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Jalapeño Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup (vegan) – a fast and easy weeknight meal that is loaded up with lots of healthy broccoli! This delicious soup is vegan, keto and gluten-free- and can be made in 30 minutes!
Ohhhhhhh how we’ve been loving this Jalapeño Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup this week! Think of this like Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but made vegan and kicked up and notch with poblano peppers and jalapenos. Doesn’t that sound good? It is!
It’s not spicy, just super flavorful! Cashews (or hemp seeds) give the soup it’s rich creaminess. Nutritional yeast gives it its cheesy flavor. Or feel free to use vegan Daiya Cheddar Shreds that actaully melt.
What I like about this soup is how it really is mostly broccoli. Blending part of the cooked broccoli with the cashews gives it such a silky luxurious texture, it feels good in your mouth. But don’t take my word for it- give it a try and see.
To finish the soup, add the flavorful tempering oil. Quickly saute sliced jalapeno in olive oil with whole cumin seeds and Aleppo. Throw in some corn if you have some in your freezer, and just spoon this over the soup. So tasty!
Down here in Santa Barbara, where things grow year-round, the farmers market is full of veggies like broccoli and peppers. I feel a little spoiled after spending years in Eastern Washington where the farmer’s markets basically shut down for the long winter.
For this recipe, you’ll need about a pound or 7 cups of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets. I always include the stems as well- slicing them thinly.
The soup starts with sauteing the onion, garlic and peppers. I used two poblanos and 1 jalapeno. The soup was mildly spicy. Barely spicy truthfully. There is a lot of broccoli to counteract the peppers.
If you are worried about heat, perhaps start with 1/2 a jalapeno.
Once the onions and peppers are tender, add the veggie broth and water and herbs and spices and broccoli.
Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until the broccoli is tender, 10-12 minutes.
Take two cups of the tender broccoli and two cups of the broth and place it in a blender.
Add the cashews. If using a high-powered blender, no need to soak the cashews.
If using a regular blender, soak them 4-8 hours or overnight- or you could do a “cheater soak”- just simmer them in a small pot of hot water for about 15 minutes and drain.
Shush, don’t tell! No seriously, it’s fine in pinch.
So I usually start with just one cup broccoli and 1 cup broth with the cashews, blend until smooth, then add the second cup of broccoli and broth.
Now, the color of the soup will be a little drab- unless you do this trick, which if you’ve been here a while, you’ll already know.
Add a couple of handfuls of baby spinach to the blender, and blend until smooth. This will give the soup a lovely vibrance that will make it far more appetizing.
Plus you get all the added nutrients from the spinach.
Win-win!
Pour this vibrant silky smooth concoction into the pot.
Stir and gently heat over low heat, careful not to simmer too long, or you will lose the lovely color!
To make the flavorful tempering oil – which of course you can adapt to what you have on hand, simply saute a sliced jalapeno, some whole cumin seeds and maybe corn if you have it, or if not, pumpkin seeds, or something crunchy and some chili flakes or Aleppo.
Spoon this flavorful finishing oil over the soup, after you’ve dished it up, for a burst of flavor.
So there you have it… Jalapeño Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
So simple! So tasty! So healthy! resource_5.bin
The Vegan Broccoli Soup cooks up quickly for weeknight dinners and heats up perfectly for midweek lunches (either in a microwave or on the stovetop- set on low) and best of all, packs a powerful punch of healthy nutrients.So much goodness here.
I hope you are having a good start to your workweek. Enjoy this vegan Jalapeño Broccoli Cheddar Soup and let me know what you think in the comments below.
xoxo
RELATED: 40 Mouthwatering Vegan Dinner Recipes and 20 Vegetarian Soup Recipes
PrintVegan Broccoli “Cheddar”Jalapeño Soup
- Author: Sylvia Fountaine
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Prep Time: 18
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Cook Time: 20
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Total Time: 38 minutes
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Yield: 5
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Category: soup, main, vegan,
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Method: stovetop
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Cuisine: northwest
Description
Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Soup with Jalapeño – a fast and easy weeknight recipe that is healthy, vegan and keto!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4–6 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1–2 poblano peppers, diced (I like 2)
- 1 jalapeno, diced fine (use 1/2 for less spice- see notes)
- 7 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (about 1 – 1 ¼ pound, stems ok if cut thinly)
- 4 cups veggie or chicken broth (or 4 cups water + 1 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf (optional, remove before blending)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
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- 3/4 cup raw cashews (soaked or simmered, see notes) or hemp hearts
- 2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see notes)
- 1–2 large handful baby spinach (for vibrant color)
Optional Finishing oil:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch chili flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup corn kernals, frozen is ok (optional)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Optional Garnish:
- cilantro or scallions, lime
Instructions
- Heat oil in a big pot over medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, poblanos and jalapeno, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, broth, water, bay leaf, coriander, oregano, salt, and pepper. The liquid should just cover the veggies. Cover, bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until broccoli is tender, about 10-12. minutes. Turn heat off and remove bay leaf.
- BLEND: Place roughly 1 cup of the broccoli and 1 cup of broth into a blender. Let cool 5 minutes. Add the cashews and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
- Cover tightly with blender lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender “explosion”. Blend until silky smooth.
- Add one more cup broccoli and one more cup broth. Blend again until silky smooth.
- To the blender, add 1-2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach for that extra vibrant “green” color, and blend until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Pour this back in the broccoli soup pot, mix and heat gently over low heat, careful not to boil or simmer too long, or you will lose the lovely vibrant green color.
- Taste for salt, heat, and acid. Add a little squeeze of lime if you like, or extra chili flakes or more pepper. For extra “cheesy” flavor add another tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
- Make the finishing oil: Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add sliced jalapeno, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, chili flakes, and optional corn kernals or pumkin seeds. Heat until cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute. Serve the soup in bowls and spoon a little finishing oil over the soup (when serving) in a crescent shape.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro or scallions or a wedge of lime.
Notes
If using a high-powered blender, no need to soak the cashews. Regular Blender? Soak cashews for 4-8 hours (or overnight) in cold water. OR for a quick “cheater” soak, simmer cashews in a little pot of simmering water for 15 mintues to soften, drain before blending.
No Cashews? Feel free substitute hemp seeds for the cashews (or sour cream).
No Nutritional Yeast? Feel free to sub vegan melty cheese (like Daiya chedder shreds) for the nutritional yeast -just add it to the pot (1/2 cup or so) or sprinkle a little over individual servings.
Spice level: With 2 poblanos and 1 jalpeno, soup was still very mildly spicy. You can double or half the jalapeno or leave it out entirely if worried about heat. Up to you. 🙂
Keywords: vegan broccoli soup, broccoli cheddar soup, vegan broccoli cheddar soup, broccoli soup healthy, healthy broccoli soup
Hey, I'm Sylvia! Professional chef, former restaurant owner and caterer, here is where I share hundreds of seasonal, globally-inspired, VEGGIE-DRIVEN recipes.Let's start cooking together! Subscribe to my latest recipes and get my free, PLANT-BASED RECIPE GUIDE.
Categories: Clean-Eating Recipes
Reader Interactions
Comments
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resource_7.binShelley says
September 13, 2020 at 7:07 amOMGEEE!!! I’m trying to convert my fiancé to eat more plant based foods so every week I’ve been trying different recipes. He said this soup was by FAR the best vegan food that he’s had 😂. He said he wants it again next weekend. Would love to follow you for more recipes! This soup was absolutely tasty!!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binAna says
August 29, 2020 at 9:10 amThis one is a keeper. I love broccoli and the flavor, texture and appearance are all really lovely. I think next time I will try toasting the poblano chilies a bit on a comal just for fun. I really love the extra zest that the oil/corn adds. Thank you!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
August 30, 2020 at 7:14 amThanks so much Ana- happy you enjoyed this!
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resource_7.binleonie says
August 28, 2020 at 7:56 amI cooked it yesterday, and it was easy & delicious!
Tasty & spicy as we like.★★★★★
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resource_7.binRhonda says
August 26, 2020 at 11:02 pmWe loved this soup! I’m from Canada but live in Dubai and could only find regular chilis to use in this (they worked fine). I will double up on the finishing oil next time as we used all of it pretty quickly. Thank you for sharing this; we will definitely be cooking this again soon.
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
August 27, 2020 at 6:50 amAwesome Rhonda! Glad you liked this. 🙌
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resource_7.binTessa says
August 08, 2020 at 1:25 pmAmazing soup! I was so impressed. We happily ate it three days in a row, but do you think it’d freeze well?
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
August 09, 2020 at 6:26 amThat is a good question! I haven’t tried freezing, but my guess is it may discolor? If you try, please let me know.
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resource_7.binCathy T says
August 06, 2020 at 4:07 pmThis soup is amazing! Was worried it would be too spicy. I used one poblano and half a jalapeño and could have used a whole jalapeño. So good! Also used both corn and pumpkins seeds in finishing oil;). .
★★★★★
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resource_7.binKeri says
July 28, 2020 at 5:53 pmThis soup is very, very good. It has heat without being hot. Don’t skip the finishing oil (I used pumpkin seeds, not corn). It’s divine! My only complaint is that this took nearly 2.5 hours to make. I admit that I’m no wiz in the kitchen. Maybe, MAYBE, if you had someone chop everything up for you and all you had to do was cook it and blend it, you MIGHT be done in 38 minutes as the recipe suggests. I did really enjoy the soup, though… maybe because I was ravenous by the time it was ready. 🙂
★★★★★
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resource_7.binLynn says
July 12, 2020 at 1:39 pmEasy to make and absolutely delicious! Made with 1/2 Jalapeño and 1 Poblano and it was mild enough for me (I don’t like spicy):) Recipe made enough for lunches for a week. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
July 13, 2020 at 9:16 amAwesome Lynn! Glad you enjoyed it!
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resource_7.binJennyL says
July 02, 2020 at 10:02 amI made this yesterday and it was fantastic! I used shallots instead of onion, one jalapeno, two poblanos. It was perfect. Amazing flavor and texture. Great fresh as well as second day. I made the oil topper, too, with pumpkin seeds. Will definitely make again. Thanks very much for the recipe! Up next, curry cauliflower…
★★★★★
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resource_7.binJill says
June 12, 2020 at 8:44 pmThis one was a miss for us, but we’ve loved almost all the other recipes from this site! Keep ‘um coming! 🙂
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
June 13, 2020 at 8:29 amOh no Jill- can you be more specific about what happened?
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resource_7.binCarrie-Lee says
June 09, 2020 at 11:10 amMy husband doesn’t like cooked broccoli, would cooked cauliflower be a good alternative?
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resource_7.binKamile says
June 05, 2020 at 12:09 pmReally good flavour, really easy to make, this recipe is a win. 😁 Made it without the flavourful oil, still very good!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binJenna says
June 01, 2020 at 10:45 amSo delicious! I always love a simple, vegan recipe that I can whip up easily when I don’t actually feel like cooking, and this worked great. I didn’t have enough fresh broccoli on hand, so used a combination of fresh and frozen, which worked perfectly. I was hesitant on the peppers, so did 1.5 poblano and 0.5 jalapeno, and was surprised at how mild it was. I think I’ll go with a full 2 poblanos and 1 jalapeno next time! Since I made this to take to work, I didn’t bother with any of the extra toppings (although I’m sure that would have made it amazing); just served it up with some sourdough bread and it was *excellent*. Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binJudith Antonelli says
May 27, 2020 at 4:39 amAbsolutely delicious, loved by the whole family (which rarely happens).
★★★★★
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resource_7.binKim says
May 16, 2020 at 7:35 pmI love this recipe and have made it twice now! Next time I’m going to fire roast the peppers first – just for kicks! I also made some croutons with left over sourdough and sprinkled on top – yum 😋 thanks for so many great recipes Sylvia!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
May 17, 2020 at 8:03 amHey- I was just thinking how I need to do a sourdough crouton recipe. You just confirmed it! Thanks!!!
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resource_7.binBell says
May 14, 2020 at 3:31 amHi I am looking at this recipe and was how you can make it without a blender
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
May 14, 2020 at 7:50 amYou really need a blender for this one, because of the cashews. Im sorry.
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resource_7.binEmily Lynn Haines says
April 19, 2020 at 4:26 pmI just made this and it was AMAZING. I didn’t have and of the poblano peppers, so I just doubled my jalapenos. It worked wonders. Thanks for the great recipe!
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resource_7.binSylvia says
April 19, 2020 at 1:18 pmSo happy I tried this recipe. It is the best tasting vegan broccoli soup! Thanks!
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resource_7.binmadi y. says
April 16, 2020 at 3:50 pmThis soup made me a religious woman.
★★★★★
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resource_7.binAlma says
March 29, 2020 at 3:58 pmWonderful!!! Next time I will add more poblanos and jalapenos and maybe even some cilantro to the blending process. Loooveeeed it
★★★★★
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resource_7.binJen says
March 22, 2020 at 6:35 pmDelicious! As suggested I used sweet corn sated with cumin on top and I think the sweetness really compliments the soup. I will make this again. Thank you for your recipes. So happy I found your website. Can’t wait to try more
★★★★
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resource_7.binPatty says
March 08, 2020 at 6:34 pmSylvia:
This soup is wonderful- so flavorful! I used pumpkin seeds in the finishing oil and loved the crunch it added. I admire your amazing ability to elevate healthy cooking to a new level. This soup is creamy and nutritious , so yummy. Thank you! -
resource_7.binCherie says
March 08, 2020 at 9:32 amThis recipe was delicious and filling. I only used a half of jalapeño but will use a whole one next time, it was not too spicy hot at all. So healthy, too! Thank you, Sylvia!!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 08, 2020 at 12:24 pmHi Cherie- thanks so much, Im glad it turned out and that you liked it!
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resource_7.binJudith Starr says
March 07, 2020 at 10:43 pmI made this soup tonight and it is by far the best broccoli soup I’ve ever had, let alone made. Excellent!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 08, 2020 at 8:04 amAwwww that is so great to hear, thanks!!!
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resource_7.binTori Mace says
March 07, 2020 at 4:48 pmI love broccoli soup and this one is simple but so flavorful! Bravo Sylvia!!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binAngie D. says
March 04, 2020 at 8:07 pmWhat a beautiful, healthy, simple and flavorful mid-week meal we just enjoyed – thank you! So yummy. I used hemp hearts, and was out of yeast so added some grated sharp cheddar and asiago at the end. Served this vibrant soup with warm homemade bread and all is well. Lots left over for lunches, too!
★★★★★
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 04, 2020 at 9:55 pmThanks so much Angie- so happy you enjoyed it! The cheddar and asiago sound yummy. 😉
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resource_7.binAlex says
March 04, 2020 at 7:52 amHi!! Love your recipes!! It’s not clear when to add the yeast, cashews and spinach to the regular recipe. Can you please explain. Thank you.
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 04, 2020 at 5:56 pmI highlighted in bold- hopefully more clear now.
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resource_7.binAngie Paglino says
March 03, 2020 at 7:17 pmHi. Steps 3+4 are not legible. Would you mind to republish?
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 03, 2020 at 7:32 pmOh no! I’m not sure what you mean? When you saw not legible- can you explain? Can you send me a screenshot? To sylvia@feastingathome.com
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resource_7.binSylvia Fountaine says
March 04, 2020 at 11:28 amOk I see what you mean- working on this!
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resource_8.binHi, I'm Sylvia! PNW Chef & 2018 Saveur Blog Awards Finalist!
Welcome to FEASTING AT HOME where you'll find delicious, healthy, VEGGIE-DRIVEN recipes with tips and tricks from a chef's home kitchen. A globally-inspired, seasonal, whole foods recipe blog to nurture body, mind and spirit. Join us! >> More
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