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Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons

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Topped with homemade croutons, this creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself and ready in under an hour.

Bowl of broccoli soup topped with croutons.

Topped with crisp homemade croutons, this rich and creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself. It’s perfect to ward off the evening chill, and it’s ready in under an hour.

What you’ll need to make Broccoli Soup

Soup ingredients including chicken broth, carrots, and celery.

For the ingredients, you’ll need the basics, plus white wine and Gruyère, a nutty and earthy-tasting cheese from Switzerland. It is available at most large grocery stores, Whole Foods, or gourmet markets.

Since the recipe only calls for a half cup of wine, I use a small bottle from a four-pack — they’re inexpensive and great to keep on hand for cooking.

How to make broccoli soup

Chopped vegetables on a cutting board.

Begin by chopping your vegetables. No need to chop them too finely since they all get puréed in the end.

Cutting board with broccoli florets.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.

Butter melting in a pan.

Cook the onion, garlic, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.

Pan of sauteed vegetables.

Add the white wine and cook until almost completely reduced.

Wine pouring into a pan of vegetables.

Add the broccoli, chicken broth, salt and pepper.

Broth pouring over broccoli in a pan.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Soup simmering in a pan.

Add the cream.

Cream pouring into a pan of soup.

Then purée until smooth.

Immersion blender in a pan of soup.

Gradually add the cheese, stirring until smooth. Add the nutmeg, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Person adding cheese to soup.

What you’ll need to make the croutons

While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. You’ll need bread cubes (preferably day old), butter, salt, and pepper.

Bread, sea salt, pepper, and butter on a countertop.

How to make the croutons

Melt the butter in the microwave, then toss it with the bread cubes directly on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Bread tossed with olive oil and seasonings on a lined baking dish.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp.

Croutons on a lined baking dish.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons. Enjoy!

Spoon in a bowl of broccoli and gruyere soup with homemade croutons.

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Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons

Topped with homemade croutons, this creamy broccoli soup is a meal unto itself and ready in under an hour.

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Soup

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 small yellow onions, roughly chopped (about 1¾ cups)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 pound broccoli, florets and stems, roughly chopped
  • 4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or half & half, for a lighter version)
  • 1 heaping cup grated Gruyère, packed (you'll need about 3 oz.)
  • Pinch nutmeg

For the Croutons

  • 2 cups cubed French Bread, preferably day old
  • 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the Soup

  1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the white wine and cook until almost completely reduced, a few minutes.
  3. Add the broccoli, chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. Add the heavy cream; then, use a hand held immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then purée in a blender in batches. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and cover with a kitchen towel to allow the steam to escape.) Bring the soup to a simmer, then gradually stir in the cheese, stirring until melted. Add the nutmeg, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper). Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with croutons.

For the Croutons

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
  2. Directly on the baking sheet, toss the bread cubes with the melted butter. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake for 13-15 minutes, tossing once, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp.
  3. Note: The soup thickens as it sits; add a bit of water to thin it out if necessary.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 414
  • Fat: 31g
  • Saturated fat: 18g
  • Carbohydrates: 22g
  • Sugar: 6g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 13g
  • Sodium: 700mg
  • Cholesterol: 95mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Jenn, I want to try making this soup. My store doesn’t have chunk gruyere but does have it shredded. Could I substitute that or some other cheese? I could get cheddar but I’d like to try something different. Thanks! (I’m giving this 5 stars because I’m sure it will be!)

    • — Barbara on January 3, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Barbara, shredded Gruyere should work here. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on January 4, 2024
      • Reply
      • So goood!!! I added water instead of half and half.

        • — Rita N. on January 26, 2024
        • Reply
    • Hi Jenn, Rose here.
      Made this soup and oh my my my!!! Used apple smoked gruyere. Mine doesn’t look as green as yours, but that’s ok.
      Thank you for another great recipe.

      • — Rosemary Kidd on January 17, 2024
      • Reply
  • Made this today for a quick NYE lunch. Man man man. Just perfect and couldn’t be easier. The croutons really are the perfect topping.

    I love all the recipes here, but this was especially great.

    • — Jake on December 31, 2023
    • Reply
  • Have made this many times now, and it never disappoints! So easy and so very tasty. Thank you!

    • — Mark on December 10, 2023
    • Reply
  • Just finished making your Broccoli & Gruyere Soup with Homemade Croutons. Wow–a spectacular 5 star (out of 5!) recipe! A thick and creamy blend of fresh vegetables with broccoli in the lead. Topped with freshly baked croutons, this soup may be the best I’ve ever had. Congratulations on a wonderful recipe, Jenn!

    • — Tim Short on August 15, 2023
    • Reply
  • I’ve had this recipe saved a while now, but this is the first the I’ve made it. Why, oh why, did I wait so long?! It was delicious and easy—and the perfect comfort food for a cold and dreary day. So glad I had a few ounces of Gruyère to use up in the refrigerator!

    • — Alex S. on January 16, 2023
    • Reply
  • Wow! Excellent! We loved it! Had to sub Swiss cheese for Gruyere since I couldn’t find it. Didn’t make the croutons only because I served it with your Stromboli which was also excellent. But it did make for a heavy meal. Lesson learned.

    • — Judy on October 13, 2022
    • Reply
  • SO GOOD!!! This is a keeper!

  • DEElicious soup. I was never a broccoli fan until I started making Jenn’s Roasted Broccoli with Chipotle Honey Butter – it was like eating candy it was so delicious and I found myself buying broccoli crowns whenever they went on sale just to make it. But with such a large amount of broccoli in my fridge I had to diversify and found this soup recipe. I puréed the soup in batches in a blender before I added the cream, tasted it and it was pretty darn delicious as it was (for those who want to count calories and make the soup healthier) but the cream upped the taste and again, I could really have stopped there as far as great soup but my husband reminded me that, like adding bacon to a recipe can’t do anything but good things, cheese does good things in any recipe. Well, it was a filling hearty soup and I made sour dough croutons to use up the bread and it was a wonderful meatless meal.

  • Beautiful recipe! This was easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. My store didn’t have gruyere cheese so I substituted good extra sharp cheddar that I grated. (No anti-caking agents) As much as I wanted to use all heavy cream I used 1/4 cup cream and the rest 1/2 & 1/2. It was rich enough and just the right thickness. Thanks for saying how much extra salt and pepper you add. I use this as a guide and it’s spot on. I always make your Artisan bread with soup and this bread makes the best croutons! We had the soup and bread and after two bowlfuls my husband was satisfied! Thanks Jenn! Can’t wait for your cookbook to arrive in September!

  • This is an amazing soup recipe…I make it all the time. I do use my own crouton recipe, however, with either sourdough or rosemary bread, a little dried Italian seasoning and some fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano for the last few minutes in the oven.

  • Jen, can you use frozen broccoli?

    • Sure, frozen broccoli should work here. Enjoy!

  • The soup is delicious ,everyone enjoyed it.

  • Broccoli cheese soup was delicious! I don’t think it was expensive to make at all. If this soup was ordered at a restaurant it would cost a lot more! We eat home all the time and most of my recipes come from Jenn. I enjoy cooking, this way I basically know what I’m putting in my food. Why do reviews have to be so negative? I follow many bloggers and I can honestly say Jenn has all of them beat! Thanks again for all your great recipes!!

  • Great flavour. I like the texture of the broccoli whole, so I did not purée. Only cheese I had in the fridge was old cheddar. Family loved it.

  • This soup was fantastic. It was creamy and flavorful and was a great way to use up an excess of broccoli. I pulled out about a half cup of the broccoli florets after cooking them, then added them back in after the rest was pureed for some texture. The croutons are a great addition too.

  • Another winner! Great soup! Great Taste!

  • This is a fantastic way to get kids to eat their broccoli! We love Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Homemade Croutons on cold, winter nights.

    Has the veggies, protein and creamy flavor that we all need. I substitute chicken broth for family suppers but use the wine to please myself for adult dinner parties … I know that the alcohol probably burns off … but not all kids like the flavor of wine … chicken or veggie broth works too!

    • — Kathy Hrabovsky
    • Reply
  • I made this wonderful soup as part of our meatless Christmas eve menu. I followed Jenn’s recipe to a T, except for using whole wheat bread for the croutons (we can’t consume white gluten products). We also added about a half cup of cheddar (more on that later). The soup has such a rich and complex flavor, so much yummier than any other recipes I’ve made or had at restaurants. The croutons really take the soup over the top! They’re so delicious and yet so easy to make (even with the whole wheat bread). I noticed that some reviewers opted for cheddar over the Gruyère. We added a touch of cheddar in addition to the Gruyère, but I wouldn’t recommend skipping it or adding too much cheddar that you overpower the flavor. Thanks Jenn for a wonderful recipe that will be in our family holiday rotation every year!

  • I made this last night and it was the best broccoli cheese soup I have ever had. I used about half gruyere and half cheddar since I didn’t have enough gruyere. Delicious!!

  • So wonderful!
    Perfect broccoli flavor with a delicate hint of cheese. Gruyere cheese is lovely and not as overpowering as a cheddar cheese might be.
    I would definitely serve in a small bowl as a first course with a couple of yummy croutons (I like to add a garlic clove to my melted butter for the croutons!)
    Perfect soup on a cold January day!!

  • I made this a few weeks ago, it was wonderful! Not sure why, but I was thinking it would be thicker and heartier, like a Panera version. This was much more sophisticated and delicate, and delicious. I’d maybe serve it as an appetizer or with a main course, I’m not sure it’s quite a “meal” alone, but then again, I’m feeding my husband and 3 boys—they eat a lot!!!

  • This is the 3rd recipe we have made from Jenn’s site, (only found it a week or so ago) all have been really gorgeous. I have just ordered Jenn’s book. Look forward to making many more of these delicious recipes. One of the great finds of the UK lockdown periods. Thank you Jenn.

  • Really enjoyed the flavor and ease of this soup. It was simple and easy to make with some fairly standard pantry and refrigerator ingredients. Another favorite of your recipes to add to the arsenal.

  • Absolutely delicious soup, which everyone loves in our family! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!

    • — Damienne Dunham
    • Reply
  • Lovely recipe, Jennifer! Very tasty and simple. Bravo!

  • Hi Jenn, thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. I made this soup for the first time tonight and everyone liked it (also my picky children, some went for second portions! Yay veggies!). Personally I found it very yummy.
    I’d like to add how much I like your cookbook. Over the last couple of years I have given it to four of my closest friends, perfect gift idea! I appreciate how your recipes nearly always call for basics that I can easily find or substitute here in Germany.

    • Hi Maggie, I’m happy to hear the soup was a hit with the whole family! Also, I appreciate your support with the cookbook — so glad you enjoy it!

  • Great recipe! I made some substitutions because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. I substituted 3/4 cup of cream cheese for the cream. I think that thickened the soup. I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Used Coastal (British) Extra Sharp Cheddar, not Gruyere. Also, I added mushrooms since I had them. I’m a Costco shopper, so it wasn’t too expensive. A 3-pound bag of organic broccoli was $4 at Costco. And if you see Coastal brand cheddar at Costco or Trader Joe’s, I highly recommend you try it. Best cheddar I’ve ever had.

  • I followed the recipe exactly. It was too rich, too thin, too salty and too expensive. I added a boiled potato (without salt) which made the soup thicker. It was flavorful, though.

  • We loved this soup! I needed something quick and easy for lunch. Though I had fresh broccoli, I chose to use frozen florets (saving the fresh broccoli for tomorrow for your broccoli purée, which is delicious, btw). I subbed Edam cheese for the gruyere (because I had it) and fat free half and half for the heavy cream (because I’ve had good results subbing fat free half and half for heavy cream in soups before). I used the blender to purée the soup and was very pleased with the consistency and flavor. Though I know it would have been richer and creamier with the heavy cream, we didn’t miss it and thought the soup was delicious. I’ll make this again for sure!

    I wish I could freeze the soup. I’m thinking of serving it as a first course for a luncheon I’m planning. I might try following the recipe but leaving out the cream until I’m ready to heat and serve it.

  • One of the few recipes here that I didn’t like. Mine came out very thin and bland and I had to add a lot more seasonings. Loved the croutons. I’ll stick with my broccoli cheddar soup recipe

    • I thought this soup was delicious! I also thought it was just the right consistency…not too thick or thin. I did make two small changes. One was I used 2/3 Gruyere and 1/3 Tillamook Mild Cheddar. And after I put in the cheese, I chopped up additional broccoli and added it to the soup and simmered for a couple of minutes. I just like the extra texture. This is another stellar recipe to add to my arsenal of weeknight dinners! Thank you, Jennifer! I love all your recipes!!!

  • This was good, but just a little rich for me. Will try in again subbing something else for the whipping cream

    • — Carol Winkelman
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,

    Made the soup yesterday from my own broccoli and gotta admit that’s the best broccoli soup I made so far, so thanks for the recipe! ^^

  • Simple and amazing! Easy for a mom of three!

    • Also I left it chunky! Love it that way!

  • I was craving broccoli cheese soup, but sadly this wasn’t my favorite version. It was thin and didn’t have the sharp cheese flavor that I was looking for. Back to the drawing board! (For the record though, I like almost every other recipe on this site!)

    • Did you use the cheese she recommended? It had a bite!

  • Thank you, thank you, thank you Jenn for these amazing soup recipes (and all of your recipes for that matter)! I had made the butternut squash and sweet potato recipe, and that is so wonderful! Rave reviews! I decided to try this soup – knowing that I usually don’t care for this soup at most restaurants. Even my skeptical husband who doesn’t love broccoli, loved this! We all did! The flavors are out of this world! So yummy! I did do half gruyere and half sharp cheddar, but I’m sure I would love the gruyere only. I am working my way through your cookbook, and have just loved everything you have come up with. I’m glad I found you!!

    • So glad you enjoy the recipes, Melissa, and that this one didn’t disappoint! 🙂

  • Absolutely to die for! I was gifted a huge amount of broccoli, carrots, onion and celery. I now have vast quantities of soup base in Ziplocs in the freezer, all ready for adding cream and cheese as the temperature drops! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.

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