Dairy Free Broccoli Soup
I first started making this dairy free broccoli soup in 2015 as a way to enjoy my favorite comfort food while adding more veggies to my diet. Growing up, my sister and I were obsessed with the broccoli cheese soup from Panera, and I wanted to recreate that rich, creamy flavor at home, without dairy. After experimenting with different ingredients, I discovered that pureed cauliflower was the perfect base. Not only does it create a velvety texture, but it also adds extra veggies without altering the taste.
Since then, I’ve made this vegan broccoli soup at least 100 times. It has become my go-to recipe when the weather cools off because it’s packed with flavor, incredibly creamy, and ready in 25 minutes. Unlike traditional broccoli cheese soup, this version is lower in calories but still satisfying, thanks to white beans, which add plant-based protein and make it extra filling. If you’re looking for a nourishing, healthy broccoli soup that’s both comforting and packed with veggies, this is it!
As someone who has spent years developing easy, gluten free dairy free recipes, I know how important it is to have reliable, satisfying meals on hand. If you love cozy soups, you also have to try my Dairy Free Mushroom Soup (which has hundreds of 5-star reviews) and my Instant Pot White Bean Soup (this is my mom’s favorite recipe of mine).
Ingredients and substitutions
- Cauliflower – fresh or frozen cauliflower works, it helps to thicken the soup and I promise you won’t taste it! For frozen cauliflower, use two 12 oz packages of cauliflower florets. Substitute with 2 peeled and diced russet potatoes.
- Vegetable Stock (or broth) – adds a depth of flavor and makes it taste like it’s been cooking all day. You could also use chicken broth if not vegan/vegetarian.
- Broccoli – the star of the soup! Be sure your broccoli is fresh and tender! If you want to use frozen broccoli you will need two 12 oz packages of small broccoli florets.
- Carrots – add natural sweetness
- White Beans (or Soaked Cashews) – the secret ingredient! White beans make the soup rich and creamy and also adds fiber and protein. Use cannellini, great northern white beans, navy beans or butter beans for the best texture. If you don’t love beans in your soup, use soaked cashews.
- Dairy Free Milk – use whatever you have on hand.
- Nutritional Yeast – gives a cheesy flavor without adding cheese.
How to make vegan creamy broccoli soup
In a large pot, add 1/2 the carton of vegetable broth and cauliflower. Cover and cook 12-15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. 
While cauliflower is cooking, chop broccoli and slice the carrots.
Once cauliflower is tender, blend the cauliflower in the pot with an immersion blender (or transfer to blender and blend in batches, being careful with hot liquids).
Add the remaining vegetable broth to the cauliflower puree, broccoli, carrots, garlic powder, salt, thyme and black pepper. Stir and cover for 7 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
While the soup is cooking, rinse and drain the can of great northern white beans. Blend with 1/2 cup non-dairy milk until smooth. 
Finish the soup! Add the pureed beans, the rest of the milk and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Step 7: Allow soup to slightly cool before enjoying.
Make this gluten free broccoli soup your way
- Make it in the Instant Pot instead (instructions in recipe card)
- If the soup is too thick: add1/4 cup non-dairy milk.
- If the soup is too thin, simmer on the stove until desired consistency is reached. You can also add 1 tbsp of arrowroot starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
- Need a low carb soup? Replace white beans with soaked cashews (add about 1 cup soaked cashews)
- Want the soup to be extra creamy? Add 1/2 cup of soaked cashews to the white beans when blending.
- Want a large batch for Meal prep? Double the recipe, it holds up well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Serving suggestions
This vegan creamy broccoli soup is incredibly filling but low in calories. Make it a complete meal with:
- Crusty bread or crackers (I love these Hemp Almond Flax Crackers)
- Add some additional protein with balsamic tofu croutons, another can of white beans, or a sprinkle of hemp hearts
- Air fryer roasted chickpeas for crunch and additional protein
- Top with some shredded cheese (use your favorite shredded cheddar or dairy free cheddar) for texture and more flavor.
30 Minute Healthy Broccoli Soup
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower - removed from thick stalk and cut into small pieces
- 4 cups organic vegetable stock - 1 box
- 1 medium head broccoli - removed from thick stalk, cut into small bite size pieces
- 2 medium organic carrots, sliced
- 1 15 oz. can organic northern white beans (about 1.5 cup beans) or 1/2 cup soaked cashews
- 3/4 cups dairy free milk, unsweetened, divided
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, add 1/2 the carton of vegetable broth and florets from 1 medium cauliflower. Cover and cook 12-15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
- While cauliflower is cooking, chop 1 medium head of broccoli and thinly slice 2 medium carrots (peel if necessary).
- Once cauliflower is tender, blend the cauliflower in the pot with an immersion blender (or transfer to blender and blend in batches, being careful with hot liquids).
- To the cauliflower puree, add the remaining vegetable broth, broccoli, carrots, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1-2 teaspoons salt (add less, you can always add more later), and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Stir and cover for 7 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
- While soup is cooking, rinse and drain a can of northern white beans. Blend with 1/2 cup dairy free milk until smooth.
- Add pureed beans and additional 1/4 cup dairy free milk to the soup once the broccoli is tender along with 1/2 cup nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.
Notes
- Too thick? Add 1/4 cup non-dairy milk.
- Too thin? Simmer on the stove until desired consistency is reached.
- Use fresh or frozen broccoli or cauliflower. Be sure to break up any broccoli florets into small, bite size pieces.
- No cauliflower? Use 1-2 russet potatoes (peeled and cubed) to get the same creamy texture.
- No white beans? Use soaked cashews (about 1 cup) to create a similar creamy texture.
- Cook cauliflower with 1 cup of vegetable broth 3 minutes at high pressure. Manually release when done.
- In the instant pot, blend the cauliflower with an extra 1 cup of vegetable broth with an immersion blender.
- Add the chopped broccoli and carrots, salt, garlic powder and thyme to the cauliflower mixture in the pressure cooker. Add the last 2 cups of vegetable broth and stir.
- Turn on the sauté function for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. After it’s done, turn off the instant pot and add the lid for 2-3 minutes to let the broccoli steam.
- Rinse and drain the northern white beans. Blend with 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
- After the 2-3 minutes of steaming, take the lid off and stir well. Add pureed beans and additional 1/4 cup non-dairy milk and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
- Fridge: This soup gets better the longer it sits. Store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. I like to use mason jars for easy storage.
- Freezer: This soup can get mushy when frozen, so I recommend blending it completely before freezing. Use freezer safe container (I don’t recommend glass jars as they can explode), I like using Soupercubes for easy portioning. Reheat from frozen or allow to thaw before reheating.
- Reheating:
- Stovetop: Reheat on the stove over medium low heat in a covered pot 8-10 minutes (or until warmed through).
- Microwave: Cook 2-4 minutes, pausing to stir once or twice while reheating
- Note: you may need to add some additional liquid when reheating if it gets too thick
Nutrition Information
Common questions
What is nutritional yeast?
- Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast made from sugarcane and beet molasses (not to be confused with brewers yeast). It has a great nutty, cheesy flavor and it’s a great source of Vitamin B-12.
- You can find nutritional yeast in most grocery stores now or online
- If you have an MTHFR mutation, buy a non-fortified brand of nutritional yeast.
Can you make this for meal prep?
Yes, make the soup as written (you can even double it for lots of leftovers). Once done, allow it to cool then transfer it to containers for a quick grab and go meal.
I like to store soup in mason jars in the fridge or transfer to a freezer safe bag/container (I like to use Soupercubes so you can portion out the soup).
Hello, this looks amazzzzing. Could it possibly be made in a slowcooker?
What is the Nutritional Yeast used for? I’ve never heard of it.
Also, there is no cheese.
?
Also, couldn’t this be prepared in the crock pot?
I’ve never made it in a crockpot. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Have you tried this yet? I was wondering the same thing. THANKS.
Hi Celeste!
No cheese in this soup as this is a vegan recipe. The nutritional yeast is used to give the soup a nutty, cheesy and creamy taste and texture.
@Celeste65, The nutritional yeast gives a cheese flavor. You can double it if you want more cheese flavor.
Hi,
I just made the soup (minus the beans and the non-dairy milk), it was yum so yum that i had it for breakfast.
lol! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Hi, I am looking forward to making this soup later but I can’t get over the sodium level. Is that per 1/4 the pot of soup? Thank you!
Hi Katie!
I would take any nutritional facts from any website with a curious eye as the ingredients all get pulled from various different generic sources. You can easily upload any recipes from this website into your favorite food tracker like myfitnesspal and choose your exact brands to get a more accurate nutritional info.
Have a great day!
I just made this soup for dinner tonight and it’s so tasty!! As mom to a family of 7 vegans, we LOVE OUR Nutritional Yeast (Nooch, as we cool kids call it :) and I actually ended up adding about 1/2 additional. Love all the veggies. Thanks for putting the recipe out there.
I made this soup tonight, it was delicious. I didn’t have cauliflower so I used potatoes instead. It turned out really good. I will leave out the thyme next time and will try it with cauliflower. The whole family loved it specially my little ones. No left overs hahaha… Thank you for this yummy recipe..
So happy you and your family enjoyed it, Karina!!!!
Hello. I’m considering making this for my daughter. My question is, do you think it would freeze ok? I’m thinking to portion it out and allow her to take one for lunches at work. Thank you.
Hi Michelle! I’ve never tried freezing it. It usually disappears before I can store it. If you try it, let me know!
Sam
How much is a box of vegetable stock? It’s not really a standard measurement given that a lot of stores have 2-3 vastly different sizes. Thanks!
Hey Stefanie!
I usually purchase the 32oz container. Hope that helps!
Sam
I am curious about the coconut milk – did you use regular or lite? I plan on making it this weekend and appreciate you sharing your recipe.
Hi Kimberly!
I usually use So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. You can find it by the cows milk in the refrigeration section of your grocery store. Hope that helps!
Hi there! I just wanted to let you know how much I ADORE this recipe. I’m totally amazed that it’s vegan. In fact, I loved it so much I decided to feature it in my recent roundup of recipes using seasonal October produce.
If you think your followers would enjoy reading it, I’d love if you’d give the article a share! Just trying to spread the goodness that is seasonal eating. Thanks again for all you do!
I made this soup for dinner tonight and my family totally enjoyed it! I did use low sodium vegetable broth and fresh garlic, but I found that I needed to add extra salt to taste. We also used it as a topping on baked potatoes :)
how many ounces is a carton of broth? I love Better than Bouillon to make my broth!
I will report back after trying this one! Thanks!
32oz normally!
Just made this. SO delicious!!!
I made this soup today and LOVED it!!!!! Creamy & deliscious!!! I steamed my cauliflower in one pot with some veggie stock and sautéed minced onion, garlic, carrot & celery in the other with a tad of olive oil. I emulsified the cauliflower pot transferred to the other pot and added more stock and emulsified before proceeding to the other steps. I use a mirepoix in everything so I had to add it. More steps and prob not necessary. I love nutritional yeast!! This soup was awesome & totally being added to my weekly rotation! The cauliflower made it so creamy!!! I make soup every Monday so I have it for lunch all week!! This is a great one!!!
Oh my gosh, thank you for this recipe. It is so good and addicting. I’ve made it twice this week alone. It is delicious! I feel like I’m cheating but I’m not!
I mad this soup on Sunday night with the intention of taking some for lunch the next day. Instead my husband and I kept going back for “one more bowl” until nothing was left. :) We will definitely make this one again, Great recipe!