Broccoli potato cheese soup in pressure cooker uses fresh vegetables and turns out creamy and delicious every time! Using frozen hashbrowns or finely diced russets to make it thick without cornstarch is key.
Instant Pot recipes are just the best and this pressure cooker broccoli cheese soup is top on the list of favorites. Do you love homemade soup? We sure do. Even when it is summertime our favorite meal is a warm bowl of soup with a side of bread. See what your family thinks of this one using fresh broccoli. (affiliate links present)
Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup Recipe
This recipe uses fresh vegetables and chunks of cheddar cheese. A bit like our Potato Soup with Frozen Hashbrowns but made in less time and with lots of veggies. If you want it very smooth as you see here just use an immersion blender at the end, or leave chunky.
in Ninja Foodi
You can make it in a Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi as well though too. It doesnโt matter what brand you might have. Hereโs what it looks like in the first step once you add all your broccoli and cheese, we think sharp is the best but totally up to you.
I use this pot like for everything and rarely use my oven or stove anymore. I did make a version of broccoli beer cheese soup in my Dutch oven though if you want to try both.
Over the years we have added more and more of course. Another variety is something my Grandma would have loved, itโs our Instant Pot beer cheese soup. Most of the alcohol is cooked out but it offers a ton of flavor with a dark or blonde version in there.
Before this I didnโt cook homemade meals very often. They were time consuming on the stove top and there just wasnโt time for it in the day, BUT thatโs all changed. In just 15 minutes I can now make a homemade soup such as this one. Itโs pretty amazing.
Ingredients
- Broccoli florets, Iโd choose fresh vs. frozen broccoli
- Cheese โ sharp cheddar is best, hred at least 1/4 cup more to serve on top once it is done
- Onions diced fine are optional
- Heavy cream is better to make creamier
- Celery is a great addition too
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
What kind of potatoes are best in broccoli cheese soup?
If you want to use fresh, peel them and then shred with a cheese shredder. I like russets because they are very starchy which means it will thicken this meal well. Red are firmer so if you want it chunkier you could go with that. Hash browns are my choice.
Variations
You also can make this pressure cooker soup as thick as youโd like. Just add a bit more cornstarch at the very end if itโs a bit thin for you when you lift the lid off. It is easy to adjust to your liking. We also add a lot of cheddar cheese!! You can use our measurements, add less, or even more. If youโre a huge cheese lover though, pile it on it. Ours comes out wonderfully creamy and cheesy for sure.
You will need to get out the following items and ingredients. Fresh is always better than frozen but you could use that. The biggest difference is that frozen vegetables when cooked under high pressure will break down quite a bit and may become too soft for you.
If you needed to make this dairy free you could use coconut milk but just know that it will be quite a bit thinner and sweeter. Half lactose free milk and half coconut could be used alternatively. Youโll want to thicken at the end with cornstarch or arrowroot flour for gluten free at the end. Weโve gotta share our Instant Pot broccoli instructions too of course!
To get it really creamy you do want this thick dairy product to really get the thickness and texture you want. There are some great dairy free cheese alternatives out there my Daiya that we have tried. I have found it at Walmart in a variety of different types.
How to Make Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup in Pressure Cooker
- Cut your fresh vegetales into really small, bite size pieces. Stalks can be diced and added too, or discarded!
- Add into your pressure cooker with your cheese
- Push the soup button and quick release when done
If you want it really smooth use an immersion blender. Can top with added shredded cheese if desired.
This really does taste like broccoli soup at Panera if you love that. Ready to make this in your Crock Pot Express or Ninja Foodi machine?? These directions will work for those too. If you have a pot that doesnโt have a soup button then just use pressure cook low setting instead.
Other pressure cooker recipes youโll love
- Instant Pot carrot soup is another great vegetable soup recipe
- Then try pressure cooker tomato basil soup
Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 c heavy cream
- 1 cup hash browns, frozen, or really finely shredded potatoes without the skin
- 8 oz cheese, shredded or cut into small chunks, sharp is best
- 3 c vegetable broth, or water
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli, carrots, celery and onion into small, bite size pieces. Stalks can be diced and added too!
- Add all diced vegetables into your pressure cooker with liquids.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
- Close lid and steam valve and push the soup button, it will automatically set to 30 minutes (if not adjust to 30).
- Do a quick release and serve. If you want it really smooth use an immersion blender. Can top with added shredded cheese if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have the ninja hot cold blender โ can I use this recipe?
I am using a Ninja Foodi- do I set it on pressure cook (low) for 30 minutes? The Foodi doesnโt have a soup button!
Yes that is what I would do.
Can you use frozen broccoli? If so would cooking time need adjusting? I have all the other ingredients on hand except fresh brocco!i, only have frozen broocoli.
Frozen broccoli florets should be just fine just note that it may come out more watery because they are frozen. May need to add a bit more thickener at the end. ๐
Can you use frozen broccoli? If so would cooking time need adjusting?
How can I convert this to a slow cooker? I assume I wouldnโt add the heavy cream until the end of the cook time. Thanks!
I havenโt done that yet but yes Iโd add the cream at the end just to warm it up, unsure of timing. 6 hrs on low would be my initial guess.
What else could I substitute for heavy cream?
I always substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream.