Velveeta Broccoli Cheese Soup is so creamy and cheesy and made easy in just one pot with frozen broccoli and Velveeta cheese (the secret ingredient to the best broccoli cheese soup!). Even kids will love this veggie packed soup that is so creamy and smooth.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe with Velveeta Cheese
Broccoli cheese soup with Velveeta cheese is the only way I make it! I am telling you that the secret to a really good, cheesy, and smooth broccoli cheese soup is using Velveeta cheese.
I know some of you may not like the thought of using Velveeta but trust me when I say that I have made and tested hundreds of broccoli and cheese soup recipes and the best ones are always with Velveeta cheese. No matter how fresh or fancy the ingredients are I always come back to this recipe because it tastes the best!
Why is it the best? Because Velveeta melts so smooth and it provides this rich cheesy flavor that the broccoli cheese soup so desperately needs. This vegetable chowder and cheesy taco soup are other delicious recipes that use Velveeta cheese.
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Velveeta Broccoli Cheese Soup?
- Butter - I use salted butter as the recipe does not call for any additional salt.
- White Onion
- Frozen Chopped Broccoli - I love using the frozen broccoli for this soup because it's something that can be in your freezer for awhile before going bad and I cannot stand the smell of fresh broccoli in the fridge! Anyone else like that with the smell of fresh broccoli? It just smells terrible so I love using frozen broccoli when I can.
- Chicken Broth - You need 4 cans of chicken broth for this recipe. Because the recipe does not call for additional salt I like to use 2 full salt chicken broth and 2 reduced-sodium chicken broth.
- Velveeta Cheese - Literally the best "secret ingredient" for an amazing broccoli cheese soup.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese - Using cheddar cheese is best if you want the best flavor. I use medium cheddar but feel free to use sharp if that's what you prefer.
- Half & Half - This is milk that is half cream and half milk. I have tried using fat free half & half in the recipe and it works just fine but it does not have that rich texture and taste as the full fat stuff. Use whichever you prefer.
- Garlic Powder
- Cornstarch - This helps to thicken the soup.
Recipe Tips
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Velveeta Cheese
- Just please use it. The recipe makes a ton of soup so you won't be eating 1 pound of Velveeta cheese by yourself.
- You could always just use all shredded cheese (which plenty of people have) but the soup won't be as rich and smooth.
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How To Store Leftovers
- Leftovers keep really well in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can either heat it up in the microwave or put it on the stove top (in a pot) and heat it up over medium heat.
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Can I Freeze Broccoli Cheese Soup with Velveeta Cheese?
- Yes, this soup also freezes well. If reheating from frozen I like to put it into a soup pot with a little water (like maybe ½ cup or so) and heat it up low and slow.
- I don't freeze a lot but when I do I always use gallon sized Ziploc freezer bags. That way I can portion it out and then pull out one bag when I need it.
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Serving Suggestions
- I love to serve this soup with some bread to soak it all up with. I make my one hour buttery rolls, or I will buy some frozen rolls that you just heat up, or pick up a bag of rolls from the bakery.
- Serve the soup inside bread bowls.
More Broccoli Recipes You'll Love
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice
Mozzarella Bacon Broccoli Salad
Creamy Broccoli Wild Rice Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup is so creamy and cheesy and made easy in just one pot with frozen broccoli and Velveeta cheese (the secret ingredient to the best broccoli cheese soup!). Even kids will love this veggie packed soup that is so creamy and smooth.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 2 bags (16 oz each) frozen chopped broccoli
- 4 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth *see notes
- 16 oz Velveeta cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups half and half
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, add the butter and chopped onion. Cook until softened, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the frozen chopped broccoli and chicken broth (RESERVE 1 CUP FOR CORNSTARCH SLURRY). Bring to a boil, you may have to increase the heat as needed, once boiling reduce heat to medium and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until broccoli is softened to your liking.* I like to cover my pot with a lid while the broccoli is cooking. This helps the broccoli cook faster
- Add the Velveeta cheese, shredded cheese, half and half, and garlic powder. Stir together and let it cook for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and combined.
- Combine the cornstarch and reserved 1 cup chicken broth in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until mixed. Add into the soup and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the soup is thick enough to your liking. * Once you add the cornstarch slurry it will thicken fairly quickly so watch it carefully and make sure the heat is not too high so it does not burn.
- Serve immediatley. We like to top ours with some additional shredded cheddar cheese. The soup will thicken up slightly as it cools.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. This soup can also be frozen as well. Heat up frozen leftovers in a soup pot with some additional water (like ½ cup or so).
Notes
SERVING SIZE : Nutrition information is for 1 serving of soup which is equal to 1.5 cups of soup per serving.
BROCCOLI : I prefer to use the frozen chopped broccoli because there is no need to chop it up. Just dump it into the soup. If you use whole frozen broccoli or something else, then you may want to chop it up roughly before adding it into the soup. You can also use an immersion blender and blend up the soup as wanted. Don't be too aggressive when blending it or else the soup can turn into a gummy texture. Or just blend up some of the soup but not all of it.
CHICKEN BROTH : Because the soup does not call for any additional salt I prefer to use 2 cans of regular, full-salt chicken broth + 2 cans of the 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth. If you use all low sodium chicken broth then you may want to taste the soup at the end and add additional salt as needed.
HALF AND HALF : I have made this recipe with fat-free half and half and it works just fine. The flavor of the final soup is not as rich and thick but it's still delicious. Use whichever you prefer. Nutrition information includes using full-fat half and half.
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 17gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 1527mgPotassium: 673mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1594IUVitamin C: 94mgCalcium: 451mgIron: 1mg
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Excellent!
If I could give it a zero I would. Definitely did not turn out the way it should. Too much onion flavor, did not thicken enough.
Was good but seemed to taste the corn starch quite a bit over the cheese & broccoli taste. I will make it again but will tweak it to my liking
Loved it!
This was so yummy! And we don’t like really thick soup so I just left out the cornstarch all together! I’m ready to make another pot!
Thank you for your comment! Glad to hear that you liked it!