Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons

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This broccoli and Gruyère soup is rich, creamy, and full of cozy flavor—perfect for chilly evenings or an easy weeknight dinner.

Bowl of broccoli soup topped with croutons.

There’s nothing like a cozy bowl of soup to take the edge off a chilly evening, and this rich, creamy broccoli and Gruyère soup does just that. Think of it as the French cousin of the classic broccoli cheddar soup. Topped with crisp homemade croutons, it’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own. Best of all, it comes together in under an hour, making it perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner.

“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.”

Jake

What you’ll need to make Broccoli & Gruyère Soup

Soup ingredients including chicken broth, carrots, and celery.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Cook the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.

Pan of sauteed vegetables.

Step 2: Add the wine, broccoli, and broth. Pour in the white wine and let it cook until it’s almost completely reduced. Add the broccoli, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.

Soup simmering in a pan.

Step: 3: Add the cream and purée. Stir in the heavy cream, then use a hand-held immersion blender to purée the soup until it’s completely smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a regular blender in batches. Just let it cool a bit first, leave the hole in the lid open, and cover it with a kitchen towel so the steam can escape.)

Immersion blender in a pan of soup.

Step 4: Stir in the cheese. Gradually add the Gruyère, stirring until it melts smoothly into the soup. Stir in the nutmeg, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Person adding cheese to soup.

Step 5: Toast the croutons. While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. You’ll need bread cubes (preferably day old), melted butter, salt, and pepper. Simply toss everything directly on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the bread cubes are golden.

Croutons on a lined baking dish.

Step 6: Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons. Enjoy!

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

More Cozy Soups To Try

Print

Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons

Bowl of broccoli soup topped with croutons.
This broccoli and Gruyère soup is pure cozy-in-a-bowl—rich, creamy, and just the thing to warm you up on a chilly night.
Servings: 4 to 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 stalk celery, 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 freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or half & half, for a lighter version)
  • 3 oz grated Gruyère (1 packed heaping cup)
  • Pinch nutmeg

For the Croutons

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

Instructions

For the Soup

  • 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.
  • Add the white wine and cook until almost completely reduced, a few minutes.
  • 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.
  • 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

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
  • 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 to 15 minutes, tossing once, until the bread cubes are golden brown and crisp.

Notes

The soup thickens as it sits; add a bit of water to thin it out if necessary.

Nutrition Information

Per serving (6 servings)Calories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 13gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 700mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6g

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

  • 5 stars
    Hi Jen,

    Is this soup suitable to freeze? Thanks!

    • — Ashlee on May 14, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Ashlee, Unfortunately, I don’t think this would freeze very well due to all the dairy in it. Sorry!

      • — Jenn on May 15, 2024
      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    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
      • 5 stars
        So goood!!! I added water instead of half and half.

        • — Rita N. on January 26, 2024
        • Reply
    • 5 stars
      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
  • 5 stars
    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
  • 5 stars
    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!

  • 5 stars
    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!

  • 5 stars
    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.

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