and I thought it was delicious! My church is now having a soup supper and they are going to let me put this one on the menu!!! Do you know how many cups this makes? I need to fill 1 roaster.
Thanks,
Jessie
Hi Jessie,
I’m so glad to hear that you love the soup! There are 4 cups of broth in the recipe, but the veggies take up some room too, so I’d say that you’ll have about 6 servings of soup from this recipe.
Can you purée the broccoli so it is a smoother soup? If so would you cook it with the cauliflower or follow recipe through as is and purée just before adding cheese?
I have not tried this. I would think you might need to decrease the amount of cauliflower or increase the broth so it isn’t too thick.
My husband is on a low carb kick, I’m allergic to casein and we have two boys. As you can imagine, it’s getting hard to find something we all can and will eat. This was a hit! I kept out a portion before adding the cheese and put it in a little saucepan for me, then made the guys’ according to the recipe. I added Daiya cheddar to mine and steeled myself for the first bite. (I’ve never had broccoli cheese soup and sometimes the diary free cheese does weird things). This is really yummy! This will be going onto my list of regular meals to cook from!
Has anyone tried freezing it?
Wow, I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! I actually made it again last night! I have not tried freezing it though. I’m guessing with the cheese, it might thaw kind of weird.
This recipe looks great and I am planning on making this for a big group. How much many servings is one recipe?
I would say 4-6 if this was your main meal. More as a side. You might want to at least double it depending on the size of your crowd.
I love soups with cheddar cheese – yum yum!
Cheddar is better! 🙂
I love vegetable cheese soup! This looks great!
Thanks Sue!!
Broccoli Cheese is one of my faves! And this one looks it definitely wouldn’t disappoint 🙂
Mouthwatering soup and a creamy one
I love that you use Cauliflower to thicken this! How delicious!
I love the idea of cauliflower and broccoli together — never had it in a soup, but can’t wait to try! Oh — and I would totally be swiping my finger in the bowl to get the last of this one! Delish!
It really works well together. But with all that cheese, you don’t taste the cauliflower much – it just gives it a creamy texture without cream.
This sounds so delicious and I just happen to have a head of cauliflower in my fridge screaming to be made into soup.
This looks SO creamy and irresistible! And with a bacon garnish? LOVE!
That’s a great looking soup and a great choice for SS!
Thanks Renee!
LOVE broccoli cheese soup 🙂
Me too!!
Love broccoli and cheese soup and it sounds great with cauliflower!
My mouth is watering thinking about how amazing this soup would be. Love the combination of cauliflower and broccoli!
I definitely say yes to the bacon on top! I need to try cauliflower for a soup ingredient, this looks very good!
Bacon is always great on creamy soups to add a bit of salty crunch!
WOOHOO!! Gluten free broccoli cheese soup!! I’ve been playing around with a similar recipe, this sounds great!! Love how simple these dishes are with the right equipment (hello high speed blender). Pinning!
I can’t get enough broccoli cheddar soup and add cauliflower and I’d be standing in line at your house. The photos are beautiful too!
Thanks so much Maureen!