Tap here to get 5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

|
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy
|

updated: 04/21/22

4.85 from 206 votes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

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!

a small soup bowl filled with broccoli cheddar soup topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

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??

a crock pot filled with shredded carrots, diced onions, and broccoli florets with chicken stock being poured on them for slow cooker broccoli cheddar soup

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, 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.)

an overhead view of a brown soup bowl filled with crock pot broccoli cheddar soup with a block of cheddar cheese next to it

Next add cheddar cheese to the roux. There really are differences in cheeses, and for this soup to be good, you want to make it with a high quality cheddar. 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!

a close up of a brown bowl of broccoli cheddar soup topped with cheddar cheese

Recipe Video

4.85 from 206 votes

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Author: Lisa Longley
Serves: 4 servings
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours 30 minutes
Total: 4 hours 45 minutes
This Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup is beyond simple, but so delicious!  It definitely needs to be part of your dinner rotation!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups broccoli florets (227 grams)
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion diced small
  • 2 cups shredded carrots (200 grams)
  • 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (236.6 ml or 453.6 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42.4 grams)
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour (40 grams)
  • 1 cup half and half (236.6 ml or 227 grams)
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese see note (226 grams)

Instructions

  • Combine the broccoli, onion, shredded carrots, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours (or on high for 2 hours).
    4 cups broccoli florets, 1/2 medium yellow onion, 2 cups shredded carrots, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • At the end of the cook time, make the sauce on the stovetop. To do this, you will need to pull 1 cup of the broth from the slow cooker. See note about blending.
  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk the butter into the flour to make a roux. Let the roux cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Then slowly whisk in the broth you took from the slow cooker. While you want to add this slowly, it shouldn't take more than a minute. Then whisk in the half and half.
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup half and half
  • Add the shredded cheese to the roux mixture a little at a time until it is fully melted and combined. Then add the sauce to the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Serve and enjoy!
    2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Notes

Cheese: For best results, shred cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded cheese.
Blending: If you would like your broccoli cheddar soup to be smooth or partially smooth, blend the soup before you make the cheese sauce on the stovetop. To do this, use an immersion blender (the easiest method), or transfer the soup to a blender a little at a time. I don’t blend the soup, and that is what you see pictured here.
Serving: 1.75cup Calories: 573kcal (29%) Carbohydrates: 34g (11%) Protein: 26g (52%) Fat: 38g (58%) Saturated Fat: 21g (131%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 0.3g Cholesterol: 107mg (36%) Sodium: 1407mg (61%) Potassium: 905mg (26%) Fiber: 5g (21%) Sugar: 12g (13%) Vitamin A: 12310IU (246%) Vitamin C: 87mg (105%) Calcium: 544mg (54%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

did you make this

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

Reader Interactions

    4.85 from 206 votes (104 ratings without comment)

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you & seeing what you made!

    Rate This Recipe:




  1. Audrey says

    1 star
    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….

    • Lisa Longley says

      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.

  2. Juls M. says

    Can I use frozen broccoli florets? Do I need to steam them first?

    • Lisa Longley says

      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.

  3. 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.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  4. Gerri Domicolo says

    5 stars
    Dinner tonight. Delicious! Creamy, cheesy and very savory. Thank you. Definitely my new broccoli cheddar soup recipe. Thank you!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so happy you liked it!

  5. Daryl says

    1 star
    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.

    • Lisa Longley says

      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.

  6. TEL says

    What do I do if I accidentally added the half & half too soon?

    • Lisa Longley says

      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.

  7. Trudy B Childers says

    My broccoli cheese soup is bitter what can I do

    • Lisa Longley says

      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.

  8. AMP says

    5 stars
    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. 😊

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so happy you liked it!

  9. Claire says

    5 stars
    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.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so happy you enjoyed this so much! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!

  10. Terry Laughlin says

    5 stars
    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!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

SUPER-SIMPLEFAMILY FAVORITES
25 Minute Broccoli Pasta Recipe"Omg! I didn’t think anything so simple could be so good!"
overhead of skillet of Cajun Shrimp Pasta ingredients on a cooling rack with toasted bread sitting beside
Cajun Shrimp Pasta"My family absolutely loved this recipe. Even my finicky eaters."
Overhead view of a skillet of easy Beef and Broccoli with sesame seeds and chopped green onions
Easy Beef and Broccoli (25 Minutes)"I have made this a couple or more times. It’s easy & quick to prepare. I like this for a quick meal. It will be my go to recipe."

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!