A piping hot bowl of this vegan Broccoli Soup is the perfect dish for today. Why? We’re expecting a nice balmy high here in Boulder of 15 degrees, while we’re buried in snow from yesterday’s storm.
I was fortunate enough to spend yesterday, my Sunday, at a yoga class, and then hiking the gorgeous Mount Sanitas in the snow. As you can see, thus far, the new year is treating me well.
If you’re looking for a healthy soothing recipe to help kick off your new year, this is it. Simple (this gluten free soup is made of a mere 5 ingredients), warming, and easy to digest, it’s the perfectly healthy treat for cold winter days and nights. Serve it with a salad and you have a quick and easy dinner that the whole family can enjoy.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1½ lbs broccoli, use both heads and stems
- 2 quarts water
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- Heat oil in a large pot and saute onion over medium to low heat until soft, about 15 minutes
- Add broccoli and saute for 5-10 minutes
- Add water and salt and cook until broccoli is soft about 15 minutes
- Puree hot soup in tiny batches in a vitamix until smooth and creamy
- Reheat soup and serve
When looking for something warm and healthy to eat, I also like to make this Butternut Squash Soup and some of these other soups as well.
Here are some delicious looking soups from groovy bloggers:
–Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon Zest Soup (SCD) from Milk for the Morning Cake
–Broccoli and Arugula Soup from GOOP
–Mixed Mushroom and Veggie Soup from Gluten Free for Good
Wendy says
This was really good – I haven’t been able to make this soup very well at all in the past. Thanks very much!! ;-)
Elana says
Wendy, I’m so glad that my recipe was the winner!
Kristin Gourde says
I am going to try this with just broccoli and add garlic olive oil so it is SIBO friendly and see if it works for you. I will let you know. As always, thanks for the inspiration Elana!!
Elana says
Kristin, I can’t wait to hear the results, please keep me posted :-)
Robyn G says
This soup is so simple yet so delicious. I wasn’t sure what to do with all the broccoli that I harvested from my vegetable garden this week, but this was the perfect solution! I added some fresh garlic to cook along with the onions and instead of using 8 cups of water, I used 4 cups of chicken stock, 3 cups of water and 1 cup of coconut milk. The whole family enjoyed it thoroughly.
Elana says
Robyn, I’m so happy to hear your whole family enjoyed this thoroughly!
Kris says
Served this soup as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit. No one could believe how simple it was. I served it with an optional dollop of strained yogurt and plenty of pepper.
Jonh says
This recipe card is done up so elatgnely Jessie – I love it! The paper is gorgeous and how you’ve placed the ribbon and flower is very stylish! The soup sounds delicious!Hugs, Danielle
omm says
Hi Elana! Love your recipes!
I live in Colombia and I’me not familiar with the “quart”. How many cups of water would that be?
Thank you!
Julia Lindsay says
Four cups in a quart.
Lorna says
This is even better if you use a good vegetable stock instead of water. I reserve some broccoli in chunks to add after blending. I also add a pinch of red pepper for some heat.
It’s also really good if you use cauliflower in the stock and then add your broccoli after blending your cauliflower soup. So delicious!
naomi devlin says
Hey Elana! Thanks for the link to my broccoli soup. x x x
Kathryn says
I made this soup tonight as an alternative to plain steamed broccoli (for a side dish). It was so good I could have made a meal off of it. I did add a little garlic salt at the end. Not sure how it gets so creamy, but I will definitely make this again!!!!
Rebecca says
I can’t eat onion or garlic. What can I use to substitute and keep the flavor?
Gluten_free_foodie says
I cannot thank you enough for your website and delicious recipies. The soup is amazing! I was skeptical that a soup made from just onions and broccoli could taste so good, but every recipe I’ve tried so far has exceeded my expectations. And this soup is going to be a go to for me from now on. Thanks again.
Laura says
This is the very first Gluten-Free recipe that I’ve made after being diagnosed last week. This soup is so, so good and so very quick and easy to make! I’m so thrilled that I have found this website and can’t wait to try more recipes out! It’s very difficult to begin to make the transition to a GF lifestyle, but with you Elana and your great recipes…I’m very hopeful! Thank you so very much!
Rosa says
Oh my GOODNESS. I just got the Vitamix from Costco a few days ago, but I hadn’t had the chance to tamper much with it much because of the holidays. This was the FIRST recipe I tried with it. I had perhaps 1/2-2/3 the amount of broccoli required of your recipe, so I added frozen spinach. This soup is WONDERFUL! I was so eager and curious about how such a simple (and seemingly healthy) recipe would turn out. You’ve made me so delighted and relieved about my Vitamix purchase. I genuinely appreciate people as kind as you to share all your time and effort experimenting with healthy dishes. It’s so time-consuming to experiment, and so tragic to see perfectly good ingredients go to waste. I will be sure to send a thank you your way with every recipe I try!
Linda Collier says
I make sub asparagus for the broccoli and add about a 1/4 cup of goat milk kefir.
Love soups when the weather starts getting blustery.
peg says
Making it tonight!
soup lover says
Hi,
I made this tonight and we all, including my 3.5 year old, loved it. So easy and delicious.
Thanks!!!
Jos says
Making this for lunch tomorrow, it looks awesome!
Alta says
Sounds perfect! Super healing.
Genevieve says
YUM! We make veggie soup almost every night in the winter. We throw any old vegetables into the pot from turnips to squashes to potatoes and add a touch of butter and sea salt. We then blend and ta da! A delicious, deceptively hearty soup that fills us up with alkaline wonderfulness :).
Meagan says
I am making this soup as I type. I am adding turnips to the recipe, since I thought that’s what it originally called for when I was out shopping, but I was mistaken. It will be a wonderful addition though :) We are also using homemade chicken stock instead, and will probably add some ground turkey or chicken sausage
jackie says
The soup was delicious! I made it last night and am making more for lunch today.
To make it creamier like a “cream of broccoli soup” add a couple handfulls of soaked cashews…mmmmmm!!
Thanks
Faith says
I will definitely be trying this tonight!
~F
Judy says
We tried broccoli soup for the first time a couple of months ago, delicious! I’ve made several batches since. Have you tried it with a clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes? We really like the addition of those two ingredients.
Maria says
I made this last night and it was so light and absolutely delicious! I added some chicken broth, fresh garlic, a bit more salt and a zucchini I had on hand.
Noel says
Thanks for the inspiration! My dairy-loving, dairy-free child has been asking for broccoli soup, and I hadn’t gotten around to finding a recipe that doesn’t contain dairy, though I’m thinking coconut milk or cashew milk should work well.
This looks easier, so I’ll try it first — with garlic and likely with homemade broth.
I LOVE how simple your recipes are – thank you, thank you!
: )
Noel
Jen Leigh says
coconut milk works great for this! I’ve also.played around adding different veggies-chopped parsnips, kale, spinach, sometimes even finely shredded carrots. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast on top adds a little cheesy flavor!
Mike says
I love these types of soups. Very simple, healthy and so much flavor. Another idea would be to replace the broccoli with asparagus tips! Looks delish. I’ll give this a try!
Linda says
Sounds perfect, I was just wanting a soup that I have all of the ingredients on hand for! Very excited since broccoli is a favorite around here. :) Thanks so much!
And I must say brave to tackle Sanitas in the winter. I find it challenging enough on a cool summer morning! Did you get any pictures, I bet the view was amazing! Stay warm! :)
Kristin says
Yum! That sounds great! I’m enjoying the chicken strips from your cook book as I type this! Thanks for all you do!
Meagan says
Oh goodness. I’m gonna sub chicken stock for water, and add some roast chicken and rutabega to this soup and it will be perfect!!!
Janet Hargis says
Elana:
I just made this soup and it is wonderful, I’m sipping a cup right now. And I agree with others that this is a surprisingly creamy soup. For my next batch I will probably add a few cloves of garlic to the onions.
I am so glad that I found your website. I have some challenging food allergies and was really bored with my diet until I found your cookbook and then your website.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Janet
ps. Your Christmas Cake was a real hit with my family and friends.
Lynn Krukowski says
Forgot to add – you supplied breakfast too! Munching on your Carrot Cake Cupcakes that I added currants, pumpkin seeds, dates, poppy seeds and some grated apple to. Have to store in fridge to keep last ones from molding though. Thought I would stay totally grain-free till Christmas but I am chugging along without because of your great recipes. Thank you.
Any idea how to travel healthy as we are headed to the Tucson Gem show end of Jan/Feb. and no access to an oven to make my muffins? Thought I could freeze a batch to get there with! But then what….sigh.
Lenee says
Lynn, in regards to traveling and eating healthy…
I make ahead of time Elana’s Cranberry Walnut cookies to munch on. They travel well in a small tin. I also research and find a local whole foods or health food store so that I can pick up a supply of organic fruit and nuts to take me through my visit.
Lynn Krukowski says
Sitting here huddled over the morning cup of tea while hubby gets the airtight going. It is -5°C here this morning. Haven’t made a grocery run to the mainland this week for supplies but do have broccoli in the crisper. Thanks for supper!
Green Shushi says
Perfect time for a soup. I made my version of broccoli soup last night too! Especially after the amount of snow Toronto got this week!
Helen Grayson says
Elana, I LOVE your recipes. I try most of them. The broccoli soup today hits the spot. I am using frozen broccoli florets and I put a cube of basil pesto which I have frozen in it. It will be delightful. Thank you so much for this lovely soup on such a cold day. I’m watching the birds come and go and it is a perfect day. Thank you.
Jac says
wow, so amazingly simple!! my favourite type of recipe!
Pat @ Elegantly Gluten-Free says
This soup sounds delicious! I hadn’t thought of sauteeing broccoli before adding to soup, but I will try it soon.
The Therapist in the Kitchen says
I know the feeling of a bowl of soup on a cold day. Here is Minnesota it gets a tiny bit chilly!
Kelly- 18 Hour Kitchen says
Elana,
I make a soup quite similar to this with frozen organic broccoli that I keep on hand when my produce drawer is running short… I also replace the water with my super simple slow cooker stock: http://18hourkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/super-simple-slow-cooker-stock.html.
It’s always amazing to me how creamy and delicious one can make soup with no cream!
Cora says
Can’t wait to try this. My son loves broccoli and cheese soup, but since we do not each cheese in our house anymore, he hasn’t had it in a while. I am hoping this tastes just as good and can cure his cravings!
Cora says
Oh, and I meant to ask, How many servings is this recipe for? I need to know if I need to double the recipe to feed my family of five. Thanks!
Cora says
So I have made this soup twice. The second time I added extra broccoli for extra flavor, and kept some cooked broccoli to the side to add after the blending stage for texture. And I also added some kelp in the last ten minutes. It made for a richer, thicker, saltier soup without extra salt! All my kids love it. =)
glutenfreeforgood says
Thanks for the link love, Elana. I appreciate it. Since I’m just up the road from you in Golden, I’ve been in the same soup-loving mode during our cold snap. It was all of -5 last night. I’ve been living on soups lately, even having a bowl for breakfast on occasion. I’m not a huge broccoli fan although I like it okay and eat it often because it’s so healthy. Your soup recipe sounds like a great way to take out the “texture” thing with broccoli and that might solve my problem. I have some in the fridge and think I’ll give this a go this evening. It really does sound good and as you show here, it’s doesn’t have to be time consuming and difficult to make a warming, healthy soup. I’m also copying Caitlyn’s stir fry idea. Love the thought of using sesame oil with these mushrooms.
Thanks so much!
P.S. I couldn’t get the link to work for your salad recipe.
P.P.S. Haven’t hiked Mt. Salinas in the snow, but I’ve been up Bear Peak on a snowy day and I loved it. A bit tricky at the top, but nice nonetheless. Winter is my favorite season by far.
Shirley @ gfe says
I could survive on soup. A simple delightful soup like this one I could probably just sip on like tea. Wonderful, Elana … thanks for another surprising recipe. What a great reward after hiking and yoga, too!
Congrats to Caitlyn!
Shirley
naomi devlin says
Thanks for the link Elana – I love broccoli soup! I think it’s the most surprising soup of all – that something so green and punchy, can be transformed into a bowl of creamy soup – with no dairy added?
x x x
The Teenie Foodie says
Mmm this looks delicious! I may make this tonight, with a salad of smoked chicken on the side… oh and some garlic in the soup would be nice too. Thanks Elana! I’ve been trying to find a way to cook more greens for my brother, and this looks perfect!
It’s not as cold in London, but I love soup all year round!
Teenie Foodie