Cozy up with a big bowl of this rich, hearty Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup. It’s the ultimate low carb comfort food, with only 6g net carbs per serving!
I do declare that there is nothing in the world more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of this Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup. It’s the definition of comfort food. Seriously, go check your dictionary. I swear you will see a photo of this soup!
I love rich, thick soups on a cold day, and we’ve had plenty of cold days lately. And more to come! So I fell back on an old family favorite to fill us up and warm us up.
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? Try my popular Chicken Broccoli Casserole! And Sheet Pan Frittata makes a great keto breakfast option too.
Why you will love this soup
This Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup is so easy to make. It has minimal prep time, and it practically cooks itself. I like to make it in my slow cooker, but I provide instructions for stovetop and Instant Pot as well.
If you purchase pre-cut broccoli, you really only need to chop a little onion and mince a little garlic. Then everything gets dumped in together. When it’s finished cooking, you blend it up and you’re ready to serve!
You can choose to blend it completely and make it super smooth and creamy. But it’s also fun to leave some of the broccoli bits unblended, so it’s a little on the chunkier side. Either way, it’s incredibly hearty and satisfying.
Ingredients you need
- 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 ¾ 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.
Step by Step Directions
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!
1. 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.
2. Add the cheese and spinach and stir until the cheese is melted.
3. 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.
4. 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
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 of my favorite keto soups
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb broccoli
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces shredded Cheddar chese
- ½ cup 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.
PATRICIA McDermed says
This is so good, it will be my first fall soup!
Mary Kate says
Delicious!
Samantha L says
Absolutely love this. Have made it twice now. Second time in the Instant Pot just on the soup setting. It was perfect.
Carolyn says
So glad you like it!
Kels says
What did I do wrong? It came out runny like broth, was not creamy and my broccoli disintegrated. I used the instant pot method you wrote out above. Also, the cream cheese was in globs when I took the lid off. I had to scoop that out and blend the globs with some of the broccoli broth. Hubby said it tasted okay but not what we were expecting. I’m sure it was my fault or something wasn’t made clear in the recipe to me because everyone loves it that commented.
Carolyn says
Okay, I am really confused by your review. The broccoli is supposed to be super soft so it blends up well. The cream cheese does often stay in blobs but if you just blend the whole mixture in the pot, as the recipe says to do, it blends up as well. You wouldn’t need to take it out to blend it. It sounds like you didn’t blend the whole soup at all and were expecting a different kind of soup…
Fatima says
I’ve made this delicious soup many times the last 6mos and I’m sure I left a comment but can’t find it..
Anyway.. it’s def my family’s favorite soup!! Thank you again, Carolyn!! 😍😋
Nancy smith says
Do you have trouble with the cheese seizing?
Carolyn says
Not at all. So… I wonder what cheese you are using? Is it pre-shredded? If so, it may have added starches…
Linda says
I love and make this soup ALL the time. My family has no idea this is from a Keto cookbook and dont care cause it is so delicious. Sometimes I dont have the spinach and just leave it out. How brilliant to use the cream cheese to thicken it.
rita landa says
hi can make this broc cheer soup on stove top don’t have slow cooker.
Carolyn says
Please read the blog post! 🙂