There’s something deeply comforting about a warm bowl of homemade soup—especially one that comes together quickly. This broccoli soup with crème fraîche is creamy, flavorful, and packed with goodness from simple, wholesome ingredients. Made with homemade chicken stock and enriched with cultured dairy, it’s the kind of meal you can feel good serving your family on a busy weeknight or a slow winter afternoon. With just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep, this soup is proof that fast food can still be deeply nourishing. Serve it with some toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, or even some slices of homemade pizza for dinner.

broccoli & creme fraiche soup on a sack cloth with chives scattered on the side

Tips for making this recipe

Use the whole broccoli, including stems and leaves. They are packed with nutrients.
If you don’t have chicken stock, use beef or lamb stock instead. I used chicken stock because it is the mildest tasting of them all but any stock (except perhaps fish stock!) is fine for this recipe.
If your chicken stock has a layer of fat on top, you can use this fat to saute the onions instead of using butter (it’s cheaper too).
If you can’t get crème fraîche, you can use regular cream or even whole milk – the result won’t be the same but it will still be delicious!
This broccoli soup is also freezer friendly.

Ingredients

diced broccoli leaves stems and florets on a plate a jar of chicken stock a bowl of diced red onions a cup of creme fraiche and a cup with two tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons butter
1 large or 2 small heads of broccoli (about 800 grams total weight), including the leaves and stems
1 large onion (I used red onion but any type is fine)
5 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup crème fraîche, plus a few tablespoons more for serving
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for making this broccoli soup with crème fraîche

broccoli florets diced broccoli stem and chopped broccoli leaves

To prepare the broccoli, cut the broccoli head into individual florets, chop the leaves and peel and slice the stem. The outer layer of the stem is very tough and woody, but the inner part is tender – peel the stem thickly so all of the tough outer layer is removed.

diced half of red onion on the left whole half of red onion on the right

Cut the onion into a medium dice – it will be blended later with the broccoli so you don’t need to worry about chopping it small.

diced red onions and melted butter in a metal pot

Melt the butter on medium low heat and saute the chopped onion until soft and translucent. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

broccoli florets leaves and stems with chicken stock in a metal pot

Add the broccoli pieces and the chicken stock. The broccoli won’t be completely covered with the stock but resist the temptation to add more stock or you’ll end up with a very thin soup. The broccoli will release a lot of moisture as it cooks. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the broccoli is tender – about 15 to 20 minutes.

broccoli soup with crème fraîche in a metal pot with a stick blender in the soup

Take the soup off the heat. Add the crème fraîche to the pot and blend the soup until smooth. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary. Serve hot with some more crème fraîche drizzled on top.

How to serve this broccoli soup with crème fraîche

Instead (or in addition to) some crème fraîche, you could also drizzle some mild olive oil on top of your soup, or garnish it with grated cheese or sourdough croutons.
If you want to have this soup for breakfast, serve it with some hot buttered toast or with a breakfast casserole, such as my Sourdough Breakfast Casserole With Chicken And Hash Browns
For lunch it can be served with some sandwiches or paninis.
If you want to make it for dinner, serve it with burgers or slices of pizza.
This soup is also great packed into a thermos for a healthy lunch.

If you love soups, be sure to check out my other soup recipes:

Italian Pasta Fagioli Soup

Hearty Green Lentil And Broad Bean Soup