Family-friendly, satiating, and nutritious, this Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup is easy to make and is great for a weeknight dinner. Serve with your favorite garnishes and some crusty bread or dinner rolls on the side. See notes for dietary modifications and storage/freezing instructions.
½cupall-purpose flour 8 tbsp., or gluten-free flour
8cupschicken stockor vegetable stock
2teaspoonspowdered garlic or 2 cloves of garlic, diced
½teaspoonsweet paprikaor mild
2teaspoonsspicy mustard
8cupsbroccolismall florets/discard the stems
3cupshalf and half creambring to room temperature
4cupscheddar cheeseor Velveeta cheese, mild semi-soft cheese, diced into cubes or shredded
Garnishes
Shredded cheddar
Black pepper
Broccoli florets finely diced or parsley
Instructions
Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté setting. Let it heat up slightly. Add butter and once melted, add the onions, carrots and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring a couple of times or until onion is softened. Stop the Sauté by pressing Keep Warm/Cancel button.
While still hot, add flour and stir briskly for 30 seconds.
Now, add chicken stock in 2-3 batches stirring well so there are no lumps. Using a whisk helps with this.
Add the seasonings and mustard, stir through and add the broccoli florets.
Close and seal the Instant Pot. Check the Steam Release handle at the top is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual/Pressure Cook button and adjust the time to 1 minute, it should say HIGH pressure. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will be ON and it will take about 10-15 minutes to build up the pressure, as there is quite a bit of liquid and ingredients inside. The floating valve will pop to the top once the pressure is built and the timer will start. Note, that cooking begins during the pressurizing stage.
Once the timer is done, use the Quick Release method to let the steam off and open the lid. Simply point the Steam Release handle to Venting and step away. The jet stream will take a minute or two and the top floating valve will drop down once the lead is ready to be open.
Open the lid and stir the soup. Add half and half cream (make sure it’s not too cold, microwave it slightly if needed). Mix through and use a potato masher to roughly puree the cooked vegetables into the liquid.
Press the Sauté function key again to the soup back bring to a simmer. Immediately turn off once soup begins to simmer and add the cheese in 2-3 batches, stirring well until it's fully melted and combined into the soup.
Serve with toppings of your choice, such as shredded cheddar, chopped broccoli, hot sauce, sour cream, chives, crispy bacon, croutons and so on.
Notes
Storing the soup: Keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat well and whisk to restore its creamy texture.Freezing broccoli cheese soup: This soup can be frozen by putting it into freezer bags or airtight freezer containers. Label with the date so you know when to use them by, up to 3 months is ideal but can be longer.Thawed broccoli cheese soup may have a slight change in texture because the cream separates during freezing and then thawing. Simply whisk the soup back together and add some more cream ot bring it back to life. Refresh the seasonings with salt and pepper and enjoy!One tip is to use evaporated milk instead of cream if you plan to freeze this soup.To Thaw: Refrigerate overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.Lower-calorie version: Reduce butter or use low-fat alternative and use light or low-fat dairy and cheese. For a gluten-free version, make sure to use suitable flour!Low-Carb version: Broccoli cheese soup is great for those following a low-carb diet. Simply omit the flour and carrot at the start or reduce flour down to 1-2 tablespoons.