Cheesy Broccoli Soup in the Crock-Pot
on Nov 28, 2012, Updated Aug 22, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This no-fuss Cheesy Broccoli Soup could not be easier to make! Simply through your ingredients in a crock-pot and come back to a delicious, hearty soup that the whole family will love.
With so many things going on during the week, I find myself using my slow cooker more and more. It is so nice to be able to throw some ingredients in the pot and come back to a delicious meal. This Cheesy Broccoli Soup in the Crock-Pot is perfect to throw in at lunchtime and just finish it up for dinner.
The cooking time isn’t very long, so it isn’t something you have to plan ahead for as much as other recipes. One of the best things about this cheesy broccoli soup is that you only need a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You only need a handful one ingredients to throw this meal together.
- Using your crock-pot makes cooking and cleaning up this meal a breeze.
- You can make broccoli cheddar soup in a slow cooker or make a variation in your instant pot if you have one.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter—To help cook your vegetables.
- Onion—You can use a white or yellow onion.
- Fresh Garlic—Minced.
- Broccoli—I like to use fresh broccoli, but you can use frozen broccoli in a pinch.
- Chicken Broth—Infuses the broccoli with flavor as it cooks.
- Salt and Pepper—To taste.
- Evaporated Milk—Helps give your soup a creamy texture.
- Cream Cheese—Adds a nice tang to balance the savory flavor of the cheddar and parmesan.
- Cheddar Cheese—Preferably medium or sharp cheddar.
- Parmesan Cheese—Grated.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Cheesy Broccoli Soup
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat before adding your diced onion. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- Finely chop your broccoli and add it to the slow cooker along with the onion and garlic mixture.
- Cover your ingredients with chicken broth and cook on low until the broccoli is soft and tender.
- Stir in the evaporated milk, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese until the cheeses are complete melted.
- Use a blender or food processor to blend the soup in batches until it is smooth and creamy.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is not a great candidate for the freezer. The cream and cream cheese don’t always come out well in the end and the texture will be off. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Whenever it is available, I recommend using fresh broccoli. It is the easiest to work with and has a more profound flavor than frozen broccoli florets. However, if you are in a pinch then you can use frozen broccoli. You will want about 3-4 cups of finely diced broccoli and will need to let the veggies thaw so that you can dice them.
This soup is so versatile, which is one of the reasons we love it so much! We love serving this soup with some fresh bread sticks or garlic knots. You can also serve it with a fresh garden salad or top it with croutons!
Expert Tips
- When I buy fresh broccoli it comes with 2 or 3 “stalks” rubber-banded together. Use about 5 of those stalks total and not 5 whole bunches.
- Be careful blending that hot soup. Blending in batches will help reduce the chance of it splattering and burning you.
- Using cream in place of the evaporated milk would be yummy, but don’t use milk (it might curdle).
- If you don’t have fresh broccoli available then you can use frozen broccoli, just let it thaw first so you can dice it.
- I’ve had this Hamilton Beach slow cooker for a couple of years and love it!
How to Store Your Leftover Broccoli Soup
If you have any leftover soup then you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure you keep the soup in an airtight container. Your soup will thicken a little once it gets cold, but will thin out again once you reheat it. Reheat a serving of soup in a microwave safe bowl covered with a paper towel on 30 second intervals until hot. Give your soup a quick stir after each interval to help it reheat evenly.
More Easy Soup Recipes to Consider
Soups, Stews & Chowders
White Chicken Chili
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup
15-Minute Recipes
Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner Idea
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Texas Chili Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Cheesy Broccoli Soup in the Crock-Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 stalks of broccoli
- 4-6 cups chicken broth, or water + buillion paste
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk, around 12 ounces
- 1 8- ounce package cream cheese, cubed
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, I like sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- While the onion is cooking, finely chop the broccoli and add it to the slow cooker. Once the garlic and onions are cooked, add them to the slow cooker. Add enough chicken broth to cover all of the vegetables, it should take 4 to 6 cups. The less liquid you add, the thicker your soup will be in the end, so take that into account, too.
- Add the salt and pepper to the Crock-Pot. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the broccoli is cooked through and very tender.
- 30 minutes before serving, add the evaporated milk, cream cheese, cheddar, and Parmesan to the hot broccoli mixture and stir until everything is melted.
- Working in batches, process the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth (if you have an emulsion blender that would work great, too). I blended half of the soup and left half of it chunky. Blend as much as you like to get the texture you prefer.
- Add all of the blended soup back to the Crock-Pot and let it reheat until you are ready to serve. Once the soup is hot, turn off the Crock-Pot and serve right away.
Notes
-
- When I buy fresh broccoli it comes with 2 or 3 “stalks” rubber-banded together. Use about 5 of those stalks total and not 5 whole bunches.
- Be careful blending that hot soup. Blending in batches will help reduce the chance of it splattering and burning you.
- Using cream in place of the evaporated milk would be yummy, but don’t use milk (it might curdle).
- If you don’t have fresh broccoli available then you can use frozen broccoli, just let it thaw first so you can dice it.
- I’ve had this Hamilton Beach slow cooker for a couple of years and love it!
My daughter loves the broccoli cheese soup at Panera so I bet she loves this too! thanks for the recipe!
Do you know the serving size and calorie counts by any chance?
Would love this information alas well
12 oz or 5oz of evaporated milk?
Thanks for asking! I used the 12 ounce can 🙂 Enjoy
Yum!
oooo I do not have a good recipe for this kind of soup! Excited to try yours!!
This looks delicious and I love ANYTHING I can make in the crockpot 🙂