Soups are an obsession in our house! We make them so often you could practically call it a hobby. One we make A LOT is this creamy broccoli cheddar potato soup.
This hearty variation is similar to our classic Broccoli Cheese Soup but with the addition of bacon and potatoes making it even more amazing!
It’s so hearty (packed with veggies) and full of flavor. This soup ends up pretty thick making it almost a chowder. It can be made soupier by adding more broth or milk, which is how we prefer it. Either way, we know you’ll LOVE it!
Rolls or French Bread are perfect for enjoying with your hearty soup.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Packed with veggies. This easy soup is not only delicious and filling it is packed full of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and Iron.
- So creamy. Velvety and delicious, this soup is thick and creamy – a stick-to-your-bones kind of dish.
- Great for weeknights! From start to finish, this is on the table in under an hour, perfect for any night.
Broccoli Cheddar Potato Soup Ingredients
- Chicken broth, low sodium (2 cans, 14.5-ounce each) – Creates a flavorful base to simmer veggies and build savory depth. You can also use chicken stock or vegetable broth.
- Potatoes, peeled and cubed (4 medium) – These add body and creaminess, making the soup hearty. We used Russet potatoes, but Yukon Golds work as well. See Types of Potatoes and When to Use Them for more info.
- Carrots, diced (2 to 3 large) – Carrots bring sweetness and color to balance the richness. Peel and dice into coins.
- Onion powder (1 teaspoon) – This adds savory flavor without onion texture.
- Broccoli, diced small (2 small heads) – Gives the classic flavor and a fresh bite. Two small heads produce about 4-5 cups of florets. You can also use frozen broccoli florets.
- Unsalted butter (3 tablespoons) – The butter combines with flour for a silky roux, or use bacon grease
- All purpose flour (⅓ cup) – Acts to thicken the soup to a creamy consistency. See How to Make a Roux for tips.
- Milk (3½ cups, plus more as needed) – Milk creates the creamy base and loosens thickness if needed. We use whole milk or 2% milk. For a creamier soup, use heavy cream or half and half. For a thinner soup, lower-fat milk can be used.
- Cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups, plus more for topping) – The cheese melts in for bold cheesy flavor and richness. We use mild or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Salt (1 teaspoon) – This sharpens and balances all the flavors.
- Garlic pepper (½ teaspoon) – The garlic adds gentle heat and garlicky depth.
- Bacon, cooked and chopped (6 slices) – Provides a smoky, salty crunch for topping. We like to make Bacon in the Oven. You can also use turkey bacon or even omit the bacon.
How To Make Broccoli Potato Cheddar Soup
SIMMER. In a large pot, add chicken broth, cubed potatoes, diced carrots, and onion powder, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add broccoli florets, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. The vegetables should be fork-tender.
THICKEN. While that’s simmering, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for another minute, until golden brown. Whisk in milk, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Use a fork or immersion blender to mash up some of the potatoes, making the soup even creamier.
SEASON. Add shredded cheese and stir until it is all melted. Add salt and garlic pepper. Pour cheese sauce into the soup pot and stir until well combined.
SERVE. Add more milk for a thinner consistency, and add any additional salt and pepper needed. Top with cooked crumbed bacon and extra cheese (if desired), and you’ll be in heaven!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- We used Russet potatoes, but Yukon Golds work as well.
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into the same size so they cook evenly and stay tender without falling apart.
- Shred cheese from a block; pre-shredded can be grainy and may not melt as smoothly.
- Some helpful links when making this soup include: How to Thicken Soup, How to Make a Roux, and How to Make Bacon in the Oven.
Broccoli Cheddar Potato Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2-3 large carrots, diced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 small heads broccoli, diced small
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups milk, plus more as needed
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic pepper
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, add broth, potatoes, carrots, and onion powder and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add broccoli, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for another minute, until golden brown. Whisk in milk, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Add cheese and stir until it is all melted. Add salt and garlic pepper. Pour cheese sauce into the soup pot and stir until well combined.
- Add more milk if you like a thinner consistency, and season with additional salt and garlic pepper to taste.
- Top with bacon pieces and extra cheese, if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
- We used Russet potatoes, but Yukon Golds work as well.
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into the same size so they cook evenly and stay tender without falling apart.
- Shred cheese from a block; pre-shredded can be grainy and may not melt as smoothly.
- Some helpful links when making this soup include: How to Thicken Soup, How to Make a Roux, and How to Make Bacon in the Oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store leftover potato soup recipe in airtight containers for 3-4 days or heavy-duty freezer bags for up to 1 month. To cook, let the soup thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat the soup carefully over low to medium heat, whisking frequently and stirring well.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Bread Bowl Recipe
2 hrs 5 mins
Apple Salad
10 mins
Olive Garden Breadsticks
2 hrs 27 mins
French Bread Recipe
1 hr 15 mins
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Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
This recipe was originally published October 2015.
I made this soup tonight. It was delicious! Had great flavour! Next time however I will be careful about measuring my broth as my soup was not thick but my husband loved it. He had 2 helpings. I will follow the advice of adding soup to cheese sauce gradually as I found there was a little gritty taste. I think the cheese sauce may have curdled a bit. I will make it again though. I like hearty soups for the Fall.
Thanks for giving it a try and I’m glad your hubby liked it and you! More milk will make it thinner, it just depends on how you guys like it. This is a great, hearty soup for sure!
Can someone tell me if you drain the water out of the veggies or do u leave it in ??
You do not! You’ll need the the liquid to mix with the other ingredients. Glad you stopped by!
This soup is delicious! I used fresh onions (1/2 of a large) instead of onion powder, followed the rest of the recipe to a tee and it was great! Love that it is so easy to make also!
I use the onion powder, because I’m not a fan of onions. If you love onions, I’m sure they make it even better 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
I’d like to make this tonight, but only have frozen broccoli on hand. Would you recommend cooking the broccoli first and then adding it, or putting it in frozen and letting the soup cook a little longer? I’m so excited to try this, it looks amazing 🙂
The broccoli will be going in boiling water, so it’s ok if it’s frozen. We LOVE this soup..hopefully, you will too!
I finally got around to making this last weekend, and OH.MY.GOODNESS. It was one of the most delicious soups I’ve ever made!!! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
So glad to hear that!!! This is one of my favs 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!!
Is it just me that hasn’t heard of garlic pepper?
You’d find it with the spices. We use it a lot! Adds more flavor than just pepper.
So I’m at work, surfing through Pinterest when I came upon this. Stomach instantly starting growling! How yummy does this look!!! When the weather gets cooler here in a month or so, I will be making this. Thank you for this amazing recipe. 🙂
LOL!! This is one of our favs! I don’t usually wait until cooler weather!
I’m making this again tonight! My family of 5 just loves it! I really like that it makes two meals for us! For those that are complaining about making the roux, you can use cornstarch in it’s place. The first time I made it, I only had roughly 30 minutes to get it done, and my roux went all wrong. So I went to my pantry and followed the directions on my cornstarch and it turned out perfect. I also noticed a lot of people asking about serving size….. I have three young children, they all went back for seconds, and a husband who probably ate two serving sizes. I ate about 1 serving size, and we still had enough left over for both my husband and I for lunch the next day. This recipe is really great, and super simple. It really doesn’t take that long. If you’re short on time, buy pre-cut carrots, and make your bacon in the oven (it’s the only way I cook bacon now), while your soup is cooking. You could also cut your broccoli in advance, and you could pre peel and cut your potatoes in the morning, just be sure you submerge them in water and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook them (not recommended for more than 24 hours). This recipe is worth every minute, and every calorie, lol!
Thank you so much Jen for sharing all of that!! It really is an easy and delicious recipe! I hope that helps anyone needing it! Thanks again!
No problem! I would hate for others to miss out on such a great recipe because they think it will take them a long time to make. It turned out fabulous again tonight! I can’t thank you enough for this recipe, it is so wonderful! The fact that my kids will eat it and ask for more, means everything!!!!
I love my soups, Thank you for these lovely additions to my collection can’t wait to try them. Going to try the Potatoe,Bacon and Cheese today.
Thank you!! How’d it turn out? That’s one of my favs!!
Hello, I made this soup tonight and it’s delicious. The only thing I would change is to stir hot soup gradually into the cheese sauce stirring constantly because when I added the cheese sauce to the soup (as the directions indicated) the cheese sauce curdled a little. Thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks for sharing!! I’m so glad you liked it!!
I made this soup tonight for my husband and myself and it was delicious! It took a little bit of time between the prep, simmering, and roux making, but wasn’t complicated and it was so worth it! We both loved it and will be making it again 🙂
Thank you for giving it a try! I’m glad you both liked it!! Thank you for letting me know!