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    You are here: Home / Instant Pot Recipes / Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    Last Updated October 18, 2023. Published October 18, 2021 By Lorie Yarro 12 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Broccoli, carrots, onion, butter and other ingredients in pressure cooker before cooking and then finished soup being ladled from pot.

    This 30 minute Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is as easy as dumping everything in the pot and then stirring it all up in the end. So creamy and cozy, and packed with broccoli, but only a matter of a few minutes to prep!

    Gray bowl with broccoli cheddar soup with spoon along with a chunk of bread beside it.

    Soup is one of my favorite things to make in the Instant Pot. Dump all the ingredients into the pot and come back to soup ready to go in no time.

    I love this potato leek soup so much in the pressure cooker, so naturally a broccoli cheese variation was necessary--and it is all the cozy deliciousness but with such minimal time and effort!

    Why you will love this soup:

    • This is the easiest soup EVER--totally dump and go! No sautéing necessary. Just dump the ingredients into your Instant Pot and then let it pressure cook for 1 minute. Yes, you read that correctly! (Allowing for pressurizing time as well.) Then stir in the cream, cheese and slurry, heat a bit longer and you have a cozy bowl of soup!
    • A great kid friendly recipe--who doesn't love broccoli and cheese?! If you are aiming to get the family to eat more veggies, this could be the answer. You can blend the soup up even so no broccoli is detected if you really want to be sneaky.
    • It is a great recipe for meal prepping. This is the perfect Sunday meal prep soup. If you tend to have lots going on in your oven and on the stove, utilize your Instant Pot and get another thing done. It takes very little time and you won't have to watch over it much.
    • A cozy and comforting bowl of soup. There is nothing like comfort food on a cold day. Soup is where it's at. This Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is like a warm hug--you just didn't have to put all the effort into it!

    Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients:

    • broccoli: fresh or frozen will work. I prefer fresh just to be able to chop it very small for my Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • cheddar: for the creamiest, cheesiest soup, shred your own cheddar from the block. Pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt quite as well, however it will still work. We use sharp cheddar in ours.
    • carrots: shredded or small chopped, I have found shredded carrots in a package at the grocery so that saves a lot of time!
    • butter: unsalted preferred
    • onion: white or yellow
    • half and half: you can use a combo of milk and cream if preferred. Heavy cream will be richer and thicker, almost too much for my liking. But it will certainly work!
    • broth: I opt for chicken broth, low sodium, but for vegetarian, use vegetable broth
    • garlic: freshly minced is ideal, but you can sub for about ½ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • corn starch and water: this will make a slurry to thicken the soup. If you don't have corn starch, you can opt for flour as it will work as well.
    • seasoning: very basic seasoning in this soup. A touch of paprika, salt and pepper is it. Adjust to your own taste!
    Carrots, cheese, butter, broth, broccoli and other soup ingredients arranged on surface to be used in recipe.

    How to make this recipe:

    1. Chop up the veggies and toss them into the Instant Pot. Add in the broth, butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine.
    2. Close your pressure cooker, lock it and turn the vent to "sealing." Set to pressure cook on high for 1 minute--yes, that is correct, just one minute. When the cycle is complete, do a quick release and open the lid.
    3. Add the half and half and cheese and stir to melt the cheese. Whisk together the water and corn starch until smooth and lump free to make a slurry.
    4. Slowly stir in the slurry. Set the Instant Pot to the “sauté” Stir the soup frequently and stir to allow to thicken and combine.

    Allow your soup to thicken to your liking, and then you are ready to serve! Adjust seasoning, salt, pepper or even add more cheese if preferred!

    Broccoli, shredded carrots, onion, butter and garlic in Instant Pot.
    Broccoli, carrots, onion, broth and other soup ingredients in Instant Pot before cooking.
    Cooked broccoli cheddar soup in Instant Pot before adding cream or cheese.
    Cheese and cream added to soup pot with other ingredients and being stirred with wooden spoon.
    Corn starch slurry being poured into soup pot with broccoli cheddar soup.
    Instant Pot with broccoli cheese soup and ladle placed in.

    Recipe Notes and Tips:

    • For a thicker soup, decrease the amount of broth you use. You can start with 3 cups for a nice thick and creamy soup. It is still easy to adjust in the end if you find it too thick.
    • You can blend part of this soup for a creamier, less chunky version. You are welcome to use an immersion blender to make the soup more creamy. Another option is to transfer a few cups of the soup to a blender, blend until smooth and stir back into the soup. Adjust your Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup to your liking!
    • Storing leftovers: One of my favorite things about this soup is how easily it freezes. Store it for up to 3 months in the freezer in a freezer safe container. I love to put single servings into small containers so that I can easily grab a meal for myself on the go. The soup will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
    Ladle full of broccoli cheddar soup held over top of Instant Pot with remaining soup.

    Can you use frozen broccoli?

    You can easily swap out frozen broccoli in place of the fresh broccoli in this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup. I suggest getting broccoli florets if opting for frozen.

    The only difference you may notice is that the time your Instant Pot takes to pressurize may take slightly longer. Other than that, you will be just fine.

    I do like the fact that when using fresh I can chop the broccoli very small versus the larger pieces that frozen broccoli comes in at times.

    What to serve with this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup:

    I am a big fan of soup and a loaf of crusty bread. Since this pressure cooker broccoli cheddar soup is pretty heavy, a nice fresh salad pairs really well. We love this simple Spring Green Salad with Sourdough Croutons.

    Grilled cheese is also a perfect match--more cheese? Always! Havarti Avocado Grilled Cheese is a great option as well. I also ramdomly love these Pesto Turkey Pinwheels with this soup!

    Other than that, crackers and more cheese go a long way as well!

    Bowl of broccoli and cheese soup with spoon surrounded by glass with water, pieces of bread and other bowls of soup.

    What pressure cooker do I use?

    I use the Instant Pot Duo and love it. Simple to use and always does the trick. Mine is the 6 quart and its the ideal size pot for soup making especially. If you have a 3 quart pressure cooker, you may need to adjust the soup to about ½ of the recommendations.

    Other Instant Pot Recipes:

    • Creamy macaroni and cheese shells in clay bowl with chopped fresh parsley on top.
      Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
    • Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • White plate with pasta and fork.
      Creamy Parmesan Instant Pot Pasta
    • Instant Pot salmon on plate with rice and broccoli.
      Butter Herb Instant Pot Salmon

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    Gray ceramic bowl with broccoli cheddar soup served with spoon.

    Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    The easiest soup ever--this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is as easy as dumping everything in the pot and then stirring it all up in the end. So creamy and cozy, and packed with broccoli, but only a matter of a few minutes to prep!
    5 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 minute minute
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 326kcal
    Author: Lorie Yarro

    Ingredients 

    • 4 c broccoli chopped very small
    • 1 ½ c carrots shredded or chopped very small
    • 1 onion diced
    • 4 c broth
    • 4 T butter unsalted
    • 2-3 garlic cloves minced
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 2 c half and half
    • 2 ½ c shredded cheddar cheese
    • ¼ c corn starch
    • ¼ c water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Chop all of the veggies and add them to the inner pot of your pressure cooker. Add in the broth, butter, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
    • Seal and close your Instant Pot and turn the vent to "sealing." Set the pressure cooker to pressure cook on high ("manual" on Instant Pot brand) for 1 minute. Allow pressure to come up and cycle to completely finish. Do a quick release to let out the pressure.
    • Stir in the cream and shredded and stir to melt the cheese. Whisk the corn starch and water together well until smooth and lump free. Very slowly start to stir in the slurry and stir until fully incorporated. Shift the Instant Pot to “sauté” setting. Heat and stir until the soup thickens.
    • Adjust seasoning and serve immediately with your choice of garnishes!

    Notes

    • For a thicker soup, decrease the amount of broth you use. You can start with 3 cups for a nice thick and creamy soup. It is still easy to adjust in the end if you find it too thick.
    • You can blend part of this soup for a creamier, less chunky version. You are welcome to use an immersion blender to make the soup more creamy. Another option is to transfer a few cups of the soup to a blender, blend until smooth and stir back into the soup. Adjust your Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup to your liking!
    • Storing leftovers: One of my favorite things about this soup is how easily it freezes. Store it for up to 3 months in the freezer in a freezer safe container. I love to put single servings into small containers so that I can easily grab a meal for myself on the go. The soup will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5098IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 355mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!

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    Comments

    1. JerryH3 says

      November 06, 2023 at 12:43 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious. I cooked bacon and chicken tenderloins and added it to mine. Definitely will make this again!

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        November 08, 2023 at 10:09 pm

        Oh, those additions are winners and will be doing the same soon!

        Reply
    2. Stephanie O says

      October 08, 2023 at 4:51 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        October 12, 2023 at 9:45 pm

        So happy to hear you loved it!

        Reply
    3. Karyn says

      April 17, 2023 at 10:59 pm

      This was delicious. Had a little left over chicken broth from a slow cooker chicken and combined it with boxed broth to make 3 cups and it came out great!

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        April 21, 2023 at 8:41 am

        Wonderful to hear this! Can’t beat homemade broth.

        Reply
    4. Michelle says

      March 26, 2023 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious! Have stopped hunting for the perfect recipe, this one is it for us. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        April 07, 2023 at 9:01 am

        Yay! Amazing to hear this Michelle! One of our favorites as well!

        Reply
    5. Sheila says

      April 20, 2022 at 6:38 pm

      what type of broth? would veggie broth give enough flavor?

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        April 20, 2022 at 8:21 pm

        Hi! I typically switch between veggie broth and chicken broth. Both are great in my opinion. My hubby prefers the chicken broth.

        Reply
    6. Charles tuncher says

      October 20, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      I made this today and my wife and I loved it so easy and sooo good

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        October 23, 2021 at 9:21 pm

        So happy you love it! We have been eating it on repeat!

        Reply

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    Hello! I’m Lorie, welcome to lemons + zest! If you love to eat, and you love delicious, simple recipes, then you are in the right place. When it comes to cooking these days, I firmly believe that if it takes too long, or too much work to make, then it’s not for me. Read More…

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