Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup is creamy, comforting and familiar. It’s a hugely popular soup made with broccoli, shredded carrots, cream, broth and sharp cheddar cheese.
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This is a copycat of Panera Bread’s hugely popular broccoli cheddar soup. My mom always made broccoli cheese soup growing up, so I’ve loved it forever, but the carrots are a new addition for me. I think it’s a great soup with or without the carrots.
There’s something so cozy about a cream soup. It makes me want to cuddle up with a blanket and a movie.
This freezes great, too! You could double the batch and freeze half up to 6 months.
Love soups? Try Crock Pot Minestrone Soup or hearty Kielbasa and Potato Soup.
What you’ll need
You can find the full, printable recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this post. Read on for more details and tips!
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- Slow Cooker– 6 quarts or larger. You could also halve this recipe for a smaller crock pot.
- Nonstick cooking spray or crock pot liners
- Broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)- I’m using frozen broccoli and the florets were HUGE. If that happens to you also, just cook them and chop them smaller afterwards. Kitchen shears make this easy, or blend it a little using an immersion blender.
- Shredded carrots– or you can dice whole carrots or slice into coins. Your call!
- Yellow or white onion, diced
- Seasonings– salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder 1 tsp salt
- Cornstarch– to thicken the soup
- Cheddar cheese, shredded- it’s really best to get a block of cheddar cheese and shred it yourself. The soup will taste better and the cheese will melt so much better without the addition of the anti-caking agents in pre-shredded cheese. Alternatively, you can use Velveeta. A cheese grater like this one make shredding cheese a breeze.
- Heavy cream – for extra creaminess.
How to make it
Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray or use a crockpot liner.
Add in the broccoli, carrots, onion, seasonings, and 3 cups of chicken broth.
Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and pour that in to the crock pot.
Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Tip: If your broccoli florets were large when frozen, chop them smaller, now that they are cooked and soft.
Add in the heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and cook another 30 minutes until the cheese is melted. Stir well until the cheese is fully incorporated into the soup.
Serve with sliced green onions, extra carrots or oyster crackers for crunch, extra shredded cheddar cheese, a crack of fresh black pepper and/or crusty bread.
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How to make it thicker
The addition of the cornstarch in the chicken broth should make the soup a nice thick consistency, but if you want the soup to be thicker add a cornstarch slurry at the end.
Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and add it to the soup. Stir well and the soup will thicken upon standing.
Can I freeze it?
Yes! This freezes great. Let the soup cool completely and spoon into freezer safe containers. I absolutely love the Souper Cubes Freezer Containers.
Freeze this soup up to 6 months.
Add the frozen soup to a pot on the stove over medium to medium-high heat and cook until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
More Tips
- Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
- Use Velveeta in place of the shredded cheddar cheese, if you prefer.
- Refrigerate up to 5 days. If the soup is too thick when reheating, add a splash of milk, cream or broth.
- Use plant based cream or evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream. You can use regular milk or leave it out completely, but the soup won’t be as creamy.
- If you like your soup extra smooth, use an immersion blender or carefully ladle into a blender and mix well to make it smooth.
Try these
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Beef and Noodles
- Chicken and Noodles
- Chicken Tot Pie Casserole
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Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets fresh or frozen
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray or use a crockpot liner.
- Add in the broccoli, carrots, onion, seasonings, and 3 cups of chicken broth.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and pour that in to the crock pot.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
- *If your broccoli florets were large when frozen, chop them smaller, now that they are cooked and soft.
- Add in the heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and cook another 30 minutes until the cheese is melted. Stir well until the cheese is fully incorporated into the soup.
Notes
- Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
- Use Velveeta in place of the shredded cheddar cheese, if you prefer.
- Refrigerate up to 5 days. If the soup is too thick when reheating, add a splash of milk, cream or broth.
- Use plant based cream or evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream. You can use regular milk or leave it out completely, but the soup won’t be as creamy.
- If you like your soup extra smooth, use an immersion blender or carefully ladle into a blender and mix well to make it smooth.
