Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup

Name: Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 12-14 oz uncooked bacon; 1 small yellow onion; 2 medium carrot; 1/2 cup chopped broccoli stems; 1 garlic cloves (pressed); 3 tbsp all purpose flour*; 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock; 2 cups half and half; 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (block not shredded); 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese (block not shredded); 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste); 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste); 14-16 oz broccoli florets; 3 tbsp diced chives

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup is the most comforting soup. It’s rich, creamy, cheesy and loaded with vegetables and bacon. Flavor of bacon is present in every bites and crispy bacon pieces make the perfect texture addition as well. It’s incredibly easy to make at home and can be done in 30-40 minutes.

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup in a bowl with a spoon to the right.

Table of Contents

I haven’t met a single person yet who didn’t love a comforting broccoli cheese soup. Even people who aren’t “into vegetables much” and many kids love this creamy, cheesy soup.

And how to you not love this, it’s basically a delicious cheese dip but in a soup form! It may be secretly (or not so secretly) loaded with vegetables, the rich and creamy soup base loaded with flavorful cheese is hard to pass on. It’s also incredibly easy to make at home and it can be done in 30-40 minutes.

I love that you can adjust several ingredients in the recipe to make it taste just how you love it. You don’t get that freedom from the store or a restaurant!

Some adjustments you can make are in cheeses, where you can choose sharper or milder ones. You can also adjust the spice level by adding different amount of red pepper flakes. And probably the most common adjustment is the size of the broccoli. Some people like the soup a little more chunky, while other prefer to mince the veggies and broccoli as small as possible.

Ingredient Notes and Tips

Labeled ingredients for Bacon Broccoli Cheese soup on a wood surface.

Bacon – try to use original pork bacon with no other flavors added. Remember, it’s easiest to cut the bacon cold, so don’t take it out of the refrigerator until you are ready.

Vegetables – you will need yellow onion, carrots, and diced broccoli stems.

Garlic -you always want to use fresh garlic for the best flavor.

Flour – use all purpose flour and it you need to, use gluten free all purpose flour.

Stock – use chicken or vegetables stocks as you wish and when possible, use homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock. When using store-bought broths and stock, try to get “low sodium” or “no salt added” kind. Try to also get bone broth if available, it will have a richer flavor.

Cream – use half and half to create a nice and creamy texture that is not too thick or heavy.

Cheeses – Sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated off the block always provides the best flavor and texture for this soup. Make sure to get block of cheese and grate it yourself! This will ensure the best melted texture since pre-shredded cheeses always contain powdered separators. You can use white cheddar or yellow and as sharp as you prefer and I like to add a block of Monterrey Jack cheese for a smooth and creamy consistency.

Broccoli – it’s best to use fresh broccoli. You can get a bag already cut into florets or get a couple of bunches and cut it yourself.

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup

Prepare broccoli first! Dice the florets and spread them on a large, microwave-safe plate. (Save excess stems.) Add a little water to the bottom, cover with a microwave lid, and cook it for a two to three minutes. Set steamed broccoli aside.

PRO TIP: It’s super fast and easy to steam it in the microwave, which helps on busy weekday afternoons. However, you could also use a steamer on a stove-top to steam the broccoli as well if that’s what you’d prefer.

Collage of four images of cooking bacon and veggies in a pot and then adding and stirring in flour.

PRO TIP: it’s easiest to dice bacon while it’s still cold, so keep it in the refrigerator right until you are ready to dice it.

Preheat a Dutch oven or a soup pot of choice, cook diced bacon until the fat is all rendered (1). Then, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Set bacon aside and if you have too much bacon fat remaining, pour some off into an aluminum foil lined cup (discard when cooled).

Add all of the veggies to the pot and cook until softened, then add the garlic (2) and cook until fragrant. Lower the heat to medium-low and sprinkle flour over all of the veggies (3) and stir to coat the veggies evenly (4).

Collage of four images of adding in the stock, cream and cheese then stirring it together.

Continue to stir veggies and pour in the chicken stock (5). Stir slowly but well, until the mixture is smooth and starting to thicken. Mix in seasoning (6). Pour in half and half (7), mix well, and let it heat through.

Start to add the grated cheeses, one handful at a time. Keep slowly stirring as you add the cheese.

Once cheese is smooth and melted (8), add the broccoli, crispy bacon, and chives (9). Stir to combine everything and cook for just a few minutes, making sure everything is heated through (10).

PRO TIP: don’t cook too long after adding cheese and cream and DO NOT bring the soup to boil. Boiling and cooking too long after adding cheese and cream will cause it to separate.

collage of two images adding in the bacon and broccoli to the pot of soup and stirring with a wooden spoon.

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup in a pot with ladle lifting some of the soup.

Recipe FAQs

What cheese is best to use in broccoli cheese soup?

The best cheese to use in broccoli cheese soup is definitely hand grated sharp cheddar cheese. For the BEST flavor and texture, get the block and grate it yourself. Don’t buy the pre-shredded bagged cheese.
Cheese that is already shredded in the bag is not good to use in soups and sauces because it contains separators, which is the powdery substance that coats each shaving of cheese.
Using pre-shredded cheeses completely alters both, sauce and soup consistencies. I like to use sharp and extra sharp cheddar cheeses in my broccoli cheese soups, sometimes adding Monterrey Jack cheese for more creaminess.
But I also like to play around with other cheeses like in Italian Broccoli Cheese Soup and Asiago Broccoli Cheese Soup.

What is the difference between white cheddar and yellow cheddar cheese?

Naturally, cheddar cheese is actually white! Yellow, or orange cheddar cheese is just plain white cheddar with added food coloring. The food coloring was added to cheddar cheese to make it more appealing to American consumers because they were used to seeing yellow colored cheeses (think American cheese on cheeseburgers).
So the only difference between white and yellow cheddar cheeses is the food coloring – there’s no difference in taste or textures. What affects the taste and texture is the aging process, aging time, and smoking. The sharpness is dictated by the amount of time the cheese was aged. Longer aging times means sharper flavor, which is great for this recipe.

Can I use frozen broccoli?

Yes, you can! While it’s best to use fresh broccoli, whether it’s a bunch or just florets, you can still use frozen broccoli if you’d like. Just make sure the broccoli is fully thawed.
The good thing about using frozen broccoli is that it’s softer so you don’t need to steam it, just cook it in soup a few extra minutes. Make sure to strain off all the accumulated liquids before chopping it and adding it to the soup, and it’ll be good to go.

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup being scooped up with a spoon.

Storing, Freezing and Reheating

Broccoli cheese soup is a good one to make ahead and store for a few days. Make sure to cool the cooked soup to room temperature first. Store it in an airtight food storage container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

The best way to reheat a soup like this is on stove top in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Don’t make the heat too high or you will scald the cheese and cream. To reheat quickly, you can use microwave if needed, but do it in a few second intervals and stir in between.

Freezing- Please note that broccoli cheese soup does not freeze well! There is cheese and cream in the soup, so it will not freeze and thaw well, the texture will be compromised.

Bacon Broccoli Cheese Soup in a bowl scooping some up with a spoon.

More Comforting Soup Recipes To Try

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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in December 2013.

Categories:

Fall Recipes, Gluten Free, Lunch, Soup,

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

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