Creamy Dairy Free Broccoli Soup

This creamy dairy free broccoli soup is easy to make, freezes well, and is kid-friendly! With just a few ingredients, it's the perfect weeknight meal.

This creamy dairy free broccoli soup is easy to make, freezes well, and is kid-friendly! With just a few ingredients, it's the perfect weeknight meal.

I never really thought creamy dairy free broccoli soup would be a thing I would love. Turns out I was wrong.

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I use it ALL. THE. TIME. I steam it, so it doesn't get dried out, and keep it in the fridge. I'll use it on a salad to get in some extra healthy carbs, or I'll warm it up and top it with some Everything But The Bagel seasoning.

I wasn't always this way. A time existed when I didn't eat broccoli, or even really eat vegetables at all. But I'm living proof that with time, dedication, and an open mind, we do not have to eat the same way forever. If we did, I would still be eating Fruity Pebbles for dinner.

When the weather cools off, I start thinking more about soups and stews. Pots simmering on the stove, slow cookers delivering tender, fall apart meat after a long day, and warm creamy soup with crusty (paleo) bread.

I love this dairy free broccoli soup with some paleo dinner rolls like these. They're quick and easy to make, and they crisp up on the outside. They are great for dipping in this soup!

When I made this creamy dairy free broccoli soup recipe, I had the busy people in mind - so it keeps it short, sweet, and simple. It uses a bag of frozen broccoli florets as the base, combined with just a few other ingredients.

The end result is a simple and flavorful soup that is loved by kids and adults alike!

If you prefer to use fresh broccoli, you can certainly do that. Just make sure that before you go to purée it, the broccoli is tender. When you poke it with a fork, it should slide right off. 

Fun Fact: Did you know that broccoli contains Vitamin C? So much so that just half a cup (78 grams) of cooked broccoli provides 84% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) — more than one-half orange can offer.

Ingredients

There's only a handful of ingredients in this vegan cream of broccoli soup: broccoli, onion, vegetable broth, salt, black pepper, garlic, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast. 

I used frozen broccoli, but you can use fresh if you choose. The beauty of this recipe is that we can use the broccoli stalks or broccoli stems if we want! The whole thing might have to cook a little longer than if you're just using florets, because the stems tend to be a little bit tougher, so just keep that in mind.

We're going to use full fat coconut milk to make the soup creamy. If you want to use a different dairy-free milk, such as oat milk or soy milk, you can. Just keep in mind that these are not paleo (grains; legumes) and they also tend to not be as creamy or thick as the coconut milk will be, so they may change the texture or flavor. Almond milk is another option that IS paleo but is still not as thick. If you're looking for a creamier soup, stick to the coconut milk. 

When we add nutritional yeast flakes, it gives it a hint of a "cheesy" flavor without using actual cheese and keeps it dairy free. 

If you're not vegan, you can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth or vegetable stock as a sub. I don't recommend using anything other than these two - beef broth or similar will bring too much of a different flavor profile and is not what we're looking for. 

Instructions

Start by chopping your onion. (If you want to know the easiest way, check out this post!)

Next, add all your ingredients except your nutritional yeast and coconut milk to a large pot.

Bring the whole thing to a boil over medium high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce to medium heat, allowing it to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender and falls off easily when poked with a fork. 

We're going to blend the soup to get the creamy texture we're looking for. 

As always, I highly recommend my favorite kitchen tool in the whole wide world for this recipe, the immersion blender. It will allow you to blend the soup while it is still hot, so there's no waiting, no splattering, and way less clean up, because you blend it right in the pot.

When using the immersion blender, you won't just be able to run it consistently. For the first minute or two, you will need to pick it up and put it back in, breaking up the broccoli florets. It will look something like this:

Trust the process! As it starts to smooth out, you will be able to run it more consistently. Once you can run it without having to stop or move it, keep it going for a minute or two to make sure everything is blended, then add your coconut milk and nutritional yeast at the very end.

Keep blending! And then, voilà: creamy dairy free broccoli soup!

If you don't have an immersion blender, or prefer to use a regular blender, I will walk you through the steps for that. Just be aware that it will take a bit longer.

You will have to work in batches, and will need an additional pot to transfer the blended soup to. We will also want to use a high-powered blender if you have one! 

To use a regular blender:

Fill the body of the blender NO MORE than halfway full.

Put the lid on the blender, but vent it. Most have a seal, a knob, a pour spout, or something else. You are blending hot soup and the heat will make it explode if you contain it with no vent. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS.

Yes, some may splatter out. I've had good luck with folding a dish towel and holding it part of the way over the opening, so the heat can escape but the soup cannot. Your set up will depend on your blender and how it vents.

Once you've blended a batch, pour it into an empty pot or container. Repeat, filling the blender NO MORE than halfway full each time.

Hot liquid expands when you blend it, so give it room! Continue until all the soup has been blended. Use a high-speed blender for best results. 

Or, just buy yourself an immersion blender and save yourself the headache.

Serving

Try serving this with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some fresh herbs. I also really like it with some crumbled bacon on top! 

Storage

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Reheat over medium-low heat to avoid burning or scorching. 

Looking for other paleo soup recipes? Try my Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Creamy Tomato Soup, Curried Sweet Potato Soup, Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup or Bahamian Chicken Souse!

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