Rich n’ creamy Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup! So tasty you’ll crave it all year round.
Want more tasty recipes? Look no further! Try my Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef, Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup, and Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli.
Normally four days into December we have a boat-load of snow outside but this year Winter is being weird. Weird in a really good way though. I always say that I love snow – for one week of the year. Christmas week. After that I’m done with it and I want to pack it up in a box and put it away until next year. I don’t do cold. I mean, I do cold because I have to and I have no choice when living along the rocky mountains here in Utah, it’s sort of a package deal. But I don’t do cold in the sense that I dread it for months before it even gets here. Come August I’m silently dying a little inside just thinking about the cold weather that I know is on its way.
Even though we don’t have snow on the ground, we are definitely getting some chilly weather coming through which is okay by me because even though I don’t love the cold weather (as previously discussed in detail), I do love a cozy over-sized sweater and thick cable knit socks. We get the full four seasons here and I’m a fan of the variety it allows my wardrobe.
If you live somewhere that really gets all four seasons you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you’re anything like me, you have boxes out in the garage or in the basement labeled “SUMMER” and “WINTER”. When the snow melts and things are warming up, I pack up the scarves and sweaters and swap them out for the flip flops and demin cut-offs.
Right now it’s sweater-not-parka-weather. Pretty cold but not blizzardy if you know what I mean. So it’s cozy comfort food for dinner every single night. Pastas, casseroles, and buckets upon buckets of soup.
I LOVE SOUP.
So. much.
Broccoli cheese soup is at the top of my favorite soups list. This version is rich and creamy – just how I like it!!- with lots of broccoli and my secret ingredient for flavor and creaminess – cream cheese. A bit of cream cheese takes this soup from good to ohmygoshsoyummy. Yep, one word. And it’s easy, you just throw it all in your crock pot and come back a few hours to later to give it a stir and add all of that sharp cheddar cheese that gives the soup that signature richness.
Hello cheeeesy broccoli soup, please get in my belly!
What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
“Uncover soup and add the sharp cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts into the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm and top with additional shredded cheese if desired. Enjoy!” – Katie
“GREAT RECIPE!! This was my first time making broccoli cheese soup and it was delicious!! I had the same “curdling” problem (which I don’t really think is curdling). I just used a hand held mixer which I planned on doing anyway because I didn’t chop the broccoli into fine pieces. It solved the problem and made a wonderful soup!! Thanks for the recipe 
” – Amy
“This soup turned out really delicious! I had no curdling when I used Lorena’s advice of stirring the cream cheese into the roux/milk mixture after removing from the heat. Followed the directions other than that except for giving it a few pulses with an immersion blender before adding the cheese. I Think I’ll add some carrots next time – THANK YOU for a great recipe!” – Dana
“I tried this today and it turned out perfectly. I cooked it on low for 4 hours. There was zero curdling. I made sure to add the half and half slowly, and worked out all or any lumps. It was perfect. Thats all I can say. I don’t know what others are doing to make it not work, but they must have done something wrong. It was really excellent.” – Snibb
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk - see note
- 3 cups chicken broth - (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
- ½ onion - diced
- 3-4 cups chopped broccoli florets - (just the bushy tops – discard the stems or use them for another recipe)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese - (yellow)
- 2 teaspoons salt - (or to taste)
- 1-4 teaspoons black pepper - (or to taste)
- optional: extra cheese for topping
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. When melted, stir in the flour until mixture clumps up. Very gradually whisk in the milk until all milk has been added and a thick white sauce forms.
- Add chopped onions, broccoli, garlic, Italian seasoning, and cream cheese to your slow cooker. Add the sauce from the pan, and the chicken broth. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.
- Uncover soup and add the sharp cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts into the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm and top with additional shredded cheese if desired. Enjoy!
this looks great but why do you cut the steams off the broccoli? Also can you freeze leftovers?
They tend to be a bit hard to chew so it’s personal preference but you can keep them if you prefer! 🙂 As for potentially freezing it, this recipe hasn’t been tested in the freezer, but I’m sure you can freeze it, however, it may change the texture a bit.
The white “chunks” that some have mentioned is the cream cheese. Had that problem first time I made it, after that I melted cr.ch. In microwave and stirred til creamy, added a little of the liquid then added it to rest of soup.
I don’t think this recipe calls for ENOUGH cheese. I put in 4 cups and still could not taste it.
I was not a fan UnfortunatelY.
All i have Is the instant pot, can you help me convert this to bw able to make it in it please. Thanks
Looks great
Is there anyway to fix putting in to much half-half?
I hope i made this right. i have not added the cheese yet, but it’s sure. Watery. Hope I didnt screw it up
Made this tonight for dinner and it was fantastic! I read many reviews and made a plan to combat chunks. I made sure to mix the roux well, and I also stirred the cream cheese into the roux before adding the milk. I added some parmesan cheese at the end in lieu of some of the salt. (Probably about 1/4 cup.) It was great!
Way to do your homework prior to trying something new! I am happy to hear that you had such great success with this recipe, Kaitlyn! Thank you for sharing. I bet the addition of parmesan cheese was fantastic- nice idea!
Can I use evaporated milk and how many cans? And also can I use a can of cheddar cheese soup?
Can you use evaporated milk and how much 2 cans?? And also can you use a can of cheddar cheese soup??
Can I use cans of evaporated milk and also can I put cheddar cheese soup in it?
Hi Lori- I don’t suggest using evaporated milk for this recipe. For this recipe you will want to use something that will make it much more creamy than that, such as half and half or heavy cream. I haven’t tried substituting cheese soup for the regular cheese in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure on that one but I don’t think I’d suggest doing that either.
Can this be frozen?
I definitely think so!
My daughter made this last week for her work team. she said it was gone in an hour because it was so good. I am making today for our family.
I hope that you have just as great success with yours! 😉 Thanks, Carrie!
I made this yesterday evening and, after having tried *many* broccoli cheese slow-cooker recipes, I’m happy to say I’ve got a winner! i gotta admit – up until adding the cheese at the end the soup was very watery. but, yum, after the addition of the cheddar it turned out rich and creamy and delicious. excellent!
Best compliment, ever! Super excited to hear that you’ve found the winner here! Thanks for your feedback, Tricia! Super excited that you love this soup!
i want to make this for a pot luck at work. Can i make it the night before and just warm up for the party? will it hold good?
I wonder if you could prepare it the night before to cook then start cooking it that morning so its fresh for the potluck? I think that would give you the best results!