This Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup tastes just like Panera Bread’s. It’s a delicious and creamy soup that also freezes well.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – you can use any neutral cooking oil like avocado oil, olive oil or sunflower oil in place of butter to sauté the vegetables.
- Yellow onion – white onions or shallots are great alternatives to yellow onions in this recipe.
- Celery – if you’re not a fan of celery, feel free to leave it out altogether.
- Carrot – if you’re not a fan of carrots, feel free to leave them out altogether.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is preferred but jarred minced garlic will also work.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Flour – to make this recipe gluten free, you can use brown rice flour in place of regular flour, but you’ll only want to use half the amount listed.
- Milk – any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice can be used in this recipe. You can also use half and half cream instead of milk for a thicker soup.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth.
- Broccoli – broccoli is the star of this soup so you will want to include it. Feel free to use either fresh or frozen broccoli.
- Cheddar cheese – mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, white cheddar or mixed cheddar are all great options for this soup.
How to make broccoli cheddar soup in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Sauté the veggies.
Melt the butter, then sauté the onions, celery and carrots until softened.
Step 2: Stir in the flour.
Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper and flour, and toss to combine.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients.
Whisk in the milk, and stir to remove the clumps. Add in the chicken broth and broccoli.
Step 4: Cook on high pressure.
Scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot well to avoid the burn message, then cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
Step 5: Mix in the cheese.
Do a quick release of the pressure, then stir in the cheese.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with broccoli cheese soup
If you’re looking to create a full meal out of your Instant Pot Panera broccoli cheddar soup, you can serve your soup with a sandwich or salad of your choice.
You can also pair your soup with one of these sides:
- Steamed vegetables
- Arugula salad
- Baguette or garlic bread
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich
Frequently Asked Questions
I’d recommend using mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, white cheddar or mixed cheddar for this Instant Pot broccoli cheddar soup. Regardless of which kind of cheddar you use, make sure you use the freshly grated stuff – it melts and tastes the best!
If you find that your cheese isn’t melting, it may be because you’ve chosen a cheese with a lower melting point or you’re using a pre-shredded blend. Pre-shredded cheese blends are coated in potato starch to keep them fresh, which also means it takes the cheese longer to melt.
You can use either fresh or frozen broccoli for this recipe. The cooking time will remain the same for either option.
Broccoli cheddar soup can get grainy if the cheese gets too hot and starts to get clumpy. For this recipe, the cheese gets stirred in after the soup has cooked to prevent this from happening.
If you want your soup to be even thicker, you have two options. The first is to stir in a cornstarch slurry after the soup has finished cooking, then let the lid sit on the Instant Pot for about 5 minutes. The second option is to use an immersion blender to blend up some of the soup, which should make it super creamy and thick.
Storing and reheating
Any leftover Instant Pot broccoli cheddar soup can be stored in airtight glass containers or mason jars. I like storing my leftover soup in mason jars because they make future meals that much easier. All you have to do is warm up the mason jar of soup and enjoy – no extra bowls necessary! The leftover soup will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, making this a great meal prep dish.
When you’re ready to enjoy your soup, warm it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a pot on the stovetop until warmed through.
Can you freeze broccoli cheddar soup?
This Instant Pot Panera broccoli cheddar soup is definitely freezer-friendly! Allow it to cool down to room temperature before freezing. Once the soup has cooled down, pour the soup into freezer-safe Ziploc bags, mason jars or airtight glass containers. You can store the soup in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy your soup, let it defrost in the fridge overnight. When it’s completely thawed, warm it up in a pot on the stovetop, stirring frequently. If you’re in a rush, you could also just stick your thawed soup in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
- The Best Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing leftovers in the fridge.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Panera Copycat}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 heads broccoli, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Melt butter, then saute onions, celery and carrots for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, salt & pepper and flour, tossing to combine. Whisk in milk, stirring to remove lumps, then add in chicken broth and broccoli. Turn off saute mode.
- NOTE: You will want to scrap bottom of the Instant Pot very well after liquids are added to avoid the burn message. If you do receive the burn message, scrape the bottom of the pot and then try one more time. All the Instant Pot really needs to do is come to pressure to cook the broccoli, it doesn't need to pressure cook for an extended period of time.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 1 minute. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 1 minute.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Stir in cheese, then serve soup in large bowls. Enjoy!
