Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a fast way to make the classic you know and love. This 30 minute soup recipe will quickly become a favorite as it is hearty enough to make a meal out of.
For years, one my most popular recipes has been my Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup. And for good reason! It is easy to make and is absolutely delicious. It rivals the quality of restaurant soups, but is easy to make at home.
I’ve taken everything you love from that delicious broccoli cheddar soup and converted it to an Instant Pot recipe. The rich, creamy, cheese base of this soup is sure to win over even picky eaters.
I made this for a Christmas luncheon get together – guests said it was the BEST soup they’d ever had. I agree. I’m making more (doubling the recipe) right now. Absolutely delicious.
How to Make Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious soup recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine ingredients in the Instant Pot. To begin we will be adding the vegetables, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the pressure cooker.
- Set the Instant Pot. Use the manual setting, and set the pressure cooker to high for 5 minutes. Make sure that the steam release is set to sealing.
- Release the pressure. After the pressure cooker has come to pressure, and the soup has cooked the five minutes, use a quick release to release the pressure. Once the float valve drops you can open the Instant Pot. The time from sealing the pot to opening it back up again is about 20 minutes.
- Make the roux. While the soup is cooking in the Instant Pot, make a roux on the stovetop. Read below to learn more about making roux.
- Add chicken stock and half and half to the roux. Then whisk in the cheddar cheese. Add this creamy cheesy sauce to the soup once it is done cooking in the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
Making Broccoli Cheddar Soup Creamy
The base of any good creamy soup is a roux. It is the thing that holds the cream sauce together and keeps it from separating. Combining a fat with all purpose flour coats the flour in the fat molecules, which keeps them suspended throughout the sauce. I love it when science results in cheese sauce.
When you are making this broccoli cheddar soup on the stovetop, you start the soup by making the roux. But when we make this in the crockpot or the Instant Pot on the stovetop and then add it into the cooked soup at the end of the recipe. The creaminess that a roux brings to a soup is well worth the extra stovetop steps.
How to Make a Roux
A key step in making a roux is going slow. You want to complete each step before moving to the next. To start, the butter and flour should be fully combined with no streaks of white flour before you start adding liquid. When you first start adding the stock, go slow. Add just about two tablespoons at a time and fully whisk it in to the butter flour mixture before adding more. The more liquid you add, the more quickly you can go. The whole thing should take no more than a minute or two.
Shredding Cheese
Another key to this recipe, or really any recipe that requires melting the cheese, is to use a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is not worth the time it saves you. It is coated in preservatives and those preservatives keep it from melting well into recipes.
If you are making a recipe where cheese is the star of the show, like this one, it is well worth the five minutes it will take to shred cheese from the block.
Half and Half
Besides the roux, the other ingredients that bring creaminess to this recipe are the cheddar cheese and the half and half. If you live overseas, half and half is a readily accessible ingredient in the U.S. that is half heavy cream and half whole milk. In the UK it is known as half cream. Of course, you absolutely could use 1/2 a cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup whole milk in this recipe instead.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover instant pot broccoli cheese soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
You can freeze this soup as well. Store in an airtight container with an inch of room for it to expand. Store in the freezer for up to three months. I recommend freezing this soup in individual portions so you only thaw what you are planning on eating that day.
As with all leftovers, use your best discretion. If the recipe seems off in any way before the suggested time, toss it.
Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers that have been refrigerated should be heated on the stove top over low heat, stirring often to prevent the soup from separating. Only reheat the amount of soup that you plan on eating in that sitting.
Leftovers that have been frozen should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Then, as with refrigerator leftovers, reheat on the stove top over low heat, stirring often.
FAQ
Yes! We have a great stovetop broccoli cheddar soup recipe.
Yes! We have a delicious slow cooker broccoli cheddar soup recipe.
Absolutely, I use chicken broth because it is what I tend to have on hand, but you can absolutely use vegetable broth instead.
This is not gluten free. We use flour to make the roux. But you could replace the flour with almond flour to make this gluten free. I’ve also had readers use cornstarch as a thickening agent in this soup.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
If you make this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into small bite sized pieces (372 grams)
- 1/2 yellow onion diced small
- 2 cups shredded carrots (220 grams)
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, divided (680 grams or 709.8 ml)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt, start with half)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (42.4 grams)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour (40 grams)
- 1 cup half and half (236.6 ml)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note) (226 grams)
Instructions
- Combine the broccoli, onion, shredded carrots, 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the Instant Pot. Close and make sure the valve is set to sealing.4 cups broccoli florets, 1/2 yellow onion, 2 cups shredded carrots, 3 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- Set the Instant Pot to manual, high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to come to pressure. After the time counts down, use a quick pressure release to relsease the pressure. Once the float valve drops, open the pressure cooker.
- While the soup is cooking in the Instant Pot, in a small saucepan on the stove top, melt the butter. Slowly whisk in the flour. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock very slowly to the sauce pan whisking it in as you go. Add just a few tablespoons at a time, only adding more once it is absorbed. The more you add the faster you can go; the whole process should take less than a minute.3 cups chicken stock, 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- Then very slowly whisk in the half and half. Add the shredded cheese to the roux mixture a little at a time until it is fully melted and combined.1 cup half and half, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note)
- Add the cheese sauce to the finished soup in the Instant Pot and stir it in to combine.
- After it is fully combined, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Doreen says
Hi Lisa,
Can you make the soup with non dairy milk? Rice? Or Cashew?
Thank you for the recipes.
Good Morning, Doreen! I haven’t tested this with a non-diary milk. There is no reason to think that it wouldn’t work, but keep in mind you will also need to use a non dairy butter and non dairy cheese, those are the pieces that will be more dicey. The non dairy milk will just make it slightly less creamy. I’m concerned that the non dairy cheese won’t melt in as well.
Beth Hunt says
I made this for a Christmas luncheon get together – guests said it was the BEST soup they’d ever had. I agree. I’m making more (doubling the recipe) right now. Absolutely delicious.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Kathy says
should I use sharp cheddar or regular (medium)?
thanks!
Both will work in this recipe, it is just a matter of preference.
Clarissa says
So darn good. I was a little iffy about the ratio of liquid in the instapot since usually when I make something the liquid covers it but I stuck with it and it turned out great .I will definitely be putting it into the rotation. five stars deserved for this one
I’m so glad that you liked it!
Sue says
Great recipe. I made it tonight for dinner.
I’m so glad that you liked it!
Dede says
This is so delicious!!! It’s now a regular in our house.
I’m so happy to hear that, Dede!