This slow cooker potato soup is incredibly delicious and comforting, a perfect winter dinner recipe. It requires just 15 minutes of prep time and 4 hours in the slow cooker. Slow cooker potato soup is loaded with all of your baked potato favorites: bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and onions + garlic!
I've made this at least 5 times since finding the recipe! Family favorite in our house for sure.
I'd tried potato soup a handful of times in the past, but never liked it - this recipe is AMAZING!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup is a delicious recipe made with all your loaded baked potato favorites- cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon!
It has simple and quick preparation, uses easy ingredients and tastes incredible. Potato soup can be pureed into a thick and creamy soup or kept brothy with diced potatoes. This is a fantastic and easy recipe for a cool fall or winter evening and can be served as a full dinner with a refreshing salad and a side of crusty garlic bread for dipping.
I love my slow cooker because it can make a huge batch of soup. This recipe makes enough soup to fill a 6 quart crock pot, so it's great for big families. Or, for those of you like me that like having extra to eat throughout the week.
Ingredients
Potatoes: I prefer buttery gold potatoes, but russet is a good choice, too
Onions + garlic: the perfect base for any soup; serves as your veggies here!
Chicken broth: or substitute with vegetable broth
Herbs + spices: salt, pepper, parsley
Sour cream + plain yogurt: these help to thicken the broth and give it incredible flavor; use Greek yogurt for the best results
Sharp cheddar cheese: because everything needs cheese!
Bacon (optional): because everything's better with bacon!
And, my secret ingredient: Lawry's garlic salt with parsley I seriously love this stuff. I use it whenever I can.
Plus, you'll need cornstarch to amp up the thickness, as much as you desire.
For the toppings, you can use chives or green onions, and always more cheddar.
Step-By-Step Directions
This simple recipe has 2 parts.
First, cook the bacon until it's crispy, and then break it into small pieces. While the bacon cooks, dice the onions and garlic, and peel and dice the potatoes. You can also cook the bacon later, right before the soup is done.
I only peel a little skin off my potatoes. I think the skin adds more flavor, plus it's full of nutrients. Including the skin also adds heartiness to the soup. But you can peel yours entirely if you'd like.
Then dump the onions, garlic and diced potatoes into the slow cooker, along with the herbs, spices, and broth. Set it to high for 4 hours. This preparation takes about 15-20 minutes.
For the second part, wait until the soup has cooked the full 4 hours. Then mash the potatoes until the broth reaches your desired consistency. I mash about ½ of mine. Or use an immersion blender to completely puree them.
Next, add the sour cream, yogurt, and cheese, and stir until everything is dissolved. Pressing any chunks of sour cream against the sides of the crockpot with a wooden spoon with help them dissolve completely. Thicken with cornstarch if you desired, or leave the soup brothy.
Let it cook for another 30 minutes on high, and then season with additional salt and pepper. Feel free to mash more potatoes or add more cornstarch if you want the broth thicker.
Serve seasoned with additional salt and pepper if needed, and topped with extra cheddar and chives or green onions. We love dipping garlic or crusty bread in it, too!
Variations
- make it vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and using vegetable broth
- use heavy cream in place of the cornstarch to thicken
- mix up the cheeses: use a combination of sharp cheddar and another, like gruyere, asiago, or parmesan
Storing
Store slow cooker potato soup in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To defrost, put in the fridge overnight.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 3 lbs gold potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 3 ½ cups cheddar cheese
- 1 ⅓ cups sour cream
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoon cornstarch plus cold water
- 10 cooked bacon slices broken into pieces
- green onions for serving
Instructions
- Put diced potatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, garlic salt, parsley, and chicken broth in the slow cooker and set to high for 4 hours. If using bacon, add it now, reserving a bit for serving.
- When done, mash potatoes until you reach your desired consistency. Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup til it's smooth. Stir in sour cream and yogurt, mixing until well blended into the soup. Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted and the soup's broth is smooth.
- For a thicker soup mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cool water and add to the slow cooker. Let simmer for 30 more minutes.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve topped with cheddar, green onions or chives, and bacon bits.
Instant Pot Directions
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot and set to saute on high for 3 minutes. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently. Turn off saute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and deglaze the pot thoroughly. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt. Close and seal the lid. Set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Allow a 10 minute natural release, followed by a controlled quick release of the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and stir.
- Add sour cream and yogurt and stir to incorporate. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to your desired consistency, leaving some diced potatoes. You can also remove some potatoes prior to blending and add them back when you're finished.
- Set the Instant Pot back to saute on high for 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of water and mix until smooth. Add to the soup, mix, and saute for 3 minutes until thickened. Stir frequently.
- Turn off saute and transfer the inner pot to a heat-proof surface. Wait 1 minute, then stir in the cheddar cheese until a smooth soup has formed.
- Serve topped with bacon, chives, and extra cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Jennifer
I mashed half the potato mixture and left half in tact. Absolutely delicious!
Jlbvk
I like potato chunks in my soup. Can you mash 1/2 and keep the other half in chunks?
Kristina Tipps
Absolutely! I like it with some potato chunks too. You can mash it to the consistency that you like, whether that's really smooth or very chunky. Enjoy!
Meghan
Are you adding uncooked bacon to the pot as it cooks? Or did you cook it before?
Kristina Tipps
Hi Meghan- the recipe calls for adding already cooked bacon (listed in the ingredients). Uncooked bacon would let out a lot of fat into the broth.
Dee
Made this tonight and everyone loved it!
Dee
Made this tonight and we loved it!
Noreen von Borstel
So good and easy, great for potluck!
Dianna DeMoss
Can this soup be frozen?
Kristina Tipps
Yes it can be frozen.
Dana Hume
Great loaded potato soup recipe! I love using the Yukon Gold potatoes- so buttery. For the cheddar cheese, I used a smokey cheddar that I had left over (yum! added another layer of flavor) and a couple of slices of Boars Head sliced American cheese - so smooth. Everyone loved this recipe! ~KEEPER~
Kristina Tipps
Dana, that sounds delicious! Thank you for the feedback, I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Dana Hume
Great loaded potato soup recipe! I love using the Yukon Gold potatoes- so buttery. For the cheddar cheese, I used a smokey cheddar that I had left over (yum! added another layer of flavor) and a couple of slices of Boars Head sliced American cheese - so smooth. Everyone loved this recipe! ~KEEPER~
Nicola
Hi,
Could I cook this on low for eight hours so I can start it before I go to work?
Kristina Tipps
Yes, that would be fine. Enjoy!
cass
if i cut my potatoes fairly small would it cook in 3 hours?
Kristina Tipps
Yes, they should.
Patricia
Can you freeze the potatoe soup?
Kristina
Yes! The texture will change slightly but once you warm it up, it should be back to the original creamy texture as when your first made it.
Kellia
I've made this at least 5 times since finding the recipe! Family favorite in our house for sure.
I'd tried potato soup a handful of times in the past, but never liked it - this recipe is AMAZING!
Mary Blake
Can u make ahead and reheat?
Kristina
Yes you can! When it's cool the soup will appear very thick but once warmed, it will regain it's creamy soup texture.
Belinda Voss
Absolutely delicious. Huge hit with our camping friends on a cold fall afternoon!! Thank you.
Kristina
I'm really glad it was a hit!
Michelle
Does the cooked bacon go in while the potatoes are cooking for 4hrs or just before mashing them?
Kristina
It goes in while the potatoes are cooking.
Belinda Voss
How many 8oz serving does this make? Love the click button to double and triple the recipe!!
Kristina
Hi Belinda. It makes 8, eight ounce servings for a total of 64 ounces of soup. Enjoy!
Tristin
Oh this was good soup! It was getting chilly here already last week, so I had to find a great soup recipe and this one fit the bill!
Tammy
Ahhh this looks amazing! So comforting and satisfying for a chilly Autumn day. I would love to cozy up with a bowl of this!
Sean
One of my favorite soups and this recipe was so good it disappeared in one day.
Linda
Yum! The soup is like a loaded baked potato in a bowl! I love the easy prep and what comes out was thick, delicious and oh so creamy. It's one I'll be making over and over through the cold winter months.
Judi
Can’t wait to make this soup! But, you may want to edit the recipe to say SOUP, right now it says SOAP. Kind of funny!
Kristina
Fixed! That is too funny= thanks autocorrect!
Jessica
I love recipes that are big enough to have leftovers! My family is going to enjoy this at home and we don't have to go to the $$ restaurant anymore...win, win!!
Veronika
This recipe is amazing! Made it yesterday and my whole family loved it! So easy to prep and great flavors 😉
Amanda
This soup is so, so good! It's perfectly creamy and hearty, and the Instant Pot makes the whole process super simple. Glad it's soup season again so I can put this on the regular rotation!
Marta
I loved that I could set this loaded baked potato soup in the slow cooker and get some work done while it simmered away. This is a definite must for the upcoming cooler weather.
Hayley Dhanecha
This potato soup looks amazing ! I am going make this weekend, I know my family will love it.
Enri Lemoine
My kind of winter recipe Kristina. No wonder you have more than 10K shares. This chowder was absolutely heaven! Thanks for the recipe!
Tammy
Can you taste the sour cream or does it taste regular, if you know what I’m trying to say. Thanks
Kristina
Hi Tammy- you cannot taste the sour cream at all. I do not like sour cream, and do not eat it plain but I love the soup!
Jackie
It has great flavor but wish it was a little creamier.
Katherine Yoder-Baert
Made this recipe today and it was amazingly delicious!!!! This will be saved to my favorites. Best potato soup next to my Dad’s❤️
Kellia
Made this last week, and making it again tonight! I've had potato soup a few times in the past and always disliked it, however I LOVE this recipe! Sooooo good!
Kristina
Thank you for the feedback, and I'm so glad you found a recipe that you love!
Sondra Barker
Yum! Such a delicious and wholesome dinner recipe!
Jessica Formicola
You had me sold at "loaded!" I love soup all year round, and this loaded potato soup is the best! Can't wait to make it again!