Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Velveeta is a stovetop soup of chopped broccoli, minced onion, carrot and celery simmered in chicken broth and milk, then stirred with cubed Velveeta and shredded cheddar until it turns thick, smooth and golden. It takes 40 minutes in one Dutch oven and serves 8.
How to make it: Soften the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil, add the broccoli and garlic, then stir in butter and flour and cook it into a paste. Pour in the broth and milk, bring it to a boil and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the Velveeta and cheddar until completely melted and serve right away.
Why You’ll Love It
- Silky and cheesy: Velveeta and cheddar melt into the broth and milk base.
- Real vegetables: broccoli, carrot, celery and onion in every spoonful.
- One pot, 40 minutes: no blender and no canned soup.
- Feeds a crowd: 8 servings from one Dutch oven.
Ingredient Notes
Vegetables: A quarter of a large white onion, 1 large carrot and 2 stalks of celery, all minced so they soften fast and disappear into the soup. Yellow or red onion works too.
Broccoli: 12 ounces of broccoli florets, chopped small. Frozen broccoli works: add it during the simmer, or cook it by the package directions and stir it in just before serving.
Butter and flour: 2 tablespoons of each. They make the paste that thickens the broth.
Broth and milk: 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of 2% milk. Whole milk makes it creamier.
Cheese: 16 ounces of Velveeta, cubed, plus 4 ounces of cheddar, shredded (about 1 cup). The Velveeta gives the soup its rich, cheesy body; the cheddar adds flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 large white onion, minced
- 1 large carrot, minced
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 16 ounces Velveeta, cubed
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
How to Make Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Velveeta
1. Cook the vegetables. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Make the flour paste. Add the butter to the Dutch oven. Once it has melted, add the flour and stir so the flour coats the broccoli like a paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth and milk. Add the broth and milk. Using a whisk or spatula, scrape the sides and the bottom of the pot. Stir so the milk thickens slightly.
4. Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Melt in the cheese. Add the Velveeta and the shredded cheddar and stir until the cheese is completely melted.
6. Serve. Serve immediately.
How to Keep Velveeta Soup Smooth
A cheese soup goes wrong in a few predictable places. Here is what to do at each step:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Raw, starchy taste | Cook the flour with the butter and vegetables for 1 to 2 minutes before any liquid goes in |
| Flour stuck to the pot | Scrape the sides and bottom with a whisk or spatula as soon as the broth and milk go in |
| Thin, watery base | Give the broth and milk the full 15 to 20 minute simmer before the cheese |
| Lumps of cheese | Cube the Velveeta, add it last, and keep stirring until it is completely melted |
| Grainy or curdled soup | Too much heat can make the milk proteins separate into curds; bring the soup up to temperature slowly over low heat |
| Big chunks of vegetable | Mince the onion, carrot and celery and chop the broccoli small |
Serve it right away. The soup is at its smoothest the moment the cheese melts, so have the bowls ready.
Variations
- Different cheese: swap the cheddar for Monterey Jack or Muenster, or mix your favorite kinds with the Velveeta.
- Creamier: use whole milk instead of 2%.
- Frozen broccoli: add it during the simmer instead of in step 1.
- Topping: a little extra shredded cheddar and chopped parsley on each bowl.
- With potatoes: for a slow-cooker soup with potatoes and Velveeta, see our crockpot potato broccoli cheddar soup.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Divide a big pot into smaller shallow containers so it cools quickly, cover, and eat within 3 to 4 days, per USDA FSIS.
Freezer: FSIS says leftovers can be frozen for 3 to 4 months, but cream sauces don’t freeze well; the dairy can separate and look curdled after thawing. Freeze it only if you don’t mind the texture change, and thaw it in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat covered on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches a rolling boil (165°F on a food thermometer), stirring as it heats. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with grilled cheese, cheese bread or focaccia for dipping, or warm butter biscuits or cheddar biscuit bites. Add a side salad like spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. More cheesy comfort food: slow cooker loaded potato soup and one-pot cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret ingredient in broccoli cheese soup?
In this soup it is the Velveeta: 16 ounces of it, mixed with a cup of shredded cheddar. It gives the soup a richer, cheesier flavor than cheddar alone.
How do you make Velveeta cheesy broccoli soup?
Cook minced onion, carrot and celery for 3 to 4 minutes, add broccoli and garlic, stir in butter and flour, then add broth and milk and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the Velveeta and cheddar until melted.
What are common mistakes making broccoli soup?
Skipping the flour cook, rushing the simmer, adding the cheese before the base has thickened, and too much heat, which can curdle the milk. The table above has the fix for each.
What’s the best broth for broccoli cheese soup?
Chicken broth. This soup uses 4 cups of it with 1 cup of milk, and chicken broth or stock is the standard base for a broth-style broccoli cheese soup.
Why did my broccoli cheese soup curdle?
Most likely the dairy got too hot: milk proteins can separate at high temperatures and form curds. Bring the soup up to temperature slowly over low heat.
Final Notes
Chop everything small, cook the flour, give the base its full simmer, and add the cheese last. That order is what keeps the soup smooth. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you dipped in it.
Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Velveeta
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 large white onion minced
- 1 large carrot minced
- 2 stalks celery minced
- 12 ounces broccoli florets chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 16 ounces Velveeta cubed
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded, about 1 cup
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the butter to the Dutch oven. Once it has melted, add the flour and stir so the flour coats the broccoli like a paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the broth and milk. Using a whisk or spatula, scrape the sides and the bottom of the pot. Stir so the milk thickens slightly.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the Velveeta and the shredded cheddar and stir until the cheese is completely melted.
- Serve immediately.
