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.
Martha G. says
Wonderful soup! I’ve been trying soup recipes in my Vitamix and this worked great. Used all the ingredients listed, but added them to the blender container in this order: broth, broccoli/spinach, cream cheese, then all the others. Blend on high for at least 5 minutes or until heavy steam is escaping from vented lid. Oh, and I first softened the broccoli in the microwave for a few minutes. Very flavorful! Will definitely make again.
Dawn says
This was literally the biggest recipe fail I’ve ever experienced. I followed the directions, (full fat cream cheese, shredded the block cheddar, etc), but this was a watery mess. I blended it too in hopes it would thicken but it didn’t, and then the texture was just entirely unappetizing…like that grainy texture when you use bagged shredded cheese and it doesn’t melt properly, only except it was granulated pieces of broccoli, onion & spinach. I truly don’t understand how it turned out so poorly for me, but I see that others have had success so I’m both confused and disappointed. I’m throwing it out.
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say why without knowing more. It should be a thick, creamy soup, as you can see from my photos. I have made this countless times and never had it be a watery mess. I can’t understand why you couldn’t get it to blend up properly. I can do it easily with both my hand blender and my big blender.
Liz Odle says
My hubby tends to lean to the carnivore side of keto. Could I add some rotisserie chicken to this? How much do you suggest?
Carolyn says
However much you like!
Mel Ramos says
Best broccoli cheddar soup ever! Have been fiddling with broccoli cheddar recipes a long time and this formula finally resolved all my issues. I used an instant pot so it was ready in half an hour! Also used fresh broccoli and spinach (seared) because what I had on hand. Really loved sneaking that spinach in at the end and the hot tip about grating your own cheese so it actually melts. Thank you Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Tammie says
My cheese didn’t melt well. I have little chunks laying on the bottom. I used a slow cooker. What could’ve gone wrong? It tastes ok though.
Carolyn says
Um… I think the cheese has to be at fault here. What brand did you use?
Lisa says
Delicious! I love broccoli cheddar soup but haven’t had it in a long time. And forget about Paneras broccoli cheddar soup – this is 1000 times better!!
Thank you sooooo much for creating this Carolyn!
Valeria Dombiak-Woelfel says
Can I please have the link to the older recipe with baking soda and no spinach? It was one of my favorite soups and it seems to have been replaced. thanks!
Liz H. says
The soup is very tasty, but the broccoli is a little overdone for me. Next time I make it, I will leave out the broccoli until it has cooked for 2 hours on low, then add the fresh broccoli. Also will add 1 tsp xanathan gum or similar thickener at the very end. Hubby prefers it a little chunkier, so will use a light hand with the immersion blender. I used 8 oz of a sharp cheddar. Great cheese flavor.
Gail says
Did you use fresh or frozen broccoli?
Rebecca says
How much does this make, please? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Please read the recipe. I state how many servings and how large each serving is.
Christina says
I started this and I’ve even made it before, but I forgot to look for broccoli before I got everything else ready. Could I use cauliflower instead and make it cauliflower soup?
Carolyn says
Try this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/instant-pot-loaded-cauliflower-soup/
teresa says
this was terrific! i had frozen broccoli stalks so i used a pound of those and then added 6 ounces of frozen florets …also used homemade chicken stock …..excellent and thanks !
Peg Wilkins says
Margaret L
Lisa Shelter says
I made this soup but wanting more color, I added a little carrot and red onion. Just as yummo and flavorful! Oh, and froze it in small portions, which were easier to heat up. A little separation but stirred is all up and didn’t notice it. Ate it with a Fathead dinner roll and PERFECT for a cold day. Thank you for sharing your recipes and passion for healthy eating!
Carolyn says
Sounds perfect!
Renee says
Hey Carolyn under the step by step instructions it also says to add butter.
Patti says
Hi,
We love cheddar broccoli soup!! Should the 1/2 cup frozen spinach packed or loose?
Thanks!!
k says
If one needs to add butter to the recipe, how much, ad at what point? I assume the point at which you might add butter might also change the directions for Instant Pot cooking.
Carolyn says
It’s not supposed to be there, I removed it from the recipe.
Mary O says
This recipe’s instructions call for butter to be added but the butter is not in the ingredient list and no where do the instructions stipulate how much butter to use. Could you advise please?
Carolyn says
Not supposed to be there, I have removed it.
Renee says
It says to add butter but I don’t see butter on the ingredient list. Thank you!!!