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.
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.”
What you’ll need to make Broccoli & Gruyère Soup
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Step 6: Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons. Enjoy!
More Cozy Soups To Try
Broccoli & Gruyère Soup with Homemade Croutons
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
Nutrition Information
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.
Comments
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I made this soup last week, it was wonderful. Even my husband liked it. I used half and half since that is what I had on hand, it turned out great. We loved the croutons!
This is awesome. The first time I made it I used the full cream. Husband and I had it for dinner and it was more than enough. The croutons are amazing. I used to make my own but somehow had gotten out of the habit. Not any more. The second time I substituted light cream, it was good, but the full cream is delicious for a special occasion. My youngest son dislikes soup, but this got a rave review. Thank you so much Jenn for all the love and care that goes into this site.
Marjory
Hi, I was wondering if you think this would work just as well with cheddar instead of Gruyère? Also, my husband hates celery — does the soup actually taste at all like celery (or even have a celery “essence”)? Thanks!
Hi Laura, Yes, it’s delicious with cheddar. You can’t taste the celery at all but if you’re worried it’s perfectly fine to leave it out 🙂
Thank you for your recipes. I can feel you cook with love . God keep guiding you. Kindest regards and thanks again for your recipes I enjoy them. Rutj
Simple and absolutely delicious! Subbed half and half and I don’t feel like I missed out- creamy and satisfying.
Would this work with skim milk?
Hi Susan, You could try it, but I would probably add a 1-2 tablespoons of flour to the onion mixture after it is cooked. You would cook the flour/onion mixture a few minutes before adding the wine, then proceed with the recipe. This will help thicken it up.
Tried it with the skim and it was very good – even better the second day. Thanks
Delicious! Perfect with half and half cream. So so good.
I had one question about adding the white wine, the recipe says cook until “dissolved”. What is dissolving, the vegetables or did you mean until the wine is almost completely reduced? Looking forward to trying this, it looks great!
Hi David, Yes, cook until the wine is almost completely reduced. I will clarify in the recipe. Thx!
Just made this for dinner, awesome! Of course could not find Gruyere at our local SW, but Parmesan worked well. Thanks!
Curious where the “high” carb count per serving is coming from… the croutons? If so, what would be the approximate carb count per serving if croutons are omitted? Will definitely make this! Another winner from Jenn!
Hi MC, Here’s the nutritional data without the croutons: 363 calories, Fat 29g, Sat Fat 17g, Carbs 14g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 4g, Protein 13g, Sodium 568mg, Cholesterol 133mg
Hope that helps!