Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup with Crispy Potatoes

This creamy plant-based broccoli soup is packed with rich and cheesy flavors.

• AND it includes an actual rainbow of veggies - potatoes, carrots, tomato, onions, garlic, and a ton of broccoli.
• AND even though I keep using words like creamy and cheesy it is 100% dairy free.

It’s really a salad disguised as bowls of creamy broccoli cheese soup which is honestly a kind of trickery I am 100% on board with. Also, let’s not forget the crispy fried potatoes. Let’s never ever forget the crispy fried potatoes.

After topping bowls of split pea soup with crispy fried potatoes, I vowed to always top bowls of creamy soup with crispy fried potatoes because it is a superior way to eat soup. Just sayin'.

The potatoes add a buttery, creamy-on-the-inside-crispy-on-the-outside texture to this soup that gives you something to chew on and makes the soup feel even more satisfying and indulgent.

Is a creamy, cheesy, satisfying, and plant-based meal your kind of thing? Perfect. Me too. Let's make some soup.

Ingredients

The only "rare-ish" ingredient in this soup is Urfa pepper which can easily be ordered if it's not something your local market keeps in stock. Or, if you prefer, you can leave it out entirely and add more paprika.

• Vegan butter OR vegetable or olive oil. Fat is essential for sautéing onions, garlic, and spices to create the broccoli soup base. The kind of fat you use is up to you.
• Chopped onions and garlic build flavor in the broccoli soup base. I usually use a yellow onion, but any kind will do.
• Coriander, Urfa pepper, and smoked paprika. If you're not familiar, Urfa pepper is a dark red Turkish chili pepper with a gorgeous savory-sweet-smokey and slightly sour flavor that adds flavor and complexity to this soup. It's a really good addition to this plant-based soup but if you can't find it, just leave it out and add additional paprika.
• Salt and pepper, of course.
• Sugar. Just one teaspoon of sugar boosts the flavor of this soup to a surprising degree.
• Non-dairy milk. Use any kind of non-dairy milk you like as long as it's unsweetened and unflavored. One word of caution: Coconut milk can give this soup a slight coconut flavor that's not bad as long as you know what to expect.
• Vegetable stock. I used Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base. Most commercially prepared vegetable stock brands including Better than Bouillon contain quite a bit of salt so keep that in mind when seasoning your soup.
• Potatoes. Potatoes are an important component in the soup and the cheese sauce. PLUS, topping bowls of soup with a handful of crispy fried potatoes is so, SO delicious. Use any kind of potato you like - I prefer buttery yukon gold potatoes or russets.
• Broccoli florets, obvi. Fresh or frozen. Also, this is a fantastic way to use up any roasted, sautéed, or grilled broccoli leftover from another meal!
• Fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley.
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice. A bit of lemon juice elevates the flavors and fresh-factor of this soup to a degree that might surprise you. Taste and add as much or as little as you like.
• Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce. This creamy vegan nacho cheese sauce is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, and easily prepared in 2 simple steps.
• And, the pièce de résistance... Top creamy, cheesy bowls of broccoli soup with Crispy Fried Potatoes. The recipe for crispy fried potatoes calls for butter and olive oil. If you want to keep things 100% vegan, just use vegan butter or only oil.

*See the recipe card for precise quantities.

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap out the crispy fried potatoes for crispy fried mushrooms as in this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Soup.
• Other topping ideas: croutons, crispy pieces of bacon, sausage, or tofu, shredded cheese, or roasted pumpkin seeds.
• Use cauliflower instead of broccoli for a creamy, cheesy cauliflower soup.
• Toss in a can of beans, or a cup or two of homemade slow cooker beans or instant pot beans.
• If you want to make this soup because it's dairy free but you don't really care if it's vegan, add some chicken! If you like the idea of adding chicken but want to keep it vegan, add some frozen plant-based chicken.
• Add some cooked grains - rice, couscous, or quinoa are all delicious in this soup.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

I usually like to make the super easy vegan nacho cheese sauce before starting on the soup and then let it hang out in the refrigerator until I need it. (You can even make it up to a week in advance if you prefer.) While the potatoes and carrots simmer for the cheese sauce, gather the ingredients for the soup.

Chop up an onion and cook it in some vegan butter or oil until it's soft and translucent.

Add some chopped garlic and all the spices and cook for a couple of minutes to let the spices bloom.

Add some non-dairy milk, vegetable stock, and a chopped potato and bring the liquid to a boil.

Add the broccoli, cover the pot, and let it simmer until the broccoli and potatoes are tender.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in some chopped parsley and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and puree in a blender (preferably a high speed blender) until smooth and creamy.

Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup inside the saucepan.

Stir in the nacho cheese sauce and give it a taste. Add more lemon juice, salt and pepper if you like.

Cover the soup to keep it warm while you prepare the crispy fried potatoes.

Ladle the broccoli cheese soup into bowls and top with more chopped fresh parsley and a handful of crispy fried potatoes.

Pro Tip: Crispy fried potatoes are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside because they are boiled and then fried. I like to boil the potatoes before making the soup (or in a different pot while making the soup) then fry them right before serving. You can also boil the potatoes up to 3 days in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until you're ready to fry them.

Storage and Make Ahead Tips

• The nacho cheese sauce can be prepared up to a week in advance. Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. Or, freeze the nacho cheese sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
• Broccoli cheese soup reheats really well. Prepare the soup in advance and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The same applies to leftover soup which is perfect for lunch the next day! Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave.
• The crispy fried potatoes are at their crispiest right after they've been fried. But, they are still delicious later on. If you have some leftover, just put them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Add them to the soup before reheating.
• Broccoli cheese soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store the soup in an airtight container in the freezer and allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave.

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