This Instant Pot broccoli and cheese soup recipe has a ONE MINUTE cook time. It's an easy Instant Pot soup that's thick, creamy and healthy. Enjoy this gluten free and vegetarian soup for any meal!
The Best Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup
I’ve been on the Instant Pot train for a while now, and I won’t be getting off anytime soon. While the slow cooker is the “set it and forget it” miracle dinner maker in the kitchen, consider the IP as your “oops, I forgot it” meal helper when you need a hot meal fast. Soups made in the Instant Pot are one of my favorite things pretty much ever, but it also does well with shredded pork and hard boiled eggs. What I’m saying is, the options are truly limitless when it comes to the fast and low-maintenance power of IPs!
And this broccoli and cheese soup recipe? It’ll knock your socks off. It *may* just be my favorite soup I’ve made in the Instant Pot (and that’s saying a lot because I’m a big IP soup maker!). It comes out impeccably rich, thick, and creamy with the most perfectly cooked veggies and a delicious texture. I’d say the best part is that the cook time is literally only one minute. Yep, you read that right. This one-pot meal will be a huge hit with your family, and I can’t wait for you to try it out!
Can I use frozen broccoli instead?
Yep! You can use whatever you have on hand. Frozen and fresh will both work the same in this recipe, and no need to change the cooking time. Score! And sometimes I use the frozen broccoli and cauliflower mix and it works just great too. I don't chop up the frozen broccoli, but it seems to cook up just great.
Can I make this soup if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
I know not everyone has an Instant Pot (but y’all MUST add it to your wish list!), so this recipe can easily be made on the stovetop, too. Follow the recipe as directed, but instead of pressure cooking the veggies, just let them simmer in the broth until tender, about 20 minutes. Then, move on with adding the cornstarch, cream, and cheese as directed.
What can I pair with broccoli and cheese soup?
I love I love bread to for dipping into broccoli and cheese soup. I highly recommend serving this soup with fresh baguettes, sourdough bread, my mom's easy French bread recipe, or this easy no-knead crusty loaf. You can also serve a fresh salad on the side to add more color and veggies to the meal!
What is the best cheese for melting in soup?
This recipe specifically calls for cheddar. I like to use a nice sharp cheddar for this recipe but we love sharp cheeses. Sometimes I'll toss a variety of cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, and pepper jack cheese! You can use what you like or have on hand and feel free to use a variety of cheeses if that's what you have.
More soup recipes:
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings Soup
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Hearty Lentil Soup Recipe
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.
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The Best Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Description
This Instant Pot broccoli and cheese soup recipe takes only ONE minute to make. It's an easy Instant Pot soup that's thick, creamy and healthy. Enjoy this gluten free and vegetarian soup for any meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock if not vegetarian)
- 4 cups bite-sized broccoli florets
- 1 cup matchstick or grated carrots
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 cups cream or half-and-half
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Select browning/saute to preheat the pressure cooker. Add the butter and onion and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken stock, broccoli, carrots, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Lock the lid in place, make sure the vent is set to seal, and select high pressure and 1 minute cook time.
- When the cooking time ends, use the quick pressure release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully.
- In a small bowl whisk together the corn starch and cold water until smooth.
- Set the pressure cook to saute/browning and slowly add the corn starch mixture to the pot. Stir constantly until the soup comes to a boil and thickens.
- Turn off the pressure cooker. Slowly stir in the cream or half-and-half.
- Add the cheese a handful at a time and stir until it melts.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Notes
- You can use frozen broccoli in place of the fresh, no need to change the cooking time. Sometimes I used the mixed broccoli and cauliflower that's frozen and it works great too.
- Feel free to use whatever cheese you like or have on hand, I use extra sharp cheddar for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Soup
Keywords: Instant pot soup recipe, Instant pot soup, easy soup recipe, vegetarian soup, gluten free soup, quick soup recipe
This recipe comes from a cookbook of a friend, Barbara, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook: 200 Fast and Foolproof Recipes for Every Brand of Electric Pressure Cooker is one you want on your shelf.
Complete this meal with these sides:
Check out these other yummy soup recipes:
- Simple Cream of Tomato Soup
- Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Classic Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker recipe)
- Quick, Easy, and Healthy White Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Homemade Butternut Squash Soup
- Healthy 30 Minute Alphabet Soup
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Healthy Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
- Tortellini Vegetable Soup
- Healthy Slow Cooker Bean and Sausage Soup with Spinach
I know you are going to fall in love with this Instant Pot broccoli and cheese soup just as much as we have, and you’ll love how easy it is to make and how rich it tastes.
Jaime
We use this recipe ALL THE Time! And we always double it!!
★★★★★
pigpig
hi Melissa,
have made this and everyone loved it. thinking to add chicken next time. if i cut a chicken breast into a bite size pieces, at what point in the process should i add it? and do i need to adjust cooking time? thank you!!
Melissa
It would cook just fine with the broccoli if cut into bite sized pieces, no need to adjust the cook time. That's a great idea!
Gina
Very Easy to make but it was too bland for our taste. I added some leftover mashed potatoes for thickening. I also sprinkled nutmeg in. The cheese flavor was not there. I think I would use a stronger cheese and more spice to tweak it to our tastes and try it again.
★★★★
Sue
Oh boy, I've never tried broccoli cheddar soup before but needed something for my quilt guild potluck. This is absolutely delicious & I'll definitely be making it often. Thanks!!
Amy E. Storey
Fabulous!!!!! My husband said it would not be done in like 20-25 minutes, it would need to simmer! He was wrong and it is so yummy! Spot on! Change nothing! Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
No
Definitely not a one minute cook time on this planet
Melissa
LOL, it's the cook time on the instant pot! It'll take time to go up and down in pressure.
Laura LaBerteaux
we make this for company all the time and get rave reviews every time! It's so cozy, so delicious and so easy to put together.
★★★★★
Emily
Amazing and easy!
★★★★★
Betsy
So good! I had a huge Costco bag of broccoli to use before it went bad and not much time so I haphazardly adjusted rations, didn’t chop the carrots and broccoli as much as directed and it was STILL amazing! I’ll never go back to doing this on the stove. I ended up roughly doubling everything so it’s an enormous amount. I’m freezing it without the dairy to preserve the texture then will doctor each batch when I take it out. Thank you!
★★★★★
Barb
I was worried making a double batch, but I wanted to make sure there was enough for my family. It turned out perfect and was so easy to make. Thank you! This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Jennifer
Turned out great! Next time I'll cook the broccoli 2 minutes to make it softer as well as chopping it even smaller. Needs some more seasoning, which is good for each person to do themselves 🙂 Was so easy to make, I spent more time chopping veggies than it took to cook.
★★★★
Christi H.
Just made this and it is just delicious. Very creamy and flavorful. We added a little leftover rotisserie chicken, amazing, thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Melissa
Oh the chicken sounds like a great addition. Thank you for mentioning it!
BeckyP
I made this for the first time tonight. It was delicious as written. I found out yesterday that my best friend has been craving the broccoli cheese soup from the Jason's Deli near her house. I'm currently out of town until later this month, but I'll be making this recipe for her when I get back. Thank you for a great meal!
★★★★★
Mindy
I made it mostly per the recipe. Added a couple of stalks of chopped celery, omitted the red pepper flakes and added a bit of pepper jack cheese. Used roasted chicken Better than Bullion, and whole cream. Was delicious and will make again. Served with oyster crackers and asiago cheese crackers.
★★★★★
Sam
I just made it, and mine came out very thin/watery also. Going to try boiling again with more cornstarch (I used an immersion blender to make it creamy vs chunky, I wonder if that messed it up?)
Melissa
Maybe your measuring was just off? I make this often and it shouldn't be watery...
Jean
One of my favorite recipes over the past year. Everyone in my family loves this soup. Half and half made it too thick, so I used low calorie/low fat unsweetened cashew milk instead. Super yummy!
★★★★★