Slow Cooker Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This Slow Cooker Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a perfect copycat recipe for the popular restaurant chain. It’s warm, creamy, and full of delicious flavors that’ll make you feel like you’re dining in Panera.

bowl full of slow cooker panera broccoli cheddar soup.

There is nothing we love more on a cold winter day than a bowl of comforting and hearty soup. And, this broccoli cheddar soup is one of our all-time favorites. It’s creamy, cheesy, and filled with chunks of tender broccoli – making it the perfect meal to warm you up from the inside out.

ladle full of panera broccoli cheddar soup held in the air above a slow cooker.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s a great way to satisfy your soup craving without leaving the house on a cold snowy day.
  • You don’t have a spend a lot of money at a restaurant to enjoy a restaurant-quality soup at home with your family.
  • You only need simple ingredients so you don’t have to worry about spending a ton of money at the grocery store.

🛒Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to help you make this comfort food recipe. Pick up these basic ingredients on your next trip to the grocery store so that you can enjoy this hearty soup with your family this week.

  • small onion
  • fresh broccoli
  • matchstick carrots
  • celery
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • chicken stock
  • butter
  • flour
  • milk
  • sharp cheddar cheese
  • Scallions for garnish

See the recipe card below for quantities.

🔪 How to Make This Slow Cooker Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Making this creamy and comforting soup is so easy. Just follow these step-by-step instructions and you will have a delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy in no time at all.

raw broccoli, carrots, celery, and onions in a slow cooker.

Step 1: Add the ingredients to the slow cooker

To your slow cooker add the the onion, broccoli, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and chicken stock.

broccoli, carrots, onion and celery cooked in a slow cooker.

Step 2: Cook the soup

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.

cheese and roux added to a slow cooker full of broccoli soup.

Step 3: Make a roux, then add the roux and finish the soup

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. After that time is up to a small microwave-safe bowl melt the butter. Whisk the flour into the butter. Whisk the butter/flour mixture in the slow cooker. Stir in the milk and cheese. Let cook for another hour or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with scallions and serve!

📝Variations

Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!

  • Spicy – Add a touch of heat to your soup by adding in some crushed pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper.
  • Broth – Don’t have chicken stock? You can use chicken broth, vegetable broth or even chicken bouillon instead.
  • Cheese – Instead of using cheddar cheese use your favorite good melting cheese. Mexican blend, Monterey jack, or even Colby jack works great for this recipe.

If you love cheesy broccoli recipes like this one, then next time you may want to give this Cheesy Broccoli Casseorle a try.

bite of slow cooker panera broccoli cheddar soup held in the air on a spoon.

🥄 Equipment

This is a list of the equipment that you will need to make this delicious recipe:

  • slow cooker
  • small bowl

🥫 Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.

Serve With

We love to serve this creamy broccoli cheddar soup with a side of crunchy bread like this Dutch Oven No Knead Bread or garlic bread. You can also enjoy this hearty meal with a sweet treat like this Butterscotch Merignue Pie.

💭 Tips

Here are a few tips that you can use to ensure this recipe turns out perfectly for you when you make it.

  • Feel free to use a slow cooker liner for easy cleanup. If you don’t have a slow cooker liner spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray instead.
  • If you want the soup thicker you can mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water and stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup.
  • Instead of serving this soup in regular bowls try serving in bread bowls instead.
  • Feel free to get creative with your garnishes, bacon bits, shredded cheese, fresh parsley, fresh basil, or sliced green onions all work great on this slow cooker soup recipe.

⁉️ FAQ

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Can I freeze leftover broccoli cheddar soup?

Yes, this soup freezes well. Store it in a freezer safe container up for to three months.

What’s the best way to reheat this soup?

You can reheat this soup on the stove-top on medium heat until warm all the way through or reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

🍽 More Broccoli Recipes

Do you enjoy broccoli recipes? If so, give these recipes a try:

🧾Recipe Card

Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.

bowl full of slow cooker panera broccoli cheddar soup.

Slow Cooker Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This Slow Cooker Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is rich, creamy, and bursting with cheesy goodness. It's a great way to satisfy your comfort food craving without leaving the house.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 599kcal

Equipment

  • slow cooker
  • small bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 4 cups of fresh broccoli chopped
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 stalk of celery sliced thin
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
  • Scallions for garnish

Instructions

  • To your slow cooker add the the onion, broccoli, carrots, celery, salt, pepper and chicken stock.
  • Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.
  • After that time is up to a small microwave safe bowl melt the butter.
  • Whisk the flour into the butter.
  • Whisk the butter/flour mixture to the slow cooker.
  • Stir in the milk and cheese.
  • Let cook another hour or until the cheese is melted.
  • Garnish with scallions and serve!

Notes

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 2176mg | Potassium: 959mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 6981IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 836mg | Iron: 2mg
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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