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
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.
Great recipe, but there is a way to cut out the stovetop step. I am 64 years old, and my mom and grams fixed great potato soup by cooking the potatoes really really low overnight, or sat them on the back of the wood stove. So, being the lazy person I am, I decided to do it in the crockpot (about 40 years ago), which had one heat – high…for 8 to 10 hours works, and cooks enough of the potatoes down to thicken it well. Could also use instant potatoes to thicken, without adding the extra calories.
That’s a great tip Carol, thanks so much for sharing with us!
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! Id like to try it sometime soon. Can you please explain what “milk mixture” you are talking about in #3 section? I only see evaporated milk which was added earlier/ Thanks! ” Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined.”
You’re welcome Eugenia! So for step 3, the milk mixture is just what you made in step 2. :) We hope you enjoy!
This looks like a wonderful recipe to put together for a post-snowshoeing meal. Adding in a few shrimps at the end would take it over the top!
Thanks Jill, we hope you love it and we think shrimp would be a wonderful addition! :)
Thanks for this yummy potato soup recipe! I am an American expat in South Korea. We don’t have those scrumptious Yukon gold potatoes you mentioned, but I think the small, tender spuds we have in S.K. will be good. I am whipping this up for Christmas eve (tonight). I decided to add a bay leaf for part of the cooking, as well as small amounts of thyme and crushed red pepper. I made my own chicken stock last night, so that’s the base. Lots of other goodies to complement the meal, too. Happy holidays and happy cooking :)
You’re very welcome Pam, we hope you enjoyed this and that you had a wonderful Christmas (isn’t homemade stock the best?!) :)
I made this tonight and both of my children ate two bowls AND my husband declared the recipe a keeper. It’s so good and so rich and perfect for the rainy week we’re having. I would recommend serving it with a salad, as it’s quite hearty!
Awww, we’re so glad your family enjoyed this Neena, thanks for sharing! :)
Love these recipesI only cook for 2 how do I cut down on ingedients to still come out right? And I wish you had a place where I could save these recipes,Also do you have e a cook book with your recipes?
Hi Sylvia, we would just recommend cutting the recipe in half and using a smaller slow cooker. Unfortunately there’s no book at the moment, but stay tuned! :) We hope you enjoy the soup!
How many people will this soup feed
Hi Deb, this soup will make about 8-10 servings. We hope you enjoy!
Just made this tonight! DELISH! Added in some carrots because I had some on hand, and served it up with a loaf of toasted crusty bread! YUM! YUM! YUM!
Awesome Heather, we’re so happy you loved it! :)
You had me at potato, then pulled me in at soup. This looks divine!
Haha thanks Meg, we hope you enjoy this! :)
Hi Hayley, this potato soup is making me so hungry and I’ve already eaten dinner! I recently upgraded our crock pot and have been having tons of fun and using it almost Every day. The rains have finally begun here in Nor California, boy we need it! Your potato sounds like just the ticket to add to our warm comfort food repertoire. The health coach in me is going to find even more ways to lighten it up (turkey bacon anyone?). Thank you for figuring out how to make a creamy crock pot version of your tasty soup! ??hugs and cheers, Bita
Hi Bita! This is actually Ali’s recipe (all of the recipes on the blog are), I just work with Ali. :) But we’re so happy to hear you are into the soup – we hope you love it – stay dry! :)