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
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
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I made the soup today. I made,some changes . I used frozen organic hash potato, bacon bits,and cooked all ingredients in a big pan. I added a few potatoe flakes to thicken.. it was wonderful. It was,cooked in about 30 mins.
Sounds delicious! :)
This is currently cooling on my stove right now it is delicious! I used Russet Potatos and the only things I added were one carrot and one stalk of celery (in cooker at the beginning) for some colour. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T and it came out amazing.
My husband is always going on about how much he loves potato soup and we argue about the ridiculous price of a bowl of soup in restaurants but he always wants it when it’s on the menu. Now he’s got a whole slow cooker of it to eat himself in the next few days. It’s sad that it doesn’t freeze well but that’s potatoes for you.
(Thank you for the note on the freezing btw, otherwise I would have froze it!)
Thanks for sharing, Niaomi, and for giving this a try! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, and we hope your husband does as well! :)
What would the recipe be if you did not use evaporated milk n used cream or milk?
It would be great — you’re totally welcome to add cream or milk instead. (I just recommend warming up the milk in advance so that it doesn’t curdle when added to the hot soup.)
I made this, with some slight substitutions to use only what I had on hand. I diced a steak instead of bacon, used beef stock instead of chicken, forgot the onion and used garlic and pepper for spice. Along with full fat sour cream and bacon grease for the roux. It turned out incredible!! Will definitely make this again.
Sounds delicious! :)
This will be perfect for dinner this week. Having chilly fall weather here in Ohio. Nothing like cuddling up with a bowl of potato soup. I love using my Crock-Pot to make soups, stews and sauces. Thanks
Awesome, hope you enjoy it! :)
This was fabulous! My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so I just threw in some ham along with the bacon! So good and perfect for fall.
Awesome, sounds delicious!!
Can you use heavy whippping cream? Instead of evaporated milk?
Sure, that will definitely work! :)
I add leeks to both potatoe soup and mashed potatoes.
We think that sounds great, John!
Made this soup today and it turned out great! I added a little more bacon to it. Love this recipe!!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Jenny (and you can never go wrong with a little more bacon)! ;)
Is there any way to do potato soup dairy free
You’re welcome to use almond milk in this recipe, and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry instead of the butter roux. It won’t be quite the same, but still pretty close. Hope that helps! :)