Creamy Vegetable Soup: A delicious and easy-to-make dish packed with veggies and wholesome ingredients.

Serve Creamy Vegetable Soup with this Pear Salad, these Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or a crusty loaf of bread!

 Creamy Vegetable Soup in a bowl.

Pure Comfort Food!

This Creamy Vegetable Soup is pure comfort food! I make it whenever the weather is chilly or when I have some leftover veggies that need to be used up. While I’m a huge fan of broth-based vegetable soups (like this Vegetable Soup or this Chicken-Vegetable Soup), my boys prefer creamy soups with lots of cheese in them. This is one of their favorites. I’ll also usually whip up a salad to serve alongside it (like this Crispy Chicken Salad), and if I’m feeling ambitious, these Dinner Rolls also make it to the table.

But if not, there is always some kind of bread served on the side for dunking—soup just isn’t the same without it!

Another one of our favorite ways to enjoy this creamy vegetable soup is in a crusty bread bowl—there are few things better than that!

All the ingredients that go into Creamy Vegetable Soup

How To Make Creamy Vegetable Soup

  1. Prepare the vegetables by sautéing the carrots, celery, and onion in butter and oil.
  2. Stir in the chopped potatoes, Italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.
  3. While the veggies are cooking, prepare the cream mixture by melting the remaining butter, stirring in the flour, milk, and cream.
  4. Once veggies are tender, stir in the frozen broccoli and corn and cook for 2-3 additional minutes, or until the broccoli and corn are warmed through.
  5. Remove the vegetable mixture from heat and add in the cream mixture. Season to taste, top with sharp Cheddar shredded cheese and enjoy this Creamy Vegetable Soup!

Cutting vegetables on a cutting board and sautéing in a pan

In this recipe, I have provided my favorite way to make a soup creamy – a good mix of butter, flour, milk, and cream. However, there are lots of other ways to make a soup creamy. Read on for alternate solutions.

How Do You Make The Soup Creamy?

  1. If you are vegan or lactose-intolerant, you can replace the butter with vegetable oil and use almond milk as well as dairy-free cheese.
  2. For a gluten intolerance, the flour can be replaced with cornstarch, using half the amount called for.
  3. If you are working to make this meal shelf-stable, replace the milk and cream with evaporated milk.

Putting together our Creamy Vegetable Soup Creamy Vegetable Soup

Shortcuts

Creamy Vegetable Soup admittedly has quite a bit of chopping required, but below I’ve got a few shortcut ideas to help save some time in the kitchen.

  • To save yourself chopping time, pick up a mirepoix (also called soup starter at some stores). Lots of stores sell pre-chopped mirepoix (a French phrase for diced onion, carrot, and celery)in the produce section. If you’re in a hurry, get that fresh-chopped mirepoix or you can even use frozen mirepoix.
  • To save yourself chopping time, use jarred garlic or a garlic press. Instead of mincing your own garlic, you can use jarred to save time. Alternatively, a garlic press gives you fresh minced garlic in a fraction of that time that hand mincing requires.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

The secret to the great flavor of this soup and most vegetable soups in the stock it is cooked in. I used Kroger’s Simple Truth® Organic chicken stock in this recipe and it is delicious! There are a lot of spices you can also add to enhance the flavor of your vegetable soup.

Lets Talk Spices In Vegetable Soup

  • Italian seasoning – Italian seasoning is a great addition to most savory dishes, and it is delicious in this soup. Creamy Vegetable Soup calls for 1 ½ teaspoons of Italian Seasoning, but feel free to add more if desired. (Kroger’s Private Selection Italian Seasoning blend is my favorite!)
  • Paprika – If you like a little heat in your soup, you may want to add some paprika (up to 2 teaspoons).
  • Black pepper – Freshly ground black pepper is a great addition to any vegetable soup.
  • Other fresh herbs such as thyme or basil would taste great in this soup – add according to your personal preferences!

The dinner served up in a bowl ready to be enjoyed.

Storage

Leftovers?

  • Allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • For longer storage, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Just make sure to leave some space in the container for expansion.
  • When reheating, thaw the frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight, then warm it on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally.

More Delicious Soup Recipes

4.99 from 61 votes

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Creamy Vegetable Soup: A delicious and easy-to-make dish packed with veggies and wholesome ingredients.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 53 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups mirepoix: (1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, 1 cup diced yellow onion)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups baby red or baby gold potatoes, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 3 cups chicken stock (or chicken broth--or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
  • 2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk (I use 1%; use 1%, 2% or whole)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
  • 2 cups Freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese
  • Optional: fresh parsley or thyme, crusty loaf of bread

Instructions 

  • In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced carrots, celery, and onion, and sautรฉ for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sautรฉ for 30 more seconds.
  • Stir in the chopped potatoes, Italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are crisp-tender. Add the frozen broccoli and corn, and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until all veggies are tender and warmed through.
  • Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the milk (whisk until smooth).
  • Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture gently boils and thickens. Stir in the heavy cream and remove from heat. Once the veggies are tender, pour the milk/cream mixture into the soup and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, stir in the shredded cheese, and cook until melted. Serve warm with chopped parsley or thyme and bread!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 772mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1397IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 464mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

A delicious and easy-to-make creamy vegetable soup packed with veggies and healthy ingredients. via chelseasmessyapron.com #stovetop #easy #creamy #vegetable #soup #quick #simple #cheese #broccoli #corn #recipe #kidfriendly #dinner #meal

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.99 from 61 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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171 Comments

  1. Christine says:

    Can you use fresh broccoli? If so, does cooking time/directions change at all? Can I add fresh cauliflower? How would that change things?
    Thank you!!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Yes, it would make the cook time longer and potentially you’d need more liquid. I’m not sure on exact recommendations for adding fresh broccoli and/or cauliflower without trying it myself, but I do know they’d take longer to cook than frozen

    2. Linda says:

      I made with fresh broccoli. Added broccoli when there was about 8 minutes left on the summering potatoes step. I didnโ€™t add any liquid because my husband likes his soup thick like a stew, but 1/2 cup of chicken broth should be enough to add to it.

      1. Sarah says:

        Thank you! This is exactly the comment I was looking for. I love this soup but the store was out of frozen broccoli florets.

  2. Leeanne Johnson says:

    5 stars
    Made tonight, followed recipe exactly. Turned out super tasty!!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear that! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Lizzy says:

    how many ounces does this recipe make? I’d love to try this out!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Sorry I’ve never weighed the total ounces of this recipe; I have no idea!

  4. Debbie says:

    4 stars
    Made this for the first time – delicious! It is definitely a keeper to be made again and again. I added a pound of cooked and lightly browned, ground chicken for extra protein. ๐Ÿ™‚

    My one caution: allow more cooking time than the instructions say. It takes time for the soup to come to a boil, and it takes time for the butter/flour/milk to thicken and gently boil, etc. We ended up eating dinner at 9:00 p.m.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Glad you enjoyed it!

    2. skwerlygirly says:

      The directions clearly say bring to a boil first, THEN cook 15-20 minutes. ” Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid, and cook 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are crisp-tender.” After I let it come to a boil first, like it says, the 15-20 minutes was perfect. I don’t think anyone would expect it to be done in that time starting from normal temp water.

  5. Wendy says:

    5 stars
    I love this soup! Rich, creamy and filling. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So glad to hear that!! Thanks Wendy ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. David A Chodzko says:

    See above

  7. David A Chodzko says:

    5 stars
    I made this creamy vegetable soup today. As I usually do, I made my adaptions. No corn but I used 1 yellow pepper. I tripled the garlic and I put asparagus tips in. Did not use the cheese as it was plenty thick enough. Used green onions as my honey is not an onion fan. It was WONDERFUL!! Earlier in the day I had made some fresh bread so it all went together so well. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper!!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Sounds great with asparagus! Glad this was a hit; thanks David!

  8. Rachel says:

    5 stars
    This is so GOOD!! This recipe is delicious and so easy to make. My husband commented multiple times how good it was! No additions added, made as listed. Nice job!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Love hearing this!! Thanks Rachel ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Karin says:

    5 stars
    Yoummmmm! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it for the first time today and itโ€™s a keeper. Best comfort soup ever!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So, so happy to hear that! Thanks Karin ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Abby says:

    5 stars
    This exceeded my expectations. The end product is phenomenal. What a cost-efficient recipe! Also perfect when craving something hearty and wholesome. Thank you so much for posting!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So, so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the comment and review Abby!