Add vegan butter and olive oil to a pan. Once the butter melts, add garlic and sliced onions, and sauté until the onions turn translucent.

Add the broccoli florets and sauté for a minute — no prior blanching or steaming needed for this easy broccoli cheddar soup.

Add water or vegetable stock. Mix, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes on medium flame, until the broccoli florets turn soft.

Use a hand blender to puree the soup, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan. Priya's tip: for the smoothest creamy broccoli soup vegan texture, let it cool slightly and blend in batches in a blender jar instead, if you prefer that method over the hand blender.

Transfer the puree back to the pan. Add water gradually if needed to reach your desired soupy consistency, keeping the flame on low to medium. Stir in the vegan cheddar cheese and cook until fully melted, a couple of minutes, stirring continuously — the more cheese you add, the thicker this vegan broccoli cheddar soup will get. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Priya's tip: raise the flame slightly and cover the pot for 2–3 minutes to help the cheese melt faster.