Rich n’ creamy Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup! So tasty you’ll crave it all year round.
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!
I’m making this tonight! If I add two chicken breasts at the start time, do you think that work?
Hi Krys – sorry it’s a little bit late but I do think that adding chicken at the start would work fine – hope it came out well for you! 🙂
Hi, I made this today and it was tasty. The only issue I had was that the milk curdled about half way or so through cooking. I followed your recipe exactly as written. Is the curdling normal? If not, have any suggestions? Thanks 🙂
Hi Gena, that’s really strange, I haven’t had that issue at all – nor have my readers mentioned anything! What kind of milk did you use?
I had the same thing happen when I made it today. Going to try it again. It was still tasty though.
I also had curdling happen to me. Is there a way to stop this from happening?
I dont think it curdled. It was lrobably thw cream cheese as o found it didnt melt very well and there were just chubkc
I had this happen to me too! I was annoyed but then i just BLended it up with an immersion blender and it was perfect. I missed the whole peices of broccoli so i quickly roasted some up in the oven and garnished my soup with roasted broCcoli and shredded ChEddar. A crusty peice of bread and a Kale Salad made this the perfect supper! Love the flavors!
Happy to hear it turned out well for you! Crusty bread and kale salad sound AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS with this soup! Thanks for sharing.
Hi! Can’t wait to make this for Easter brunch! I need to double it though. Any other changes I should make? Thanks!
Hi Kristin! Nope, no big changes, just keep an eye on the cooking time, it might need a little bit longer in the slow cooker but not too much. Enjoy!
i just made this and it seems quite watery. There are also white chunks of something in it. I assume it’s the milk/butter/flour stove mixture, but maybe the cream cheese? (Though I would think that would have melted). I’m not sure what I did wrong, as I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe it was the stove mixture? Any ideas would be helpful! It still smells delicious!
Hi Hayley! Shoot, there definitely shouldn’t be watery or have anything chunky in it… Sounds like maybe you didn’t get the lumps quite worked out in the roux (stove mixture) – my best trick for that is to use a rubber spatula to kind of smoosh out any lumps while you’re making a roux. It can happen if you add the milk/liquid too quickly, it needs to be gradual.
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing! I am very limited on what I can eat as I have problems swallowing after being on a ventilator for 2 weeks and major medical issues for the last 6 months. I am always looking for variety and this was perfect for my whole family (husband and 3 kids ages 10-4). Everyone loved it! Thank you so much!
Yay!!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit for you and your family Julie! 🙂