A Cozy & Creamy Italian Broccoli Soup

It’s soup season again, and you’re looking for a quick and easy broccoli soup to try. I’ve got you.

Ciao friend. I’m Alessia, the founder and writer behind Italy with an Italian.

Broccoli has become one of my favorite vegetables, so of course I had to make an Italian broccoli soup recipe. 

This one will amaze you, because it’s so simple and healthy. But wait till you try it!

In true Italian style, the simplest recipes are often the best ones, and this broccoli soup is one of them.

Let’s make it together.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Most Popular Broccoli Soups In Italy

Before I share with you my easy everyday Italian broccoli soup recipe I thought you might like to know about the other authentic Italian broccoli soups.

There are five main ones that are loved and enjoyed throughout the peninsula, although a few ones are more popular in their respective region of origin.

Of course, every family will have its own variations and unique broccoli soup recipes.

These are the top traditional Italian broccoli soups:

1. Minestra di broccoli alla Siciliana – a chunky minestrone style broccoli soup with pasta, and also including the famous red Tropea onions.

2. Minestra di broccoli alla Romana – a chunky minestrone style broccoli soup with pasta, and other ingredients like anchovies, tomato paste, and pecorino cheese.

3. Vellutata di broccoli – a creamy broccoli soup, similar to the one we are making today; this can be very simple or include a few more ingredients, but in general Italians prefer simpler recipes.

4. Zuppa di broccoli e ceci – a hearty soup that has a Tuscan style while being popular throughout the country.

5. Pasta, Broccoli e Arzilla – a soupy pasta with broccoli and arzilla; Arzialla is a fish which I believe it’s called skate in English. This soup is a typical dish from Rome.

In terms of all the variations that Italians experiment with at home, here are the most popular ones:

• Cream of broccoli and potatoes
• Cream of broccoli and zucchini
• Cream of broccoli and chickpeas
• Cream of broccoli and carrots
• Cream of broccoli, potatoes and carrots
• Broccoli minestrone with potatoes
• Broccoli minestrone with beans
• Broccoli minestrone with pasta or without
• Broccoli minestrone with potatoes and beans

My Creamy Italian Broccoli Soup Recipe

The soup we are making today is a typical Italian vellutata di broccoli. Vellutata is the word used to refer to a creamy soup that’s been blended to reach that texture, so smooth that it reminds us of velvet, and that’s where the name comes from because velluto in Italian means velvet.

The idea behind creamy soups is that they are quick and easy, perfect to warm up, but also a great starter to serve at dinner parties.

I personally love these types of soups at lunchtime, together with an open sandwich.

Minestrone style soups might take a little longer and involve using more ingredients. You also need to calculate the right timing to add the pasta to cook, and make sure the soup has enough liquid for that, while also ensuring there’s not so much that it dilutes the flavors. 

Of course, if you have the right recipe you can make anything, but it will still take a little longer and require more focus from your end. Make sure to bookmark this blog as I’ve got the best minestrone soup recipe coming soon, and it’s not your usual one..

Instead, this creamy Italian broccoli soup is going to be perfect for when you want to whip up a broccoli soup in under an hour, without too much thought or effort.

Another reason why I think you will love it is that it is both healthy and tasty. Because it includes a few ingredients that are all healthy and relatively low in calories, the result is a soup that you can eat every day without any restrictions.

Of course, always keep in mind your dietary requirements, intolerances and allergies, and make the necessary substitutions.

Italian Broccoli Soup Ingredients

Broccoli – Of course, this is the star of this soup recipe, so you want to make sure you source really fresh broccoli that you know are going to taste great.

Potatoes – Broccoli and potatoes are a match made in heaven, so much so that in Southern Italy we also make a delicious hearty pasta with those two ingredients. In this soup, potatoes add an extra earthy flavor as well as the starchiness and creaminess that makes this soup taste rich and velvety. 

Garlic – Italians love using garlic, although some might prefer using onions instead. I personally prefer garlic, but that could be because I am Sicilian, and garlic is much more rooted in Southern Italian cuisines.

Vegetable stock – No soup or stew that I know of comes without any stock of some form. I personally love using vegetable stock over beef, chicken or fish. In this case, none of those options would work. I am using an organic vegetable stock cube, which makes this recipe even easier and quicker. But if you prefer to make your own stock, please use that; it will make this soup even better.

Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Unless I am baking with butter, you will never see me make a recipe that doesn’t include this ingredient, and I am pretty sure that holds for every Italian in the world, not just in Italy.

Please, make sure to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil. If it’s Italian, that’s even better, especially if you want to capture that true Italian broccoli soup flavor that tastes like my Sicilian grandma made it. This is my favorite everyday Italian EVOO.

Salt and black pepper – Add as much as you like, although less is more when you want to let the ingredients shine.

Water – An essential for making soups.

Cooking Cream – I don’t add a lot of cream, and because I use a vegan rice one it’s both light and healthy. That means that it adds to the creaminess and overall taste, without adding too many calories. If you prefer to skip cream, go ahead and do that. Because we are using potatoes, the final soup will still be creamy once you blend it. I use the Alpro Rice Cooking Cream but you can also use Panna da Cucina.

Optional parmesan cheese – I don’t always sprinkle parmesan on my soup; I just don’t like the texture contrast that that creates, but I do sometimes blend it in, which is what I did for this recipe. You can do whatever you like best.

Adding it before blending it will add a little more flavor, while adding it after serving it will add more texture, and also make it look prettier.

Optional herbs: I don’t use any herbs for this soup, and so do many Italians who make a similar recipe at home. We often like to keep our traditional everyday recipes very simple so we can taste the flavor of each ingredient.

If you choose high quality ones, which you should, there’s going to be a lot of flavor to enjoy. However, if you want to add a herb, I suggest picking between rosemary, thyme, or even chilli (peperoncino).

Exact Quantities

• 2 broccoli
• 2 potatoes (or 3 if your broccoli are really big)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons of Italian EVOO (you will drizzle more when serving your soup)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cubes organic vegetable stock *
• 2 litres water
• 200 ml cooking cream (I use vegan, you can use regular)
• Optional herbs of your choice
• Optional grated parmigiano reggiano cheese – two tablespoons if blending it in or as much as you want for sprinkling.

*You can replace the previous two ingredients with two litres of homemade vegetable stock.

Equipment

To make this soup you will need these tools:

• A chopping board and knife
• A large pot with a lid
• A cooking spatula
• A tablespoon or two
• A handheld blender, regular blender, or a food processor (I use this one)
• Storage containers that can go in the fridge and freezer

How To Make Italian Broccoli Soup

Making this soup is both easy and quick. Most of the time is taken to cut the vegetables, and simmer the soup. But you can let it simmer with a timer on, and go about your day.

Let me show you how.

1. Rinse, peel  and mince your garlic. Add it to your large pot.
   
2. Wash your broccoli and cut them into small florets. You can keep some of the stalk, but don’t use the hard bits. You might want to save those to make a stock.
   
3. Put your cut broccoli into a separate bowl for now.
   
4. Wash, peel and chop your potatoes into small cubes. Add those in the pot with the garlic.
   
5. Take some of the broccoli florets you’ve cut and add them to your pot.
   
6. Drizzle the Italian extra virgin olive oil.
   
7. Mix, and let them sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, mixing from time to time. 
   
   We are basically making a soffritto with those vegetables. This will give your soup so much extra flavor, especially if you let some of those vegetables brown a little more.
   
8. In the meantime, prepare your vegetable stock. You can take your homemade one, and measure the exact quantity. Once you do, heat it up in the microwave or in a separate pot. Or you can melt your stock cubes into a bowl of water and heat it up in your microwave. You can add the rest of the water at room temperature later on.
   
9. After the 10 minutes have passed, or more if you think your vegetables could use some more browning, add the rest of the broccoli and mix everything well.
   
10. Immediately add the vegetable stock with the exact quantity of water.
    
11. Season with salt and pepper, and mix.
    
12. Cover the pot with the lid, and let it boil. 
    
13. Once it comes to a boil,  lower the heat to medium low, and let it simmer for 40 minutes with the lid on. You can set a timer.
    
14. After those 40 minutes have passed, remove the lid, and add the cooking cream. Mix it and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
    
15. You can add the parmesan at this point, if you want to. Or you can add it in just before blending your creamy broccoli soup. That’s what I did.
    
16. After those 10 minutes have passed, you can take your soup off the heat. Blend it straight away or wait a little, depending on your blender. I use my Nutribullet, but you can use both a handheld blender, or a food processor.
    
17. You can now serve your Italian broccoli soup with a drizzle of Italian EVOO, and a few broccoli florets on top, if you have any on hand. Don’t forget to portion out the rest.

Enjoy.

Variations, Storage & Tips

In this section, I will mention a few ingredients you might want to try adding in, perhaps the second time you make this recipe. I will also tell you how I store my soups, and share the important details that make it delicious.

Ingredients to Add or Swap

Ginger – One ingredient I often add that’s not inherently Italian is a little powdered ginger. I like to add as much of the latter as well as turmeric to my meals in Winter because they are great immunity boosters. I find that ginger complements this soup very nicely, but when I do add it, I skip the parmesan cheese. Feel free to try this variation or not.

Pecorino cheese – Replacing the parmesan with pecorino will instantly add more taste to your soup while also making it that bit more rustic. If you do, just be mindful of the salt you are adding, since pecorino is much saltier than parmesan.

Onion – If you like the taste of onions better than garlic, go ahead and replace the garlic with a small onion. You can also try it both ways and decide which version you like better.

Tomato – Another ingredient that you can add to change the flavor slightly, while keeping the soup simple, is tomatoes. You can add a little tomato paste or a few cherry tomatoes. The first will add more richness, while the second will add more freshness.

I personally think this soup is best kept simple but many Italian broccoli minestrone soups include tomatoes, so you do you!

How to Store Your Broccoli Soup

Individual portions – Sometimes, I like to portion my soups directly into the plates I will be enjoying them in, and then put them in the fridge. That way, when I am having my lunch break all I have to do is take the plate of soup out of the fridge and heat it up in the microwave. I like to take it out 30 minutes before heating it up.

That’s not always feasible, especially if you have a small fridge, or your fridge is full.

Large bowl – I also store my soups into large glass bowls in the fridge, and then serve myself a portion before heating it up in the microwave.

Freezing – You can also portion them into individual tupperware and freeze them. I have done that and the soup taste was still delicious but the texture was a little gritty.

I usually enjoy all my soups within a maximum of four days from cooking. If I know I won’t be able to eat it all by then, I freeze the rest. I also sometimes do a double batch and freeze half.

Cooking Tips

This Italian broccoli soup recipe is really easy to prepare, so you are very unlikely to mess it up. Don’t worry!

However, here are a few tips to keep in mind while making it:

1. Make sure your broccoli are fresh, because if they taste bad your soup will also taste bad.
2. Add the exact amount of water and stock to avoid your soup being too runny or flavorless.
3. Don’t skip the simmering if you want a truly tasty broccoli soup.
4. If you choose to add a herb or the parmesan, do so sparingly. That way, you will still be able to taste the broccoli, which should be the star of this dish.
5. Use a high quality Italian extra virgin olive oil for cooking and drizzling because that makes a huge difference.
6. If you want your soup to be thicker, use more potatoes – one or two extra.

Broccoli Soup FAQ

In case you have more questions related to broccoli soup, I am answering the most common ones here.

What Are the Ingredients for Broccoli Soup?

It really depends on the type of broccoli soup you’re making. At the beginning of this post, I shared some of the most popular Italian broccoli soups, and while each has its own twist, they all have one thing in common: simplicity. If you want a truly delicious broccoli soup, use just a few high-quality ingredients.

A classic Italian-style version usually includes:

• Fresh broccoli
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic or onion (used sparingly)
• Vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper

Some versions also include potatoes for creaminess or a touch of Parmesan or Pecorino for flavor — but the star should always be the broccoli itself.

What Are Common Mistakes When Making Broccoli Soup?

A few simple things can make or break your broccoli soup:

• Adding too many ingredients, which can overwhelm the flavor.
• Using too much liquid, making the soup bland or watery.
• Over-seasoning, so the broccoli loses its delicate taste.
• Adding too much cheese, which can make the soup heavy.
• Making it too thick or too thin, throwing off the texture.

The secret to a great Italian broccoli soup is balance — keep it light, smooth, and broccoli-focused.

What Herb Goes Well with Broccoli Soup?

Many herbs can pair well with broccoli — such as parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme.
For an Italian broccoli soup, I’d highlight rosemary and thyme. Both add warmth and depth without overpowering the vegetables.

That said, it’s completely fine to skip herbs altogether. Italians often prefer to keep it simple, letting the natural flavor of the broccoli and olive oil shine through.

What Spices Go Well with Broccoli?

Broccoli pairs nicely with black pepper, and chili flakes.
For an Italian twist, the best choice is chili flakes (peperoncino). It adds a subtle kick that complements the soup without making it spicy.

Again, you can easily skip spices if you want to keep your soup clean and mild — it’s all about preference and balance.

What Is the Best Cheese for Broccoli Soup?

While cheddar is the most popular choice in the U.S., Italians rarely use it.
In an Italian broccoli soup, you can:

• Skip cheese entirely for a lighter, more delicate flavor, or
  
• Add a small amount of Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) or Pecorino Romano for a savory touch.

Both melt beautifully into the soup and enhance the flavor without taking over.

How Do I Thicken My Broccoli Soup?

To thicken your soup naturally, try one of these Italian-style tricks:

• Blend part (or all) of the vegetables — that’s usually enough to create a creamy consistency.
  
• Add a small potato when cooking — it thickens the soup beautifully once blended.
  
• Let it simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavor.
  

What Is the Best Season for Broccoli?

In Italy, broccoli is a cool-season vegetable, typically harvested from late fall through early spring — roughly September to March — when temperatures are mild and the air is crisp. That’s when you’ll see it most often in Italian markets and soups.

In the U.S., the season is quite similar, with the peak in fall and winter.

So wherever you are, the colder months are the best time to enjoy broccoli — it’s at its freshest, sweetest, and perfect for a comforting Italian broccoli soup.

Having said that, I do eat broccoli in Summer too!

More Italian Recipes For You

I hope you make this recipe and love it as much as I do. If you do, please let me know.

I’d like to welcome you to join my newsletter. It’s called Buona Settimana. I send one weekly email every Sunday. There, I share simple delicious Italian recipes, and much more. You can sign up via one of the sign up boxes in this post.

In the meantime, you can have a look at my other Italian recipes:

Italian Sandwich Bread – the same recipe also makes dinner rolls and pizza!

Italian Sausage Pasta Soup – another hearty Winter dish.

Italian Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce – a classic that never fails.

Before you go, don’t forget to give this post a heart, and share it with a friend who needs a quick delicious soup recipe.

Thank you; I hope to see you in your inbox on Sunday.

A presto,
Alessia