Name: Creamy Vegetable Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter; 1 yellow onion, diced; 10 cloves garlic, minced; 1 lb carrots, peeled and diced; 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces; 32 oz vegetable broth; 2 cups finely diced broccoli florets; 8 oz yellow sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated; 2 cups whole milk; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; salt, to taste

This Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe is absolutely delicious! Full of veggies and a rich cheesy base, it is the best comfort food.

This creamy vegetable soup is packed full of veggies, and made thick and creamy with milk and fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese. It’s the ultimate cozy and flavorful soup for when you are craving nourishing comfort food!

This is hands down my favorite soup. If I had to pick one soup to eat the rest of my life, it would be this one!

When I was 9 months pregnant with my third son I was very sick for several weeks leading up to his birth. All I wanted was a big bowl of nourishing creamy vegetable soup and nothing from the store could even come close.

There is just nothing like a big hot and cozy bowl of soup when you are feeling sick! As soon as I felt better, this was my first recipe I had to finish testing!

Since then we have made this veggie soup countless times and enjoy the leftovers for easy lunches during the week. It’s one of our absolute favorite soups, along with this copycat Panera broccoli cheese soup.

carrots, onion, garlic, broccoli, russet potatoes, butter, flour, vegetable broth, cheese, and milk

broccoli cheese soup

Ingredients & Notes

You can find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this post in the recipe card, but here is what you will need to make this soup.

Butter: butter adds a delicious rich flavor to the soup.
Yellow onion and garlic: these are key for flavor. I do not recommend using garlic powder and onion powder as replacements.
Carrots: peeled and diced.
Russet potatoes: peeled and diced.
Broccoli: finely diced into florets.
Vegetable broth
Sharp cheddar cheese: freshly grated. Freshly grated cheese melts much better in soup and has a better flavor. I do not recommend using bagged shredded cheese.
Milk and flour: to thicken the soup and make it creamy. I do not suggest using anything besides whole milk for optimal creaminess.

chopped up vegetables for soup on a cutting board

How to make creamy vegetable soup

Step 1: Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large pot. I like using a dutch oven as it is the perfect size for a large pot of soup.

Step 2: Add the garlic and onion and cook it over medium low heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the onion is softened and translucent.

Step 3: Add the carrots and cook them for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Step 4: Add the diced potatoes and vegetable broth and bring the vegetable soup to a boil.

Boil the mixture until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork and fall apart.

stirring cooked down garlic and onion in a dutch oven

What makes soup creamy?

Step 5: Mix together the milk and flour in a bowl, then add it to the soup. This is what makes the soup thicken up and adds creaminess.

Kitchen tips

I suggest using whole milk for this recipe and not substituting any other kind of milk. You want that rich creamy feel to your soup and whole milk is a must for this!

Step 6: Add in the finely diced broccoli and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 7: Add the freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese and stir it in until it is melted and the soup thickens.

The soup will continue to thicken as it cooks. The potatoes will also fall apart more which thickens up the overall texture of the creamy vegetable soup.

Step 8: Salt the soup to taste and serve.

How to serve creamy vegetable soup

We love serving this creamy vegetable soup with rolls, baguettes, or crackers. I love to make a meal of it with a bowl of vegetable soup, buttered rolls, and a side salad.

creamy vegetable soup in a bowl with a spoon

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Storing Leftovers

Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the soup in a sauce pan or in the microwave until heated through.

I have also frozen it and reheated it on the stove with great results! I suggest freezing this soup for 1-2 months for best freshness.

Can I use a different type of potato?

Any kind of potato is fine to use in this recipe. The important part is that you chop them into small similar sized pieces so that they cook quickly and evenly.

This is my favorite go to soup recipe. It’s flavorful, veggie packed, and so creamy! I can’t wait for you to try it!

Notes

Vegetable size The size of the vegetables is very important in this recipe. You want small pieces as shown in the recipe photos. If your vegetables are too large, they will not soften as quickly or cook evenly. Cheese note Do not skip freshly grating the sharp cheddar cheese! Bagged shredded cheese has added anti-caking agents that make it not melt as well as freshly grated cheese.