Broccoli Beer Cheese Soup
With hints of cayenne, thyme, and nutmeg, this creamy and flavorful broccoli beer cheese soup recipe is the ultimate easy comfort food dinner.
When your toes need warming up this winter, you should reach for this recipe for broccoli beer cheese soup. It’s so creamy and decadent that it’ll make the perfect dinner when you crave some cozy comfort food. Serve it in a bread bowl using our Dutch Oven Bread recipe or with a pretzel to make a full delicious meal the whole family will love.
Now, when I say this broccoli cheese soup is flavorful, I mean it. There are a lot of ingredients at play here and when they combine, it’s a tastebud explosion! So, what ingredients am I talking about? Well, you’ve got the three main players: broccoli, beer, and sharp cheddar cheese. Then you have milk, broth, sweet onion, carrot, nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, and cayenne pepper.
While the ingredient list might be long, I promise it’s easy to whip up this soup. You just slowly add all the ingredients into one large pot, let it simmer and let all those flavors mingle, then puree the soup in a blender.
Recipe Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Butter
- Sweet onion, diced
- Carrot, diced
- All-purpose flour or almond flour
- Whole milk
- Low sodium veggie or chicken broth
- Your favorite beer
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Bay leaves
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Cayenne
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Broccoli florets (chopped or in a food processor)
- Fresh thyme leaves
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onion and carrot and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add in the flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Then gradually add in the milk and whisk until smooth.
Then it’s time to add the broth.
The beer.
The finely chopped broccoli florets.
Then add the bay leaves, nutmeg, cayenne, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper if desired.
Bring to a simmer. Turn down to medium heat and cook uncovered until the broccoli is tender. Usually about 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the stove. Remove the bay leaves and puree the broccoli cheese soup in a blender.
Once pureed, put the soup back on the stovetop over low heat.
Stir in the cheese until melted and creamy.
Add the thyme and cook another 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings just the way you like them.
Serve into bowls and top with a little extra cheddar and fresh thyme. YUM!
If you want to go that extra mile, serve your broccoli beer cheese soup in a hollowed-out bread bowl.
Or serve your cheese soup with softly baked pretzels for dipping. Enjoy!
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
- Freeze soup leftovers without toppings for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating on the stovetop.
Recipe Notes
- I’ve included a couple of serving suggestions above, but you could also serve a bowl of soup with breadsticks, crusty slices of bread, or crackers.
- Don’t be afraid to mix up the cheese in this soup. As long as there are 4 cups, you can do 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and 2 cups of white cheddar cheese, for example.
- For added spice, add 1 large seeded and chopped jalapeno when you cook the carrot and onion.
- When you add the cheese at the end of the recipe, you can also add some crumbled bits of crispy bacon as well.
- Instead of cheese, top your soup with more crumbled bacon, chopped green onion, sour cream and croutons, or soft pretzel bites. Popcorn is also the traditional topping for beer cheddar soup!
- If you want more vegetables in your soup, add 5 sticks of diced celery when you add the carrot and onion.
Here are more delicious broccoli and cheese dishes:
Homestyle Broccoli Cheese Cornbread
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole
Chicken Broccoli Skillet with Pimento Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or almond flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 12 ounces your favorite beer
- 3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus more for serving
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cayenne or more to taste
- 1 pinch kosher salt and pepper
- 4 cups broccoli florets chopped or in food processor
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for about 10 minutes. Add in the flour and cook again for about 2-3 minutes, then gradually add in the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the broth, beer, broccoli, bay leaves, nutmeg, cayenne, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper if desired.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp butter, 1 small sweet onion, diced, 1 carrot, diced, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or almond flour, 2 cups whole milk, 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth, 12 ounces your favorite beer, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 4 cups broccoli florets, 1 pinch kosher salt and pepper
- Bring to a simmer. Turn down to medium heat and cook uncovered until the broccoli is tender. Usually about 20 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the stove. Remove the bay leaves and puree in a blender.3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- Once pureed, put the soup back on the stovetop over low heat. Stir in the cheese until melted and creamy. Add the thyme and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasonings just the way you like them. Serve into bowls and top with a little extra cheddar and fresh thyme. YUM!
Adding this one to my list – we love any kind of broccoli cheese soup!
Broccoli cheese soup is on my list for this week to make but instead of my same-old traditional recipe I will try this one. I’ll try your jalapeno suggestion, too!
The soup may be good, but the only way I’d make it is with extra chicken broth rather than beer as we are not beer drinkers.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. All easily attainable items. Love broccoli and cheese. Can ‘t imagine you have any beer influence after cooking…But, it freezes, so would work for the two of us with more sometime later!
I love hot soup in the cold months. Have never made broccoli beer cheese soup, but plan to buy the ingredients next time I shop. Will let you know the results!
This looks so good. Since I’m not a beer drinker, do you think the recipe would be as good without the beer? Or if you substitute chicken broth?
OMGOSH this is right up my alley. I cannot wait to get the ingredients and make this. And my husband does not like cheese so more for me lol. Thank you for sharing all your recipes and ideas.