This cream of broccoli soup is made with heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and without flour. It is keto, wonderfully creamy, and flavorful!
Creamy, delicate and incredibly flavorful, cream of broccoli soup turns the nutritious yet humble broccoli into a delicacy. It’s a delicious soup, very satiating, and surprisingly easy to make.
You can serve it as a first course, but you can also double the amount you serve per person and then it’s great as a main course.
The ingredients needed to make this recipe
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this soup (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):
Chicken stock: I use reduced-sodium chicken broth. I like the Pacific Natural brand. Sometimes when I have homemade chicken soup, I use that.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, and dried thyme. make sure they are fresh! A stale spice can easily dish.
Fresh broccoli: I haven’t tried making this recipe with frozen broccoli, but I suspect that for optimal flavor, fresh is the way to go.
Heavy cream: I only use 1/4 cup and it adds a wonderful creaminess to the soup.
Grated Parmesan: Make sure you use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
How to make cream of broccoli soup?
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. In a large saucepan, add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, and spices.
2. Add the broccoli. Bring to a boil, then simmer until very tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Turn the heat off. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until very creamy.
4. Return the soup to the saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream and the Parmesan. Cook just until heated through, and serve.
How to serve this soup
It makes a wonderful first course. But you can also make it into an entree. Simply serve it to two instead of four, with these tasty keto cheese muffins to round out the meal.
Sometimes I make tiny meatballs (based on this baked meatballs recipe) and add them to the soup.
How do you thicken cream of broccoli soup?
I’m not sure why some recipes tell you to add flour. Any pureed soup is inherently thick (this butternut squash soup is a good example although higher in carbs).
And when you add heavy cream and Parmesan, there’s absolutely no need for starches in this soup. So I make this recipe without flour.
As for the heavy cream, I only add 1/4 cup of it to this soup. I find that this is just the amount needed to make it wonderfully creamy without detracting from the broccoli flavor and making it too milky.
How to store the leftovers?
If you happen to have leftovers of this cream of broccoli soup, they keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
You can also freeze this soup in covered mugs, in individual portions. To prevent the frozen soup from curdling when I reheat it, I reheat very gently in the microwave, on 50% power, in 30-second increments, stirring often.
More tasty keto soups
Another creamy low carb soup that I highly recommend is this cream of mushroom soup. It’s wonderfully flavorful. And this easy egg drop soup is tasty and nutritious.
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Cream of Broccoli Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (not fine table salt)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 lb. fresh broccoli florets, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large saucepan, add the chicken stock, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and thyme. Whisk to combine.
- Add the broccoli. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until broccoli is very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Turn heat off. In batches in a blender or in a food processor, or using an immersion blender, blend the soup until very creamy.
- Return the cream of broccoli soup to the saucepan. Turn the heat up to medium. Stir in the heavy cream and the Parmesan. Cook just until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.