Gordon Ramsay broccoli cheddar soup is a silky, vibrant green soup made with fresh broccoli florets, sharp cheddar, and chicken stock, finished with pan-roasted pears and toasted almonds. It comes together in about 25 minutes.

This recipe is adapted from his Broccoli, Stilton, and Pear Soup in Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking for Friends, where he calls it “a soup that’s perfect for entertaining, both for its elegance and for its ease of preparation.” The original uses Stilton, swapped here for sharp cheddar to match the classic broccoli cheddar pairing.

The technique that sets this apart: he cooks the broccoli for just 3 to 4 minutes in hot stock, then blends it immediately. That short cook keeps the soup a striking bright green instead of the army-green colour you get from overcooking, and the cheese melts right into the blender for a smooth, rich base.

FAQs

Why is this adapted from Stilton to cheddar?

Ramsay’s original recipe in Cooking for Friends uses Stilton, which is a strong British blue cheese. Sharp cheddar gives you that same rich, savoury depth without the pungency that divides people at the table.

The swap works because both cheeses melt well into hot liquid. If you want something closer to his original, crumble in Stilton instead and you’ll get a more assertive, tangy soup.

Why does Ramsay cook the broccoli for only 3 to 4 minutes?

Most broccoli soup recipes simmer the florets for 15 to 20 minutes until they fall apart. Ramsay does the opposite: a quick cook in boiling stock keeps the broccoli bright green and fresh tasting.

Overcooking breaks down the chlorophyll and turns the soup a flat olive colour. It also dulls the flavour into something cabbage-like. His short cook preserves both the colour and a clean, sweet broccoli taste that the cheese builds on rather than buries.

Why pan-roast pears instead of using croutons?

The caramelised pear is the detail that makes this soup worth making over any other recipe. The sweetness from the butter-basted fruit cuts through the richness of the cheese, so each spoonful has contrast instead of one heavy note.

Ramsay suggests you can prep the pears ahead by storing peeled halves in water with lemon juice to stop browning, then pat them dry before roasting so they caramelise properly.

How does this compare to his broccoli soup in Passion for Flavour?

The Passion for Flavour version takes a completely different approach. That soup uses only broccoli, water, salt, and a little cream with no cheese blended in at all. The cheese comes as goat’s cheese ravioli floated on top.

That version also trims the broccoli much more aggressively, using virtually no stalk, and dries the cooked florets in the pan before blending. Ramsay says the purée should reach “the texture of soft, runny butter with a glossy sheen.” If you want a lighter, more technique-driven soup, that one is worth trying alongside your mushroom soup.

Can this soup be made ahead?

Ramsay specifically says the broccoli soup can be prepared a day in advance and reheated. Make the soup base through step 3, cool it, and refrigerate. The colour holds well overnight because the short initial cook didn’t break down the chlorophyll.

Pan-roast the pears just before serving though. He’s clear about that: do them fresh so they’re warm and caramelised when they hit the bowl. Cold reheated pear won’t have the same contrast against the hot soup.

What stock works best for this soup?

Ramsay gives you a choice: chicken or vegetable stock. Chicken stock adds a rounder, deeper background flavour that pairs well with the cheddar. Vegetable stock keeps things lighter and makes the whole dish vegetarian.

Either way, use a good homemade stock if you can. The soup only has a handful of ingredients, so the stock does a lot of heavy lifting. A weak stock means a flat soup, which is why his butternut squash soup and roasted tomato soup call for the same quality base.