Dairy-Free Low Carb Creamy Broccoli Soup

It has been freezing in my apartment lately, and all I’ve wanted is to eat rich, warm soup. Usually, my go-to low carb vegan soup is my faux-tato leek soup, but I had approximately zero leeks in my house and somehow even less desire to go out to the store. So, I decided to make a low carb vegan creamy broccoli soup. Who doesn’t love a good broccoli soup? Typically you see more broccoli cheddar type soup recipes out there, but in the interest of keeping this keto-friendly, I opted to leave out any dairy-free cheddar substitutes and use nutritional yeast for that cheesiness instead.

In addition to being vegan, and thus dairy free, this soup is also sugar free, soy free, gluten free and paleo! It’s also AIP friendly if you substitute the cashew cream for coconut milk, which is pretty awesome, as vegetarian and vegan auto-immune recipes are kind of hard to come by!

This recipe is pretty simple and is made entirely out of common ingredients. The one outlier might be nutritional yeast, as it isn’t that typical in non-vegan cooking. Nutritional yeast is high in protein and B vitamins and gives a somewhat cheesy taste to whatever you add it to. While similar nutritionally, nutritional yeast is different from brewer’s yeast or baker’s yeast and the three cannot be substituted for each other.

I usually buy my nutritional yeast online in bulk, but you can also find it in most grocery stores. I usually find it in the health food aisle, but also often see the Bob’s Red Mill brand in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. And of course, any health food store should carry it.

Notes on Making Vegan Low Carb Creamy Broccoli Soup

• You will note that this recipe calls for celery… do not panic. The end result doesn’t at all have a celery taste. However, if you’re somehow morally opposed to celery (I get it), you could definitely use an equivalent amount of broccoli or cauliflower in its place. Keep in mind that this will increase the amount of net carbs in the total recipe.
• To make this recipe nut-free, you can simply replace the cashew cream with canned coconut milk (low fat or full-fat, it’s really up to your preference). I like the coconut milk from Trader Joe’s, as it’s affordable and doesn’t contain any fillers. 
•  You will also notice that I use onion and garlic powders instead of the fresh version of these aromatics. I like to use pantry staples wherever possible lately, as I’m a girl on a budget. I also find that the powdered spices pack more flavor for fewer carbs.
• I have used both a Vitamix and an immersion blender to blend this soup and both produce smooth results.
• To calculate net carbs – subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe. Net carbs for this recipe: 12g total carbs – 5.3g fiber = 6.7g net carbs
• While I strive to provide accurate nutrition information, there are variations across brands and types of ingredients. So, if you’re using other brands than those mentioned, your macros may be different. All nutrition info is calculated from the USDA values for each ingredient, unless a brand is specifically mentioned (or no generic listing is available), and are for information purposes only! 

Dairy-Free Low Carb Creamy Broccoli Soup

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 158

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g celery chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 454 g broccoli florets chopped (1 pound)
• 2 cups veggie stock (I used Better Than Bouillion)
• 1.5 cups cashew cream I blended 1/4 cup (30g) cashews with 1.5 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes and smoked paprika for garnish optional

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celery and cook for about 5 minutes, until the celery has softened. Stir in the garlic and onion powders and cook for another minute.
• Add the broccoli, vegetable stock and cashew cream. Cover and cook another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli has completely softened.
• Turn off the heat, add in the nutritional yeast and blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, carefully pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the soup among four bowls, and garnish with paprika and pepper.

Notes

A delicious creamy, low carb vegan broccoli soup that’s soy free, dairy free and super easy to make!

To calculate net carbs – subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe. Net carbs for this recipe: 12g total carbs – 5.3g fiber = 6.7g net carbs

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7.3g | Fat: 10.2g | Fiber: 5.3g

Want more practical vegan keto recipes?

Keep vegan keto simple with the free Vegan Keto Quick-Start Mini Guide.

For more recipe variety and a ready-made routine, explore the Vegan Keto meal plans and ebooks.

Helpful next reads: the complete shopping list and easy vegan keto breakfasts.

Vegan keto broccoli soup questions

How can I keep the soup dairy-free?

Use the plant-based ingredients specified in the recipe and check packaged products for hidden dairy or allergen ingredients.

What can I serve alongside it?

Pair it with the vegan keto rolls or another simple low-carb side.