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Easy Crockpot Cheddar Broccoli Soup with Bacon

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This creamy, smoky crockpot cheddar broccoli soup with bacon is the ultimate hands-off comfort food. Perfect for hosting, it’s made with simple pantry ingredients and delivers rich flavor with minimal effort.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 2 large heads)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon
  • Optional garnishes: extra shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, fresh chives or green onions, sour cream

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon: Place bacon slices in a cold skillet over medium heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cool, crumble or chop into small pieces. Set aside.
  2. Sauté the aromatics: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet. Add diced onion and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Assemble in the crockpot: Transfer sautéed onions and garlic to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add broccoli florets, chicken broth, butter, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
  4. Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until broccoli is tender.
  5. Blend for creaminess: Using an immersion blender, blend about half the soup directly in the crockpot, leaving some broccoli chunks for texture. Alternatively, transfer 2-3 cups to a blender, blend until smooth, and stir back in.
  6. Add cream and cheese: Stir in heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is fully melted and soup is smooth. Keep heat on low or warm to prevent graininess.
  7. Finish with bacon: Stir in about half the crumbled bacon. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  8. Serve and garnish: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with reserved bacon, extra shredded cheddar, and fresh chives or green onions. Serve hot.

Notes

For best results, shred your own cheddar cheese from a block to avoid graininess. Sautéing aromatics in bacon fat adds depth of flavor. Blend only half the soup for a chunky-creamy texture. Add cheese when soup is on warm or low heat to prevent separation. Season at the end to account for saltiness from bacon and cheese. Soup can be made a day ahead; flavors meld and deepen overnight.

Nutrition

Keywords: crockpot cheddar broccoli soup, slow cooker broccoli cheese soup, bacon broccoli soup, easy broccoli soup, creamy broccoli soup

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