When my kids were young and I was homeschooling all of them, I would cook our lunch every day. While they ate I would read aloud to them. One of their favorite meals for me to make was this Creamy Broccoli Soup. In fact they still often request this soup, especially when it’s cold outside.
The original recipe came from a blog I read years and years ago. I’ve changed a few things to give it more depth of flavor but sometimes when I’m in a hurry I make it the way that blogger did.
Usually I saute the onion in a bit of butter, add some garlic, and use chicken broth. It’s still very good in it’s simpler form but its very delicious made the new way.
Creamy Broccoli Soup Recipe
- 1 yellow or white onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 1 inch cubes
- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets, stems cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 quart of chicken broth or water
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream
I made this soup in an instant pot for these photos but I’ll include instructions for stove-top as well.
In an instant pot set on the Saute function, melt the butter. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the garlic and saute until it smells amazing.
If you are using a stove, melt the butter on medium heat in a large soup pot and saute the onion until it’s translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so, making sure not to burn the garlic.
For either cooking method add the diced potatoes and the broth or water just to barely cover the potatoes. If needed, add more water to cover. Taste to see if it needs salt and season generously. Often when whatever you’re cooking tastes blah it usually just needs salt.
Instant Pot Instructions
For the instant pot, lock the lid in place and set it to high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure your seal is in correctly and the valve is set to pressure instead of vent.
When the instant pot is finished, release the pressure and add the broccoli. Lock the lid in place again and set to high pressure for 1 minute.
Stovetop Instructions
On the stove, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender.
On the stovetop, add the broccoli and cover to steam. It’s fine if some of the broccoli is not covered by the broth or water. Cook until the broccoli is bright green and the stems are tender when you poke them with a knife.
Finishing the Creamy Broccoli Soup
Once the minute is up on the Instant Pot, release the pressure. If you are cooking the soup on a stovetop, remove it from the heat. With an immersion blender or blender go ahead and puree the soup. I use an immersion blender and highly recommend buying one if you don’t already have one. It’s one of the few kitchen appliances I replace as soon as it wears out. I’m on my third and use it every day.
If you are using a traditional blender you may want to cool the soup a bit first. Blending boiling hot soup can be dangerous. The steam can blow the lid off the blender container and spray hot soup everywhere. Be careful to not overfill the blender container and cover the lid with a kitchen towel to prevent any hot soup from splashing out. Pour the blended soup back in the pot.
I like to leave the soup a bit chunky. Blend it as much or as little as you like before adding the cream. Stir in the cream and taste for seasoning. In my experience this soup needs a good amount of salt so don’t be afraid. Taste and adjust a bit at a time until the salt is just right. Serve with fresh bread or all on it’s own and enjoy!
