Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup- Instant Pot

Do you remember Panera Bread? My wife LOVED their Broccoli Cheddar Soup, so I made a vegan version and then converted it to an Instant Pot Recipe!

vegan broccoli cheddar soup for the instant pot

If you don't own an Instant Pot - I have a stovetop version here, and it's also in my new cookbook: Comfort Food Classics.

The stovetop version has always been a fan favorite, but yesterday, while doing my weekly YouTube Live Cooking Show I made an instant pot version. And as promised, this is that recipe.

Now it's easier than ever to have a big pot of delicious soup read in minutes.

What I Love About This Recipe

What's not to love?

It's quick!
It tastes just like I remember from Panera Bread
Only it's 100% dairy free & completely vegan AND gluten-free
It also has nowhere near the sodium level as the restaurant's version does
You can control exactly how much sodium is added
It uses everyday pantry ingredients
It's warm and comforting on a rainy wintery day
It's full of healthy ingredients
And it's cheezy!

Ingredients You'll Need

Small head of cauliflower
Carrot
Gold potato
Celery
Onion
1 qt. of low-sodium veg broth (or just use water for zero sodium)
Unsweetened plant milk
Nutritional yeast
Lemon Juice
Apple Cider Vinegar
Garlic powder
Broccoli
Salt & Pepper to taste

Equipment You'll Need

The following section includes affiliate links where I earn from qualified purchases but at no extra cost to you.

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup- Instant Pot

Instant Pot 6QT 7-1 Duo: https://amzn.to/3vN7COS
KitchenAid 3-speed Immersion Blender: https://amzn.to/3UiUM5g
Sari Brand Nutritional Yeast: https://amzn.to/4966BR3

How to Make Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Roughly chop your celery, onion, carrot, and potato and add them to your Instant Pot. Also, peel the leaves from your cauliflower, remove the thick stem, and then roughly cut it in half. Add the cauliflower and the veg broth and attach the Instant Pot lid.

Set your vent to SEALING, and cook on MANUAL for 5 minutes, then let it vent naturally for another 5 minutes before CAREFULLY releasing any remaining steam.

Remove the lid and then add the milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Using a wooden spoon, mix well and break up any large clumps of cauliflower.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could use your stand blender, blending small batches at a time.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Finally, microwave the package of frozen broccoli according to the package direction and then add it to the soup.

Alternatively, you could just add the broccoli frozen and let the heat of the soup finish cooking it. In this case, I would set your Instant Pot to SAUTE mode and cook until the broccoli has softened, stirring frequently.

Adjust any seasonings and you are ready to serve! A big hunk of crusty bread goes wonderfully with this soup!

Enjoy!