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Our Crockpot Potato Soup recipe is so thick and creamy, loaded with cheddar and bacon, and easy to make in the slow cooker.
Would you believe that my husband gets a little huffy about soup being the main dish of a meal?
I’m sorry, husband, but ain’t nobody got time to cook a 7 course meal on a busy school night.
You’ll eat your soup and you’ll like it.
(Okay, okay, he never actually complains, but I KNOW. He prefers a plate o’ meat as his dinner.)
Luckily, we both like this crockpot potato soup recipe because it’s super filling and hearty! Plus I add bacon and the man never complains when bacon is involved. 😉
We love this Crock Pot Potato Soup so much that we made an Instant Pot version for days when we don’t have time to let our soup slow cook. Check out our Instant Pot Potato Soup if you’re in a hurry – it’s basically this same soup, just a different method!
Ingredient Notes:
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Potatoes – We love russet potatoes. They’re perfect for baking and they work really well for potato soup. You could use other varieties but I’ve only tried this with the russets.
Bacon – This adds a little smoky flavor and salty bite.
Chicken Broth – You’ll need some broth to act as the base for the potato soup, and it’ll add plenty of flavor that will get absorbed into the potatoes as they slow cook.
Cream – This is a creamy potato soup recipe! To get the perfect creamy flavor you’ll make a flour and milk mixture to go in with the soup along with some heavy cream and evaporated milk. And then there is the cheese…
Cheddar – A whole two cups of grated cheese will go into this cheesy potato soup. If you can freshly grate some, all the better! If not, the shredded stuff from the store works too.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- This crockpot potato soup is so perfectly creamy and cheesy and it’s just what you need on a cold fall or winter day!
- We love how you can load this soup up with lots of extra toppings like more cheese, green onion, and bacon!
How To Make Crockpot Cheesy Potato Soup:
Bacon: To start, you’ll want to chop some bacon and fry it up. When it’s nearly cooked through, add some onions and garlic to the skillet and let them soften up. They’re a perfect addition to potato soup and will add lots of flavor.
Potatoes: Add the cooked bacon, onion, and garlic to your slow cooker along with the peeled and diced russet potatoes. Pour the chicken broth over the top.
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 5,000 reviews on Amazon!
Slow Cook: Cover your slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. It doesn’t get much simpler than crockpot potato soup!
Cream: Once the potatoes are fork tender, you’ll add flour and milk to a mason jar. Tightly close the lid and shake shake shake to combine.
Pour the flour mixture into the crockpot along with a can of evaporated milk, heavy cream, and grated cheddar. This slow cooker potato soup is going to be so creamy and cheesy!
Mash: Cover the crockpot and cook on high for another 30 minutes to thicken the creamy potato soup. Use a potato masher and mash some of the potatoes. It makes the soup extra thick and creamy. You can leave as many or as few chunks of potatoes as you like. Just mash until you reach your desired consistency.
Loaded Crock Pot Potato Soup:
I can never leave well enough alone when it comes to potato soup.
It should ALWAYS be loaded up with good stuff, if you ask me.
Just ladle your soup into your bowl and then top with grated cheddar, fried and crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions.
There you have it – loaded potato soup! Simple, right?
What To Serve with Crockpot Potato Soup:
Bread: Our quick dinner rolls are so light and fluffy – perfect for dipping in your soup! Of course, our beer bread and sweet cornbread recipe also go great with soup!
Crackers: Crackers and soup are BFFs and they add the perfect crunch to this potato soup recipe!
Green Salad: Nothing beats soup and salad! Try a nice salad topped with our Greek dressing, Honey Mustard dressing, Avocado Ranch dressing, or even our tzatziki sauce!
Sandwich: Our Hawaiian sliders are always a hit, and you can’t beat an air fryer grilled cheese!
FAQs:
This soup will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 days if well covered. And like most soups, it’s often better the next day! You can reheat it on the stove or in the crockpot. Be sure to stir in some extra milk if you think it needs it. The soup does tend to get quite thick as it sets.
I haven’t tried freezing it. From what I’ve read it sounds like you can but the potatoes may not hold up all that well and the soup could lose some taste or consistency.
MORE CROCKPOT RECIPES!
- Crock Pot Pork Chops: Smothered pork chops made simple in the slow cooker. Serve these over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Wings: These wings come out tender and juicy every time and are finished under the broiler for perfect crispy skin!
- Slow Cooker Ribs: If you’ve never cooked ribs in the slow cooker before, you’re going to be so surprised with how perfect they are!
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing: Serious comfort food!
- Crockpot Pork Roast: Shred the roast up and serve over mashed potatoes!
- Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup: This cheesy classic soup recipe is made easy in a slow cooker!
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken: This chicken is perfect served on a bun or in a baked sweet potato!
Crockpot Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- ½ sweet onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- 5 baking potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 cups grated cheddar
- bacon, green onions, cheddar, for topping the soup
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a large skillet and fry until nearly crisp.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet with the bacon and cook until onion has softened and garlic is fragrant.
- Add the bacon, onion, and garlic to a 6 quart slow cooker with the chicken broth and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the flour and milk to a mason jar and close tightly. Shake well to combine. Alternately, whisk the flour and milk together in a small bowl.
- Pour flour mixture into the soup and stir to combine. Add the cream, evaporated milk, and grated cheddar to the soup and stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 30 more minutes.
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to reach the desired thickness for the soup. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with cheddar, bacon, and green onion, if desired.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in August 2018. It was updated January 2023. Original photos below.
Shawn says
Made this for my wife and I I’ve always liked potato soup when we’ve been out and wondered how hard could it actually be to make at home and I’m glad I ran across your recipe had to finish it on the stove in a bigger pot as I used 8 potatoes and the whole thing of chicken broth the rest of the liquid ingredients wouldn’t have fit our crockpot this was the best potato soup ever. Thanks for sharing
Karly says
So glad this was a hit! 🙂
Faye says
Can I use gold potatoes
Karly says
I haven’t tried it, but it should work fine.
Annie says
Thus recipe is perfect as is!!! Very flavorful, thickens up nicely, and plenty of potatoes!! Thanks for sharing this!!! Three other family members asked for the recipe!!
Karly says
So glad you all enjoyed it!
Carla says
I love potato soup, I, too, add cheese and when the soup tastes the way I want it to, I use a handheld device that will puree the soup, so that is is creamy, then I add the diced ham and sprinkle more cheese on top, along with that large dollop of sour cream . My husband, who prior to our getting married, detested soup of any type, now he loves them. His mom, he told me, hated cooking and cleaning, thus he married me, I love to cook and I have a “tad” of OCD in me.
Nicole says
Hi there, my household is gluten free. Is there a way I can use corn starch to thicken rather than flour, and if so, what ratio would I use?
Thanks!
Karly says
I’m sure that cornstarch would work fine, but I’m not sure what ratio you’d need to use.
Carla says
Nicole, My husband is G.F. and has been for twelve years, due to the recent hybrid wheat that withstands both drought and heavy rain. This change caused 7% of the population, maybe more, to be intolerant of the change. Thus, I use cornstarch, in fact, my grandmother used cornstarch and I learned to cook from her. so I never did use flour to thicken soups or gravies.
I mix the cornstarch with some milk or water and add it to soups and gravies that I make from “scratch.” I add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering, bubbling soup or gravy slowly until it is the thickness that I want. Then I taste it if it tastes “starchy” I simmer it until it no longer tastes starchy. I must admit I have been cooking for over 60 years and am getting lazy, so I now use boxed, prepared G.F. gravy any time that I am able. McCormicks has great-tasting G.F. gravies, turkey, chicken and beef. So far I have not seen a pork gravy that is G.F. but when we have pork I use the chicken gravy, because, pork is “the other white meat.” LOL
Lindsey says
Hi Karly! I love all of your recipes! So many have become favorites in my household! I made this one tonight and because I was short on time I used the Ore Ida frozen diced hash brown potatoes and used 4 cups of broth and it was amazing!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Karly says
Oh, great shortcut! Thanks for sharing!
Barb Russell says
Sounds like the soup I make on the stove and it is yummy but I don’t add the cheese!! I also add a dollop of sour cream and a dash of fresh chives on the top of the soup when I serve it. You could also add a little shredded cheddar cheese as well
Kelly says
Mine’s almost done in the crockpot and tastes yummy! It’s really, really thick. If I like a little less-thick soup, can I add some water? I used the last of the chicken broth for the recipe. Thanks!
Karly says
I would probably add some milk in to thin it, but water would work as well.
Dana Higgins says
How many potatoes do I use
Karly says
As stated in the recipe card, 5 potatoes are needed for this recipe. 🙂
Zona says
Wow! This soup looks beautiful and delicious. I need to make this soon!
Betty says
Hi, Karly, I made this crock pot potato soup and it’s Delicious! Sometimes I add instant potatoes to thicken my soups and stews. This is the only way I use them!
Linda says
O.M.G.!!! Just got done making this – stovetop – AMAZING!!! Tastes a lot like a loaded baked potato only better! Mine came out so thick, you could almost eat with a fork, but I savored every bite with a spoon!! Super hot outside today – central Florida heat and humidity but rainy all day so soup was perfect!! Thanks!!
Karly says
So glad to hear it works on the stove! I imagine it was thicker since the liquid boiled off/evaporated on the stove and doesn’t do that with the crockpot. 🙂
Elisha says
What times and temperature did you cook it on the stove?!
Darlene says
Any time you make soups on the stove top you should set it to a low medium heat setting. I’ve made potato soup all my life on the stove top, never owned a crock pot until 2 years ago. The differences between the two is on the stove top if you cook too long your potatoes get a bit mushy whereas in the crock pot they keep their firmness. I prefer not to mash the potatoes. What’s the point of potato soup if you’re going to turn them into mush :o) I know, it’s to get a creamy potato soup. Anyhoo, try it next time without mashing the potatoes and cut them up in to nice bite sized pieces. Also, try adding a little chopped celery. And for thickening just add a couple tablespoons to a cup of milk and still well. You can also use Corn Starch, but if so use half the amount of flour. Trust me…I’ve been cooking for over 55 years.
Karen M. Chapman says
Now I know what I’m making for dinner next week! Yum!
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Vera says
Can leftovers be frozen??
Karly says
I would think so, though I haven’t tried it myself.
Ivory says
This dish looks so mouthwatering delicious. Yummy!
Brian says
What’s the serving size for the nutritional information? Thanks! I’ll make a vegan version.
Karly says
The nutrition information is calculated on this serving 10.