Crock Pot Potato Soup Recipe

This crock pot potato soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food for fall and winter dinners. Made entirely in the slow cooker with chicken broth, cream cheese, corn, carrots, and fresh potatoes or hash browns. Favorite food of picky eaters. Includes vegetarian option.

I love this potato soup recipe. Year-round, we eat it at least once a month.

To make our mornings easier, we prepare our potato chowed the night before we want to eat it. We do all of the dicing, chopping, and mixing, and then put the mixture into the removable crock for our largest Crock Pot.

We put the crock in the fridge or out on the porch (when it's cold enough).

In the morning, all I need to do is set the crock in the Crock Pot and turn it on.

When it's dinnertime, we put the cream cheese in, set the table, and eat.

Why this is the best easy Crockpot potato soup recipe

This recipe is so easy. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, then you let the Crock Pot work its magic.

If you use a bag of frozen hash browns, the prep time for this soup goes to less than 5 minutes. I can't think of an easier meal.

Because the potatoes and vegetables are left whole, the soup has a nice bite to it. However, if you prefer a totally smooth soup, it's easy to make that happen after it's all cooked.

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What you'll need to make Crock pot Potato Soup

Equipment

Obviously, you'll need a slow cooker to make Crock pot soup. You'll also need a garlic press. If you don't have a garlic press, mince the garlic as small as possible with a sharp knife.

Ingredients

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Chopped raw potatoes, chopped - This is approximately 10 medium-sized potatoes. If you're chopping your own potatoes, I recommend Yukon golds which are sometimes labeled yellow potatoes. They have the best creamy texture and flavor in the soup. It is not necessary to peel Yukon gold potatoes first, but you can if you want to. If you're using russet potatoes, you should peel them first as they have a tough skin that is unpleasant to chew.
  If you want a shortcut (and who doesn't?), you can buy a bag of cubed hash brown potatoes and use them instead. I typically thaw overnight in the fridge before adding to the Crock Pot, but if you forget, just throw them in frozen.
• Chopped onion - If, like me, you have an onion hater, you could use onion powder instead.
• Chopped carrots - These add some color to the finished soup.
• Frozen corn kernels - You don't have to measure, just throw in a couple of handfuls.
• Fresh garlic, pressed or minced
• Chicken broth - I use low sodium, fat-free broth, but you can use whatever you want. Also, to make the soup vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock.
• Condensed cream of chicken soup - You can substitute any cream soup here, including cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or homemade cream of something soup.
• Black pepper
• Low-fat cream cheese, also called neufchâtel - This makes the soup creamy and delicious. Some recipes use sour cream or even Greek yogurt, but I prefer the rich creaminess of the cream cheese. I think it's way better!

How to make slow cooker potato soup from scratch

1. Add diced potatoes, all the vegetables, garlic, cream of chicken soup, and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker.
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2. Add the chicken broth and stir.
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3. Cook 8-10 hours on low, until the carrots and potatoes are fork tender.
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4. Add the cream cheese to the soup and cook another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the block of cheese.
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5. It is done when the cream cheese is completely incorporated, and the soup has a creamy texture. Taste and add salt if needed.
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6. To serve, top with chopped green onion, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese and ladle into bowls.
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Do you need to boil the potatoes before making Crockpot potato soup?

No. That's the beauty of this soup. You can just dump all the ingredients raw into the crock pot, and 8 hours later, you have a beautiful and delicious potato soup!

How do you thicken potato soup?

I thicken this soup using a block of cream cheese.

Slow cooker potato soup topping ideas

The toppings give this potato soup a loaded baked potato vibe, so don't skip them! Here are my favorite toppings:

• Crumbled bacon
• Chopped chives
• Chopped green onions
• Lots of sharp or mild cheddar cheese
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Crackers

Potato soup variations

If you don't want to use commercial cream soup, you can make your own (vegetarian or meat-based) cream of something soup using this recipe from Once a Month Mom.

You can fry and chop a pound of bacon and add that in the beginning. It adds an extra step, but you could also sauté the onions and carrots in the bacon grease before adding them to the Crock Pot. It would give the soup a different and interesting flavor.

We really enjoy this soup as it is with chunks of potato, corn, carrot, and onion. However, I know that some people prefer their potato soup smooth. If you do, simply use an immersion blender right in the CrockPot and blend until the soup reaches your desired consistency. Sprinkle with chives, green onions, bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, or whatever garnish you prefer for a loaded baked potato soup flavor. It is *possible* to use a traditional blender to make the soup smooth, but you have to be VERY careful as hot liquid in a traditional blender can make the blender explode. Obviously, I do not recommend this. An immersion blender is much safer and more reliable.

As stated in the ingredients section, you can use frozen hash browns in place of the raw potatoes. This is my favorite shortcut and one I use pretty much every time.

Vegetarian soup

To make this easy crockpot potato soup recipe vegetarian, simply use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth and cream of mushroom or cream of celery or homemade cream of something soup.

Crockpot corn chowder

I have shared a really good Crockpot corn chowder recipe, so check that out. But if you're committed to making this potato soup into corn chowder, simply reduce the potatoes by half and double or triple the corn.

Can Crock Pot potato soup be made ahead?

Yes. You can make this potato soup up to two days ahead and store it in the fridge. To serve, reheat in the Crock Pot or on the stovetop.

Storing leftover CrockPot potato chowder

This recipe makes a lot of soup. When completely cool, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.

To reheat potato soup, microwave for 30 seconds at a time until hot.

I do not recommend freezing this soup as the cream cheese will separate and it will be weird.

More easy soup recipes

Check out these other delicious soups, stews, and chowders while you're here:

• Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
• Slow cooker cheeseburger soup
• World's Best Bacon Chili
• Cheesy Vegetable Soup
• Crockpot Corn Chowder
• Simple & Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup - Uses grocery store ingredients, nothing fancy!
• Crockpot Beef Stew
• Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• How to Make Soup from Scratch

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