Creamy, decadent Instant Pot vegan broccoli cheddar soup is a snap to make and packed with veggies. It's a 30-minute, 1-pot meal!
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Is there anything cozier than a big ol' bowl of vegan broccoli cheddar soup? And it's so easy to make in the Instant Pot! It's warm, filling, veggie-packed comfort food. Even my soup-shunning child likes this soup!
My favorite part about this recipe is how easy it is to make . It uses the Instant Pot's sauté function to turn this vegan broccoli cheddar soup into a super easy, one-pot meal that's a total crowd-pleaser.
Vegan Instant Pot broccoli cheddar soup is a 30-minute, one-pot meal that's perfect with some garlic bread to dip.
Ingredients and substitutions
- vegan butter - To sauté. You can use olive oil or water instead, if you prefer.
- sweet onion - A Vidalia onion or yellow onion will work well.
- garlic - Because garlic makes food taste good!
- broccoli - You can use fresh or frozen broccoli florets for this recipe.
- carrots - Sliced carrots add a little sweetness and some more veggie power to this soup!
- vegan chicken broth - You can use boxed broth, homemade, or a mix of water and broth cubes. I'm partial to Edward & Sons Not Chick'n Broth cubes.
- salt and spices - Salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and ground mustard bring so much amazing flavor to this soup!
- vegan cheddar shreds - Choose one that melts well for the best results.
- unsweetened vegan milk - Adds creaminess to the broth. Choose an unsweetened variety, if possible.
- cornstarch - Cornstarch helps thicken the broth to creamy perfection!
How to make Instant Pot vegan broccoli cheddar soup
Use your pressure cooker's sauté function to melt the vegan butter or heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring, until the onion becomes translucent, just a few minutes.
Press the cancel button, then add the broccoli, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder.
Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for zero minutes (really!) with a 10-minute natural release.
Add the vegan milk and cheddar shreds to the potful of soup, and press the sauté button. Slowly add the cornstarch-water mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens to your preference.
Season to taste with more salt and pepper. You can also add a little cayenne, if you like a little heat, or more mustard powder, if it needs more tang. Serve hot topped with fresh black pepper or crushed red pepper.
Helpful tips
- For an even creamier result, you can use vegan creamer instead of the milk. You can also use cashew cream!
- Make sure that you dissolve the cornstarch in a little bit of water before adding it to the soup. It will clump up if you add it dry to the hot soup.
- If you like your broccoli cheddar soup to be creamier, you can use an immersion blender to puree some or all of the veggies after cooking at pressure.
Storage directions
Leftovers will keep for three to five days in the refrigerator. You can warm it back up on the stovetop or in the microwave.
It will keep for up to three months in the freezer. That overnight in the fridge or on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours, then warm in the microwave or on the stovetop. Make sure to stir when you warm it up, because freezing can cause the soup to separate a bit.
More cozy vegan Instant Pot recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or other multipot pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced small
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups broccoli florets fresh or frozen is fine
- 2 carrots sliced into thin rounds
- 2 cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth or 2 cups water + 2 broth cubes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground mustard
- 7 ounces vegan cheddar shreds
- 2 cups vegan milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Use your pressure cooker's sauté function to melt the vegan butter or heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring, until the onion becomes translucent, just a few minutes.
- Press the cancel button, then add the broccoli, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder.
- Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 0 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Press the cancel button.
- Add the vegan milk and cheddar shreds to the potful of soup, and press the sauté button again. Slowly add the cornstarch-water mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens to your preference.
- Season to taste with more salt and pepper. You can also add a little cayenne, if you like a little heat, or more mustard powder, if it needs more tang. Serve hot.
Kimmy
So! I got an Instant Pot for Christmas - I had been wanting for 3+ years but kept worrying if I got it, I wouldn't use it. But someone else bought it for me so I can't possibly let it go to waste. And how happy was I to remember in my blogging days a few years back(rockmyvegansocks) this fun blog I followed that mentioned Instant Pot recipes and I googled vegan Instant Pot and your blog was near the top of the list and I tried this as my very first recipe and it was SO GOOD. I was worried I would screw it up (which I kind of did because I never quite got the hang of natural release yet, but I will) and it still turned out perfectly and we basically finished the entire pot in one sitting with toast between the two of us. I can't wait to try your red curry and yellow split pea soup.
Becky Striepe
Oh I am honored that my recipe was your IP's inaugural run! Thank you so much for coming back to leave such a thoughtful comment, Kimmy, and enjoy your Instant Pot!
Stephanie
This was just OK. Not much flavor or excitement.
Dianne
This is my favorite type of soup! I don't use my InstantPot nearly enough, so I plan on pulling it out and make this!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! Dust off that IP!