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Homemade soup season is HERE and you’ll find making massive batches of all my favorites full of delicious flavors for both immediate enjoyment and also canning to put on the shelf for later convenience meals. This creamy broccoli cheddar soup I make is chock full of nourishing ingredients, including my homemade chicken broth, and will warm you and stick to those ribs when you need it most. We ain’t trying to copycat Panera’s broccoli cheese soup, because friend, that’s bagged hospital food heated up in a sous vide. Gross. WE EAT REAL FOOD IN THIS HOUSE. Serve it heated with some crusty bread and enjoy some homemade broccoli cheddar soup, the perfect meal for busy weeknights that is guilt free and super nourishing! Find the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

In This Post You'll Find...

Rebel Canning (You should probably read this)

A note on rebel canning, because if you’re here from my reel I shared of me making it, you’ll see I processed my broccoli cheese soup recipe (containing dairy & broccoli) in a water bath canner. I choose to process anything with dairy in a water bath for extended processing times as opposed to a pressure canner because the high temperatures a pressure canner creates really change the flavor and integrity of the milk and I don’t like it. Why would I want to can something I don’t like. I know many will be thinking “OMG she’s going to get botulism” and wonder why I’m actually very confident and comfortable water bath processing low acid foods. Now…. just because I do it, doesn’t mean you have to. By all means, please stick inside your realm of knowledge and comfort. I’m simply over here sharing something I do within my own kitchen and also talking you through why I’m comfortable doing it, because there’s thought and common sense behind it. Now…..

When water bath canning low acid food, you rely on extended processing times at a lower temperature as opposed to pressure canning where it’s shorter times at a higher temperature. Water bath canning thermal death (the neutralization of all food spoilage pathogens) relies heavily on the cool down time, not the actual processing time. Funny, right?! Before I studied the actual science behind canning, I had never considered this! After canning and storing on the shelf, when I am ready to open and consume a jar, I dump the contents of that jar into a pan and heat it on the stove top to boiling and let it cook for 5-10 minutes. This simple step completely negates any risk of botulinum toxin surviving. That’s seriously all you have to do.

Of course, since this recipe contains multiple ingredients that are no longer approved by the USDA, this recipe can be considered rebel canning. That means that the recipe I am canning contains unapproved ingredients and I’m processing it in an untested and unapproved way. If you’ve known me for any amount of time, online or IRL, you’ll know that I need zero approvals from the USDA for what I’m doing. If you are not comfortable canning an untested recipe, then don’t. I always say to only can something within your realm of comfort, because at the end of the day, if you’re canning something you’re afraid of, you won’t eat it and you will have essentially wasted both your time and money. I will recommend that you do your own independent research on canning, especially if this is your first time, understand the technique, and have some knowledge regarding canning unapproved ingredients. Don’t just blindly trust some stranger that put a random recipe on the internet and told you they can it… do your own research and come to your own conclusions… my recipes included! I cannot control what and how you do things in your kitchen, meaning you assume your own risk when canning! I am not responsible for what you’re doing.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to making this broccoli cheddar soup recipe!

Equipment You Might Want:

Stock Pot
Jar Funnel
Pint Canning Jars
Canning Lids & Screw Bands
Water Bath Canning Pot
Pressure Canner

Ingredients:

1/2 cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) (see notes)
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour (see notes)
1 quart goat milk
1 quart chicken broth
2 pounds fresh broccoli florets
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese

Step 1: Cook

Place stock pot over medium low heat and melt schmaltz.

Once melted, add onions and cook, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Once translucent and softened, add in garlic and cook for a couple minutes or til fragrant.

Sprinkle over flour and stir to combine. Allow to cook a couple minutes or until golden, stirring constantly.

Add milk in while stirring constantly about one cup at a time. Once mixture thickens, add more milk until all milk has been added.

Add in chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring mixture to a low simmer.

Add in broccoli, stir, and cover. Allow broccoli to cook for about 5-8 minutes, or til beginning to soften. If you would like a perfectly smooth soup, cook the broccoli until fork tender and soft enough to blend with an immersion blender. I prefer chunks & pieces of broccoli in my soup so I blend about half the soup and leave nice broccoli chunks behind or sometimes I use a potato masher just to break the big chunks up.

Stir in dijon mustard and cheddar cheese. Cook over medium low heat until cheese is melted and incorporated.

You can stop at this step if you are not planning to can this soup and continue heating until you have a nice thick soup, cool 5 minutes, and serve! Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

Step 2: Canning

Ladle hot soup into pint canning jars to 1-inch headspace.

Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.

Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands.

Process jars for broccoli times at your own personal discretion. I use water bath times from a Kerr canning book that recommend 150 minutes for broccoli processed in a boiling water bath and that’s what I do. (See above excerpt on rebel canning for why I water bath can something low acid and am comfortable with it). There are currently no modern recommendations for canning broccoli, likely do to it becoming very soft and mushy after canning, and it is recommended only for freezing. The time tables I reference are shown in the reel I shared on Instagram and Facebook for this recipe if you would like to see it.

Step 3: Cooling & Storage

After processing time is complete, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 18-24 hours at ambient room temperature. If you house is cold, please cover the jars with a towel to allow them to cool slowly.

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Proper recommended storage temperatures for home canned foods are around 55-70 degrees F ideally.

Shelf life is ’til you eat it. With anything I can dairy in, I try to consume it within 1 year as dairy can get an off putting flavor after extended shelf life.

To Serve:

Dump jar into a pan and heat on the stove, boiling 5-10 minutes and heating thoroughly. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

Schmaltz can be replaced with butter.

I use fresh milled flour for this, but you can also use store bought all purpose flour just fine.

This is the best broccoli cheese soup with such simple ingredients and it’s so lovely to have one of the ultimate comfort foods at your fingertips at any moment, whether it be a cool fall day or the apocalypse. You’ll find me with my broccoli cheddar cheese soup.

Canning the Best Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

Name: Canning the Best Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat (see notes)); 2 onions (chopped); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 8 cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 cup flour (see notes); 1 quart goat milk; 1 quart chicken broth; 2 pounds fresh broccoli florets; 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard; 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Canning Time: 2 30

Servings: pints

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

stock pot
jar funnel
pint canning jars
Canning lids & screw bands
Water bath canning pot
Pressure Canner

Ingredients

1/2 cup schmaltz rendered chicken fat (see notes)
2 onions chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup flour see notes
1 quart goat milk
1 quart chicken broth
2 pounds fresh broccoli florets
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

Place stock pot over medium low heat and melt schmaltz.
Once melted, add onions and cook, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Once translucent and softened, add in garlic and cook for a couple minutes or til fragrant.
Sprinkle over flour and stir to combine. Allow to cook a couple minutes or until golden, stirring constantly.
Add milk in while stirring constantly about one cup at a time. Once mixture thickens, add more milk until all milk has been added.
Add in chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring mixture to a low simmer.
Add in broccoli, stir, and cover. Allow broccoli to cook for about 5-8 minutes, or til beginning to soften. If you would like a perfectly smooth soup, cook the broccoli until fork tender and soft enough to blend with an immersion blender. I prefer chunks & pieces of broccoli in my soup so I blend about half the soup and leave nice broccoli chunks behind or sometimes I use a potato masher just to break the big chunks up.
Stir in dijon mustard and cheddar cheese. Cook over medium low heat until cheese is melted and incorporated.
You can stop at this step if you are not planning to can this soup and continue heating until you have a nice thick soup, cool 5 minutes, and serve! Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Ladle hot soup into pint canning jars to 1-inch headspace.
Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands.
Process jars for broccoli times at your own personal discretion. I use water bath times from a Kerr canning book that recommend 150 minutes for broccoli processed in a boiling water bath and that's what I do. (See above excerpt on rebel canning for why I water bath can something low acid and am comfortable with it). There are currently no modern recommendations for canning broccoli, likely do to it becoming very soft and mushy after canning, and it is recommended only for freezing. The time tables I reference are shown in the reel I shared on Instagram and Facebook for this recipe if you would like to see it.
After processing time is complete, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 18-24 hours at ambient room temperature. If you house is cold, please cover the jars with a towel to allow them to cool slowly.
Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Proper recommended storage temperatures for home canned foods are around 55-70 degrees F ideally.
Shelf life is 'til you eat it. With anything I can dairy in, I try to consume it within 1 year as dairy can get an off putting flavor after extended shelf life.

To Use:

Dump jar into a pan and heat on the stove, boiling 5-10 minutes and heating thoroughly. Serve and enjoy!

Notes