Sometimes I really crave creamy broccoli soup. It reminds me of one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, my mom’s broccoli cheese soup. The savory, gooey melted cheese mixed with salted broccoli makes my mouth water just thinking about it! This recipe for creamy vegan broccoli soup is so delicious and hearty and is packed with nutrition. Anytime I crave broccoli cheese soup, this healthy vegan version hits the spot!

Use Beans and Miso to Make a Creamy Vegan Soup

A few years ago, I decided to cut all dairy out of my diet.  This was not an easy thing to do, and I missed cheese and melty creamy things the most. Over time, I learned how to use things like nuts and beans to build an authentic savory cream. My vegan broccoli soup gets that savory creaminess from garbanzo beans, tahini, and almond milk.    

A food processor is a vegan cook’s best friend

In this recipe I use my food processor to first blend the broccoli and spinach  before I add these veggies into the soup pot. This saves me from having to use a blender after the soup is already made which requires the soup to cool down (I’m all about safety first in the kitchen). I also use the food processor to puree the garbanzo beans along with tahini and oil to create the cream I add to the pot for the final stage of making the creamy miso broccoli soup. 

Build umami to make this creamy vegan broccoli soup more savory 

One of the main things that cheese brings to a creamy soup is the savoriness that the Japanese refer to as Umami. To create the same satisfying flavor in this vegan soup dish, I use a few things: chickpea miso paste, caramelized onion, sesame oil, and tahini. You can use any miso that you like. I personally like Miso Master Organic Chickpea Miso because it is soy-free and gluten free.

みそ

Miso: Japanese fermented seasoning produced by fermenting beans with salt and kōji

Chi Chi prefers a more traditional Japanese miso when he cooks, but alas, he uses miso for miso soup and not to make American style creamy vegan broccoli soup! If you would like to try another vegan recipe that is bursting with Umami flavor, make my Japanese Pumpkin and Maitake Mushroom Pizza.  

Tell us what you think! Did you like how miso added umami to this dish?

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup with Miso

Recipe by BeckiCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 2 cups broccoli

• 2 cups fresh spinach

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock

• 2 tbsp miso paste

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp chopped garlic

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 1 can garbanzo beans

• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

• 1/2 cup plant based milk (almond, oat, soy, or coconut)

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1-2 tsp Salt

• Chili pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

• Heat large sauce pot with grapeseed oil, add onion. Sauté onions until caramelized and set onions aside.
• Add vegetable stock and miso to sauce pot (onions removed first). Heat on high.
• While stock is heating, add broccoli and spinach to food processor and pulse until broken into small pieces. Add spinach and broccoli to sauce pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
• While the broccoli and spinach are simmering add sesame oil, chopped garlic, tahini, garbanzo beans (drained but not rinsed), dijon mustard, plant based milk and flour to the food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Then add mixture to sauce pot and stir.
• Simmer soup until broccoli is soft and the soup is thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.
• Sprinkle chili peppers and serve with toast or croutons.