This keto broccoli cheese soup is velvety, smooth, and made in just 30 minutes! Better than Panera bread, this easy recipe is low in carbs but full of flavor! 2 grams net carbs per serving.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
When it comes to keto soup recipes, my favorites include chicken soup, taco soup, and this broccoli cheese soup.
During my college years, one of my favorite takeout foods was Panera bread. While their sandwiches and salads were never anything to brag about, their soups, especially their broccoli cheddar soup, were something else.
Their broccoli cheddar soup (in the bread bowl, obviously) was something I enjoyed on a regular basis, so much that my local Panera bread knew me on a first-name basis. Since starting a keto diet, I’ve tried making a homemade version and I must admit… it tastes even BETTER than the original!
This keto broccoli cheese soup recipe comes together in under 20 minutes and is all made on the stovetop. It’s made with just 5 main ingredients (spices don’t count!) and is perfectly thick and creamy. It’s full of tender broccoli pieces and full of cheesy flavor, and is the kind of soup that sticks to your ribs!
What I love about this delicious soup is that even those who don’t follow a low carb diet will fall in love with it- It’s just THAT good!
Ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe
- Butter– Unsalted butter to sautee the onions and garlic in.
- Onion and garlic– Both these vegetables add extra flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth– Also known as chicken stock. You can use a homemade chicken broth or store bought. I like using organic chicken stock as it has no additives or added sugar.
- Heavy cream– Gives the soup an extra rich and creamy texture, without affecting the flavor.
- Broccoli– Finely chopped broccoli. Avoid using frozen broccoli as it will yield a much more thinner soup.
- Smoked paprika– Adds some smokey flavor which works very well with the cheese.
- Salt and pepper– To taste.
- Cheddar cheese– A flavorful and easy melting cheese. You can swap out half of it with red Leicester or vintage cheddar if you’d like a more intense cheese flavor. Try to shred your own cheese, as it is cheaper to do and melts into the soup seamlessly.
How do you make keto broccoli and cheese soup?
Start by adding the butter into a deep saucepan and placing it over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, broccoli, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Now, once the soup starts boiling, reduce it to a low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After this time, add the cheese, half a cup at a time, until fully immersed in the soup. Remove it from the heat and serve immediately.
Pro tips to make the best broccoli cheddar soup
- Be sure to chop your broccoli into fine, bite-sized pieces. This will ensure they cook evenly and are that there are no large florets throughout.
- To prevent a grainy soup, be sure to slowly add the cheese into the saucepan, not all at the same time.
- For a creamier soup, shred your own cheese. It will mix into the soup so much easier and taste that much better!
How many carbs are in broccoli cheddar soup?
This low carb broccoli cheese soup has just 2 grams of net carbs per serving. Compare that to Panera bread’s version that has over 40 grams of carbs per serving!
Storing, freezing, and reheating tips
- To store: Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Be sure to give it a stir before reheating.g
- To freeze: Place batches of the soup in a sealable container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw the soup at room temperature before reheating.
- Reheating: Either microwave the soup in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over medium heat.
What to serve with low carb broccoli and cheese soup
While I am partial to enjoying soups with crackers, this particular one is PERFECT when paired with bread or buns, to dip! Here are some of my favorite keto bread options to try!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this soup in a slow cooker. Simply omit the butter and add all the ingredients, except for the cheese into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. After 6 hours, slowly add the cheese and cover the pot and cook for a further 30 minutes.
Cheddar cheese is preferred, but you can use any flavorful cheese, like Colby, Tillamook, and Gouda.
For a healthy broccoli cheddar soup, replace the heavy cream with light cooking cream and replace half the cheddar cheese with reduced-fat (25%) cheddar cheese. Do not use non-fat or low-fat cheese or else it will leave your soup grainy and clumpy.
This soup is designed to have chunks of broccoli throughout but if you prefer a silky smooth soup, you can either puree it (using a hand mixer) or in a blender.
Thicken the soup by adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum or 1-2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder. The arrowroot will add some extra carbs to the overall carb count.
This recipe yields six 1 1/2 cup servings. Each serving contains 2 grams net carbs.
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Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups broccoli finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a deep pot, add the butter and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and finely chopped broccoli, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
- Add the cheddar cheese in half a cup at a time until combined. Remove from the heat and serve with extra shredded cheese and chopped parsley on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I just made this for a group of 9 so I doubled the recipe and wow it was delicious! I’ve never received so many compliments
So great to hear that!
Love this soup. I add more stock a little better than bouillon (I’m low carb not Keto) and take chunks out, use Emerson blender then add back with a touch of xanthium gum to thicken
Hey Arman!
I need to tell you that I absolutely loved this recipe last week, I am making it again now. My 10 year old doesn’t ever want to eat his broccoli, and he crushed that soup! Thank you so much. So good!
Thank you so much, Katie!
Amazing soup! I added some chopped chicken & sprinkled bacon on top before serving. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe.
Just made this soup and it was delicious thank you
This was very easy to make and I found it super filling. I thickened by taking out some of the broccoli and set it aside. Then I used my emersion blender on the soup. Then put the broccoli back in. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Oh man this stuff is AMAZING and I have never had broccoli cheese soup but you can bet this is going to be a staple in my freezer!!
This was really good. A couple of edits….
I took out the garlic as I thought it would overpower. Added a large handful of matchstick carrots at the end of the onion step, then at the end added 3TB of cream cheese (not whipped) and about 1tsp of cumin. I was also pretty heavy in the black pepper seasoning throughout. Very satisfying – thanks for recipe!
I made this soup today. My husband is a big fan of cream soups.
The only change I made was to add xanthum gum to thicken the soup. I have an allergy to flour so I have found other ingredients to thicken recipes.
It turned out delicious!
This recipe is absolutely perfect!!! Better than any restaurant soup I’ve had!!! This will go straight into the family cookbook and passed along to the younger generations. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I never leave reviews, but I felt I had to on this one! This soup is sooo good and easy to make I just LOVED it! Five stars for sure!! I thickened it with xanthan gum and made keto biscuits for dipping, so yummy!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
This is the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had, period, forget the keto part. I followed the recipe exactly except I added a bit of crumbled bacon on top at the end with the extra shredded cheese, simply amazing.
This was so good, thank you x
I don’t know why it took me so long to look for a keto version of this!
Quick question, a lot of my cheese kind of sunk to the bottom and stuck to the broccoli and never really melted well, do you have any advice to get it to combine? (I added pretty small amounts at a time)
Did you use pre-shredded cheese? That often won’t melt the same as block cheese because of what they add to keep the pieces from sticking together. Also is shut off the heat before adding cheese. It will stay hot enough to melt, especially if you shredded it before you start cooking and leave it out to come to room temp. Hope that helps.
I did, I’ll try shredding it myself next time and lowering the heat, thanks!
This is delicious! We ended up doing some substitutions for things we didn’t have on hand; we substituted the broccoli for riced cauliflower and chopped white mushrooms. Also, we did cajun seasoning and celery salt instead of the paprika. The cheddar we added was freshly grated and the soup tasted amazing. Will try it with broccoli next time ^_^
It’s beautiful and easy to make.