You can make this creamy, ridiculously easy, vegan broccoli soup two ways, curry spiced or savory.
For someone who has such definite opinions about all sorts of things–politics, football, sensible shoes–I can be so indecisive in the kitchen that it’s a wonder my family doesn’t starve. I’ll often have an idea for a recipe brewing in my head for days before I actually go and cook it because I can’t quite decide on the seasoning. And sometimes, as with this broccoli soup, I simply don’t decide–I make two batches and my whole family does a taste test and is saved from starvation for a few days.
Well, I didn’t exactly make two batches but rather one batch that I divided in half before adding the seasonings. I really wanted a straightforward broccoli soup, a soup that tasted like the vegetable itself, not a lot of seasonings, but I was afraid that might be boring. So I divided the ingredients exactly in half (a kitchen scale makes this doable with ingredients like broccoli) and made one half “plain” and the other half curried.
I was very happy with the plain version, but just to make see if an addition of herbs or lemon juice might make it better, I further experimented with individual bowls of the plain soup. Still, I liked the plain soup the best, a big surprise for someone who sprinkles habanero seasoning on almost everything.
Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup
My husband, on the other hand, went crazy for the curried version, a simple variation that I made by replacing the gold potato with sweet potato, adding my favorite Maharajah curry powder, and increasing the red pepper. I liked it too, but sometimes I just want a broccoli soup to taste like broccoli, and I found the plain version to be creamy and full of natural flavor.
So give both versions a try to see which you like best. Or, better yet, do your own experimentation and let me know in the comments what additions you like.
Croutons!
Before I get to the recipe, let me tell you where you can find the recipe for the Fat-Free Ezekiel Bread Croutons that you see in the photos: my new newsletter, of course! The first issue went out this past Sunday, and if you weren’t subscribed, you missed it. Just kidding! You can subscribe today and still get that first issue with the crouton recipe here.
Ridiculously Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli about 1 1/4 pound or 6-7 cups chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 cups vegetable broth I used Imagine’s No-Chicken
- 1 large Yukon gold potato cooked, peeled and diced
- 1/4–1/2 cup raw cashews
- salt black pepper, and cayenne, to taste
Instructions
- Place the broccoli, onion, garlic, and vegetable broth in a saucepan. Bring the broth to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes.
- Put half of the broccoli and broth into a blender with half of the potato and cashews. Blend at high powder until smooth. Pour into another saucepan, and repeat with the rest of the broccoli, potato, and cashews.
- Heat the soup, covered, on low for 10 minutes or so. Check seasonings and add salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper to taste.
Notes
Add 1 teaspoon of good, mild curry powder to the broth in the first step. Substitute a cooked, peeled medium sweet potato for the Yukon gold potato, and add a larger pinch of cayenne pepper to finish.
Nutritional info is approximate.
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It’s Green So It Must Be Christmasy
Well, maybe this broccoli soup isn’t exactly the Christmas treat you’re looking for, but I’ve got you covered. I’ve been pinning Christmas Recipes on Pinterest and tagging Holiday recipes here on my blog. And, if you’re still looking for a gift for an avid cook, check out my Kitchen Gift Guide or my Amazon store.
Happy cooking (and shopping)!
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Tami@NutmegNotebook
What a beautiful looking soup and the calorie count is amazing! I will have to make this but with so many choices it might take me a couple of days to decided which seasoning to go with!
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Tami! Let me know what you try!
Howard
I have been making a similar recipe for years. Instead of Yukon potatoes , I use red lentils.
Lori
Could you just toss it all in a crockpot? It looks delish!
Susan Voisin
You could, but why? It just needs to heat for a few minutes after blending.
Ninufar
I’d vote no on slow cooking this, but I’m pretty fussy about broccoli. The taste will be different, but hey, if you’ve made something similar (with lots of broccoli) in the crockpot, who am I to say?
Becky
That sounds gorgeous. I’m leaning much more towards the plain one than the curried!
Jamie @ Dishing Out Health
Oooh I love the idea of curried cream of broccoli soup! Sounds perfect for the winter months. Thanks for sharing 🙂
carol
I tried to sign up for your newsletter and a confirmation email was never received to complete the signup process.
Susan Voisin
Carol, I just checked and I have you confirmed at this address but unconfirmed at another. If you use Gmail, check your promotions folder, if you have one, because gmail sends newsletters there.
moonwatcher
Hi Susan,
I can so relate to this process of experimenting in the way you describe, and then coming back to the simplest version of all. This sounds wonderful, and doable, too, without a special blender. The method is very similar to your Cheesy Cauliflower sauce (which I just made again) and I think it would make a gorgeous velvety soup. as evidenced by the beautiful green color in the photo. Thanks!!
xoxo
moonwatcher
Chessie
I made a part-broccoli, part-cauliflower version of this for tonight’s supper, and it’s pretty good, even run through an old, slow blender. Next time I fix this I’ll try the curried version, because I thought it needed a little something (I added a dash of lemon juice). Probably more pepper or cayenne would have helped, too, but I was afraid of adding too much.
Thanks for the recipe, Susan! You never steer me wrong.
Mahealani @ Spending Time With Salad
Oooh, I love how thick and “creamy” that soup looks. Broccoli soup is one of my all time favorite things to eat. Thanks for this great recipe!
Dreena Burton
I can relate to your culinary indecision, Susan! Sometimes the simplest ingredients are the best, letting the natural flavors shine through. Coincidentally, we had a similar soup for dinner tonight – with raw cashews but butternut squash as the main base. I could have soup just about every night, it’s the easiest dinner to pull together and for me, always so satisfying! Going to share up your beautiful recipe! xx
Connie
I didn’t have any broccoli but did have romanesco so I made the plain version with it. It was very delicious. Thanks!
Linda
This soup sounds & looks wonderful! Because I am allergic to cashews, though, I’ll have to adapt. Do you have any suggestions for replacing the cashews in this dish? I’m wondering whether sunflower seeds would work, or perhaps some avocado?
Kate
Easy and super creamy! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
kellie@foodtoglow
I posted something similar-ish earlier this year with cashews and basil – no potatoes but with some crispy baked wonton garnish for contrast{http://bit.ly/1enJqnF}. You absolutely don’t need to use any cream, or even nut milk, to achieve creamy- textured, luscious soup, and this looks fabulous and comforting. PS Living in the UK, it’s scales all the way – no trying to figure out if my cup of broccoli is the same as the recipe developer’s! Happy Christmas from a fan in Scotland!
Carol
Hi Susan,
Well, I goofed! I subscribed to the newsletter, but somehow deleted the first issue without copying down the crouton recipe. Will you be archiving back issues? Or am I out of luck? Thank you.
Tracee
if you have gmail…you can look in your trash for it, and put it back in your inbox
Dawn
I love broccoli soup and have experimented making a potato-broccoli version for more creaminess. Thanks for the recipes. I am definitely going to try these. I like the newsletter too!!
Sarah
Susan, I tried to subscribe but have not received an email confirming.
Mary@Mary's Test Kitchen
That soup looks amazing…especially in that beautiful cup!!
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Mary! I’ve had that bug cup for a while and have been waiting for just the right soup to serve it in.
Christine (The Raw Project)
This looks wonderful, vibrant color and simple! Looking forward to trying this, thanks!
Kristin Nicole
This does look simple, and I love easy dishes that can be made in the kitchen. Healthy and delish looking.
kensington cooker
I hope you don’t mind Susan, but I couldn’t help seeing this recipe as a springboard for variations. I used asparagus instead of broccoli, and a yam and nutritional yeast instead of cashews( the nooch idea I borrowed from your Quick and Easy Potato Soup ) . I used the simpler spice mixture. It was delicious, a nice orangey color, and approved of by my omnivore husband.
Vaishali
I can be very indecisive in the kitchen too, so I can totally relate. In this case, it appears that the indecision helped because you got not one but two great soups. I love how creamy it looks, and I am already biased to the curry powder version. 🙂
Esther J
I made the curry version for a holiday party (of non-vegans). Unfortunately, I don’t think it went over too well with that crowd. No one said a word to me about it afterwards. 🙁 When I told my mother, who’s accustomed to trying and liking some of the fat-free/low-fat vegan recipes I make she exclaimed, “You took THAT [meaning ff/lf vegan food] to a holiday party! Those ppl wanted their fat and holiday indulgence; they weren’t ready for that.” lol
Regardless, I loved it! I loved the slightly sweet and spicy flavors together. Admittedly, when I got home I tasted it again, and tried to imagine what they tasted. Spicy baby food, maybe? I don’t know.
I would definitely make this again, probably using the white potato version just to experience the difference.
kensington cooker
My very kind daughter-in-law accommodates my dietary needs, usually making one of your recipes when we visit. She started the family early- Christmas dinner with this soup. She’d followed the recipe exactly, using the simpler spicing. It was a hit with nine people ( all omnivores except me), including two small kids. I made my main meal out of it. Thank you once again Susan, and have a delicious Christmas.
Susan Voisin
I am so happy to hear that so many people liked it! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Arlene Harris
Love the recipe……Used it many times……If I don’t have nuts in the pantry I have substituted white bean……little different taste but very good…..
PianoChick
I just made this soup tonight. It is SO GOOD! Thank you for a new, simple recipe that I can whip up quick on a busy night!
DeDeNYC
This soup is deeeeee-lish! I made the curry and sweet potato version, and loved it so much that I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve to tell you so : ) ! A few twists: I doubled the water, which made the soup more soup-y (and while it didn’t turn out as creamy as your photo, it got it away from that “spicy baby food” consistency that another reviewer mentioned. Just sayin…) Another hint: soak the cashews for 4-6 hours before putting them in the soup. This helps to soften them up and makes the resulting soup really creamy and not chunky. Loved it!
Sandy
RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS, as well! I just love this soup – thank you, thank you! Easy, oh so pretty, healthful and beyond yummy!
Cheryl
This is great! Because I don’t have a Vitamix, I used my immersion blender and really like that there were fewer pots and things to clean that way. Can’t wait to try the curry version and I may try blending the broccoli and half the potato, but then having some chunks of potato and carrot for more texture – ooo, a splash of sherry might be good, too 🙂
Charleen
While struggling to find good vegan recipes due to cardiac problems, I came across a blog that sent me to yours.
I am amazed at the wonderful recipes you have on here. I will be a happy follower as I learn the art of vegan cooking as I try your excellent selections.
Thank you for being so creative!
Corrin Radd
Made this today and my toddler who refuses almost everything green gobbled it up. I might have to make a pot of this every week to get some broccoli in him.
Princy
I have made this soup a couple of times already and no one in my family could believe it was vegan! I’m only just starting to venture into the vegan world and finding it a relatively easy switch from my vegetarian diet. This soup will become a staple in my family – my kids (7yrs and 5yrs) cleaned their soup bowls last night! Thanks for developing and sharing this super easy and delicious recipe.
jill
I am a lazy chef and was wondering if you blend everything at the end, do you really need to chop all the ingredients. Planning on making in my instant pot, so was thinking I could probably very coarsely chop (maybe quarter) the onions, broccoli, potato, etc and that it would probably come out the same. Let me know if there is a reason to chop them finer other than cooking faster. I have a blendtec so it will not take long to make it smooth and creamy no matter what the size. Also, it adds more nutrition to leave peels on cleaned potatoes- would this affect the taste in your opinion?
Laura
When you say “cooked” potatoes, do you mean baked or boiled? Or does it matter?
Susan Voisin
It doesn’t matter a lot. I believe I microwaved them. Boiled would probably retain more moisture, so that’s what I suggest.
NoreenB
I love your blog! I found it this past July (2013) when I decided to cut wheat, dairy, and sugar from my diet. Partly was for health reasons, the other part was I knew it was time for me to pay more attention and lose weight. I’ve lost 30lbs. I love food, and I love good food, it’s just so easy to eat too much of it, and then give in to my total attachment to bread and sweets. I’ve made many recipes from your site and I come here to be inspired and remember why I eat good food and for health! The site is so beautiful, I love your photos and the set up is well organized and easy to follow. Thank you for your consistent work to keep it up.
devyani
My suggestion: make your OWN curry powder. It is easy and cheap and not to mention fresh. I use a coffee grinder..reserved for this…unless you are pushing maharaj products (I am hoping you aren’t)…I would make my own.
Susan Voisin
I do make my own curry powder for some recipes, but most people don’t want to go to that trouble for a simple soup like this, so I recommend a good curry powder that they can use. Maharajah is a type of curry powder, not a brand, and I’m not “pushing” it. I get no compensation for recommending it.
Layne Madrid
Not a huge fan of broccoli and I hardly ever make soup, however this soup is going into bi-weekly rotation! It was delicious and my one year old kept signing more!
Thanks for helping me create delicious, healthy and quick meals for my family!
leftylen
Made it, delicious. (non curry)
jstump209
Do you think it would it turn out ok if i left the peels on the potatos?
Susan Voisin
Probably, but it might not be as smooth.
KC
I LOVE cream of broccoli soup but never eat it due to the fat and dairy. I made this over the holidays when my daughter was home from college, doubled the batch, and came home to find it gone! She and her friends devoured it. Ended up making two more double batches during the two weeks she was home. It’s delicious and creamy and SO good for you. One of my new faves!