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 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.
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 (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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I love that this soup came together quickly and easily. At first, I wasn’t sure about the taste, but it really grew on me. Another recipe with enough for another meal, which is always welcome.
I’ve made this a few times, leaving the spinach out after the first time. I thought the soup was good, but not great. Yesterday, I realized I had Cabot cheese, which is what you used. Wow – what a difference. It was absolutely fantastic this time. Also, I decided to use the Instant Pot, since I haven’t used it for a while. It was so easy and a quick way to make a hot meal. I’m already looking forward to today’s lunch.
All time favourite soup! Great recipe! Have made it often.
Thank you.
So great to hear!
This soup was excellent Carole, thank you so much. For the person that her soup was thin add cauliflower rice to it.
is there a substitute for cream cheese
Try cottage cheese.
This recipe is delish!!! I used a combo of smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar and a dash of parm. YUM!
I wanted to love this simple recipe. I followed it exactly except for the spinach and it can out so thin. I can’t figure out what I did wrong.
I absolutely loved this soup, Carolyn! Thanks so much for your inspiration!
I added Herbamare instead of the salt and also added some cayenne to zip it up some more. I followed the recipe and then blended as recommended. I chopped fresh spinach, sautéed it with butter and garlic before stirring it into to the soup with the cheddar. It is New Years Eve so we celebrated by adding some BBQed filet slices to the top of each bowl. Decedent and delish! Thanks again and Happy New Year!!
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. It was a 24 oz bag, so I just increased the other ingredients by 50% and used the whole bag, making a recipe and a half. For the spinach I used one of the varieties that comes in a frozen brick; defrosted it and wrung out the excess moisture. In retrospect I probably should have left the moisture in because there was a good amount of green liquid (and probably flavor!) going down the drain. My husband loved it and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!
It’s not a carb heavy Panara BCCS but it is very good and satisfying. Very easy to make too. Heats up well in the microwave and doesn’t congeal in the fridge.
Tastes so good! I used the stovetop method.
if I use frozen broccoli, do I need to thaw or cook it first?
Frozen is fine, no need to cook it prior.
Can you use cauliflower instead of broccoli in this recipe?
Sure.
Carolyn, you knocked it out of the park with this one! I scaled it up some and tweaked it a bit but the essence was identical and it was the best broccoli cheese soup I’ve had. That’s saying a lot because broccoli cheese soup is one of my favorites. My husband loved it, too.
The biggest change I made was to add some xanthan gum to thicken it a bit and I pulled out much of the broccoli before blending it.
I love the addition of spinach, what a clever way to get in some more nutrients and give it a nice green color! The red pepper flakes think are what really set this apart from other recipes. My 2 year old ate 2 bowls and still wanted more. My 5 year old wouldn’t try it but he did pretend to feed it to a pretend skeleton. Our baby turns 6 months old tomorrow and our 5 year old wanted to feed it to him as his first food.
Oh, I served it with your keto cornbread- great pairing!
I have been making this for a while now but not with cream cheese, will add it next time. I also add a box of sliced mushrooms. Love this soup!
I’ve got Covid and haven’t eaten anything in a day and a half due to the brutal sore throat. I made this stove-top, it only took 15 minutes and it was delicious, soothing on my throat, and I kept Keto even though I’m sick. Thanks for a great and easy recipe.
Heal well!