This Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup is creamy, loaded with veggies, and ready in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot. Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread and a green salad for an easy weeknight meal.
I love my Instant Pot. I think I may have mentioned this before. But it’s true. I make all sorts of Instant Pot recipes. One thing that I hadn’t yet tried was soup. So, I figured I would try out one of my favorite stove-top soups, my Panera copy-cat Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe, in the Instant Pot. And I wasn’t disappointed!
There are more details below, or you can click here to jump straight to the recipe.
Ingredients For Broccoli Cheese Soup
The Instant Pot recipe is fairly similar to the original Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe, though I did tweak the ingredients a bit.
I replaced the onion powder with chopped onions and the garlic powder with minced garlic. Mostly, because I like to use the sauté function whenever I can. And I’m glad I did. The chopped veggies add a nice flavor and texture to the soup. I did keep the matchstick carrots and the frozen broccoli because I generally have both on hand and they are just so convenient.
The sharp Cheddar cheese, also used in the original recipe, is the perfect flavor to pair with the broccoli. I like to grate the cheese myself because I have noticed that the starches added to the pre-grated cheese to keep it from clumping in the package, tend to clump in the soup rather than allowing the cheese to melt.
Setting The Instant Pot To Zero Minutes
As you read through the recipe, don’t be confused by the time of zero (0) minutes as the pressure cooking time. It is correct. The process of bringing the Instant Pot up to pressure is enough to cook all of the veggies through without breaking the broccoli into mush.
If you prefer to use fresh broccoli, you absolutely can. The pressure cooking time needs to be increased to 2 minutes. Allow a natural release time of 3 minutes and then do a quick pressure release.
I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do! And don’t forget the crusty loaf of bread.
If you’re looking for another great Instant Pot soup full of veggies, try this Vegetable Soup recipe. It’s full of fresh vegetables like green beans, carrots, and kale plus it has cannellini beans for some protein.
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Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup is creamy, loaded with veggies, and ready in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot. Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread and a green salad for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 16 oz. bag frozen broccoli
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and ½ cups milk
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Select Sauté to pre-heat the inner pot of your Instant Pot.
- Add the oil, garlic, onions, and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes. Season with the salt.
- Add the stock and broccoli, stir gently to combine.
- Close and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle is in the sealed position.
- Select Pressure Cook and set the time for 0 (zero) minutes of pressure cooking time. The pressurization of the Instant Pot cooks the vegetables through.
- While the Instant Pot is pressurizing, measure the flour into a large mason jar and add the milk. Screw on the lid and shake it until the flour is mixed well into the milk. Set aside.
- When time is up, turn the steam release handle to the venting position and allow steam to escape. When the valve has dropped, unlock the lid and open carefully.
- Select Sauté. Re-shake the flour mixture to make sure it is still well mixed and add, bring to a simmer and stir until thickened.
- Press Cancel and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot with pot holders. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
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Notes
- If using fresh broccoli, set the time to 2 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 3 minutes, then turn the steam release handle to the venting position to release any remaining steam. Proceed from step 6.
This post originally appeared in January 2019 and was revised and republished in January 2023.
Rae says
Yum! This recipe was so easy and the soup is perfectly cozy and delicious.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed.