This creamy broccoli and almond soup recipe is so simple yet so delicious! The almonds make the broccoli soup so creamy, you’d never guess it was dairy-free and vegan! It’s very simple to prepare with only a few ingredients and, with the optional nutritional yeast added, it tastes like a vegan broccoli and stilton soup! It’s become a new favourite in our household and I’m sure it will in yours too!
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This easy broccoli almond soup recipe is a great way to use up a glut of broccoli in your fridge. It is really one of the most sublime creamy broccoli soups that I've ever made!
Before I went vegan, I used to use up leftover stilton from Christmas by making broccoli and stilton soup. This vegan version comes very close to how I remember the flavour and it was confirmed by my husband who is not vegan and still eats stilton!
Why You Will Love This Delicious Soup
- Easy to make and quick.
- Uses simple ingredients.
- Super healthy and a complete meal (protein from the almonds).
- So creamy and delicious!
- Vegan and gluten-free (of course 😁)!
Nutrition
Broccoli is one of those super-foods that is actually cheap and easy to incorporate into our diets. Luckily all my children like broccoli so we do eat a lot of it. As it says in this Healthline article, broccoli is a “nutritional powerhouse full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants”. Antioxidants are like little superheroes in your body, going round fighting the free radicals to stop you getting sick, which is exactly what you need in the cold winter months that are so tainted with colds and flus.
Likewise, almonds are similarly loaded with nutrients, particularly Vitamin E, Manganese and Magnesium. Added to this broccoli soup, they are a great source of plant-based protein and healthy polyunsaturated fats that are essential for our bodies.
Chef’s Tips
There are a few important points to note about making this broccoli and almond soup recipe.
- The key to any broccoli soup is to only cook the broccoli florets for a few minutes, so that they keep their beautiful vibrant colour and don’t get that overcooked broccoli taste!
- When chopping the broccoli, separate out the broccoli stalks from the florets. The stalks take longer to cook so you need to cook them with the onions, garlic and stock while the broccoli florets get added at the last minute.
- For maximum creaminess and to improve your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients from the almonds, you should soak the almonds for a few hours before making this soup. Ideally this means soaking in cold water overnight or during the day. So, if you plan to make the soup in the evening, just throw the almonds in a jug of water in the morning before you go to work.
Why should you soak the almonds?
Ideally, nuts should be soaked before consumed. Like legumes and grains, nuts are high in nutrients but they also contain certain compounds to protect those nutrients, called antinutrients. Almonds contain tannin and phytic acids that work as antinutrients and these make it difficult for our body to absorb them. Soaking nuts breaks down the phytic acids and neutralizes the enzymes in the nuts which makes it much easier for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients within the nut.
How Do You Soak Almonds?
It is best to soak almonds in a jug of cold water for 8-12 hours. Leave them on the counter with a plate over the top. Then drain in a colander and rinse with fresh water. These are then ready to use in this soup. If you make more of them, either roast the rest of the soaked almonds on a baking sheet to make them crispy or keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for use in other recipes.
Main Ingredients
- Raw Almonds – do not use roasted or seasoned almonds, just plain simple raw almonds. Try to soak the almonds before cooking this soup so that it is easier to blend and easier for your body to digest. Alternatively, you could add an equal amount of good quality, unsweetened almond butter instead. You could use ground almonds or almond slivers at a push but they won't have as much flavour as whole raw almonds
- Onion and Garlic – my classic starting point for most soups! Any type of onion will do but I usually use the regular brown onions.
- Fresh Broccoli – the fresher your broccoli, the better the taste will be. Having said that, I usually make this soup as a way of using up a load of broccoli that is going a little brown in the fridge!
- Vegetable Stock – Homemade vegetable broth would be lovely but I usually use a powdered stock mixed with hot water. (Marigold Bouillon (paid affiliate link) is my favourite.)
- Nutritional Yeast – I often use this for my vegan recipes because it adds a lovely background slight cheesiness and it is a great source of Vitamin B12 which can be lacking in vegan diets. It’s easy to find in the supermarkets. I use the Braggs or Engervita brands (paid affiliate links).
- Lemon Juice – this is added at the end so that the acidity balances the creamy flavours and it also adds a good dose of vitamin C too!
Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities of ingredients and full instructions.
How To Make This Broccoli and Almond Soup
This is so simple. Before you do anything at all, first, soak the almonds in a jug of cold water for a few hours. Then you can make the soup with these easy steps!
Sauté the onion and garlic in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until browned. Then add the chopped broccoli stalks and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and drained almonds, and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in the broccoli florets, put the lid on and simmer for 3 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender together with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and black pepper, and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could blend the soup in the pan with an immersion blender (hand blender).
Check the consistency of the soup is how you like it. If you want a thinner soup, just add some more vegetable broth or water, or you could even add a little almond milk for an even creamier flavour.
This is a summary only. Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for full detailed instructions. Thermomix instructions are also included in the recipe card.
Serving Suggestions
This wholesome soup works as an easy weeknight vegan family meal served with some crusty bread. You could also garnish it beautifully and serve it as an easy stress-free dinner party starter!
Garnishes
Serve with a swirl of oat cream or truffle oil and garnished with chopped chives, toasted almond flakes or croutons.
I find soup is always a more successful meal with my children if I serve it with croutons. They can either be proper croutons (made according to the instructions below) or just a piece of buttered toast that is cut into small cubes to look like croutons
How to make toasted almond flakes
Toasted almond flakes look really pretty on this soup and it is easy to make them in a small pan or in an air fryer.
- Air Fryer Method - add the almond flakes to a small baking tin or ovenproof dish and place in the air fryer, set to 3 minutes at 180°C/350°F.
- Frying Pan Method - add the almond flakes to a small frying pan without any oil, set over a medium heat. Keep stirring over the heat until they brown. (Remove them from the heat and pour into a bowl as soon as they start turning brown as they can burn very quickly!).
How to Make Easy Homemade Croutons
You know the slices of bread at the end of the loaf that are starting to go stale? Don’t throw them away! Instead, chop them up into little cubes and keep them in a bag in the freezer door so that you can use them to make croutons whenever you have soup! Croutons are so easy to make in the oven or the air fryer.
First, mix cubes of bread (ideally slightly stale bread) with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. You can also add a sprinkling of garlic powder or sesame seeds if you like.
Then either:
- Oven Method - lay on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C/350°F; or
- Air Fryer Method - place in the air fryer basket and air fry at 180°C/350°F for 5 minutes.
Note that it will take slightly longer if coming straight from the freezer – just watch them and see when they go brown and crispy.
Also, the roasting time depends on the size of your croutons. I usually make quite small ones (because I don’t want my children to end up with just a massive bowl of bread with a tiny bit of soup!) so they don't take very long to cook.
(See my easy vegan and gluten-free bread recipe if you want to make delicious and healthy vegan and gluten-free bread!)
Creamy Broccoli and Almond Soup FAQs
This creamy broccoli almond soup is perfect for making ahead for dinner parties because it is a no-stress starter! You can make it up to 3 days in advance and then simply re-heat gently in a pan over a medium heat (try not to let it boil) or re-heat in the microwave.
This broccoli and almond soup will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yes absolutely! It is very easy to make in the Thermomix! I have included Thermomix instructions in the recipe card underneath the stovetop instructions.
I haven't tried making this soup in the Instant Pot because this is quite a quick recipe that could end up taking longer in the IP and the broccoli could overcook. If you did want to use the Instant Pot, though, you could sauté the chopped onions, garlic and broccoli stalks on the Sauté setting (high heat), then once you have added the drained almonds and vegetable broth, set to pressure cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Once it has finished cooking, turn the valve to do a quick pressure release. Then, add the broccoli florets and return to the sauté setting and follow the rest of the recipe.
Video Instructions
See these videos if you are more visual learner and prefer to watch how to make the recipe.
Watch the broccoli and almond soup web-story here.
📖 Recipe 📖
Creamy Broccoli and Almond Soup (Vegan)
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- 75 g raw almonds (ideally soaked for 8-12 hours in cold water)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 1 L vegetable stock
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the broccoli (see video in blogpost):- Florets - cut the florets away from the stem and put into a bowl;- Stem - then cut off the dried rough edges from the stem and discard. Chop the remaining part of the stem into small pieces and keep in a separate pile from the broccoli florets.2 heads of broccoli
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy, translucent, and slightly browned.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the chopped up broccoli stems and sauté, stirring, for 2 more minutes.2 heads of broccoli
- Drain the almonds from the soaking water and rinse in a colander. Add to the pan together with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then put the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8 minutes.75 g raw almonds, 1 L vegetable stock
- Add the broccoli florets to the pan, stir together and press down so that the florets are submerged in the stock. Put the lid on and simmer for 4 more minutes.2 heads of broccoli
- Transfer everything from the pan to a blender or food processor (or use a stick blender in the pan) and add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Serve with a drizzle of vegan cream or truffle oil and garnished with chopped chives and toasted almond flakes.
Thermomix Instructions
- Prep the broccoli (see video in blogpost):- Florets - cut the florets away from the stem and put into a bowl;- Stem - then cut off the dried rough edges from the stem and discard. Chop the remaining part of the stem into small pieces and keep in a separate pile from the broccoli florets.2 heads of broccoli
- Place the olive oil, onion (quartered) and garlic (sliced) in the TM jug and set to 3 secs / sp. 5. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and put the lid back on. Set to 6 minutes / 120°C / sp. stir (MC off).1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the chopped up broccoli stems and set to 2 minutes / 120°C / sp. 1 (MC off).2 heads of broccoli
- Drain the almonds from the soaking water and rinse in a colander. Add to the TM jug together with the vegetable stock. Set to 8 minutes / 100°C / sp. 2 (MC on).75 g raw almonds, 1 L vegetable stock
- Add the broccoli florets to the pan, stir together with a spatula and press down so that the florets are submerged in the stock. Put the lid on and set to 4 minutes / 100°C / Rev. sp. 2 (MC on).2 heads of broccoli
- Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Put the lid on (MC ON!) and set to 2 minutes / sp. 10.¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Serve with a drizzle of vegan cream or truffle oil and garnished with chopped chives and toasted almond flakes.
Notes
- The longer the almonds have been soaked, the creamier the texture of the soup will be. However, if you don’t have time to soak the almonds, just use an equal quantity of unsweetened almond butter instead (or rely on a high speed blender doing the hard work).
- See the blogpost for a video of making this recipe and for detailed ingredient notes as well as instructions and reasons for soaking almonds.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ on the recipe card!
More Great Vegan and Gluten-Free Soup Recipes
If you like this creamy broccoli and almond soup recipe, you may like these other delicious vegan and gluten-free soup recipes too:
- Vegan Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
- Creamy Vegan Spinach and White Bean Soup
- Roasted Beetroot and Walnut Soup
- Vegan Leek and Potato Soup Recipe (Vichyssoise)
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The post Creamy Broccoli and Almond Soup (Vegan) appeared first on Cooking With Camilla.
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