Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
IS THE AMOUNT OF PEPPER 1/4 TSP OR 1 TO 4 TSP? I LOVE PEPPER BUT I’M NOT SURE I LOVE IT THAT MUCH!
Hi Joycekk – the recipe calls for 1 to 4 tsp of pepper, but you can definitely adjust that amount according to taste preference.
Wondering about the recipe; in the photo looks like 8 oz of Cream Cheese (a standard package), but the recipe says 2 oz. Is that correct?
Hi Karen – the recipe is for 2 oz of cream cheese – sorry that the picture looks deceiving. 🙂
Alright, this looked good but the comments drove me crazy. How can you have so much variation with most people cooking it “exactly as written.” 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.
I made this soup and it turned out perfectly as well. I thought it was delicious! I’m not sure what is happening for it to curdle and turn out so wrong. I can’t even imagine what is going wrong for so many people to have that happen. It is such a shame because it is a great recipe!
I don’t know what to think. Half say its the best soup ever, the other half say it was too watery and curdled. Then others say they had to make many adjustments. What the heck?
The first time I made this soup it came out a bit watery, but delicious. Yesterday I tried it again and wow was it yummy!! I used fat free half and half and a little bit of heavy cream, and let the roux get very thick before adding it to the slow cooker. I did make a couple of adjustments. I added a few handfuls of shredded carrots, mixed several times throughout cooking, and after several hours (before adding the cheddar) I blended about half of the soup in batches, leaving some larger chunks of broccoli. After blending I made another roux (about half as much) and added that because I felt it could be a bit thicker. It is a very easy and yummy recipe, and my favorite version of broccoli and cheddar soup that I’ve made yet 🙂
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!
What is “Italian seasoning?” I don’t think it’s something we have in New Zealand. What could I use as an alternative?
Hi! If you google “Italian seasoning substitute” you should be able to find some simple spice blends to make your own! 🙂
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 🙂
I’ve been searching for a broccoli cheese soup recipe that I made last year and received rave reviews when it was served at a luncheon. I think this may be the one. I wish I knew if I had made any changes, especially regarding what kind of cheese I might have used since I’m not a fan of sharp cheddar. I’ll be making it in a few days for this same annual event & this time I’ll take copious notes! Thank you for sharing. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
This is the BEST Broccoli Cheese soup I have ever had!! I sure got alot of comments of how good this soup was!! Will be making it again real soon!! 🙂