This Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe is easy to make in the crock-pot, and it’s perfectly thick and creamy and flavorful (without having to use heavy cream)!
Alright everyone, I think this one tops the charts as our most requested recipe on the blog ever, so I hope you like it. :)
That’s right, I finally made you a recipe for Slow Cooker Potato Soup!!!
The keywords, of course, being slow cooker.
Many of you have already discovered my classic Potato Soup recipe on the blog, which will forever and always be my favorite. But nearly every other comment we have received about this soup is from all of you slow cooking fans, asking if you can make the soup in your crock pots. As someone who shares a deep and undying love of all things potato soup and slow cooking, I was right there with ya! Unfortunately, the traditional recipe wasn’t one that that easily converted to slow cooking. Or at least, you couldn’t just dump all of the ingredients in and expect thick and creamy and delicious potato soup afterwards.
But I tested out a few different slow cooker approaches and finally figured out one that I think we’re all going to love. Just like my classic potato soup recipe, this one is super rich and creamy (but made a tiny bit lighter without heavy cream – yay!), it requires less than 20 minutes of prep time (mostly just chopping those potatoes), and it’s wonderfully comforting and delicious. But unlike my classic potato soup recipe, your crock pot gets to be the one to slow cook this soup to perfection.
Alright, let’s do this.
Slow Cooker Potato Soup Recipe Video (1 Minute)
The first step in this Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe is probably the most time consuming — chopping up a storm. Chop up lots of potatoes (I strongly recommend Yukon golds), a big onion (white or yellow), and lots of cooked bacon (you can fry or microwave the bacon while you chop, or buy it pre-cooked).
Then toss everything in the slow cooker (<– this is the one I use) along with lots of good-quality chicken or vegetable stock. Set the timer for 3-4 hours (on high) or 6-8 hours (on low). Then walk away and let the slow cooker do its thing.
Then once everything has slow cooked, you’ve gotta do the final step on the stovetop. I know, I know, this recipe isn’t 100% slow cooker. But in order to have a soup that’s nice and thick and avoid using heavy cream, we need to make a quick and easy creamy roux on the stove.
So just melt your butter (or you can use reserved bacon grease, if you fried the bacon on the stove, which will be way more flavorful) and whisk it together with some flour to form a roux. Then whisk in a can of evaporated milk. And once the mixture comes to a simmer, it will thicken up into a really thick gravy-like mixture. Add that to directly to the slow cooker, and give everything a stir.
And then if you’d like an even thicker soup (which I recommend), use a potato masher to mash up about half of the potatoes in the soup. Or you can just leave them all chunky. Up to you.
(Or, some of you have asked about a slightly healthier soup. If you’d rather leave out the roux entirely and just have a brothy-er soup, you can do that, and/or just mash some of the potatoes if you’d like to thicken it up a bit.)
And then…ta da! A big crock pot full of delicious, creamy Slow Cooker Potato Soup will be yours to enjoy!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 250 minutes
- Total Time: 260 minutes
- Yield: 8 -10 servings 1x
Description
This Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe is thick and creamy (without using heavy cream), wonderfully flavorful, and made extra easy in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 6 slices cooked bacon*, diced
- 3-4 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes**, peeled (if desired) and diced
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons bacon grease* (or butter)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (12-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream
Instructions
- Add bacon, 3 cups chicken stock, potatoes and onion to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through.
- Once the soup has slow cooked and is about ready to serve, cook the butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat until it has melted. Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually add in the evaporated milk while whisking it together with the flour mixture, and continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Let the mixture continue cooking until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then it should get really thick.
- Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined. Add in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper, and stir until combined. If you would like the soup to be even thicker, you can use a potato masher or a large spoon to mash about half of the potatoes (while the soup is still in the slow cooker) to thicken the soup up. If you would like the soup to be thinner, add in an extra 1-2 cups of warmed chicken or vegetable stock. Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (This recipe will not freeze well.)
Notes
*You can either fry the bacon, cook it in the microwave, or buy pre-cooked bacon. If frying or microwaving, I recommend dicing the bacon before cooking it. And if you are frying it, I highly recommend saving the bacon grease for later and then using it to make your roux (instead of butter).
**I highly recommend using Yukon gold potatoes, which have the perfect texture and buttery taste for this soup. But Russet potatoes or red potatoes would also work just fine in this recipe.
***If you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock, omit the bacon, and I would recommend adding in 2-3 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning for extra flavor.
I’m planning on making this real soon! How many servings would you say it makes? Also, what size slow cooker did you use? I have a smaller crock pot and want to adjust the recipe accordingly :) Thank you! I’m so excited to try this!
Hi Amanda! This makes about 8-10 servings and we used a 6-quart slow cooker for this. We hope you enjoy! :)
Made this and we absolutely loved it. We like celery and carrots so I added those and it still turned out great!
We’re so glad to hear that, Jean! :)
Very first time ever using a crock pot and I tried this recipe out and it turned out amazing!! I used bacon grease to make the roux as well!
Thanks for sharing Joleen, and for giving the recipe a try! We’re so glad you liked it! :)
Love love loved this!! I added broccoli also to this and used some butter along with the bacon grease! It tasted a little blah at first like it was missing something, but when I added the cheese and sour cream! Omg!! Also I diced up some ham from a ham slice. I use red potatoes only because they cook faster and are a little sweeter (in my opinion) my 2 year old is a very very picky eater and she absolutely loved this soup! I have made plenty of potatoe soups before, all very good. This one takes the top spot! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this with us, Nicole! We’re so glad to hear you and your kiddo loved this! :D
Really great, everyone enjoyed it. I used Canadian bacon and low fat evaporated milk, to keep the fat down
We’re so glad to hear that, Michelle! :)
I just found this recipe on Facebook and after a quick online grocery order, it’s in the crockpot right now! Can’t wait to taste it this evening. It’s gonna be a long four hours! lol
Awesome, hope you enjoyed it!! :)
Absolutely perfect consistency. Mine needs a little more something( some kind of spice) but can’t figure it out. But it’s definitely super easy to make and I can’t get over the perfect thickness lol
Yay, glad the consistency was great! And if it needs an extra kick, I love stirring in some Old Bay seasoning too. :)
Use instant potatoes to thicken !
What do you think about leeks instead of the onion? Would they become too mushy? My hubs is not a big onion person, but will tolerate leeks and sometimes a shallot (lol). Cannot wait to try it! Friends have seen the recipe/video on FB and sent it to me because they want me to make it for them. Trying it this week with a Naan roasted veggie & goat cheese pizza. Thanks!!
Sure, leeks would be great in this! :)
Saw this in the morning of a rainy day- started it around 2 I put the crockpot on high /4 hrs wanted to eat around 7 – the potatos were not ready yet- went to game plan B ordered Chinese – finished making the soup and had it for lunch on Sunday – it was DELICIOUS!!!
Oh no, sorry that it didn’t cook in time! Different crock pots seem so have different heat levels. Glad it was good the next day! :)