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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!!!
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.
And then set the timer for 3-4 hours (on high) or 6-8 hours (on low), and 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!
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.
If you want to avoid the cream all together (hubby can’t tolerate it), use a package of instant yukon mashed potatoes. Slowly add to the chicken broth, stirring the entire time slowly, until you get the thickness that you want.
This recipe looks amazing! I used baby gold potatoes instead of Yukon gold. After dicing 2 lbs of potatoes, I dumped them in the slow cooker with the onion, bacon, and the 3 cups of chicken stock. However, the stock barely covers the potatoes :( Will the soup be too thin if I add a few more cups of chicken stock? Just enough to cover the potatoes…
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you, Allie — we’re so glad to hear you love it! And yes, you can definitely add some more stock. :)
Question:
I have been using my slow cooker for vegetable soup/stew. Everything works well
for me except potatoes.
I have used white, gold, red and have the same problem, which is, diced potatoes
in the soup/stew will not cook enough. What could I be doing wrong that would
produce rock-hard cubes of nearly raw potato after 5 – 7 hours on high?
I don’t need that much cook time for anything else in there, but the other vegetables
de-construct if I go over six hours.
Thanks for considering my problem.
Dee A.(Andy) Jacobs
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Dee! Hmmm, that’s frustrating! It sounds like maybe your slow cooker isn’t getting hot enough, because the potatoes should be tender after spending so long in the slow cooker. We’d suggest checking the temp of the liquid in the slow cooker. Some people say potatoes should reach an internal temperature of 210F before they soften (so very close to boiling). We hope this helps!
I would like to get some prep done tonight if possible and then put it in the slow cooker in the morning before I leave work…..I’m up at 3:30 and leave my house at 4:30…..what do you recommend I do and how do I store it?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Cindy! For prep the night before, you could go ahead and have your bacon cooked and your roux made (store both in the fridge). Unfortunately you can’t really do anything with the potatoes in advance, or else they will oxidize. You can already have your onion diced (just store in a container in the fridge). We hope this helps!
I just checked the temp. I have been running it on high for 5 hours now. The temperature according
to my thermometer is 189 F. Can you recmmend a programmable 6 or 7 qt slow cooker that is known
for better temps? Mine is a HB “stay & go” 6.5 qt.
Thanks for taking some time with me on this.
My cooker is advertised at 6.5 qt. I just measured the inside
using cold water. The measurement was just 5.2 qt. all the way
to the top. When I loaded my soup/stew, It yielded 10 portions
of 16 fl. oz. each, which is a yiedld of 5 qts. exactly.
Now if I reduce the loading to 4 qts. it should allow the crock
to heat above the 190 F I got on the 5 qt. load. That should
yield 8 servings at 16 fl. oz each with cooked potatoes.
Now it appears to me that this should be advertised as a 4 qt.
slow cooker. Is this stretching of the truth common among
slow cooker manufacturers?
I have been making different recipes for potato soup, but this one has the flavor, the consistency and taste were a single batch will not be enough. I am telling you do not waste your time with a single batch. Double it from the start. The bacon grease makes the flavor. I also added some diced celery. You might want to cut some of the salt due to bacon and bacon grease.
Cindy from above comment: I’ve diced potatoes in advance and put them in a container with water covering them in fridge overnight and they were fine to get boiled next day. Just drain the water.
My daughter has Celiac disease so I was wondering what type of floor would work for making the roux?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Myra! You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. Or, you can whisk together a cornstarch slurry (50% cornstarch, 50% water or stock) to thicken it. OR, you can leave out both of those steps, and just mash the potatoes to thicken the soup. We hope you guys enjoy!
I’m trying to make this before work so he has a nice meal to come home to. Can I just add everything in the crock pot at once?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Karen! Unfortunately we don’t think that would work for this recipe. You want to make sure the potatoes cool thoroughly and it’s not a good idea to add dairy too soon to the slow cooker (it alters the texture, often causing the soup to break).
I’m not crazy about peeling and dicing all those potatoes, so wondering if frozen southern style hash browns would work?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Laurie! We haven’t tried this with frozen hash browns, so we can’t say for sure, however, we have seen similar recipes online that use them. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Just finished making this recipe. Followed the recipe exactly. It turned out delicious! My husband had two BIG bowl fulls! Thanks for sharing, it’s a keeper.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing, Marilyn — we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
This looks delicious!! I plan to make it this weekend and was wondering if there’s any difference in the taste if I use Greek yogurt vs. sour cream. What is your personal preference? Thanks!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Alison! Taste-wise we love either and they’re both great in this (Greek yogurt’s just healthier). :) We hope you enjoy this!
Yes you can prep potatoes the night before. Dice and put in airtight container with COLD water and put in fridge. Just dump water out before you use them. Only good for overnight storage, any longer and potatoes go bad.
Hi Brenda! We use evaporated milk because it stands up to the slow cooker better — adding dairy (i.e. regular milk/cream) to the slow cooker too early on will cause the soup to separate, so we strongly urge you to use evaporated milk if you can. We hope you enjoy!
Could i use frozen diced potatoes that are already diced
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We think that should probably be fine, but we would let them thaw first so it doesn’t throw off the temp of the slow cooker, and so everything else will cook evenly. We hope you enjoy!
Your soups look delicious!! I love home made soups and chowders.. I love Potato soup you can add 1/2 brick of lowfat Cream Cheese for creaminess and thickness also.
AMAZING! I made a few of my own tweaks, but this is now my go-to potato soup! I added about a Tbls and a half of Tastefully Simple’s season salt, a little extra cheese (Including a little mozzarella and parm, maybe a 1/4 c of each.), and a splash of champagne vinegar to cut thru the richness. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T! (Oh, and I used 1/2 butter, 1/2 bacon fat because I didn’t have much butter left!) Most recipes I’ve tried before are too thick, too thin, and ALWAYS bland! THIS IS PERFECT! What do you think about sauteing the onion with a little red pepper before hand? THANK U!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Jen! We’re so happy you love this soup and your adaptations sound great! :)
Unfortunately this soup isn’t ideal for freezing since it has so much dairy in it (dishes with lots of dairy tend to separate and the texture will change significantly once frozen).
As long as you completely cover your potatoes with the broth, you can prep them the night before. The liquid will keep them from oxidizing. I peel and chop my potatoes for mashed the night before and cover in water all the time especially around the holidays!! Hope this helps ;-)
Hi Erika! You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. Or, you can whisk together a cornstarch slurry (50% cornstarch, 50% water or stock) to thicken it. OR, you can leave out both of those steps, and just mash the potatoes to thicken the soup. We hope you enjoy!
I tried the Potato Soup & we loved it. I did not
add any bacon grease. I was going to freeze some
leftovers for a quick meal during cold weather, but
I didn’t have any leftovers. Thanks for your recipe!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re welcome — we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed it! :)
This was my very first attempt at a slow cooker potato soup. It turned out perfect my husband and i loved it. Its became his favorite way to eat potato soup thanks for sharing this.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing, Leslie — we’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
I just made this potato soup tonight omg was it good !!! It taste just like my mom used to make it when i was a kid cooked for 4 hours and it came out a thick cream of potato soup with chu ks of potatoes will be making this alot thanks and blessing to you! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
If you want to avoid the cream all together (hubby can’t tolerate it), use a package of instant yukon mashed potatoes. Slowly add to the chicken broth, stirring the entire time slowly, until you get the thickness that you want.
This recipe looks amazing! I used baby gold potatoes instead of Yukon gold. After dicing 2 lbs of potatoes, I dumped them in the slow cooker with the onion, bacon, and the 3 cups of chicken stock. However, the stock barely covers the potatoes :( Will the soup be too thin if I add a few more cups of chicken stock? Just enough to cover the potatoes…
Thank you, Allie — we’re so glad to hear you love it! And yes, you can definitely add some more stock. :)
Can I make the roux ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until the end?
We think that would be okay. We hope you enjoy!
Instant potato flakes are great for thickening and only add to the potato flavor!
Question:
I have been using my slow cooker for vegetable soup/stew. Everything works well
for me except potatoes.
I have used white, gold, red and have the same problem, which is, diced potatoes
in the soup/stew will not cook enough. What could I be doing wrong that would
produce rock-hard cubes of nearly raw potato after 5 – 7 hours on high?
I don’t need that much cook time for anything else in there, but the other vegetables
de-construct if I go over six hours.
Thanks for considering my problem.
Dee A.(Andy) Jacobs
Hi Dee! Hmmm, that’s frustrating! It sounds like maybe your slow cooker isn’t getting hot enough, because the potatoes should be tender after spending so long in the slow cooker. We’d suggest checking the temp of the liquid in the slow cooker. Some people say potatoes should reach an internal temperature of 210F before they soften (so very close to boiling). We hope this helps!
I would like to get some prep done tonight if possible and then put it in the slow cooker in the morning before I leave work…..I’m up at 3:30 and leave my house at 4:30…..what do you recommend I do and how do I store it?
Hi Cindy! For prep the night before, you could go ahead and have your bacon cooked and your roux made (store both in the fridge). Unfortunately you can’t really do anything with the potatoes in advance, or else they will oxidize. You can already have your onion diced (just store in a container in the fridge). We hope this helps!
I just checked the temp. I have been running it on high for 5 hours now. The temperature according
to my thermometer is 189 F. Can you recmmend a programmable 6 or 7 qt slow cooker that is known
for better temps? Mine is a HB “stay & go” 6.5 qt.
Thanks for taking some time with me on this.
My cooker is advertised at 6.5 qt. I just measured the inside
using cold water. The measurement was just 5.2 qt. all the way
to the top. When I loaded my soup/stew, It yielded 10 portions
of 16 fl. oz. each, which is a yiedld of 5 qts. exactly.
Now if I reduce the loading to 4 qts. it should allow the crock
to heat above the 190 F I got on the 5 qt. load. That should
yield 8 servings at 16 fl. oz each with cooked potatoes.
Now it appears to me that this should be advertised as a 4 qt.
slow cooker. Is this stretching of the truth common among
slow cooker manufacturers?
I have been making different recipes for potato soup, but this one has the flavor, the consistency and taste were a single batch will not be enough. I am telling you do not waste your time with a single batch. Double it from the start. The bacon grease makes the flavor. I also added some diced celery. You might want to cut some of the salt due to bacon and bacon grease.
Thank you, Joe — we’re so happy you enjoy it! :)
I made this last week. It was amazing. Everyone in the house liked it!!
Thanks for sharing, we’re glad to hear that!
If you want to make it vegetarian, you may also use a few drops of liquid smoke for that smoky flavor.
That’s a great tip, Kathy — thanks for sharing! :)
Can I use Velveeta cheese in place of the cheddar cheese?
Hi Tammy! Yes, that would be fine – we hope you enjoy!
Cindy from above comment: I’ve diced potatoes in advance and put them in a container with water covering them in fridge overnight and they were fine to get boiled next day. Just drain the water.
Absolutely Fantastic! I made it following the directions perfectly and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing!
We’re so glad you loved it, Heather!
My daughter has Celiac disease so I was wondering what type of floor would work for making the roux?
Hi Myra! You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. Or, you can whisk together a cornstarch slurry (50% cornstarch, 50% water or stock) to thicken it. OR, you can leave out both of those steps, and just mash the potatoes to thicken the soup. We hope you guys enjoy!
I’m trying to make this before work so he has a nice meal to come home to. Can I just add everything in the crock pot at once?
Hi Karen! Unfortunately we don’t think that would work for this recipe. You want to make sure the potatoes cool thoroughly and it’s not a good idea to add dairy too soon to the slow cooker (it alters the texture, often causing the soup to break).
I made this in my crockpot and it was so creamy, thick and delicious. Excellent recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m not crazy about peeling and dicing all those potatoes, so wondering if frozen southern style hash browns would work?
Hi Laurie! We haven’t tried this with frozen hash browns, so we can’t say for sure, however, we have seen similar recipes online that use them. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
i had to use some beef broth along with my homemade turkey bone broth .. hope it tastes ok! i also used more potatoes
We hope you enjoyed it! :)
I made this last weekend! It was absolutely delicious!
We’re so glad to hear that! :)
Just finished making this recipe. Followed the recipe exactly. It turned out delicious! My husband had two BIG bowl fulls! Thanks for sharing, it’s a keeper.
Thanks for sharing, Marilyn — we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
This looks delicious!! I plan to make it this weekend and was wondering if there’s any difference in the taste if I use Greek yogurt vs. sour cream. What is your personal preference? Thanks!
Hi Alison! Taste-wise we love either and they’re both great in this (Greek yogurt’s just healthier). :) We hope you enjoy this!
Hi! You mention this recipe won’t freeze well. Is there a reason? Thanks
Hi Danielle! Yes, because of the high dairy content (that tends to cause soups to break and their texture to change after being frozen).
Have made this twice now. Both times has been delicious. Easy to make and do some ahead to save time. Excellent!
We’re so glad to hear that, Liza! :)
Made this AGAIN this weekend. My daughter and I absolutely love it. Thank you so much for sharing this.
We’re so glad to hear that, Dee! :)
I can not wait to try this! Thanks for creating a slow cooker recipe.
Awesome! We hope you enjoy it, Holly!
About how many people does this recipe serve?
Hi Clarissa! This makes about 8-10 servings. We hope you enjoy!
This so delicious and fairly simple.
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Monica!
Yes you can prep potatoes the night before. Dice and put in airtight container with COLD water and put in fridge. Just dump water out before you use them. Only good for overnight storage, any longer and potatoes go bad.
Both my husband and I both loved this! Thank you for publishing.
We’re so glad to hear that, Danelle! :)
What can I use if I don’t have evaporated milk?
Hi Brenda! We use evaporated milk because it stands up to the slow cooker better — adding dairy (i.e. regular milk/cream) to the slow cooker too early on will cause the soup to separate, so we strongly urge you to use evaporated milk if you can. We hope you enjoy!
YUMMY !!!
Could i use frozen diced potatoes that are already diced
We think that should probably be fine, but we would let them thaw first so it doesn’t throw off the temp of the slow cooker, and so everything else will cook evenly. We hope you enjoy!
Your soups look delicious!! I love home made soups and chowders.. I love Potato soup you can add 1/2 brick of lowfat Cream Cheese for creaminess and thickness also.
Thanks, Deb — we hope you enjoy this one!
AMAZING! I made a few of my own tweaks, but this is now my go-to potato soup! I added about a Tbls and a half of Tastefully Simple’s season salt, a little extra cheese (Including a little mozzarella and parm, maybe a 1/4 c of each.), and a splash of champagne vinegar to cut thru the richness. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T! (Oh, and I used 1/2 butter, 1/2 bacon fat because I didn’t have much butter left!) Most recipes I’ve tried before are too thick, too thin, and ALWAYS bland! THIS IS PERFECT! What do you think about sauteing the onion with a little red pepper before hand? THANK U!!
Thanks for sharing with us, Jen! We’re so happy you love this soup and your adaptations sound great! :)
Can you freeze this soup?
Hi Linda! Unfortunately this soup isn’t ideal for freezing, due to the high dairy content.
Can you freeze this when it’s completed? Happy
Unfortunately this soup isn’t ideal for freezing since it has so much dairy in it (dishes with lots of dairy tend to separate and the texture will change significantly once frozen).
As long as you completely cover your potatoes with the broth, you can prep them the night before. The liquid will keep them from oxidizing. I peel and chop my potatoes for mashed the night before and cover in water all the time especially around the holidays!! Hope this helps ;-)
This is the most delicious potato soup that I have eaten.
Thank you, Wanda – we hope you enjoy it!
Was wondering if you could send me the stove top potatoe soup not a fan of the slow cooker
Thanks
Kiley
Hi Kiley! We don’t have a separate stovetop recipe for this soup, but you can do this on the stovetop. Let me know if you have any questions — thanks!
I made this tonight and it’s super delicious!!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jessica!
Try adding diced green chilli which is how my grandma makes it. It’s not chilli hot but really good.
can i sub in gluten free flour??
Hi Erika! You can use a gluten-free all purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. Or, you can whisk together a cornstarch slurry (50% cornstarch, 50% water or stock) to thicken it. OR, you can leave out both of those steps, and just mash the potatoes to thicken the soup. We hope you enjoy!
I tried the Potato Soup & we loved it. I did not
add any bacon grease. I was going to freeze some
leftovers for a quick meal during cold weather, but
I didn’t have any leftovers. Thanks for your recipe!
You’re welcome — we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed it! :)
This was my very first attempt at a slow cooker potato soup. It turned out perfect my husband and i loved it. Its became his favorite way to eat potato soup thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for sharing, Leslie — we’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!
Made this tonight for dinner. So good! ?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! :)
Made tonight for dinner and it was delicious. Husband said it was keeper!
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it! :)
I just made this potato soup tonight omg was it good !!! It taste just like my mom used to make it when i was a kid cooked for 4 hours and it came out a thick cream of potato soup with chu ks of potatoes will be making this alot thanks and blessing to you! :)
Thanks for sharing with us — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
Hi, I’m not a fan of onions because of the texture, is there a way to substitute them with onion powder or something similar?
Hi Abby! You can just leave them out here, no worries. :) We hope you enjoy!
This soup is the best second time I made it
We’re so glad you love it, Shelly!