Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick, creamy, and loaded with fresh broccoli, carrots, and freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. An easy, delicious comfort food soup with plenty of rich cheddar flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time4 20

Total Time4 35

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: broccoli cheese soup recipe, crock pot broccoli cheddar soup recipe, crock pot soup

Servings:

Author: Sandy Clifton

Equipment

Ingredients

Soup

1 pound Fresh Broccoli Florets (about 5 cups, chopped small)
1 cup Grated Carrot
1 small Yellow Onion finely diced
2 cloves Garlic minced
3 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
½ teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Dry Mustard
¼ teaspoon Paprika
⅛ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

To Thicken

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ cups Half-and-Half

Finish

14 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Cook Veggies

Add the broccoli, carrot, onion, garlic, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, dry mustard, paprika, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on Low for about 4 hours, or until the broccoli, carrots, and onion are very tender.
Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup with a few short pulses. Break down some of the broccoli to give the soup more body, but leave plenty of broccoli and carrot pieces for texture.

Thicken

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Gradually whisk in the half-and-half. Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.
Stir the cream mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 15 minutes, or until the soup has thickened.

Finish

Add the grated cheddar cheese a handful at a time, stirring after each addition until melted before adding more.
Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

Notes

Frozen broccoli can be substituted for fresh broccoli. Add it later in the cooking time since frozen broccoli softens more quickly.
The chicken broth does not need to completely cover the vegetables at the beginning of cooking.
For the smoothest soup, grate the cheddar cheese from a block rather than using packaged pre-shredded cheese. Add the cheese over low heat and avoid boiling the soup after the cheese has been added.
If the finished soup is thicker than you prefer, stir in a little additional chicken broth, milk, or half-and-half.

Nutrition