Crock Pot Broccoli-Cheddar Potato Soup is thick, creamy, and oh-so cheesy. This simple slow cooker soup recipe is easy, too!
Got a new Netflix series for you to check out! Ozark – not for the faint of heart.
Jason Bateman (obsessed, obsessed, obsessed) plays Marty Byrde, a financial planner/family man who’s furiously laundering money for the cartel in Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. You can imagine how well that’s going for him. If you liked Breaking Bad, you’ll love this series that’s equal parts binge-watch-worthy as it is anxiety-inducing. I don’t know if I’m furious or thankful there’s only one season so far – my stress levels are at an all time high watching each episode!
If you’ve ever made a crock pot recipe (oh yes, this segue is happening,) you know the feeling. Throw some ingredients into a crock pot, say a little prayer, then 2-12 hours later, depending on the recipe of course, you’re either handsomely rewarded or sorely disappointed? Such a long time to sweat, right?
Luckily, Crock Pot Broccoli-Cheddar Potato Soup is not only worth the wait, but a guaranteed winner (unlike poor Marty – eesh.)
Crock Pot Broccoli-Cheddar Potato Soup is my second recipe in partnership with Arla, who is sponsoring this post, utilizing their phenomenal cream cheese (be sure to check out the Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich I shared a few months ago.) It’s a must-try if you love cheesy, chowdery soups. My people!
Now, I never had an opinion about cream cheese prior to trying Arla’s products, but that quickly changed after I opened a container. Arla’s cream cheeses are smooth and spreadable out of the package and have zero preservatives or stabilizers. Just cream, skim milk, salt, cheese culture and, in the case of my favorite Arla cream cheese, Herbs & Spices, craveable seasonings including onion, garlic, dill, and paprika.
When I tell people how much I love this cream cheese, they give me a “is she really…??” kind of look, to which I nonverbally confirm YES, YES I AM. That is to say, it’s so darn good and my favorite ways to enjoy include spreading onto a hot bagel, dipping into with crudité (or, cough, potato chips) and in the case of my crock pot soup, thickening and flavoring each delicious bite.
The cream cheese joins broccoli florets, shredded hash browns and carrots, chicken broth, milk, and cheddar cheese, of course, to create a thick and luxurious soup that’s satisfying to the core. Classic Broccoli Cheddar Soup is one of my all time favorites, but I love the heartiness shredded hash brown potatoes add to this recipe, which thicken the soup without having to add flour or heavy cream. Speaking of, I used 2% milk in here but you could even go with skim.
Now, if you can’t find Arla’s Herbs & Spices cream cheese at your grocery store, add a small palmful of dried minced onion and garlic, dash of paprika, and pinch of dried dill to the soup along with their regular cream cheese, and you’ll be set.
Ready to eat?
Alrighty! First cook the vegetables. To a 6-quart crock pot add 3 cups small-chopped broccoli florets, 4 cups thawed frozen shredded hash browns, 1 cup shredded carrot (I used store-bought,) and 1 minced shallot or 1 small onion.
Next add 3 cups gluten-free chicken broth, stir to mix well, then cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or until the broccoli is very tender. The final time will depend on how big the broccoli was cut.
Once the vegetables are tender, scoop roughly 1/3 of them into a blender (love my Blendtec) with 1 cup milk and 4oz Arla Herbs & Spices cream cheese. Blend until very smooth then stir back into the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 10 minutes.
NOTE: You may need to blend in two batches if you have a small blender. Never overfill your blender with hot liquid!
The final step is to gradually stir in 8oz shredded cheddar cheese until smooth and creamy, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls then top with more shredded cheese, if you please. (I generally do.) I hope you adore each bite of this thick and cheesy soup – enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 3 cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 3 cups gluten free chicken broth
- 4 oz Arla Herbs & Spices cream cheese
- 1 cup milk, 2% milk fat or higher
- 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
- salt and pepper
Directions
- To a 6-quart crock pot add hash browns, broccoli, carrots, shallot and chicken broth then stir to combine, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until broccoli is very tender.
- To a blender add Arla Herbs & Spices cream cheese, milk, and roughly 1/3 of the slow cooked vegetables. Blend until very creamy then stir back into the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 10 minutes. NOTE: you may need to blend in batches if your blender is small.
- Sprinkle cheddar cheese into soup about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until cheese is completely melted before adding another batch. Add salt and pepper to taste then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This is a great recipe, but be sure to pick up TWO containers of the Arla because you will want to eat one all by itself ………yes, it’s that good! ?
Yes, I agree!! :)
One of my boys is on a self-imposed, soup-only diet, which is a great improvement from last month’s self-imposed, salty snacks only diet, because I can basically puree anything, put it in a bowl, hand him a spoon, and watch him clumsily spill 75% of it down the front of his shirt. But that 25% means something!!
And since I’m obsessed with this Arla cream cheese, this is most definitely next on my soup list. That is, if I don’t use the entire container of Arla as veggie dip, like the last one I bought.
Same girl, same. Well actually, I used it for potato chip dip, which I highly recommend you try also. ?
LOVED this recipe! Made it last night and it turned out perfect. Love all of your ideas and recipes.
Yah!! So glad you loved it, Elizabeth!
My mouth is watering now! Can’t wait to try this once it gets a little cooler around here.
Yeah girl! Hope you love it!
This looks delicious! Unfortunately, here in the U.K., we can’t buy frozen hash brown potatoes (we can buy pre-formed hash browns, but I don’t think that is the same thing). I’m not 100% sure what the product is – would shredded fresh potatoes work instead? Thank you!
Yep, that should be fine! :)
This sounds amazing! Where do you find the Arla cream cheese?
Hi Megan! I received the product to write this sponsored post but they are rolling the cream cheeses out nationwide as we speak. Arla said if your grocery store doesn’t carry the cream cheese, your best bet is to ask the store manager to place an order. ??
Do you think it would work to add the second batch of ingredients directly to the crockpot and use an immersion blender to blend?
Absolutely!
This looks really good! And I love that it’s made in the slow cooker.
You got it – super easy!
Hi Kristin! Love your recipes but have a dairy allergy…what do your serve Lincoln when you are making your recipes with dairy in it? Can you amend any…(I laugh since this is a cheese recipe!)
I usually include modifications to make dairy-full dish dairy-free if possible, but unfortunately this one probably wouldn’t be easy to do! I think you could probably get away with vegan cream cheese, but we haven’t found a great DF cheddar replacement unfortunately!
Yum! I love the idea of including the cream cheese it the soup! I’ll be pinning this for later :)
Hope you love it, Val!
Love Ozark, can’t wait for season 2! If you haven’t watched Bloodlines yet, check that out. Great Netflix series.
We’ve tried to get into Bloodlines twice and just can’t get past the first couple of episodes – it’s definitely got that same creepy vibe as Ozark though, doesn’t it?
On the try soon list. I hope it freezes well. Don’t seen why it wouldn’t
It certainly reheats well from the fridge – I’ve been having a bowl for lunch everyday since I made the last batch!
Yum, this looks absolutely incredible and I love the addition to Arla Cream Cheese! I’m a big fan of theirs and think their cream cheese tastes great and so fresh!
So glad to hear you are a fan too! You’ll love their cream cheese in here…