Creamy Broccoli Soup with Dumplings – delicious and Gluten-Free!
Creamy.
Healthy.
And vegan!
Need I say more? Well, this soup hits all the marks and guess what? It’s also gluten free, even though it’s CRAMMED with dumplings!!
Soup season is in full swing and right now, I’m really digging puréed soups since they are so easy to make!
This creamy broccoli soup is quickly going to become one of your favorites. It’s absolutely delicious, incredibly healthy, and full of fiber and protein and all the good stuff. Plus, it’s comfort to the max. I took a page out of juk or Korean style rice porridge and included a lot of rice dumplings to give this creamy broccoli soup even more heft. Plus, the pale green dumplings look so so cute!!
In addition to being an incredibly delicious soup recipe that’s worth every bit of effort, this creamy broccoli soup can be a perfect and delicious addition to a whole foods plant-based diet. And read below to find out how you can make this creamy broccoli soup recipe oil-free while retaining an incredibly robust flavor and creamy results!
Let’s get to it!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂
the health benefits OF THIS CREAMY BROCCOLI soup.
Look, there’s a reason your parents force fed you broccoli when you were little (wait, was that just me?): it’s full of cancer-preventing, heart health promoting, immunity boosting nutrients.
May Reduce Cancer Risk.
Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a compound that many peer-reviewed studies suggest can protect against certain types of cancer. How? Sulforaphane appears to reduce inflammation in the body, the kind that is directly correlated with certain cancers.
Dietary Fiber.
This creamy broccoli soup is a great source of dietary fiber, which not only helps with digestion, but promotes the development of a healthy microbiome and can assist with weight management and slow down the absorption of sugar.
Lower Cholesterol.
This creamy broccoli soup is a great way to lower cholesterol. Not only is this recipe (like all my recipes) 100% cholesterol-free, nutrient rich, and fiber-filled, but this creamy broccoli soup can also help to lower bad cholesterol. Additionally, I’ve included oil-free modifications for those who are trying to reduce their oil consumption!
Anti-Inflammatory.
In addition to sulforaphane, broccoli contains kaempferol and other flavonoids that may help reduce inflammation in the body.
Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for creamy broccoli Soup Recipe.
The base of this creamy broccoli soup is packed with ingredients you can find anywhere. We add dumplings made with sweet white rice flour (which you can find at most grocery stores). Let’s take a look at each of the key ingredients in turn.
Broccoli.
Hello, yes, this creamy broccoli soup is going to have broccoli in it! This is a great recipe to utilize the broccoli stems!! Do not rely only on the crowns to make this soup!
Hopefully, you won’t have too much trouble finding broccoli at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. However, if you don’t have access to fresh broccoli (this happened to me once!), you can also use frozen broccoli for this creamy broccoli soup recipe.
Miso.
When you’re trying to make something creamy that isn’t, by its nature, creamy (sorry, “cream of broccoli” is not a reference to lactating broccolis), you have to get creative with how you’re going to enrich your broth with that texture. Miso to the rescue! I’ve been quite enamored of miso paste as a gentle flavor enhancer and a texture creator for my soups these days! You can use any kind of miso you want, but I prefer a mellower variety, so as not to “fight” with the flavor of our broccoli. I used yellow miso for this creamy broccoli soup.
Make sure you pick out a gluten-free miso to keep this entire recipe gluten-free!
Mirepoix.
You know what really bothers me? When the NYT crossword puzzles hints require me to know French. I do not know French. I took Latin and Spanish in high school, and grew up speaking Korean and English. I’ve been learning bits and pieces of Italian at a glacially slow pace, but can’t say I’ve gotten around to picking up French. But why should I need to know French to finish a New York Times crossword puzzle??
And why do you need to know French to read this blog post? Because shared pain = less pain (for me).
“Mirepoix” is a French word that’s shorthand for diced onion, celery, and carrots (mostly). Thus, instead of having to say five words, I can just say “mirepoix.” And now you can too.
The point of this digression is that this creamy broccoli soup will contain diced onion, celery, and carrot. More fiber, more flavor, more nutrition bang for your caloric buck! I also add in a bit of fresh thyme, but if you don’t have time to get some (see what I did there…? pls don’t close your browser), you can always use an Italian seasoning blend or just skip it.
Vegetable Stock.
This is a vegan creamy broccoli soup recipe so no chicken stock or chicken broth here! Instead, we’re going to use vegetable stock or broth that’ll help enhance the flavor of your soup. If you want to keep this low in sodium, definitely feel free to use a low-sodium vegetable broth or combine with water.
Cannellini Beans.
Ok, here’s my secret ingredient guys! Cannellini beans! Not only will these beans add protein and fiber, these beans are often my go-to for making non-dairy things creamy. For this creamy broccoli soup recipe, I use a can of cannellini beans, but you can, of course, cook up your own. You can also replace with navy beans, kidney beans, or even chickpeas. Whatever bean you enjoy that mashes up quite well will be perfect for this creamy broccoli soup.
Sweet White Rice Flour.
In order to make the dumplings, we’re going to use sweet white rice flour. No, you cannot use regular white rice flour or brown rice flour. You need to use glutinous white rice flour or sweet white rice flour. Why can’t you use regular rice flour or brown rice flour? Because they may fall apart when subjected to boiling water.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making creamy broccoli soup.
Step 1.
First, make some broccoli puree by boiling a small amount of broccoli and blending it with a little water. If you want your rice dumplings to be a pale green, add a drop or two of green food coloring to your puree.
Step 2.
Mix your broccoli puree with your sweet white rice flour to create a very thick dough (it should be the consistency of Play-Doh or clay). Knead the mixture into a rough ball and then roll it out into a long rope, roughly 1/2-inch thick and 15 to 16 inches long. Divide the dough into small pieces that are approximately 1/2-inch thick, which means you should have about 30 to 32 pieces. Roll them into small balls and set them aside (covered so they don’t get hard).
Step 3.
To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add a little extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable broth). When the oil begins to shimmer, add your onion, broccoli, carrots, celery, and thyme, along with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Sauté the vegetables until the onions grow translucent, about 3 minutes. Then, add your miso and stir so that all your vegetables are evenly coated. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth, together with the cannellini beans, and cook until your broccoli (including the stems) is fork tender (about 7 to 8 minutes).
Step 4.
Place the ingredients in your pot into a blender and blend until you achieve a fairly thick paste. Transfer the contents of the blender to the same pot you used earlier.
Over low heat, whisk in the remaining vegetable broth until totally incorporated and you obtain a beautiful, smooth, velvety broth. Add the small rice balls you made earlier and cook over medium heat until the rice balls are tender and fully cooked (they will look slightly translucent on the outside), about 5 minutes.
OPTIONAL GARNISHES FOR YOUR CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP.
- Roasted broccoli (that’s what I used–had some on hand from a different recipe)
- Grated vegan parmesan cheese
- Cracked black pepper (simple but effective!)
- Dollop of vegan yogurt
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chili oil
- Vegan croutons (though pick something gluten-free to keep this recipe gluten-free!)
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can I use frozen broccoli for creamy broccoli soup?
Yes, you can absolutely use frozen broccoli instead of fresh broccoli for this creamy broccoli soup. No need to thaw. Simply use the frozen broccoli in lieu of the fresh broccoli in this creamy broccoli soup recipe.
How do you make creamy broccoli soup dairy free?
Although cream of broccoli soup traditionally contains heavy cream or milk, you can make it dairy free by substituting with dairy-free cream or milk or by using creamy beans (like cannellini beans) to achieve a similar texture.
How do you retain the health benefits of broccoli even if you boil it?
One of the best things you can do to retain the health benefits of broccoli even if you intend to cook it (like using it in a soup or stir-fry) is to chop it at least 40 minutes in advance. Studies have shown that doing so helps to retain a substantial amount of the sulforaphane (the cancer preventing enzyme) in broccoli, even after it is cooked.
Want More Soup Recipes?
Recipe Card.
Creamy Broccoli Soup with Dumplings.
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
Broccoli Rice Dumplings.
- 1/4 cup chopped broccoli
- OPTIONAL: green food coloring
- 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour
Broccoli Soup.
- 1/2 cup rough chopped carrot
- 1/4 cup rough chopped onion
- 2 cups rough chopped broccoli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil OR vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup rough chopped celery
- 1 tbsp miso
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked cannellini beans
Instructions
Make the Broccoli Rice Dumplings.
- Prepare a little broccoli puree by placing 1/4 cup of chopped broccoli into a microwave safe bowl, together with 1 tablespoon of water. Cook for about 2 minutes on high (possibly longer, depending on your microwave) until the broccoli is bright green and fork tender. Blend the cooked broccoli together with a tablespoon of warm water (including any leftover water in the bowl) until smooth. Add green food coloring if you want your dumplings to be pale green (they won't be if you don't).
- Add 3 tablespoons of your broccoli puree with your sweet white rice flour to create a very thick dough (it should be the consistency of Play-Doh or clay). Knead the mixture into a rough ball and then roll it out into a long rope, roughly 1/2-inch thick and 15 to 16 inches long. Divide the dough into small pieces that are approximately 1/2-inch thick, which means you should have about 30 to 32 pieces. Roll them into small balls and set them aside (covered so they don't get hard).
Broccoli Soup.
- To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add a little extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable broth). When the oil begins to shimmer, add your onion, broccoli, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme, along with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Sauté the vegetables until the onions grow translucent, about 3 minutes. Then, add your miso and stir so that all your vegetables are evenly coated. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth, together with the cannellini beans and any leftover broccoli puree, and cook until your broccoli (including the stems) is fork tender (about 7 to 8 minutes).
- Place the ingredients in your pot into a blender and blend until you achieve a fairly thick paste. Transfer the contents of the blender to the same pot you used earlier. Over low heat, whisk in the remaining vegetable broth until totally incorporated and you obtain a beautiful, smooth, velvety broth. Add the small rice balls you made earlier and cook over medium heat until the rice balls are tender and fully cooked (they will look slightly translucent on the outside), about 5 minutes.Optional garnish: cracked black pepper, vegan parmesan, toasted sesame seeds, roasted broccoli bits, olive oil, chili oil
Notes
- Chop your broccoli 40 minutes prior to cooking to retain more of your broccoli’s nutrients.
- Only add the tiniest, teensiest drop of food coloring if you really want some color in your dumplings. Otherwise, you can skip it.
- Cooking the rice dumplings with your broth will also make it thicker.
- If you prefer your soup on the creamier side, add less vegetable broth in the final step. If you feel your soup is a little too thick, add more vegetable broth or water until you achieve your preferred consistency.
Nutrition
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