Broccoli Cheese Soup in a Crock Pot

This cheesy and creamy crockpot broccoli cheese soup uses simple ingredients and is packed with loads of flavor. A cozy soup that you are sure to enjoy with every bite.

If you love Panera broccoli cheddar soup, you will enjoy this version made in a slow cooker. All you need is about 10 minutes of prep time, and then pop the ingredients into the crockpot to have a creamy and delicious soup ready in a few hours. 

On a cold winter's day or a cozy rainy day, this soup will warm you up. The creaminess of the soup combined with the melted cheese infused in with the broccoli is truly a delight. The aromatic vegetables along with the Italian seasonings makes this soup so rich and flavorful.

This slow cooker broccoli cheese soup makes a great meal all by itself or a wonderful side to accompany a main dish. If you enjoy warm and creamy soups, try my easy potato soup or chicken gnocchi soup, too.

Ingredients

These basic ingredients come together quickly to make the creamy slow cooker broccoli soup.

• Broccoli. Frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli florets can be used. If using fresh, remember to dice up into 1-inch florets, leaving the stems off. If using frozen, you can buy prepackaged florets already diced up.
• Extra virgin olive oil. This helps add flavor in with the vegetables.
• Shredded cheddar. This ingredient makes the soup so amazing. Shredding your own cheese is recommended because it will melt so much better. Prepackaged cheese has a harder time melting because of the anti-caking agent that is added. Sharp cheddar gives the best flavor.
• Aromatic vegetables. The onion and garlic add so much flavor to this soup.
• Celery. Adds a crisp and slightly bitter taste to soup.
• Italian seasoning. A wonderful blend that will help bring out the flavors along with enhancing them.
• Reduced sodium chicken broth. Commercial broths can have a lot of sodium, so I recommend for this soup a reduced sodium one. You can also use vegetable broth in place. The flavors will be slightly different but still taste great.
• Heavy cream. This guarantees the soup to be nice and creamy. If you want a thinner soup, you can use half and half or regular milk.
• Cornstarch. This combined with the liquid will make the slurry to help thicken the soup up.
• Salt and Pepper. To add to the soup to taste and bring out the flavors.

Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities used.

Instructions

After you prep all your ingredients, now it is time to place them in the slow cooker. Just follow these step-by-step instructions to make the slow cooker recipe.

Hint: Adding the cheese during the last 30 minutes of cooking helps to prevent the it from overcooking and becoming stringy, ensuring a smooth and creamy texture in your soup.

Variations

• Add carrots. Adding in matchstick carrots can give the soup an added crunch along with another vegetable.
• Add a meat protein. This recipe does not contain meat protein but that doesn't mean you can't add in your own if you choose. Diced or shredded chicken or turkey as well as seared steak bites would go well added into the soup.
• Switch up the broth. Instead of using chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth. The flavors will be slightly different, but it still should be a great soup. Using vegetable broth would make this recipe vegetarian friendly.
• Switch up the dairy. If you want a lighter and thinner soup, use half and half, evaporated milk, or regular milk to reduce the richness of heavy whipping cream. You can also use cream cheese for a thicker texture.
• Use a stovetop. Don't have a slow cooker or want to reduce the cook time? You can make it on the stovetop. Place broccoli, olive oil, celery, minced garlic, and seasonings into a stovetop pot. Pour in the broth and starch mixture. Cover with lid and boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in the heavy cream and cheese and let simmer for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Vegan. Is cheese vegetarian? Most are, including the kind used in this soup. However, it isn't vegan so you'll need to use a vegan cheese alternative if you want to make this a vegan-friendly soup.

Sometimes, I'll even add some leftover vegetables. Air fryer Brussels sprouts taste great in this broccoli cheddar soup recipe.

Tips

• Dice broccoli. For this recipe, the broccoli needs to be diced. To make things simpler, you can purchase it already diced or dice your own into 1-inch florets.
• Use an immersion blender for smoother consistency. If you want a smoother consistency soup without any thick chunks of broccoli, place an immersion blender into the slow cooker to blend after it has finished cooking.
• Use reduced-sodium chicken broth. Many chicken broths on the market have a lot of salt added, so if you are watching your salt intake, make sure to get the reduced-sodium brands. You can also use your favorite homemade broth if you prefer.
• Add extra seasonings to enhance the flavors. Be sure to do this to taste. You do not want the seasonings to be overpowering but enough to help bring out all the delicious flavors.

Serving suggestions

Crockpot broccoli cheese soup is perfect with a slice of no knead Italian artisan bread dipped into the soup or this air fryer garlic bread.

Soup and salads are a classic combination. Try this chopped Greek salad or this salmon salad.

This soup makes a wonderful side dish. It goes well with several meat entrees such as this baked panko chicken breast, pan fried pork chops or garlic butter steak bites.

FAQs

Related Recipes

Love soup but don't want to make a big batch? Here are more downscaled recipe for you to try:

• Slow cooker vegetable soup recipe is perfect for meatless meals.
• Chicken corn chowder can be enjoyed year-round.
• Shrimp and corn bisque is an excellent choice for seafood lovers.
• Greek lemon chicken soup with orzo has a refreshing tangy flavor.
• Minestrone soup with sausage is heartier than the all-veggie version.

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