Cozy up with a big bowl of this rich, hearty Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup. With only 6g net carbs per serving, it’s the ultimate low carb comfort food! Slow cooker, Instant Pot, and stovetop directions included.
I do declare that there is nothing in the world more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup. It is the very definition of comfort food. Seriously, go check your dictionary. I swear you will see a photo of this soup!
This recipe actually comes from my first cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. Readers love it and I decided it was time to share it with all of you.
👉 Love that broccoli and cheese combo? Be sure to try Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole or Keto Broccoli Cheddar Quiche next.
★★★★★
Diane K says: “I’ve made a few different broccoli cheese soup recipes, and by far this one is the best. It’s creamy and oh-so flavorful! I bought a bag of frozen broccoli pieces, chunks and florets because the stems are very flavorful and perfect for soup.“
Ingredients and substitutions
- Broccoli: You can use fresh or frozen broccoli for this soup, as they cook up the same way.
- Cream cheese: I always recommend full fat cream cheese to avoid the fillers and additives in reduced fat.
- Onion: A little chopped onion adds great flavor.
- Garlic: You can do as much or as little as you like. I opted for 3 cloves. Fresh garlic gives the soup the best flavor, but you could also do 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup.
- Cheddar: I like to use sharp white cheddar, but any cheese works well. You could do orange cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican cheese.
- Spinach: A little spinach makes the color of the soup more vibrant, but you don’t have to add it if you don’t want to.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.
How to Make Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
It’s so easy to make this Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup in a slow cooker. You only need about 10 minutes of prep time, and the crockpot does all the rest of the work for you!
- Place the broccoli, cream cheese, onions, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
- Add the cheese and spinach and stir until the cheese is melted.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or transfer the soup to a large blender. You can also leave it a little chunkier, if you prefer.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper before serving.
Expert Tips
You do not need any kind of thickener for this rich, creamy soup. The vegetables, cream cheese, and cheese provide a thick texture from the start. You may even find you want to thin it out a bit with more broth, for a lighter soup.
If you choose to use a large blender to puree the soup, make sure you blend the soup in two batches. Also be sure to cover the top of the blender with a tea towel so you don’t burn yourself if any hot soup splashes out.
Stovetop Directions
You can also make this Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup on the stovetop. I recommend sautéing the onions and garlic in a little oil first, then adding the broccoli and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the broccoli is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese, cheese, and spinach until the cheese is melted. Then blend and enjoy!
Instant Pot Directions
Reduce the chicken broth to 3 cups. Add the first 8 ingredients into your Instant Pot and set to Manual High for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and then add the shredded cheese and spinach. Blend and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Conventional broccoli cheese soup often contains flour or cornstarch as thickeners, so it’s not low carb. The popular soup from Panera has 25g of carbs per serving. However, this recipe for Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup has only 8.3g of carbs and 2.3g of fiber. That’s means it has 6g net carbs per serving.
Make sure you are using cheddar that you have grated yourself, rather than pre-shredded cheese. The packaged kind contains anti-caking agents such as cellulose that can keep the cheese from melting properly.
Dairy-based soups are tricky to store, as they can change consistency with freezing and thawing. If you choose to do so, make sure you let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezable container. Let it thaw in the refrigerator and re-heat it very gently. If you do find that it separates, transfer it to a blender to make it smooth again.
More Delicious Keto Soups to Try
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb (453.59 g) broccoli
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups (940 g) chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) pepper
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) shredded Cheddar chese
- 1/2 cup (78 g) frozen spinach
Instructions
- Place the broccoli, cream cheese, onions, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
- Add the cheese and spinach and stir until the cheese is melted. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You can also leave it a little chunkier, if you prefer.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Quick, easy and absolutely delicious!!
This broccoli soup was perfection! I like chunkier soup, so I chopped up the broccoli but didn’t use an immersion blender. So delicious and will be making again soon!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Easy delicious, I added a cup of mashed cooked turnip and doubled cream cheese for a thicker less brothy base, served with crumbled bacon topping. Will definitely make again.
Nice!
One of my favorites!
This turned out so delicious even though I made some changes out of necessity. I used a lot of frozen broccoli I had leftover and I’m pretty sure it was more than a pound and cooked on the stovetop instead of the slow cooker because I needed to eat asap. So I also increased the cream cheese to the full 8oz block, and added more onion and garlic as well as some additional water. I topped it with a dollop of sour cream. The only change I would make next time is to blend before I add the cheddar just to make cleanup a little easier. Thank you SO much for this, it really hit the spot!!!
Could thawed frozen broccoli be used? I have some on hand that I need to use but don’t waste to ruin a recipe lol
No need to thaw, it will do so while it cooks!
I love this recipe so comforting on a coldish day.
Just one little query, did I miss when to put the butter in not listed under ingredients?
Butter? I am not sure where you are getting that. This recipe doesn’t take any butter.
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, you do mention Butter in the first #1 description with adding the ingredients:
“Place the broccoli, cream cheese, onions, butter, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.”
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Sounds delicious.
Thanks, it’s fixed!
I’ve been craving this for months. I finally bit the bullet and made your recipe. It’s so good! Thank you!
Fabulous! This hit the spot on a cold day. I used the stove top method and it worked out just fine. Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting the broccoli measurement in ounces/pounds. I hate it when a recipe says cups of broccoli because measuring broccoli in cups gives inconsistent results IMHO.