If you're craving a rich and creamy soup that is a snap to put together and takes under 20 minutes to make, this Instant Pot Broccoli and Four Cheese Soup is for you! 
Have you jumped on the Instant Pot train yet? I bought mine last November with such good intentions on diving in, experimenting and sharing lots of recipes with you and am FINALLY doing it! The good thing about waiting a few months to start recipe creating is that I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how it works now. If you're not familiar, an Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that doubles as a slow cooker, rice and yogurt maker, and more. There's so much you can do with it and I've only skimmed the surface these last few months.
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I'm not gonna lie, when I first unboxed my Instant Pot and started reading the manual, I felt like I was about to operate a nuclear reactor and was a little freaked that it was going to blow up in my face. BUT never fear, never fear, I promise IT WILL NOT blow up, dismember you, or otherwise a make a mess of your kitchen. It's safe and easy and makes some of the best food ever in record breaking time.
I have lots of recipes in the works to share, but this Instant Pot Broccoli and Four Cheese Soup is one of my favorites so far! I used 4 different kinds of cheese to kick up the flavor and finished it off with some fat free half and half to make it creamy without adding extra fat.
The flavor combo of the cheeses with the broccoli that gets cooked to tender perfection in the Instant Pot is so, so good. The addition of dijon mustard is a compliment to the cheeses and the smoked paprika adds a bit of smokiness that makes you think there might bacon in it which is always a win in my book
If you don't have an Instant Pot, this recipe is definitely make-able on the stove top-- it will just take a bit more time. See the recipe notes for full instructions.
Want an Instant Pot? This is the same Instant Pot that I have and I LOVE it.
Instant Pot Broccoli with Four Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 whole small/medium onion finely diced
- 2 whole large carrots diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cup chicken or vegetable broth See Note 1
- 5-6 cup broccoli florets
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices kraft singles american cheese cut into slices (See Note 2)
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- 1 cup colby jack cheese shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 cup Fat Free Half and Half See Note 3
Instructions
- Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and add butter. When butter is melted stir in onion and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and flour, and cook for 1 minute and stir in broth. Continue stirring until no flour lumps remain. Add broccoli to the pot, cover, and set Instant Pot to cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- At the end of 8 minutes, do a quick release of pressure, open lid and turn off the pot. Stir in salt, paprika, dijon, dill, and pepper.
- Stir in cheeses, mixing until fully melted and stir in half and half just before serving.
Chef's Notes:
2. I use 4 different kinds of cheese to kick up the flavor, but if you only have one or two, use what you have! Sharp cheddar is great because of it's strong flavor, but most melting cheese will work-- you'll just a little different flavor profile. Make it your own!
3. Fat-Free Half and Half can be a little finicky and has the tendency to curdle when overheated. I've found that Land O' Lakes Brand is the least likely to curdle for whatever reason and it tastes great too. And by all means, if you want to use full-fat cream or half and half, do it! It will just make your soup that much better!
4. To Make on The Stove Top: Follow steps 1 and 2 and then bring to a simmer and cook until the broccoli is very tender-- about 30 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and stir in spices, herbs, cheese and half and half to serve.
Nutrition Facts
Cathy says
Omg so good, my husband and I are going to make it again today, we’re going to double it cuz I want to share it with my kids and their family, their going to love it.......
Keep posting your delicious recipes, my husband and I are big fans, thanx ?
Aly says
First I made this exactly as called for but I I received a burn notice first one yet. so, I gave this 3 star because I has to switch to stove 1/2 way through making unnecessary cleaning amoung other things but the flavor was although I would add some Worcestershire and probably make the flour into a slurry going forward as is, it is still an easy way to make a classic but because of the extra work I cant give 5 stars. I will make again though
Viv says
Wonderful! Thank you. I used Sharp English cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack, and Stilton. Delicious 🙂
sharon Griffin says
So easy& delicious.. I used some if all cheeses on hand, increased the ingredients
( not doubled ) as I used a full box of chicken stock & had more fresh broccoli on hand increased the pressure cooking time to 12 minutes.. did not use dill or Dijon as didn’t have on hand
Very good!!
Renee says
I omit the cheese and it is still a huge winner with my family! Thank you for the great recipe!
Shelly Costello says
Delicious! I use cheddar instead of American cheese. My friend passed this recipe on to me and I have done the same. Everybody loves it!
Lorri says
This is my all time favorite IP recipe. I have made it several times and it is always a hit! I use american, pepper jack and sharp white cheddar for the cheeses. Otherwise make as directed!
Patty says
This soup was wonderful! I did get a burn notice on my IP so had to finish on the stove. Will make again!
Jana Scarry says
I'm not sure what happened.I followed the recipe exactly and I kept getting a BURN notice on my Instant Pot. Added more liquid, but no luck. Bottom of Instant Pot was scorched. Switched to another pot and cooked on the stove for 30minutes. Stirred in 3 cups shredded cheese, spices and cream. Wouldn't call this a soup. More like a fondue. I used heavy cream, which could have been the problem. Broccoli was undercooked (my fault for not checking!) Flavors were good, but soup definitely needs some tweaking. Will try again.