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With the perfect contrast of creamy and crunchy, this vegan broccoli soup is a quick and delicious way to get in your veggies. Cashews produce a creamy texture and add protein!
Top this soup with Parmesan smashed broccoli or homemade croutons for some crunch.
save this recipe!Of course, cheesy broccoli soup is delicious…but what if you could have the same creamy taste without the dairy and with just vegetables?
This vegan broccoli soup uses cashews and vegetables to pack in fiber, protein, and loads of flavor. It comes together in just 30 minutes and is mostly made in one pot.
- Mostly One Pot: Everything for this dairy-free broccoli soup, including the cashews, gets cooked in the same pot. If you do the smashed broccoli, that just adds a single sheet tray.
- Lots of Vegetables: With carrots, onions, and broccoli, this soup packs loads of fiber into a silky smooth blended soup.
- Freezer-Friendly Vegan Soup: You can easily make a double batch of this blended vegetable soup and freeze some for whenever the cozy weeknight soup craving strikes.
Reader rating
“This recipe turned out exactly as written. It was incredibly yummy! We added faux bacon, red onions and red chile flakes w/our broccoli croutons as toppers.” —Ronnie
Key ingredients
This soup is so forgiving, so feel free to use fresh or frozen vegetables. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Broccoli: Some gets cooked into the soup, while the rest is turned into crispy smashed broccoli for topping. Frozen broccoli works too!
- Vegetable Base: To build the flavor, this soup uses carrots for sweetness, onion for bite, and garlic for a punch.
- Vegetable Broth: I like to make homemade vegetable broth from scraps, but store-bought works too.
- Cashews: Opt for unroasted and unsalted (but if using salted, just reduce the added salt in the recipe).
Soak or no?
Should you soak the cashews in hot water before starting? This depends on your blender. If you have a strong blender, like a Vitamix, then you don’t need to because we’re already boiling them in the soup. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, then I recommend soaking them for a few hours first.
How to make vegan broccoli soup
Making creamy plant-based soup is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Just grab a stock pot and a sheet tray. This is an overview of the recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Make the flavor base by sautéing the veggies in olive oil until soft.
- Stir in the other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Blend either with an immersion blender or in a stand blender.
- Make the smashed broccoli in the oven while the soup cooks.
- Serve the soup with the crispy broccoli or homemade croutons!
Is your soup underseasoned?
If you’re soup tastes bland, add more salt and pepper. Everyone’s taste buds are different, so it’s important to taste and adjust before serving. Salt makes all the other flavors pop!
Soup and salad, anyone?
What’s more classic than soup and salad? Well okay, maybe soup and sandwich…I’ll include pairings for both.
- Chickpea Tuna Salad: I love pairing this creamy cashew-based soup with something with a bit more protein like a vegan tuna salad.
- Chickpea Chicken Salad: Along the same vein, this salad is a cream-based salad with a bit more substance than a leafy salad. Enjoy it as a sandwich or wrap with your broccoli soup.
- Kale Chickpea Salad: Keep it simple with a kale Caesar salad if you’re not vegan.
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup With Smashed Broccoli
Ingredients
Vegan Broccoli Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- 1 medium yellow onion, about 1 cup, diced
- 1 to 2 medium carrots, about 1 cup, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth, 1.5 L
- 1 cup cashews
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 32-oz package broccoli florets, divided
Smashed Broccoli
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Flavor Base: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 medium yellow onion (diced), 1 to 2 medium carrots (diced), and 4 cloves garlic (minced). Cook until onion is soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- Stir: Stir on 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup cashews, ½ tsp each salt and pepper, and about 75% of the 1 32-oz package broccoli florets. Cover and let simmer until broccoli is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Blend: When broccoli is tender, puree the mixture until smooth using either a handheld immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a countertop blender.
Smashed Broccoli
- Microwave: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Transfer the remaining broccoli to a microwave-safe bowl. Add a splash of water then cover with either a plate or plastic wrap. Microwave until broccoli is bright green and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Smash: Transfer florets to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a cup to firmly smash each piece of broccoli until flattened. Pat the smashed pieces as dry as possible with a clean towel or paper towels.In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Brush it into each piece of broccoli. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until charred at the edges (they won't get super crispy–it's the flavor we're after!).
- Serve: Ladle broccoli soup into bowls and top with smashed broccoli. Happy eating!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
This recipe turned out exactly as written. It was incredibly yummy! We added faux bacon, red onions and red chile flakes w/our broccoli croutons as toppers.
I’m so thrilled to hear you loved it, Ronni! Happy eating!!
Made this tonight. Very nice. Thank you!
On a whim, I added some nutritional yeast to the soup, along with a little thyme, cumin and tumeric, but it wasn’t much, so probably didn’t make much difference.
Thanks again. Very tasty.
So glad it turned out so well! Enjoy!
Do you throw in cashews whole? Or must you blend them into a paste?
You boil them whole then blend them up with everything 🙂
So yummy! Had some left over silken tofu from another recipe so I threw that in too and it all came together so nicely!
Love that! Silken tofu is such a great add—it makes everything extra creamy and adds a little protein boost too. So glad it all came together!
Delicious!! Love the texture, and great flavors! Just wish the nutrition facts for this were posted.
Thanks for pointing out that was missing, Karen! I’ve just added in the nutrition info 🙂
very tasty, full of protein, fiber and very fun to eat. Love using Cashews to make it a “creamy” soup!
So happy you loved it, happy eating!
If I don’t have cashews, can I use different nuts, like mixed nuts to give it the creamy texture?
I haven’t tested this one with other nuts, but I think almonds or walnuts would work! I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
This soup sounds really tasty, I am currently making your slow cooker cauliflower soup (with crispy chickpeas). So easy to make just throwing everything into the slow cooker and then blending.
Could I not use the same method for this soup ie just throw all the ingredients (without the olive oil) into the slow cooker, and then blend once cooked? ie that will save time and dishes without cooking the onion, garlic, carrot first?
Yes you could do this one the same way! 🙂
Beautiful creamy soup, easy and delicious, thanks
Happy you enjoyed it, thanks for cooking with us!
I made this today along with the Tuscan white bean soup because my husband and I have different taste buds on soups. Anyway he likes this but his favorite is the Tuscan white bean soup. And I like that one but my favorite is this one. Our grown son can’t pick a favorite because he likes them both equally. I had to soak the cashews overnight in both recipes because I don’t have a high power blender. But this was silky smooth after putting it in the blender. And I added 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast in the pot along with an extra tablespoon of Better than Bullion vegetable base and increased the salt and pepper to 1 teaspoon of each. I made the additional baked broccoli to add later and I am glad I didn’t skip that step. Wow the flavors are so so good. If I hadn’t made it, I wouldn’t believe it was vegan ( I’m vegan). So that’s my experience with your very good recipes.
It’s been really lovely reading your comments today, thanks so much Ren’e.