A super creamy and comforting Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup! This cheddar soup is full of flavor, and it's great way to use up leftover ham. Make a batch for an easy slow cooker dinner recipe, or stash it in the refrigerator for quick lunches.
For as long as I can remember, my Mom has served a ham on Christmas Day. Don't you just love holiday traditions? It's fun to anticipate certain treats that we might not otherwise enjoy throughout the year, and a ham (with Dad's homemade biscuits) is definitely one of those fond childhood memories that I have continued with my own family.
Even better, since Mom knows how much we enjoy the ham, we almost always come home with plenty of leftovers to stash in the freezer, to use on sandwiches, or to toss into a soup. Ham, cheese and broccoli are the perfect combination, so I combined them all in this simple and satisfying Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup!
How to make Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup:
This slow cooker soup only requires about 10 minutes of prep! Loaded with veggies, potatoes, ham, and cheese, it's a true one-pot meal that the entire family enjoys!
You'll need the following ingredients:
- Frozen broccoli florets (or about 3-4 cups fresh broccoli florets)
- Onion
- Potato
- Carrots
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Cream of celery soup
- Velveeta cheese and cheddar cheese
- Ham
- Salt and pepper
First, place frozen broccoli florets, onion, potato, carrots, chicken broth, water, cream of celery soup, salt and pepper in a Crock Pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for about 3 hours. When the vegetables are really tender, use a handheld stick immersion blender to puree some of the soup (leaving some of the chunky vegetables for texture). If you don't have a stick blender, you can transfer about 1-2 cups of the soup to a regular blender or food processor, puree until smooth, and then return to the slow cooker and combine with the rest of the soup.
Then stir in the cheeses and the ham, continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts. The end result is an easy, cheesy Velveeta Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
What goes well with Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
Just like at Panera, we enjoy this homemade soup with a side of crusty French baguette! Buttermilk biscuits or cornbread are also great options.
If you'd like to add more vegetables to the meal, try serving the soup with a simple green salad dressed in a homemade Buttermilk Dressing.
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Instead of the frozen broccoli florets, you can prepare fresh broccoli cheddar soup. Simply substitute with about 3-4 cups of fresh broccoli florets.
- If you don't have leftover ham, you can purchase smoked ham steaks at the grocery store. These are typically found in the same aisle as the lunch meat.
- You can omit the ham, if you prefer a vegetarian soup. You'll also want to make the broccoli cheddar soup without chicken broth -- substitute with vegetable broth instead.
- For another protein option, substitute with 1 lb. of ground beef (cooked and drained), 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken or 2 cups of cooked, chopped turkey.
- This soup is not low-carb or keto-friendly, as it contains 9 grams of carbohydrates per cup.
- To prevent your broccoli cheese soup from becoming grainy or curdled, you want to make sure that the soup doesn't get too hot (the LOW setting on the slow cooker is a great way to make sure that this doesn't happen). You don't want to boil the soup, or the proteins in the cheese tighten up, squeeze out the fat, and give you that unpleasant curdled texture.
- Can broccoli cheese soup be frozen? Yes! This is a great prep-ahead freezer meal. To freeze the soup, simply allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Package in airtight containers or in Ziploc freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup: Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the soup reaches desired temperature. Be careful not too boil the soup -- you don't want it to get too hot and curdle.
More easy Crock Pot soups that you might enjoy:
- Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Bean Soup {Slow Cooker, Instant Pot or Stovetop}
- Grandmother's Hamburger Soup {Slow Cooker or Stovetop}
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder with Chicken
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets
- 1 whole medium onion, diced
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 whole carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of celery soup, NOT diluted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
- 12 ounces about 2 cups diced cooked ham**
Instructions
- Place broccoli, onion, potato, carrots, chicken broth, water, cream of celery soup, salt, and pepper into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6-8 hours or on HIGH for about 3 hours.
- Use an immersion blender to puree a portion of the soup. You still want plenty of chunks of potatoes and veggies, so only puree some of it. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can put a cup or two of soup in a regular blender to puree (and then return back to the slow cooker when done).
- Add Velveeta, cheddar, and ham to the slow cooker. Stir, and then place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Stir it again to make sure that the cheese is completely melted and smooth.
- Give it taste, and season with additional salt and pepper, as necessary.
- Ladle into bowls and enjoy warm!
Notes
- Instead of the frozen broccoli florets, you can prepare fresh broccoli cheddar soup. Simply substitute with about 3-4 cups of fresh broccoli florets.
- If you don't have leftover ham, you can purchase smoked ham steaks at the grocery store. These are typically found in the same aisle as the lunch meat.
- You can omit the ham, if you prefer a vegetarian soup. You'll also want to make the broccoli cheddar soup without chicken broth -- substitute with vegetable broth instead.
- For another protein option, substitute with 1 lb. of ground beef (cooked and drained), 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken or 2 cups of cooked, chopped turkey.
- This soup is not low-carb or Keto-friendly, as it contains 9 grams of carbohydrates per cup.
- To prevent your broccoli cheese soup from becoming grainy or curdled, you want to make sure that the soup doesn't get too hot (the LOW setting on the slow cooker is a great way to make sure that this doesn't happen). You don't want to boil the soup, or the proteins in the cheese tighten up, squeeze out the fat, and give you that unpleasant curdled texture.
- Can broccoli cheese soup be frozen? Yes! This is a great prep-ahead freezer meal. To freeze the soup, simply allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Package in airtight containers or in Ziploc freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup: Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the soup reaches desired temperature. Be careful not too boil the soup -- you don't want it to get too hot and curdle.
- Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
My family usually has ham sliced for sandwiches on Christmas day, but I'm loving your ham and cheddar soup! I think this would be perfect, especially for this year, since we've already had negative temps. And I love that you made this in the slow cooker, too! Looks just perfect, Blair!
Thank you, Gayle! It's a great use for that leftover Christmas ham, and a good way to warm up at this time of year! 🙂
Hiya Blair,
I'm always so surprised by how many people in the US have ham and roast beef for Christmas. We're all about turkey in Canada but then again, we had our Thanksgiving turkey way back in October so we're ready for it again 🙂
This looks so fabulous and your photos are so beautiful! I'm imagining all those delicious flavours and I bet this doesn't last long in your house.
Happy Holidays, friend. I'm sure I've said that a few times now but I am sincere in wishing you the best of times! xo
Hi, Robyn! Thank you for your kind words and I hope that you have a wonderful holiday as well -- enjoy that turkey!!! 🙂
Hey Blair,
I’m astonished to see the soup recipe , and thinking that how time you give to prepare the tasty recipe. It’s not only the matter of time but also the thinking of ingredients are making me puzzled !
What a delicious recipe! This would be such a great way to use up leftover ham!
Exactly! Thanks, Kristy!
The soup sounds delicious. However I'm not a huge fan of Velveeta, with the exception of queso. Is there anything I can use as a substitute? Maybe a mixture of other cheeses?
Hey, Courtney! Kind of like when you make queso, the Velveeta just melts differently than a regular cheese. I don't care for Velveeta on its own, but I think it's kind of necessary in this particular soup. If you want to experiment with using other cheeses, I would go with a mild cheddar cheese. I have heard the tip of shaking the shredded cheddar in a bag with some flour to coat it a bit before adding it to the hot sauce or soup to help it melt smoother, but I've never tried that myself. You might also need to add some additional cream or butter to the soup if the texture doesn't seem right. Sorry that I can't be more helpful...I just stick with what I know works. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by, and let me know if you give it a try!
This looks amazing! I have it cooking now! One question, when does the water go into the crockpot? I see it listed in the recipe but not in the instructions.
Cant wait for the hours to pass so we can eat it!
Thanks
Hey Carol! Thanks for noticing that typo in the recipe! The water goes into the slow cooker at the same time as the broth. I will update the recipe to fix that as soon as I can get to my computer!?
Love that you have combined cheddar with the other ingredients, Blair. This must be very delicious!
Thanks, Agness! It's SO good! 🙂
This is one FANTASTIC recipe. I know the "velvetta" throws some people off, but PLEASE TRY THIS RECIPE. It is the BEST. I've lost track of how many times I've made this soup AND how many people have asked me for the recipe. And thank you Blair for creating AND sharing your delicious soup recipe. You have a wonderful and artistic site. ????
Thank you, Arleen! I appreciate the positive feedback and I'm SO glad that you and your friends have enjoyed the soup. The Velveeta is definitely key to getting that creamy texture!
Take care, and have a great weekend!
This soup was delicious! I was afraid it would be too heavy with all the cheese, but the balance was just right. Ham is not my favorite, so next Time I think I'll just omit the meat. I served this with some homemade beer bread and the combination was irresistible! Thanks Blair for another winning recipe!
Awesome, Lorraine! So glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Velveeta? Is not cheese.
I would love to try the ham and cheddar soup, but I need to know what kind of ham. Some recipes don't taste very good with smoked ham for example.
Hi, Linda! You can really use any ham that you prefer. I have made the soup with leftover Honey Baked Ham, as well as with ham steaks that I purchase from the grocery store. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Ten minutes? I assume that is for putting all the ingredients in the pot after someone has already prepped everything. This makes a soup that is a favorite with the whole family. I would even stand in line for it. For some reason the ratings stars won't work for me. I say a four because of the inaccurate prep time.
This sounds wonderful. I love soup no matter what time of year. I make things a little quicker by using frozen potatoes o'brien ( onion already in there and we like the peppers) and you can buy chopped ham in packages. (We use in omelettes) This goes together really well. Can't wait to try. Thanks for recipe.
Thanks, Linda! Your shortcuts are great! I hope you enjoy the soup. 🙂
What a wonderful way to use leftover holiday ham! I used fresh broccoli but also added butternut squash, chopped celery and thyme. Thank you for posting this awesome recipe.
Yay! Your version sounds delicious, Kim! Thanks for your note. 🙂