Creamy, healthy, vegan broccoli cheese soup–with neither milk nor cheese! Chickpea flour creates the creamy base in this high protein (12.7 g per serving) vegan soup.
Super Nutritious Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Broccoli cheese soup. Creamy, homey and satisfying. Perfect end-of-February comfort food. And I have a recipe for it unlike any other.
My version tastes like classic broccoli cheese soup, but with (ahem) a few wee twists. For example, it is:
Dairy-free (no milk at all, dairy or non-dairy)
Cheese-free (not even vegan cheese)
Oil-free
Grain-free
High Protein (12.7 g per serving!)
High Fiber (7 g per serving)
Low-Carb
Gluten-free
Easy-to-make (e.g., one pot, no blending required)
Most of all, it is delicious!
Chickpea Flour: the Secret to Creamy, High-Protein Vegan Soup
Let’s get started, shall we? First, grab your magic wand.
Kidding. But I get it, this all may sound too good to be true.
When a slurry of chickpea flour and liquid is heated (whisking along the way), it becomes thick and very creamy. No milk additions,of any kind are needed. It can be more or less thick, depending on the ratio of flour to liquid. At one extreme, cheese. At the other, the second inspiration for this recipe: French chickpea flour soup.
How to Make Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Now we can begin. First up, prep your broccoli.
Stick with the florets (save the stems for something else) and chop them fine. The broccoli will need to cook in the creamy soup; fine chopping equals faster cooking. It also means you will not have to chew your soup. Who wants a jumbo hunk of broccoli on their spoon? Not me. But if big broccoli floats your boat, I suggest steaming your hunks before adding to the soup.
Note that broccoli is the only chopped vegetable in this soup. Because it is broccoli soup. No onions, no carrots, no thank you.
Time to make the base! In a medium bowl, whisk the chickpea flour with 1 and 1/2 cups of the water until it is very smooth. You’ll also whisk in some flavorings: onion powder, garlic powder, tomato paste (this adds depth of flavor, acidity, and color), salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (this is the ingredient that delivers bold cheese flavor as well as mega protein).
Add the chickpea mixture and the remaining water to a large saucepan, whisking until smooth. Bring to a low boil over high heat, whisking along the way. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes longer until thickened.
Whisk in the mustard (it adds the sharpness associated with Cheddar cheese) and then stir in the broccoli. Cover the soup and simmer on low for 5 to 7 minutes until the broccoli is cooked and tender. Give the soup a taste; add the lemon juice, as well as more salt and pepper to taste.
Yum. Time for ladling into bowls!
My white bean flatbread makes a great accompaniment, especially for dunking!
Creamy, healthy, cheese and broccoli soup–with no milk or cheese! Chickpea flour creates the creamy base in this high protein (12.7 g per serving) vegan soup.
1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 mL) fresh lemon juice (to taste)
Instructions
Cut off the broccoli florets; reserve the stems for another use. Finely chop the florets and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and 1 and 1/2 cups (350 mL) water until blended. Add the nutritional yeast, tomato paste, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until blended.
Add the chickpea mixture and the remaining water to a large saucepan, whisking until smooth. Bring to a low boil over high heat, whisking along the way.
Reduce the medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes longer until thickened. Whisk in the mustard.
Add the broccoli to the soup, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes longer until the broccoli is tender. Add the lemon juice, as well as more salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle into bowls and serve!
Notes
Storage: Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cauliflower Variation: Prepare as directed but use an equal mount of cauliflower in place of the broccoli.
Category:Soup
Method:Stovetop
Cuisine:American
Nutrition
Serving Size:1-1/3 cups
Calories:150
Sugar:5 g
Sodium:303.4 mg
Fat:1.8 g
Saturated Fat:0.3 g
Carbohydrates:22.9 g
Fiber:7.5 g
Protein:12.7 g
Cholesterol:0 mg
Keywords: vegan broccoli soup, grain-free, gluten-free, easy, dairy-free, cheese-free, broccoli, high protein, high protein soup
I’m Camilla, food writer, author, runner, and spin instructor. PowerHungry® is where I share my easy, minimalist, plant-based recipes, designed for living a healthy, delicious, empowered life.
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Tina
Saturday 13th of February 2021
Okay to use frozen broccoli?
Tina Mc
Sunday 24th of January 2021
Hello. I want to use frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh broccoli. Do I follow same instructions? Thank you.
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Heather
Monday 13th of July 2020
This made it into my weekly take-to-work lunch rotation! Even if I wasn't opting for a healthy meal, I would still gladly dig into this!