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.
Cold and rainy-I had all the ingredients so I made it and it tastes so good. Will definitely make this again
Delicious!
I made this in the instant pot. For the first step, I doubled the liquid and, instead of the crockpot, I cooked it at high pressure for 6 minutes then proceeded as written.
Soup was good but was disappointed at the thin consistency of this soup. I prefer Broccoli Cheddar soup to be a thicker soup, as your notes mention. The only two changes I made were: 1. we could not find Arla’s Herbs & Spices cream cheese at our stores and followed your suggestion and added a small palmful of dried minced onion, dash of paprika, and pinch of dried dill to the soup along with 4 oz. of regular Philadelphia cream cheese. 2. Used 3 cups of gluten free vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. The soup was good but disappointed it was not a thicker consistency.
Made this and it’s fantastic. Whole family loved it
So happy to hear that, Sarah! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Are there any soups like this that can be made dairy free? I have a child that is on a very restrictive diet. Gluten free, dairy free, zero garlic, zero onion, low sodium? It is a modified FODMP diet for children, as well as the other things mentioned due to medical conditions.
My wife and I discovered this and are going to make it this afternoon. My question is this, when do you HAVE to do the second step?… I mean does it have to cook the 4-5 hours as well or a less time??
Hi James! The vegetables should be fully cooked before blending and stirring the shredded cheese into the soup.
What is a similar substitute for the cream cheese? I haven’t found it at any of the stores around me.
You could use plain cream cheese then add a small palmful of dried minced onion and dried minced garlic, a dash of paprika, and pinch of dried dill.
I’m making your crockpot broccoli cheddar soup today. I do not have Arla cream cheese spread but I have Philadelphia Cream Cheese garden vegie. Should I try that…it has green red peppers and spices or should I just add plain cream cheese with garlic and minced onion? I do not have dill. Thanks, Kathy
I think that’s just fine, Kathy!
I also live in the UK, but I had no idea frozen hash browns were different to frozen hash brown potatoes! Lol! To boot, I couldn’t find hash browns, so I bought frozen potato waffles!! Do you think they’ll work??
My local grocery stores do not carry the Arla cream cheese. That’s the only ingredient I’m missing! Any suggestions for substitutes? Thanks!
Sorry, I found the substitute in the blog! Thanks for all the great recipes
Made this yesterday – yum!! I was so excited to find the Arla cream cheese – loved the subtle dill flavor in the soup. I made it for lunches this week and had it cooling in the crock pot – left it unattended for five minutes and returned to find the hubby shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth directly from the pot. I guess he liked it?!
HAHA – that was me. ? So glad you were able to find the cream cheese and loved it, too!
Thank you for this recipe! We made this soup tonight and everyone enjoyed it, including the picky one that doesn’t like soup at all! I wasn’t sure about the potatoes, but it really added something to this soup! I’ll definitely make this one again.
That is awesome!! Always a good feeling when the kids will eat it too. :) Thanks for your feedback, Abby!
This was super easy to make and tasted great although my family ended up adding sriracha to spice it up. Even the 2 year old liked it! I always enjoy your newsletters and recipes. I just wish I had the time to try them all!!
I’m so glad to hear it!! Thanks for the feedback, Cindi!