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 its rich creaminess. Nutritional yeast gives it its cheesy flavor. Or feel free to use vegan Daiya Cheddar Shreds that actually 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!

Vegan Jalapeno Broccoli Cheddar Soup | 60-second Video

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! 

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 

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