Ninja Foodi Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Butter (Salted)- I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.

Onion (Finely Diced) – Fresh or frozen diced onions can be used. Yellow onions work great in this recipe. Make sure that you dice them quite small. You want the onion to add flavor but not texture to the soup.

Garlic (Minced)- Fresh or jarred garlic works great.

Carrots (Shredded)– You can use baby or full-sized carrots. Or, if your grocery store sells pre-shredded carrots, use those as they will save you a bunch on time shredding them yourself.

Broccoli Florets (Chopped)- For this recipe, I would recommend using fresh broccoli florets instead of frozen ones. Frozen broccoli needs virtually no time to cook under high pressure. You want the broccoli cooked but not way over cooked and mushy. Using frozen broccoli can bake the broccoli soup mushy.

Vegetable Broth– I used vegetable broth, but you can use chicken broth instead if that is all you have on hand. The taste will be slightly different but still delicious. Feel free to use regular or low-sodium broth. It is NOT recommended to use water instead of broth.

Flour– I use all purpose flour. You only need a little bit, but it is important in the recipe, so do not leave it out.

Milk- Whole, 2% or skim milk can be used. The higher the fat content of the milk, the thicker and creamier the Ninja Foodi broccoli cheese soup will be.

Half and Half- If you don’t have half and half, you can add extra milk and a little bit of heavy cream instead.

Salt & Pepper- Freshly ground is preferred. You can modify the amount of salt and pepper that you add to the recipe based on your own preference. If you are on a low-sodium diet, you can omit salt if needed.

Paprika- If you don’t have paprika, you can substitute it with a very small amount of cayenne pepper or chili powder. Cayanne is the closest spice in flavor compared to Paprika, but cayenne is much hotter in spice. A little goes a long way if you are substituting paprika with cayenne.

Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)– Traditionally, sharp cheddar cheese is used in broccoli and cheddar soup, but you can use a mixture of sharp cheddar, extra sharp, or mild cheddar cheese if you prefer. Freshly shredded cheese melts the best and helps make the soup extra creamy. But, you can use pre-shredded, it just might not be quite as creamy.