Broccoli cheddar soup can be made within minutes using the Instant Pot. Made with fresh broccoli, cheddar cheese, and heavy cream this soup is rich in flavor. This easy-to-make broccoli cheese soup reminds me of Panera Breads and is just as delicious.
Cooler weather always has me wanting soup and sandwiches for dinner. Since this cheese soup is made in a pressure cooker it cooks up in minutes. When busy weeknights call for 30-minute meals this soup recipe is ideal.
How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Making broccoli cheddar soup in the Instant Pot is really simple and quick. The first thing we do is sauté some onion up in the inner pot with olive oil. You can replace the olive oil with butter if you like.
Once the onion starts to get soft-looking I add in some minced garlic. It only took me about 2 minutes for the onion to get soften looking. The minced garlic will only need to be sautéd for 30 seconds. You just want to get the aroma of the garlic out.
Whenever sautéing in the Instant Pot I always deglaze the inner pot after. Deglazing will help reduce the risk of getting the burn notice on the pressure cooker. I just use a bit of the broth that the recipe calls for.
After the inner pot is deglazed turn the sauté button off. Add into the inner pot the rest of the chicken broth, broccoli, carrots, nutmeg, and cream cheese.
I like to cube the cream cheese up into chunks before adding it to the soup. It's best that the cream cheese goes in on top of the broccoli and carrots. That way it doesn't fall to the bottom of the inner pot, causing the burn notice.
Cook Time
Place the lid onto the Instant Pot, making sure the release valve knob is set to sealing. Press the pressure cook button to high pressure. Adjust the +- button to 15 minutes of cooking time.
It will take the Instant Pot about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure. It will then start the cooking time. After the cooking time is up do a quick release. This means turning the release valve knob to venting.
Remove the lid, add the heavy cream into the soup. Turn the sauté button on again and cook for 5 minutes. You will want to be careful not to bring the broccoli cheddar soup to a boil. Bringing it to a boil will add too much heat to the cream and it may cause it to curdle.
Make sure to stir the soup the whole time, this will help break down the chunks of cream cheese. After the 5 minutes are up turn the sauté button off.
Finally, it's time to add the cheese to this soup recipe. I prefer to add a little bit of cheese at a time. This way all the cheese has a chance to melt completely. With all the cheese mixed in and melted, you can serve and enjoy.
Question and Tips
Most likely the cheese won't melt because it's being cooked at too high of a temperature. This is why we don't add the cheese in when we add in the heavy cream. The cream needs the heat to thicken but the cheese doesn't need that much heat to melt.
If you want the soup thicker you can make a cornstarch slurry and add it into the soup when the heavy cream is added in.
Red pepper flakes or a couple of splashes of hot sauce is a great way to spice up this soup.
Yes, frozen broccoli will work great in this recipe.
I like to serve sandwiches when we have this soup. Or you can serve biscuits or enjoy the soup in a bread bowl.
Broccoli cheddar soup will last for 3 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
To bring in even more flavor you can replace the store-bought chicken broth with chicken bone broth.
Another way to help the cheese melt would be the cheese itself. Store-bought shredded cheese has a coating on it to help it from sticking together in the bag. That coating could make it harder to melt the cheese. Shredding your own cheese from a block of cheddar cheese will help solve that.
Here are more Instant Pot soup recipes you may also enjoy.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup ~ Instant Pot
Broccoli cheddar soup is made in minutes using the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup onion diced fine
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
- 2 Teaspoons garlic minced
- 3 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Pound Broccoli fresh
- 1 Cup Carrots shredded
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 8 Ounces Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
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Turn the sauté button on, when the screen of the IP reads HOT.
Add in the olive oil and onion and season with salt and pepper to taste. Satué the onions for 3 minutes or until the onions start to look soft.
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Stir the minced garlic into the onions and sauté for 30 seconds.
While the Instant Pot is still on sauté mode, deglaze the inner pot with some of the chicken broth the recipe calls for. Making sure nothing is left stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
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Turn the sauté button off.
Into the inner pot add the chicken broth, broccoli, carrots, and nutmeg.
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Cube the block of cream cheese up and place it on top of the broccoli and carrots.
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Place the lid on the Instant Pot making sure the release valve knob is set to sealing. Press the pressure cooker button to high pressure. Using the +- button adjust the cooking time to 15 minutes.
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When cooking time is up, turn the release valve knob to venting to release all the steam from the Instant Pot.
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Remove lid and stir in the heavy cream.
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Turn on the sauté button for 5 minutes. This is to help thicken the soup up. Careful not to bring it to a boil.
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Turn the satué button off and stir in the cheese a little at a time until all the cheese has melted and mixed into the soup.
Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional values may vary depending on the ingredients used.
I have used a cheddar jack in replacement of the shredded cheddar cheese. Both kinds of cheese taste great.
You can use frozen broccoli in replacement of fresh broccoli.
Sophia
I made this soup last night, my family loved it. Will be a regular on our menu during the winter months.
Jennifer
Yes, this recipe is great to enjoy during the winter months. So happy that you enjoyed it.