Nut-Free Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup with White Beans and Potato
A velvety vegan broccoli cheddar soup made without cashews: Yukon Golds and white beans blend into a cheesy base with nutritional yeast, miso and Dijon.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Serves
- 6
Nut-Free Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup with White Beans and Potato is a vegan lunch recipe made with olive oil, yellow onion, carrot. It takes 50 minutes of hands-on time, serves 6, and each serving has 256 calories, 13 g of protein and 9 g of fiber.
This version gets its body from Yukon Gold potatoes and cannellini beans instead of cashews, so it's nut-free and uses pantry staples. Nutritional yeast, white miso and Dijon mustard bring the sharp, savory flavor of cheddar, and a little turmeric and grated carrot give it the familiar golden color. The base is blended smooth before the broccoli goes in, so the florets stay bright green and a bit firm instead of turning into mush.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp27 golive oil
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, diced
- 1 medium61 gcarrot, peeled and finely grated
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
- ½ tsp1.2 gsmoked paprika
- ¼ tsp0.8 gground turmeric
- 1 lb454 gYukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1¼ lb567 gbroccoli, florets cut bite-size and stems peeled and diced (kept separate)
- 4 cups960 glow-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 can240 gcannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 15-oz can
- 1 cup243 gunsweetened plain soy milk
- ½ cup30 gnutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp17 gwhite miso paste
- 1 tbsp15 gDijon mustard
- 2 tsp10 gapple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp6 gfine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp1.2 gblack pepper
- 2 30 ggreen onions, thinly sliced, for serving (optional)
- 1 pinch0.2 gred pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
Kit: large pot or Dutch oven, blender or immersion blender, box grater
Tips
- Cut the florets small (about 1 inch) so they cook evenly in the thick soup and fit on a spoon.
- Grating the carrot finely lets it melt into the base, where it adds color and a little sweetness without tasting like carrot soup.
- Add the vinegar at the end. A small amount of acid makes the nutritional yeast taste more like sharp cheddar.
Swap ideas
- Oat milk instead of soy milk
- Slightly sweeter and just as creamy. Still nut-free, but choose a certified gluten-free brand if that matters.
- Chickpea miso or 1 tsp soy sauce instead of white miso
- Keeps the savory depth for anyone avoiding soy (chickpea miso) or out of miso (soy sauce adds a darker, saltier edge).
- Frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh
- Works well. Add them straight from frozen and simmer 5–6 minutes. You lose the stems, so add an extra 1/2 cup diced potato to the base.
- Half the broccoli replaced with cauliflower florets
- Milder, more classic 'cheese soup' flavor and a paler color.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
256kcal per serving
Everything else · 6 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 1 g 5%
- Sugars
- 6.5 g
- Sodium
- 1074 mg 47%
- Potassium
- 1127 mg 24%
- Calcium
- 165 mg 13%
- Iron
- 4 mg 22%
- Vitamin C
- 103 mg 114%
- Vitamin B12
- 19.11 µg 796%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Onions, raw, Carrots, raw, Garlic, raw, Spices, paprika, Spices, turmeric, ground, Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw, Broccoli, raw, Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve, Beans, white, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Soymilk, original and vanilla, with added calcium, vitamins A and D, Nutritional Yeast Seasoning by BRAGG (fortified; legacy USDA Branded Foods entry as reproduced by NutritionValue.org), Miso, Mustard, prepared, yellow, Vinegar, cider, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent with a few golden edges, 6–8 minutes.
Stir in the grated carrot, garlic, smoked paprika and turmeric and cook until the garlic smells fragrant and the carrot has softened, about 1–2 minutes. Don't let the garlic brown.
Add the potatoes, diced broccoli stems and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover partly and simmer until a fork slides easily through the potato cubes, 12–15 minutes.
Add the cannellini beans and simmer for 2 minutes to warm them through, then turn off the heat.
Blend the soup with the soy milk, nutritional yeast, miso and Dijon until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes. If you're using a countertop blender, work in batches, fill the jar no more than halfway and remove the center cap so steam can escape. Cover the opening with a folded towel. An immersion blender can go straight into the pot.
Return the smooth base to the pot over medium-low heat and stir in the broccoli florets. Cover and simmer gently, stirring every couple of minutes so the thick soup doesn't catch on the bottom, until the florets are bright green and just tender when pierced, 7–9 minutes.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar, black pepper and remaining salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the soup is thicker than you like, thin it with a splash of broth or water.
Ladle into bowls and top with sliced green onions and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if using.
Storage: Cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as it sits, so reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth or water, stirring often. It freezes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and whisk well while reheating, since the potatoes can turn slightly grainy.
Questions
- How much protein is in nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato?
- Each of the 6 servings has 13 g of protein, 9 g of fiber and 256 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, so 50 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato ahead?
- Cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as it sits, so reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth or water, stirring often. It freezes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and whisk well while reheating, since the potatoes can turn slightly grainy.
- What can I substitute in nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato?
- Oat milk instead of soy milk — slightly sweeter and just as creamy. still nut-free, but choose a certified gluten-free brand if that matters.. Chickpea miso or 1 tsp soy sauce instead of white miso — keeps the savory depth for anyone avoiding soy (chickpea miso) or out of miso (soy sauce adds a darker, saltier edge).. Frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh — works well. add them straight from frozen and simmer 5–6 minutes. you lose the stems, so add an extra 1/2 cup diced potato to the base.. Half the broccoli replaced with cauliflower florets — milder, more classic 'cheese soup' flavor and a paler color..
- Does nut-free vegan broccoli cheddar soup with white beans and potato contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 29, 2026 ·American