This Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup is simple and so delicious! Made in the crock pot with fresh ingredients, make it once and it will become part of your dinner rotation!
I’m so excited to be partnering with Crystal Farms® Cheese to make this soup cheesy in the most delicious way possible!
Are you ready for the most mind-blowing Broccoli Cheddar Soup ever?
This recipe has:
- Comes together easily in your slow cooker.
- Has minimal ingredients.
- Even less hands on time.
- Has the best, most amazing flavor you could ask for.
Should we make it??
How to Make Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup is so easy to make.
Start by adding carrots, onions, broccoli, chicken stock (or vegetable stock), and a few spices to your slow cooker.
Cook on low for four hours.
NOTE! If you like your Broccoli Cheddar Soup to be completely smooth, now is the time to blend it. I choose not to blend mine.
At the end of the cook time, turn your slow cooker to HIGH FOR 30 MINUTES, and create a roux on the stovetop. This is going to add the thick creamy backbone to the soup. It is worth the five or so minutes it will take. (See the section below on tips and tricks for making a roux.)
Next add cheddar cheese to the roux. I love using Crystal Farms® Cheese. There really are differences in cheeses, and for this soup to be good, you want to make it with a high quality cheddar, like Crystal Farms. It’s at the heart of the flavor of your soup, so it’s the way to go.
Add the shredded cheese to the roux and then add the cheesy roux to the slow cooker.
And that’s it! So simple, right?
How to Make a Roux
As I mentioned above, the backbone of this soup is the roux. Without it, you don’t get the creaminess that you are likely expecting from this soup.
These tips will help:
- Let the butter melt completely over low heat and then whisk in the flour.
- Cooking the flour/butter mixture for 30 seconds before adding any liquid adds a nice flavor to it.
- Using the cooking liquid from the crock pot is a nice trick that makes for an incredibly flavorful soup.
- When you add the stock, add just a little at a time to start over medium heat. It helps it combine more evenly.
Shred Your Own Cheese
You have likely heard me say this so many times. It is worth the extra five minutes to shred your own cheese. It melts much much better than a bag of pre shredded cheese.
Leftovers
This soup is best served right away, but if you have left overs (you won’t), heat it over low heat on your stove top!
Other Great Soups
I have a great recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup on the stove top if you forgot to start your slow cooker!
My Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup is delicious comfort food.
I love how easy my Slow Cooker Vegetable Meatball Soup is!
If you make this soup or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know!
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into small bite sized pieces
- 1/2 yellow onion diced small
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note)
Instructions
- Combine the broccoli, onion, shredded carrots, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the slow cooker and cook on low for four hours.
- Turn the slow cooker to high.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter. Slowly whisk in the flour. Get a cup of liquid from the slow cooker. Very very slowly add it to the sauce pan whisking it in as you go. Then very slowly whisk in the half and half.
- Add the shredded cheese to the roux mixture a little at a time until it is fully melted and combined.
- Add the cheese sauce to the crock pot and stir it in to combine.
- After it is fully combined, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Audrey says
The onion flavor seemed to overpower everything. I used 1/2 of a yellow onion and somehow that’s all I could taste. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what I wanted. It was just bland onion soup with broccoli and carrots. Very bland and oniony….
Yikes! Did you find some sort of super onion at the store?? This has not been my experience with this soup at all. I’m sorry this one wasn’t a win for you.
Juls M. says
Can I use frozen broccoli florets? Do I need to steam them first?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tested this with frozen broccoli. I think it would add a bit of liquid to the recipe. That’s not a deal breaker, it just means a thinner soup.
Michelle says
Delicious. Made per recipe (with the addition of smoked paprika) and it was absolutely delicious. Didn’t blend because…why? Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Gerri Domicolo says
Dinner tonight. Delicious! Creamy, cheesy and very savory. Thank you. Definitely my new broccoli cheddar soup recipe. Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it!
Daryl says
Do not make this. For starts my arm is going to fall off from making the roux. Finally made the roux sweating my butt off and pour it into the crock pot only to realize that the broccoli cheddar is watery NOT creamy. Why work for a roux when it isn’t even going to be creamy. Google list this as one of the first recipes. DO NOT BE FULLED.
Hi Daryl! I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t work for you. I haven’t had any one struggle with the roux like you are talking about, so I’m not sure what happened there. It shouldn’t be hard to mix though. It sounds like something was quite off with the roux if it didn’t make the soup creamy for you. Such a bummer when this has been a hit with so many other people.
TEL says
What do I do if I accidentally added the half & half too soon?
It depends on when you added it. If it was added to the broth during the cooking of the vegetables, that’s fine. Just make the roux with more broth from the crockpot.
Trudy B Childers says
My broccoli cheese soup is bitter what can I do
Oh no! My best guess is that you started with some bitter broccoli. Your best bet is to balance the bitterness with sweetness. It won’t make the soup sweet, it will just balance the bitterness (think of a scale). Start with a teaspoon of honey or sugar, taste and then add a bit more if it is still bitter.
AMP says
I made this and actually used the frozen broccoli florets. I planned for the additional liquid my increasing the recipe for the roux. It was delicious. 😊
I’m so happy you liked it!
Claire says
This was delicious and so easy! The roux is very easy to make and only took a few minutes. I used an immersion blender to slightly blend the soup before adding the roux. It was perfect! This recipe is tasty and great for busy work days.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this so much! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Terry Laughlin says
This soup is awesome! I used regular bagged shredded cheddar and fresh from the farm broccoli and carrots. I didn’t shred the carrots, just sliced them very thinly. I also turned the crock pot to high at the 3 hour mark and I’m glad I did because the vegetables were still a little al dente after 4 hours. Great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!