Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup with Beer Brats (Keto Instant Pot Recipe), is the ultimate comfort food, and not just for low carb and ketogenic followers! With three kinds of melted cheese, bratwurst, beer, and broccoli all coming together in this delicious instant pot soup - this will be your new favorite recipe!
Broccoli, Brat and Beer Cheese Soup is the perfect cozy thing for chilly nights! Instant pot and stovetop method provided.
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Why You'll Love This Broccoli Cheese Soup
There are SO MANY reasons why my family thinks this is the best broccoli cheese soup! It's a one-pot dish, healthy (low carb and keto), family-friendly, and so tasty! We love brats and my husband and I love beer! Why not combine with broccoli cheese soup? Perfect combination, right?
This Broccoli, Brats, and Beer Cheese Soup will quickly become your new favorite too!
It's An Easy Instant Pot Recipe
You can easily make this low carb Instant Pot Recipe for broccoli cheese soup. It's truly a one-pot recipe with easy to find ingredients. It can be made ahead of time and re-heats well so it's perfect for make-ahead lunches and leftovers!
Perfect Family Friendly Recipe
It seems like most kids love cheese, but not all of them love broccoli. This is a great way to sneak in vegetables and lots of nutrients.
A Great Make-Ahead Soup
Instant pot broccoli cheese soup is A perfect make-ahead lunch recipe! I will often make a batch of this soup on the weekend and take it to work for my weekday lunches.
I usually heat it in the microwave at work but you can take a pre-heated serving in a thermos. This is the Thermos food jar that I send my kids to school with. In the Fall we go on picnics and I pack yummy hot soup too!
Bonus! This recipe freezes well too!
Broccoli, Brats, Beer, and Cheese...Oh My
The perfect combination!
Okay, so my husband is the inspiration for this Broccoli, Brat and Beer Cheese Soup. He is from Wisconsin and (of course) loves cheese, beer, and bratwurst. Three classic Wisconsin ingredients coming together to make this delicious cozy soup - the perfect remedy for those extremely cold Winter nights up North!
There are so many versions of Wisconsin beer cheese soup but this version has all of his favorites. I love that he thinks it's the best soup ever! Thanks, Honey! 🙂
Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup That Is Low Carb and Keto
This low carb broccoli cheese soup has a lot of nutrients and vitamins from the broccoli. It is low in carbs and high in fat making it perfect if you're following the keto diet. The full nutritional analysis is below.
Remember! Use a low carb beer if you're following a low carb or keto diet.
⇓ To lower carbs even more, you can use chicken stock in place of beer.
⇑ To increase fat content you can use full-fat half-and-half or heavy cream.
⇓ To lower the fat content you can use up to 1 cup less cheese.
fat 19.9g | net carbs 8.1g | protein 13.9g
Ingredients and Tools
Ingredients
For exact recipe ingredients please see printable recipe card.
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beer bratwurst (plain or cheese are fine too!)
- Head of broccoli (frozen is fine too!)
- Cheddar cheese, grated
- Smoked cheddar cheese, grated
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Half and half
- Chicken broth
- Low carb beer (Michelob Light Ultra has 2.6 carbs and was used in this recipe)
- Xantham gum (thickening agent, optional. If not following a low carb diet you can use flour as a thickener)
Tools
- Instant Pot (this is my exact pot and it's reasonably priced! At the time I posted this they also had a $10 coupon to apply)
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Bowl
- Cheese grater or a Food processor with the grater attachment. I use a food processor to grate blocks of cheese - it's super fast and easy. I've stopped buying store-bought grated cheese because it is often coated in something that prevents it from melting. Freshly grated cheese is so much better quality.
- Blender or Immersion Blender. I would highly recommend this gadget for making soups! It allows you to blend soups right in your pot as it's cooking. If you use a blender you will need to take the soup out of the pot and add to blender. Don't overfill or it will go everywhere! (Ask me how I know this) 🙂
How To Make Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup
Brown and Cook Brats
Brats are first browned in butter, then cooking is finished in the pressure cooker.
Using Saute (Medium heat) setting in your Instant pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, place bratwurst in the pot and cook only until outside because a golden brown, turning as needed to brown evenly.
**You are only giving the bratwurst a nice color - final cooking is done on high pressure (next step)
Turn pressure cooker off. Pour beer over bratwurst. Lock lid and select High pressure (5 minutes cook time). Once cooking is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick pressure release. Once the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove bratwurst and set aside.
**Save all remaining liquid in the pot and set aside in a bowl for later.
Cook Onions and Garlic
Using Saute setting (Medium heat) melt your remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onions and cook until they are soft.
If onions are sticking to the pot, add up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If the pot gets too hot, turn heat to low.
Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Turn pressure cooker off.
Cook Broccoli and Start On Broth
Add chicken broth, the reserved beer brat liquid, and broccoli to pot. Secure lid, set on High pressure and 1 minute cook time.
While you are waiting, slice bratwurst into 1/2" slices. Once the cycle is complete use a quick pressure release until valve drops. Carefully remove the lid.
**As you can see in the picture, I used frozen broccoli. This worked perfectly, and with no change in cooking instructions. I tested this recipe with frozen broccoli and fresh and both turned out great!
Finish Soup
Using a slotted spoon remove 3/4 of broccoli and set aside. Using an immersion blender directly in the pot, blend the broccoli that remains in the pot with the broth until there are no more chunks.
Turn pot on Saute Low. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum with a scoop of hot broth until there are no chunks. Pour back into soup and blend. This is an optional step but does help soup to thicken without adding flour as in traditional recipes.
Stir in cheeses and allow to melt. Slowly whisk in half and half, until blended.
Add your reserved broccoli and bratwurst back into the pot. Then add salt and pepper. Continue to heat only if necessary. Only heat to serving temperature, stirring frequently, and then turn the pot off.
Soup will thicken slightly as it cools. If you prefer a thicker soup, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon more of the xanthan gum. A little goes a long way so be careful!
If you prefer a more liquid consistency, do not use xanthan gum and add additional broth until the desired consistency is reached. You may need to adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish and Serve
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with pepper and additional cheese. If you've got bread eaters in your house, serve with crusty sliced bread. (Low carb followers don't be tempted!) Enjoy!
Common Questions
How can I make broccoli cheese soup that ISN'T low carb or keto?
- Use regular beer, not low carb
- Instead of Xantham Gum, use a ¼ cup of flour as a thickening agent whisked into ¼ cold water. Add into the soup and stir into soup.
Can I make broccoli cheese soup on the stove?
Yes. You would follow all of the same instructions, except you would add the broccoli into your stockpot and cook on the stovetop, covered, until the broccoli is very tender. It is very easy to cook on the stove. Sometimes it is even quicker because 20 minutes of the 50 minute cooking time with the pressure cooker is waiting on the pressure to build.
Can I substitute another ingredient for beer?
Yes. You can substitute bone broth or chicken broth in place of the beer. This will lower the carbs in this recipe even more!
Which Beer Has The Least Carbs?
While there are many varieties of low carb beer available on the market, here are the carb and calorie counts from some of the brands that are widely available in most stores.
- Budweiser Select 55 has 1.9 g carbs and 55 calories
- Budweiser Select 3.1 g carbs and 99 calories
- Michelob Ultra has 2.6 g carbs and 95 calories (this is the beer we used!)
- Corona Light 5 g carbs and 99 calories
- Miller 64 2.4 g carbs and 64 calories
- Miller Light 3.2 g carbs and 96 calories
Is broccoli good on keto?
Yes. Broccoli is low in carbs and very healthy. It is loaded with many essential nutrients and is a superfood. Broccoli has 2 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup.
How many carbs are in a bowl of broccoli cheese soup?
This depends on the ingredients and quantity you are eating of course, but this keto broccoli cheese soup recipe has only 8.1 g net carbs.
📋 Recipe
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup with Beer Brats (Keto Instant Pot Recipe)
A tasty twist on your typical broccoli cheese soup made simple in your pressure cooker. Using low carb beer, savory brats, broccoli, gooey melted cheese, and cream, this soup is low carb and keto-friendly. A delicious cozy comfort soup - minus the carbs. Perfect!
Ingredients
- 1 lb package of beer bratwurst (regular or cheese are fine too)
- 12 oz low carb beer (substitute 12 oz of chicken broth if desired)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets (or 5 cups of frozen broccoli)
- 1-1/4 cup (12 oz) chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum (optional, thickener)
- 2 cup (16 oz) heavy cream or half and half
- 2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (medium or sharp)
- 1/4 cup smoked gouda cheese, grated (any kind of smoke cheese will work)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (use only freshly grated)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Select Saute, Medium heat, and preheat your pressure cooker. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, place bratwurst in pot and cook only until brats get a golden brown. Make sure to turn as needed to brown evenly. If brats are not browning fast enough, increase heat to High.
- Turn pressure cooker off and pour beer over bratwurst. Secure lid and select High pressure, 5 minutes cook time. Once cooking is complete, allow pressue to release naturally for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, then a quick pressure release. Once valve drops, carefully remove lid. Remove bratwurst and set aside. Save all remaining liquid in pot and set aside in a bowl, or other easily pourable container, for later.
- Select Saute, Medium heat, and preheat your pressure cooker. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onions and cook until they are soft. If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If pot gets too hot, turn heat to low. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Turn pressure cooker off.
- Add chicken broth, the reserved beer brat liquid, and broccoli to pot. Secure lid, set on High pressure and 1 minute cook time. While you are waiting, slice bratwurst into 1/2" slices. Once cycle is complete use a quick pressure release until valve drops. Carefully remove lid.
- Using a slotted spoon remove 3/4 of broccoli and set aside. Using an immersion blender directly in the pot, blend the broccoli that remains in the pot with the broth until there are no more chunks.
- Turn pot on Saute Low. Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum until there are no chunks. Stir in cheeses and allow to melt. Slowly whisk in half and half, until blended.
- Add bratwurst and remaining broccoli back in to pot, then salt and pepper. Continue to heat only if necessary. Only heat to serving temperature, stirring frequently, and then turn pot off. Soup will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with pepper and additional cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe allows for chunkier broccoli pieces. If you would prefer a smoother soup, do not remove any broccoli as mentioned above, and blend all with immersion blender.
Use any combination of favorite cheeses, up to 2-1/2 to 3 cups of cheese.
If you prefer a more liquid soup, do not use xantham gum and add additional broth until desired consistancy is reached. You may need to adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 19.9gCholesterol: 55.3mgSodium: 788mgCarbohydrates: 8.4gNet Carbohydrates: 8.1gFiber: .3gSugar: 4gProtein: 13.9g
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- Creamy Beef Taco Soup (Keto Instant Pot Soup Recipe)
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This Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup with brats and beer is the best! Using a low carb beer this healthy soup is low carb and keto-friendly. This soup recipe is rich and thick, full of gooey melted cheese, broccoli, savory brats, and delicious beer. The perfect cozy comfort food and healthy dinner! Makes great leftovers too! #instantpot #lowcarb #keto #ketogenic #soup #cheese #lchf #seekinggoodeats
Lori says
I thought this was a very satisfying soup. It’s tasty, just thick enough with the option of making it thicker or thinner. I opted to add the xanthum gum but also added about a half cup more broth. I am a vegetarian so I used vegetable broth which didnt take away any flavor. Also, because I am a vegetarian I cooked up the brats separately from the soup and poured the beer directly into the soup. Hubby just added the meat directly to his bowl.
seekinggoodeats says
Hi Lori, thank you for telling us how to make this more vegetarian! I love your idea and would love to add it to the post. 🙂 So glad you love it!
Stefanie Oneill says
This soup is AMAZING!! My husband hates broccoli. I mean, HATES it. And he had seconds of this awesomeness--it's that good! I followed your recipe nearly to the letter with this one exception since I knew he didn't want any chunks of broccoli: in step 5 I removed nearly all of the broccoli, leaving only the tiny pieces to be blended. I transferred the pieces I had removed to the bowls that my daughter and I would be eating from so that they would not end up back in the larger pot of soup (as in step 7). Then I followed through on the remaining steps with the exception of placing the larger broccoli pieces back in the pot. It was loved by all. This will become a staple in our fall/winter menu. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe!
seekinggoodeats says
Thank you Stefanie! So you glad you and your husband loved the soup. My husband is from Wisconsin and of course with the broccoli, cheese, beer, and brats he's super happy!
Ralph says
What if I bought fully cooked bratwurst? Is there any adjustments needed?
seekinggoodeats says
Hi Ralph! By cooking the brats in the beer or broth, in the beginning, it gives the soup a lot of flavor. However, I think it will work if you start by slicing your cooked brats and saute in olive oil until they are golden. This is so they release some of their juices into the pot. Remove them and set aside. From there, continue on with the recipe by sauteeing the onions and garlic. Add broth or beer when the "brat juices" are called for and keep on with the recipe! Hope that makes sense! 🙂
Gail Wallace says
Love this soup! I grilled my Brats. Awesome!
seekinggoodeats says
Thank you! 🙂 I bet grilled brats were the best!! Good smokey flavor. Yum.