Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

Vegan Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup. So incredibly rich, creamy, dairy-ree, oil-free and just 8 easy ingredients.

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Who really loved broccoli cheese soup as a kid? Please tell me you said yes. Well, today I’ve got a vegan broccoli cheese soup with a twist….a sweet potato-ish, cheesy-ish broccoli soup. Not overly cheesy, but more of a combo of a sweet potato flavor and a cheesy flavor. As you all know by now, I love soup. They are so easy and fast to make and with my schedule lately and for this year, I need easy meals.

One of my absolute favorite recipes my mom made for us growing up, was broccoli cheese soup. I’m not talking about the purred broccoli soup where there is no visible broccoli florets left. No, I want the chunks please, thank you. Roasted chunks, to be exact. I did my usual roasted broccoli trick that I do for a lot of my soups. As I’ve mentioned before, I hate overly cooked/soggy broccoli, which happens a lot when you cook it in the pot. I avoid all this by roasting my broccoli under tender and just beginning to brown. It adds such a better flavor and texture to my soups.

VEGAN BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

This Vegan Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup is so satisfying, creamy and comforting. Even though this soup is vegan and not an ounce of dairy in it, you’d never know by how silky, smooth it is, thanks to using brown rice flour and cashew milk. The soup my mom made was obviously loaded with dairy and processed cheese. Yummy, yes, but I’m no way interested in putting that in my body anymore.

I decided to give the traditional broccoli cheese soup a dairy-free version and a twist, by adding sweet potatoes. My first trial was with regular potatoes and it just was a bit bland for my taste and a bit too starchy for what I was going for. Sweet potatoes taste much less starchy than regular potatoes, plus they also give a beautiful color.

I’m a huge potato soup fan in general and if you are too, then make sure to check out one of my most popular recipes, this Low-fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup!

OTHER VEGAN SOUP RECIPES TO TRY:

• Lazy Red Lentil Curry Soup
• Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
• Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque
• Easy Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup
• Vegan Black Bean Soup
• Hearty Veggie Potato Stew
• Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup

4.97 from 33 votes

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Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

Vegan Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup. So incredibly rich, creamy, dairy-ree, oil-free and just 8 easy ingredients.

Course Dinner, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword sweet potato broccoli cheese soup, vegan broccoli cheese soup, healthy broccoli cheese soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Brandi Doming

Ingredients

• 2 heaping cups (270g) peeled and chopped 1/2 inch pieces sweet potatoes
• 1 packed cup (160g) finely diced white onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (12g)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3-4 cups frozen broccoli florets (depending on how chunky you want it)
• 3 tablespoons (30g) brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup (52g) nutritional yeast (I highly recommend this Sari brand, it is non-fortified with much better taste.)
• 1 1/2 cups (360g) HOMEMADE cashew milk (see NOTES at bottom for nut-free)
• 3-4 Tablespoons dill pickle juice-I used 4 and liked the flavor (this aids in the cheesy flavor)
• Optional: For a smoky element 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke

NOTE

• This has a more non-traditional flavor than typical broccoli cheese soup. The sweet potatoes give it a more subtle sweet

NOTE

• The homemade cashew milk is amazing in this. Do not use store-bought cashew milk, as it will not produce near the same flavor or result. To make the cashew milk, add 1 cup raw cashews and 3 cups water to a Vitamix and blend until completely smooth. Use 1 1/2 cups for the recipe. Use extra for other recipes or in smoothies.

Instructions

1. Add potatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and water to a pot and bring to boil, once boiling, cover and turn to simmer for about 20 minutes until potatoes very tender. They need to be almost mushy so they can puree easily.
2. Meanwhile roast the broccoli. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread your broccoli out and season well with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes or until just beginning to see the tips browning. Depending on your oven or the size of your broccoli florets, it may need longer, up to 10-15 more minutes. The frozen ones I buy are always relatively small florets and 15 minutes is perfect. You want them fork tender, but still fairly firm, as you will not be cooking them in the soup. If using fresh and not frozen, watch them so they don't burn.
3. After your potatoes are tender in your soup, whisk in the brown rice flour and nutritional yeast until well mixed. Let it cook about a minute so it thickens up. Add the milk and pickle juice. Stir well, turn off the heat and then use a hand immersion blender to process the soup until it is completely smooth. Turn the heat back on to medium and once it's bubbling, turn down to low and let it cook another 5-10 minutes or until it thickens to desired consistency. Stir often to prevent sticking to the sides and bottom of pan. If you want it even thicker, you can always whisk in a tad more brown rice flour.
4. Taste and add any additional salt, I added another 1/4 teaspoon. Add the roasted broccoli and serve. I added some more freshly ground pepper right before serving.

Recipe Notes

For nut-free, sub with "lite" canned coconut milk, shaken well first. It does not thicken as well as my homemade cashew milk, so add another 1/2 tablespoon of rice flour.