The Best Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup | Easy Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is an Instant Pot good for making soup? ›

Sometimes that's great, infusing our home with delicious smells and warmth, but a lot of the time, we're craving soup NOW. Enter: the Instant Pot. It can make delicious, hands-off soup, usually in just under an hour. Check out our best Instant Pot soups, stews, and chilis—you'll be feeling all warm and cozy in no time.

Use a thickener – Arrowroot powder or cornstarch are the best options if you want to go this route. Tossing the shredded cheese in one of these before adding to the soup will help it melt better and thicken better.

Sometimes an acidic ingredient, like wine, can prevent the soup from curdling. Slowly add the cream or milk and continually stir after adding. This will help prevent it from curdling. Use shredded cheese and always reduce the heat to about low to medium before adding.

Depends if you want it slightly crunchy and firm or not. If so fresh is better. It's just different applications - for casseroles and soups frozen is fine, but if you want to have roast broccoli or steamed broccoli then fresh is the way to go.

Citrus juices are just so refreshing, enlivening and brightens up the soups. You can opt for lime, lemon, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits. Oh yeah! You can go with a bit of orange juice to give a unique flavor to your regular instant soup.

The Verdict: While the pressure cooker prepared a superior tasting dish, it all comes down to how you want to spend your time. The slow cooker is great for hands off cooking. The pressure cooker is fast and provides a better result, but you need to be in the kitchen the entire time it's on the stove.

The temperature you cook Broccoli Cheese Soup at is key to making sure it doesn't end up grainy or curdled. Medium heat is best for dairy-based soups so it doesn't boil and curdle.

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

Grate the cheese yourself.

Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting into a lusciously creamy soup. To ensure that your broccoli cheddar soup has the best smooth and creamy texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.

Why is my cheese clumping in broccoli cheddar soup? ›

If heated too high, you risk clumping and if too low, not melting properly. With soup, you might be able to fix it with an immersion blender, or you might not. At a temperature of 150 or so, the protein bonds in the cheese break down and as a result, too much fo the moisture escapes too quickly.

If you add cheese to your soup when it's too hot or boiling vigorously, it can become overcooked and develop a grainy or curdled texture rather than melting smoothly. To avoid this, reduce the heat to low or medium-low before adding the cheese.

As per studies, broccoli helps improve bone and joint health. It is a rich vitamin K, C, A, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc source. These are crucial nutrients that help strengthen bones and joints. Along with this, antioxidant sulforaphane in broccoli may prevent osteoarthritis.

Steaming broccoli is a fast and healthy way to cook this nutritious vegetable. It preserves broccoli's vibrant green color and fresh flavor without the addition of oil. While boiled broccoli is often soggy, steamed broccoli is characteristically crisp-tender.

Broccoli is loaded with vitamin C and K, potassium, and fiber, offering numerous health benefits like improved digestion, reduced inflammation, and boosted immunity. Cheddar cheese, provides a good dose of protein, calcium, and other essential minerals.

There are several ways to make broccoli soup thicker or creamier: Add Potatoes or Cauliflower: Boil and blend potatoes or cauliflower and incorporate them into the soup. They add creaminess without altering the flavor significantly. Use Heavy Cream or Milk: Add heavy cream or whole milk for a rich and creamy texture.

Add Flour, Cornstarch, or Other Thickener: Starches thicken soup and give it body. Whisk a few tablespoons of starch into a little of the broth in a separate bowl before whisking it into the main pot. This prevents the starch from clumping and helps it dissolve into the soup evenly.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.