Creamy Vegetable Soup

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A delicious and easy-to-make Creamy Vegetable Soup packed with veggies and healthy 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! We make this whenever the weather is chilly or I’ve got 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 on 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

  • Prepare the vegetables by sautéing the carrots, celery, and onion in butter and oil. 
  • Stir in the chopped potatoes, Italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.
  • While the veggies are cooking, prepare the cream mixture by melting the remaining butter, stirring in the flour, milk, and cream.
  • 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.
  • 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?

  • 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. 
  • For a gluten intolerance, the flour can be replaced with cornstarch, using half the amount called for. 
  • 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.

What spices are good 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.

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Creamy Vegetable Soup

4.99 from 61 votes
A delicious and easy-to-make Creamy Vegetable Soup packed with veggies and healthy ingredients.
Print Recipe

Creamy Vegetable Soup

4.99 from 61 votes
A delicious and easy-to-make Creamy Vegetable Soup packed with veggies and healthy ingredients.
Course Main Course, Soup, Vegetarian
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy vegetable soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 604kcal

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 all-purpose white 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 the butter and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced carrots, celery and onion and saute 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
  • Stir in the chopped potatoes, Italian seasoning, and chicken stock. 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. Stir in the frozen broccoli and corn and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until veggies are tender and warmed through.
  • Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly 1 minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the milk (whisk well until smooth).
  • Cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins to gently boil and thicken; then stir in the heavy cream. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender, pour the milk/cream mixture into the vegetable soup and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve warm with freshly chopped parsley or thyme and bread!

Video

Nutrition Facts

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

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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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
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Recipe Rating




169 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this tonight, and it is fantastic. I used veggie stock to make it vegetarian, and it was delicious. A keeper, thank you!

    1. YUMMY!! I’m glad you thought of that switch so you could have this! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Jennifer! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I didnt have corn so I added yellow bell peppers. Also cut sweet rolls in half and toasted them and put a large sweet roll crouton in the center of each soup bowl. Really great and easy recipe. Also used 2 kinds of cheddar we had to yum it up.

  3. Hey! Looks delicious. Do you think I could make this in the crockpot after I make the roux? And keep it on low for a couple hours?

    1. For the crockpot, I’d add everything, cook until tender and then add the roux and cheese about 30 minutes before serving; heat in crockpot at low until thickened and cheese is melted. The soup will likely be less thick overall from the crockpot.

  4. 5 stars
    MADE THIS SOUP TODAY FOR MY HUBBY, MY SUPPER GUEST AND MYSELF. IT WAS AMAZING AND THAT WAS A COMBINED OPINION. MY HUBBY SAID IT IS A “MAKE IT AGAIN SOUP” AND IN OUR HOUSE IF HE SAYS MAKE IT AGAIN IT IS A TRUE HIT. THANKS FOR SHARING AND I AM NOT SHOUTING – I AM SIGHT IMPAIRED

  5. 5 stars
    Just made this soup. It’s absolutely delicious! Only added mushrooms because we had them. I will be making this again?

  6. 5 stars
    Delicious. I added a couple more veggies, okra, green beans, and assorted color small bell peppers. My family said it was a keeper.

  7. I these recipes with entire life stories before the recipe! Scrolling for hours is so much fun! The pop-ups is also a nice touch!

    1. There is a “jump to recipe” button at the beginning of each post. The pop-ups are what allow me to give you FREE content.

    2. 5 stars
      Wow. You just can’t escape snarky comments like these that emerge from the saddest users of the internet. I say THANK YOU for this amazing recipe and subsequent inspiration, which I’m happy to have found.

      1. Thank you so much Joni! It means so much to me to have your support on my site, I appreciate your kindness! 🙂

    1. It’s not an addition I would make, but you can if you’d like! If you do, I’d recommend adding it already cooked and probably increasing the liquid a bit. Enjoy!

    1. I personally don’t think it would taste quite right (or look super appealing) for this soup, but I’ve never tried it so really can’t say for sure what the results would be. Let me know what you end up trying and I hope you love it Eleanor! 🙂

  8. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken and it came out really good! Perfect for a cold day here in Virginia.

    1. Because of the dairy in it, I don’t think it would freeze well, but haven’t personally tried on this recipe. Wish I could be of more help!

  9. 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!

  10. 5 stars
    Yoummmmm! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it for the first time today and it’s a keeper. Best comfort soup ever!

  11. 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!

  12. 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!!

  13. 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. 🙂

    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. 5 stars
      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.

  14. 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. 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. I made with fresh broccoli. Added broccoli when there was about 8 minutes left on the summering potatoes step. I didn’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. Thank you! This is exactly the comment I was looking for. I love this soup but the store was out of frozen broccoli florets.

  15. 5 stars
    Excellent! I did some tweaks to get a creamy texture. Mine was surely different but it was delicious. Thanks!

    Tweaks:
    I mashed the veggies.
    I put butternut squash since I didnt have celery.
    Cauliflower since i didnt have broccoli.
    I used mozzarella since I didnt have cheddar.

  16. This looks good, however, I’m doing a modified Keto diet (not allowing all fats but trying to have more good fats than bad fats). I’ll have to modify this to remove all the carbs (i.e. potatoes, corn, and replace the milk with like an almond or soy milk). But I’m tired of having just plain’ ole chicken broth based vegetable soup so this looks to be a good starting place.

    I also noticed the recipe says this is for 4-6 servings but the serving size isn’t posted (or at least I couldn’t find it). Just a suggestion to do so in future posts.

    I know every recipe doesn’t have to be sensitive to those that are battling carbs. I just wanted to post this for those that are.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. 😉

  17. 5 stars
    I am the queen of picky eaters and this was YUMMMMMMMY!!!! I thought you could probably throw a few mushrooms in if you wanted. I did add a little more of the spices and onion than the recipe called for since milk/ cream dilutes everything. I made it and let it sit overnight. So good and went into my recipe book where I put recipes I will make again.

  18. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS!! My family really enjoyed this soup! I used fresh brocoli, marble cheddar and half & half cream, all I had on hand) just as delicious! 🙂

    1. I’m so glad you guys loved this Creamy Vegetable Soup! And so glad you were able to work with what you had, sounds delicious! Thanks for your comment! 🙂

  19. This recipe is fantastic and I am making it for the second time tonight (during lock-down) and due to lack of groceries have to make some adjustments. I used cream of celery soup (2 cans) with milk and I roasted my broccoli and my potatoes. I also added peas. Thanks again for a great recipe that can be changed up and still taste great.

    1. I am so happy to hear this! I’m so glad you were able to make it work with what you had, sounds delicious! Thanks Jamie! 🙂

  20. 5 stars
    Oh My Goodness! This creamy vegetable soup is so tasty and a nice change from regular tomato based vegetable soups. I substituted vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and half-and-half for the heavy cream because that’s what I had at home, and this recipe turned out delicious. My family loved it and it has earned a spot in our favorite soup recipe collection. Thank you!!

  21. 5 stars
    Decided to cook this after trying to figure out what to do with the left over chicken stock. I happened to have most of the veggies … not all – used onion powder instead of an onion. Regardless, there is so much flavor in this soul!

  22. You should try making a vegetable soup with vegetable stock! It’s better for you, the environment and tastes better.

  23. Going to cook and store individual servings of soups for my 96-year-old mother’s freezer. I plan to freeze this one. Is that okay, you think? (It looks DELICIOUS)

    1. Unfortunately I don’t think this soup is the best to freeze, because of all the dairy in it (it will separate/potentially curdle when being thawed/re-warmed)

  24. Was so delicious. Better than any store bought . As a matter of fact not as good as any restaurants, I’ve had.. I will be making this again

  25. 5 stars
    Great recipe! My son doesn’t care for the big chunks of veggies, etc. so I used an emergent blender to puree some of the soup.

  26. 5 stars
    This was so good I wish I made a double or triple batch! I loved the creamy twist on a favorite classic. Thank you so much for sharing.

  27. 5 stars
    We made this last night and it was delicious! After every recipe we try our first convo is, “what would we change about it for next time?” and this is one of the very few that we said keep it how it is!

    We used chicken bone broth and diced up kielbasa pretty small and fried it up and added it for some added protein. This will be on our regular rotation!

  28. I’ve been looking for a great soup recipe for awhile and I’m so glad I found this to try! All I have on had is salted butter, not unsalted and a white onion, not a yellow one. Would both of those work okay instead?

  29. 5 stars
    This soup was amazing!! Thank you so much. The only thing I did differently was add some nutmeg…yummy!

    I am confused on the serving size…I have a 1/4th cup ladle that I use to dig out 1 cup of soup and that’s what I decided to call a serving. Is that fair? I am counting calories, so this piece is very important to me.

    1. So happy to hear that! 🙂 I don’t have end servings measured out into cups, sorry! You’ll want to equally separate the entire soup into 6 equal parts; one part is one serving for which the calories apply to. Hope that helps!

  30. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved this recipe, so creamy n yummy 😋. Used veggie broth since I’m a vegetarian n it tasted delish. Thanks for sharing!! 😉

  31. 5 stars
    Normally, I’m not a fan of recipes I find online but this one was a total surprise. I don’t think I could ever go back to traditional vegetable soup again after trying this recipe. I definitely will be making this again!

  32. This has been my favorite soup recipe for a while now! I am thinking of making a double batch for church lunch this Sunday. How could I make it the day before serving? Just don’t add the roux until Sunday? Thanks!

  33. 5 stars
    Delicious! A hit with the whole family, and that is a rarity! Will definitely make this again and again and again!

  34. 5 stars
    I made this soup for dinner tonight and we loved it. I did not have cream so I added some sour cream. I am going to try and freeze some of it , too much for the 2 of us. Some will also be in fridge for lunch tomorrow.

    1. I’m sorry I’m not very experienced with gluten free flour. You could always try adding a cornstarch slurry though!

  35. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!
    I followed the recipe with the only differences being I used a can of corn at the end and I didn’t have celery, it’s fantastic.

  36. 5 stars
    I shredded two cooked chicken breast and added to this recipe and oh my gosh – it may be the best soup I’ve ever eaten!

  37. This soup is AMAZING! I followed the recipe the first time and is was delicious. The second time I made it I doubled the garlic, added 1 tsp of dill, and used salted butter because it’s what I had on hand. These few tweaks made this recipe jump up as my all-time favourite soup. I truly appreciate the chicken stock base. It definitely adds a boost of flavour over vegetable stock. I highly recommend this recipe!!!!

  38. 5 stars
    Made it lactose free with no 5 cups of broth rather than 3 and then 1 can of coconut milk (like for curry) and it turned out pretty tasty!

  39. 5 stars
    This was so yummy! I served the cheese table side instead of mixing in, because the soup was awesome without it! Thanks for a great recipe.

  40. 5 stars
    Wanted a nice soup for a cold night and stumbled across this! Didn’t have anything fresh on hand besides potatoes and didn’t have time to run to the store so I tweaked everything quite a bit.

    Melted my butter and oil and added some minced onion and garlic powder, tossed in my potatoes and chicken broth (doubled) and cooked as directed. Added in a couple cans of mixed veggies, frozen cauliflower, and 3 packs of ramen, Italian seasoning, more garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Doubled the roux, milk, and heavy cream, added to soup along with the cheese. Tastes amazing!

  41. 5 stars
    I’ve made this so many times that I had to comment now! What an amazing recipe, so delicious and great with smoked paprika and parsley on top. Thanks for the fantastic soup recipe!

  42. 5 stars
    The yummiest soup ever! Sometimes we switch out the broccoli with spinach and add a dash or two of hot sauce.
    This soup is on our menu at least once a month!!

  43. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice now, with veggie broth. Added white kidney beans and more veggies. It’s absolutely delicious!!

  44. 5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! Because I’m vegan I used almond milk. The almond flavor took over but I was able to calm the flavor down with vegan Parmesan cheese. I also added fresh mushrooms when adding the corn and broccoli. I did not have frozen corn ….only canned. It all turned out perfect and I will be making this again! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!

  45. 5 stars
    I was glad that I could multiply this recipe for 12, including 6 children. I made it and all 12 loved it.
    Thank you for the tip of using mirepoix, for it saved me much chopping. I didn’t have an exact cup of heavy cream so I added half and half to it and cut down a little of the milk and subbed half and half to make up for it. I will be making this for years to come.
    Thank you!

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