Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my broccoli cheddar soup not creamy? ›

Soup needs some fat to smooth out the texture and help the ingredients bind together. If your soup is too lean, it will taste grainy. Try adding some additional cream or milk to the soup until it reaches the desired consistency.

The common solution is to use a flour-based roux. Flour can thicken up the water phase of the soup, which in turn makes it difficult for fat globules to coalesce.

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting into a lusciously creamy soup. To ensure that your broccoli cheddar soup has the best smooth and creamy texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.

Method 1: Whisk in a slurry of cornstarch or flour

Add equal parts water or soup liquid to the flour or cornstarch and whisk until they're completely combined in a slurry. Once you've created the slurry, slowly whisk it into soup liquid and bring it back to a simmer.

Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

Add other vegetables: Incorporate other mild or sweeter vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, or sweet potatoes to balance out the broccoli's taste. Cream or dairy: Adding a splash of cream, milk, or non-dairy alternatives like coconut milk or almond milk can help mellow the flavor of the soup.

Pre-grated cheese is coated in anti-caking agents which means it won't melt as smoothly. When it's time to add the cheese into the soup, sprinkle it in in batches, stirring until each batch is melted before adding the next batch vs dumping it all in at once. This will ensure there are no clumps in the final soup.

Create A Cornstarch Slurry With Equal Parts Water

For Lindsay Mattison's Panera-style broccoli and cheddar soup recipe, she advises using a tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of liquid.

Slowly add the cream or milk and continually stir after adding. This will help prevent it from curdling. Use shredded cheese and always reduce the heat to about low to medium before adding. Don't add the cheese all at once or you risk clumping.

What cheese doesn't melt in soup? ›

Ones to avoid are Parmesan and Pecorino (any hard, aged cheeses), goat and feta (any dry, crumbly cheeses) as they don't melt well.

Chevre goat cheese, farmers cheese, feta, halloumi, ricotta or paneer do become softer with heat, but they won't spread out and melt. Aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano aren't a great choice, either.

To prevent cheese from curdling, it's important to add it to the soup slowly and at a lower temperature. Gradually incorporate small amounts of cheese into the hot soup while stirring continuously. Also, avoid boiling the soup after adding the cheese.

But when heat is introduced, the protein structure falls apart and the emulsion breaks—the fat globules come together into a greasy pool and the proteins congeal to form a stringy mess. But American cheese is specifically designed to be extremely meltable and nearly impossible to break.

Basically the proteins in the cheese tighten up and squeeze out the fat. You end up with a grainy, curdled consistency. Unfortunately there is no way to fix it once it's happened, so just be really careful to keep this soup on a very low flame once the dairy has gone in.

If you add cheese to your soup when it's too hot or boiling vigorously, it can become overcooked and develop a grainy or curdled texture rather than melting smoothly. To avoid this, reduce the heat to low or medium-low before adding the cheese.

Add more cheese – The more cheese you add, the thicker your broccoli and cheese soup will be!