Need an easy and delicious dinner on the table fast? This Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is made in less than 30 minutes and takes the stress out of the infamous "What's for dinner" question. No special ingredients are needed for this easy soup, so grab your Instant Pot and let it do the heavy lifting!
Let's be real, the slog of making dinner every night can be cumbersome. But using an Instant Pot changes everything.
This Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a staple in our dinner rotation.
Easy, filling with minimal prep work. That's my kind of easy weeknight meal. Simply add a salad, some rolls (or popovers), and dinner is done.
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Why you will love this recipe
✔️ It's fast! Making the soup in the Instant Pot gets dinner on the table quickly - perfect for those busy nights when time is tight.
✔️ Simple ingredients! No hard-to-find, expensive ingredients are used in this soup. Just staple and fresh ingredients that are easy to keep on hand.
✔️ Food Sensitive Friendly! It's naturally gluten-free and can be made vegetarian by swapping the chicken broth out and using vegetable broth in its place.
✔️ No immersion blender needed! When you use the Instant Pot to make the soup, the pressure cooking makes the broccoli break apart when you stir giving you creamy soup without any work.
Ingredients
The ingredient list is short and sweet for this easy soup.
Ingredient Notes:
Onions and Garlic: If you don't have onion and garlic on hand you can replace it with 2 chopped shallots instead.
Broccoli: Fresh or frozen broccoli works - use what you have.
Cheese: Pick up a block of cheddar cheese at the store and shred it. Pre shredded cheese is coated to keep it from sticking together and doesn't melt as well.
Instructions
The hands-on time is minimal for this soup recipe.
Set the Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Melt the butter, add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic.
Pour in the chicken stock, broccoli, carrots, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Lock the lid of the Instant Pot (make sure vent is set to seal) and cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
While the soup is cooking, whisk together the corn starch and water in a small bowl. When the 1 minute cooking time is done, use the quick pressure release. When the valve drops, open the pot and turn on the sauté setting.
Stirring constantly, add the corn starch/water mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in half & half.
Add cheese by the handful stirring until melted and serve.
FAQs
An Instant Pot is a multicooker that has tons of functions, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, steaming, warming, and sautéing — all in one appliance that helps expedite the cooking process. They come in a variety of sizes so it is easy to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Well, yes and no. The cook time is one minute, but you need to add the additional time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and release. So the actual hands-off time it cooks is closer to 15 minutes.
Half and half gives you the creamiest soup, if you want to cut back on the calories you can use milk but the end result will not be as thick and creamy.
Expert Tips for the Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup
✘ Cut the broccoli into same-sized pieces so it cooks evenly. If you are using frozen broccoli, no need to defrost before cooking.
✘ Short on time? You can skip the sautéing of the onions in the first step and still get great results. We love the depth of flavor that is added by cooking the onions first.
✘ Use half & half or whipping cream for the best results. The little bit of indulgence is balanced by the veggie-packed soup!
✘ Add fun toppings! Corn nuts add crunch and a little bit of saltiness. Crumbled bacon bits are a great option, too. Bacon makes everything better.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups broccoli florets (or 14 oz frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed)
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese (8 ounce block)
- 2 cups half and half
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Melt the butter and add the chopped onion and cook until translucent and then add the garlic.3 tablespoons butter, 1 clove garlic, 1 large onion
- Pour in the chicken stock, broccoli, carrots, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot (make sure vent is set to seal) and cook on high pressure for 1 minute.4 cups chicken stock, 4 cups broccoli florets, 1 cup matchstick carrots, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
- While the soup is cooking, whisk together the corn starch and water in a small bowl.¼ cup corn starch, ¼ cup water
- When the 1 minute cooking time is done, use the quick pressure release. When the valve drops, remove the lid of the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté setting.
- Stirring constantly, add the corn starch/water mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in half & half.2 cups half and half
- Add cheese by the handful, stirring until melted. Serve warm.2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
Notes
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Everytime I would go to panera bread I would order broccoli cheese soup. My husband and I have now moved to another city and we no longer have this restaurant. I could go for a big pot of this just to relive my panera days.
I love Panera too! This is a tasty alternative 🙂
Sounds amazing! I love broccoli cheese soup and making this in the crock pot makes it even easier!
Thanks, Autumn!
What an amazing recipe! I love my crock pot right now - I have no energy left to cook at dinner! Pinned!
I agree, Dorothy. My crock pot is my best friend right now! Thanks for the pin!
This would be perfect for a bone chilling day like today!
Thanks, Joelen!
Love this for cold days! I need to make this ASAP. Stay warm!
Every little bit helps! 🙂