This Loaded Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe will seriously knock your socks off! It’s filled to the brim with fresh broccoli, carrots, BACON, and cheese!
I love serving this delicious soup with some homemade bread or these 2 ingredient garlic dough breadsticks! Oh, and if you’re looking for more creamy soups, check out my Loaded Baked Potato Soup too.
I’ve always been a fan of Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but this homemade version is even better!
Loaded Broccoli Cheese Soup
I basically took my Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe and switched a few things around to make this Loaded Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe. And boy, let me tell you, it’s magnificent! This creamy soup consists of simple ingredients like bacon, butter, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and sour cream! It’s the best soup for a cold day or if you’re wanting to switch up your regular dinner rotation!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s a basic list of the ingredients you’ll need in order to make this Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Bacon
- Butter
- Onion
- Carrots – matchstick carrots work best
- Broccoli – fresh or frozen broccoli
- Celery
- Milk – 2% or whole milk works.
- All Purpose Flour
- Chicken Broth – low sodium
- Cheddar Cheese – mild cheddar. You can use pre-shredded cheese or shred it yourself.
- Sour Cream
How To Make Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
This Broccoli and Cheese Soup takes a total of 30 minutes to make, making it the perfect recipe for busy weeknights!
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS
Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven or large pot until crisp. Remove and chop after draining on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 tbsp of bacon drippings, discarding the rest.
MELT BUTTER AND SAUTE
Add butter to the pot and melt it over medium heat. Then, saute garlic, onion, carrots, and celery until tender (about 3 to 5 minutes).
CREATE THE SOUP BASE
Sprinkle flour and stir until the mixture clumps (about 1 to 2 minutes). Next, gradually whisk in milk, half and half, and chicken stock while stirring constantly.
COOK THE BROCCOLI
Add broccoli, salt, garlic salt, and black pepper to the mixture. Then, bring the mixture to a small boil, cover, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until broccoli is tender.
ADD THE FINAL TOUCHES
Stir in cheese and sour cream. Add the chopped bacon back to the pot. Serve the creamy and flavorful soup warm.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- If you like, swap out the sour cream for cream cheese or heavy cream for a super creamy texture.
- If you want to recreate the copycat Panera broccoli cheese soup we all know and love, serve the soup in a bread bowl!
- Purchase broccoli florets instead of a whole head of broccoli as this can save you time!
- For extra cheesy flavor, use sharp cheddar cheese!
- If you prefer a more blended soup, use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients together.
- Add extra broccoli if you like a lot in your soup.
Make Ahead and Storage
This recipe is best made the day of as the flavors are the freshest. However, if you want to save time, you can always brown the bacon ahead of time and make the soup later that day or the next day!
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the soup in individual portions for up to 2 months. I love to use these Souper Cubes to freeze any leftovers.
Common Questions
How to reheat this cheddar broccoli soup?
Grab a saucepan and heat up your soup on the stovetop until warm. Alternatively, you can heat it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until warm.
Can I make a double batch of this recipe?
Absolutely! Just double the ingredients and make sure your pot is large enough to accommodate the extra ingredients!
Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker or crock pot?
Yes! If you want to make the slow cooker broccoli cheese soup version, prepare the recipe as directed till step 2, then transfer to your crock pot and add the milk, half and half plus chicken stock. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. About 30 minutes prior to serving add in the broccoli and cook until tender. Just before serving stir in the sour cream and cheese.
More Classic Soup Recipes
Craving more great soup recipes? I’ve got you covered with these classic recipes.
Trust me when I say that you’re going to LOVE this recipe! This broccoli cheese soup is the ultimate comfort food for any occasion! If you tried this recipe, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment down below!
Loaded Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices thick cut bacon
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven or pot until crisp, remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain and then chop. Reserve 1 tbsp bacon drippings in the pan and discard the rest.
- To the pan add the butter and let it melt over medium heat. Toss in the garlic, onion, carrots and celery and saute until tender about 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, until the mixture is clumpy (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- Gradually whisk in the milk, half and half and chicken stock, stirring constantly. Add the broccoli, salt, garlic salt and black pepper, then bring mixture to a small boil. Cover and let cook for at least 7 to 8 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
- Stir in cheese and sour cream and add the chopped bacon back to the pot. Serve warm.
The recipe is outstanding for it’s end results: creamy, smooth, veggies just right, delicious flavor. My only problem is with your timing. 10 minutes prep time? Not if you are prepping everything by hand. More like 45 minutes. 1 hour cooking time was closer to the mark. I was fine with the longer time. I’m 72, live alone, and expected some differences. But, a young mother with hungry children and spouse would not feel so easy about it. Maybe use time ranges invested of fixed times? Say, 10-45 minutes prep time, depending on methods?
Meanwhile, I love your work and your recipes are terrific. Thank you so much!
The recipe is outstanding for it’s end results: creamy, smooth, veggies just right, delicious flavor. My only problem is with your timing. 10 minutes prep time? Not if you are prepping everything by hand. More like 45 minutes. 1 hour coming time was closer to the mark. I was fine with the longer time. I’m 72, live alone, and expected some differences. But, a young mother with hungry children and spouse would not feel so easy about it. Maybe use time ranges invested of fixed times? Say, 10-45 minutes prep time, depending on methods?
Meanwhile, I love your work and your recipes are terrific. Thank you so much!
This soup is amazing!! Seconds and thirds were asked for !! I used Colby jack cheese cause that’s what I had and instead of cream I used half milk half oatmilk!!! Even my dairy farmer husband had no idea!!
Nice! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I love all of you recipes. I do wish that you would include the nutrition information.
Do you feel this would work well in a crockpot?
I think what you could do is make it on the stove top through step two, then add the remainder of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Except I wouldn’t add the broccoli until about 10 to 20 minutes before you are going to eat. Hope that helps!