Slow Cooker Potato Soup

$8.10 serving / $1.35 serving
by Marsha McDougal
4.31 from 53 votes
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I could literally eat a bowl of creamy potato soup every single day. There was a time when I would call my favorite lunch spots each week just to see if the “soup of the day” was potato soup! Yes, I was that hooked. But nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, beats the taste of homemade potato soup! Even better when the slow cooker does all the work for you. This Slow Cooker Potato Soup is rich, creamy, comforting, and absolutely delicious!

Overhead photo of slow cooker potato soup in a white bowl with sour cream, green onions, and shredded cheese on top.

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If you don’t have a slow cooker you can still enjoy a warm bowl of potato soup by making our stovetop Loaded Potato Soup recipe.

Ingredients For Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Here are the ingredients you need to make this delicious, velvety potato soup recipe!

  • Vegetables: A combination of carrots, celery, onion and garlic were used to add depth, flavor, and texture to the soup.
  • Potatoes: Potatoes are of course the foundation for this soup. We used Yukon gold potatoes because we love their creamy texture and they hold up well in the slow cooker. Russet potatoes are also a great option.
  • Seasoning: A simple combination of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper seasons the soup.
  • Chicken Broth: Make sure to use a very flavorful chicken broth as a LOT of the soup flavor will come from the broth. We use Better than Bouillon to make our broth.
  • Flour: A quick and simple slurry with all-purpose flour and water is needed to thicken the soup. We tested the recipe without the slurry and it makes a BIG difference.
  • Heavy Cream & Sour Cream: Heavy cream also helps thicken the soup and gives it a creamy texture. Sour cream adds even more flavor and creaminess to the soup!
  • Cheddar Cheese & Green Onions: We finished the soup with a final pop of extra flavor and color with some fresh shredded cheddar cheese and sliced green onions.

Topping Options

There are several different toppings you can choose from to finish your creamy potato soup. Try any of these options: shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions or chives, sour cream, greek yogurt, chopped bacon, homemade croutons, or extra fresh cracked black pepper.

What To Serve With Potato Soup

Just like many soup recipes, this slow cooker potato soup pairs well with a simple side salad, a Caesar salad, or even a fresh pasta salad like our Broccoli Pasta Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette. Soups and sandwiches are also a great combination. Try serving this potato soup with a Chicken Caesar Wrap or a gourmet Spinach and Feta Grilled Cheese!

Storing Leftovers

Store any leftover potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. We would not recommend freezing this potato soup recipe. All the dairy and anything thickened with flour or cornstarch tends to separate upon thawing.

Potato soup in a slow cooker with shredded cheese, sliced green onions and a napkin on the side.
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Slow Cooker Potato Soup

4.31 from 53 votes
This creamy Slow Cooker Potato Soup is rich, comforting and hearty, plus the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting for you!
Overhead photo of slow cooker potato soup in a white bowl with sour cream, green onions, and shredded cheese on top.
Servings 6 1.5 cups each
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 3 hours 10 minutes
Total 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 stalks celery ($0.50)
  • 2 carrots ($0.30)
  • 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
  • 3 cloves garlic ($0.24)
  • 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes ($3.29)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
  • 3 cups chicken broth ($0.51)
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.04)
  • 2 Tbsp water ($0.00)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.68)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.53)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided ($1.16)
  • 3 green onions, sliced & divided ($0.36)
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Instructions 

  • Wash and dice the celery stalks, peel and dice the carrots, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into ½ – ¾ inch chunks.
  • Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and the garlic to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker or crock pot. Then add the Italian seasoning, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to the slow cooker.
  • Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables and spices in the slow cooker. Stir all the ingredients together so that everything is evenly distributed. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours.
  • Once the potatoes are almost finished cooking, make a quick flour slurry by adding the flour and water to a small bowl and whisking together until smooth and there are no lumps.
  • After the potato soup has cooked for 3 hours, check to make sure the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Now add the slurry, heavy cream, and sour cream to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine, replace the lid, and continue to cook on high for an additional 10 minutes.
  • During the last 10 minutes of cooking, while the slurry and heavy cream are thickening the soup, shred the cheddar cheese and slice the green onions.
  • Remove the slow cooker lid then use a potato masher to mash the potato chunks into smaller pieces. Add ½ cup of the shredded cheese and half of the sliced green onions. Stir until the cheese has melted into the soup.
  • Taste the soup and adjust the salt or black pepper to your liking. Use the remaining shredded cheese and green onions to garnish individual bowls. Serve hot and enjoy!

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Equipment

  • Slow Cooker
  • Chef’s Knife
  • White Cutting Boards

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 12gFat: 18gSodium: 1086mgFiber: 6g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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A spoonful of soup being lifted from the bowl.

How To Make Slow COoker Potato Soup – Step By Step PHotos

Diced carrots, diced onion, diced celery, and minced garlic on a cutting board.

Wash and dice 2 celery stalks, peel and dice 2 carrots, dice 1 onion, and mince 3 garlic cloves.

Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped on a cutting board.

Wash, peel, and chop 3 lbs. of Yukon gold potatoes into roughly ½ – ¾ inch chunks.

Diced vegetables, potatoes, seasoning and chicken broth added to a slow cooker.

Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and the garlic to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker or crock pot. Then add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, 1 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper to the slow cooker. Next pour 3 cups of chicken broth over the vegetables and spices in the slow cooker.

Potato soup ingredients added to a slow cooker and mixed.

Stir all the ingredients together so that everything is evenly distributed. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Once the potatoes are almost finished cooking, make a quick flour slurry by adding 2 Tbsp of flour and 2 Tbsp of water to a small bowl and whisking together until smooth and there are no lumps.

Heavy cream and sour cream added to potato soup in a slow cooker.

After the potato soup has cooked for 3 hours, check to make sure the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Now add the flour slurry, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of sour cream to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine, replace the lid, and continue to cook on high for an additional 10 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, while the slurry and heavy cream are thickening the soup, shred the cheddar cheese and slice 3 green onions.

Potato soup ingredients being mashed with a potato masher in a slow cooker.

Remove the slow cooker lid then use a potato masher to mash the potato chunks into smaller pieces.

Shredded cheese and green onions being added to potato soup in a slow cooker.

Add ½ cup of the shredded cheese and half of the sliced green onions. Stir until the cheese has melted into the soup.

Potato soup in a slow cooker with shredded cheese, sliced green onions and a napkin on the side.

Taste the soup and adjust the salt or black pepper to your liking.

Overhead view of two bowls of slow cooker potato soup.

Use the remaining shredded cheese and green onions to garnish individual bowls. We also topped ours with a little soup cream and some freshly cracked black pepper. Simple, creamy, delicious, and SO GOOD!

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  1. Really tasty! Made a few adjustments but nothing too major. Made it gluten free by replacing the flour with 1 tbs of cornstarch (and using 1 tbs of water). I changed the chicken broth to vegetable broth + faux chicken bouillons to make it vegetarian and used leeks instead of onions because that’s what I had. I also used an emulsion blender instead of a masher because I wanted a bit smoother of a consistency.

  2. Not my favorite. I used my instant pot as a slow cooker which was one challenge. But I also found the flavor just meh. I added extra cheddar and Gruyรจre cheese.

  3. Followed the recipe exactly (plus a little extra salt and MSG) and it was great. I added crumbled bacon on top.

  4. Not sure what I did wrong but 3.5 hours on high and the veggies and potatoes are still crunchy. My family refused to eat it.

    1. Was the soup simmering? If there is an issue with the heating element in the slow cooker and it never came up to a simmer, the vegetables won’t cook properly.

    2. Having a similar issue this very second. Only thing I can think is that my crockpot isn’t trapping enough heat or let too much out when I gave it a quick stir after the first hour. Got half of it on the stove now to try and finish quickly.

      Excellent flavor though

  5. Delicious, hearty, vegetarian, and the whole family liked it. Win, win, win, WIN!

  6. Sounded good, had all the ingredients, so I tried it tonight. What a hit. VERY flavorful. I blended it, so it was very thick. Comfort food in a bowl. Thanks for sharing this. Will definitely be my go to potato soup recipe.

  7. Brilliant, made this early morning and left it in cooker for the crew to eat for lunch. -4 outside on deck so you can imagine my ravenous crew wolfing that lovely soup down.

    I will pass the ingredients on to other yachties.

    Thank you

  8. Very tasty! I wanted to keep it vegetarian, so I used unsalted vegetable broth and added some plant-based bacon. Still very rich and delicious!

  9. How will this be if completely blended? Trying to hide the veggies from my kids ;) Should I blend before or after I add the cream/sour cream?

    1. It’d probably be super thick and delicious. :) I’d probably blend after the cream and sour cream, but before the cheese.

  10. Really enjoyed this easy recipe. We followed the recipe to the T and it came out great. I did add in some different seasonings to my own bowl. We will keep this on rotation. Loved getting my crockpot out for soup season!

  11. Hi There,
    Could the potatoes, etc, be cooked on low for 8 hours while I’m at work instead of high for 3hrs.??

    1. Yes, but that’s going to be a little extra cooking time so your vegetables will definitely soften and break down more, so you’ll have less texture in the soup.

  12. Has anyone tried plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Working on upping my protein :)

    1. Greek yogurt doesn’t really work for me in recipes like this one–if you want to up protein and cut fat, just use milk, preferably whole milk, but 2%, which is the one in my fridge, works, too. I always use milk in potato soup as I prefer the flavor of milk over cream in this instance. I’m a great fan of Greek yogurt, BTW. I get whole milk plain Greek yogurt in qt containers and use it a lot, but it tends to break, ie separate, in soups or anything else cooked at high temps. If used in a recipe like this, it needs to be added at the very end of cooking–like when the dish is off heat–and it doesn’t reheat well. I haven’t used it in this particular recipe, but my comment is based on earlier experiences.

  13. Super easy and filling. After I blended I added cubes ham and then topped with cheese and sour cream! Everyone in my family liked it.

  14. Can unsweetened coconut milk (from the can) be used instead of cow’s milk? Or is there another plant based milk that would be recommended?

    1. Hi, Beth! Since we haven’t tested this recipe with coconut milk, I can’t promise you will have equally successful results using it as a substitution. (My worry is more so because of the slower cooker than the ingredient itself!) Using coconut milk will significantly change the flavor of the final result — but that probably isn’t a bad thing! Lots of curries use it as a base, and I happen to also love the flavor. It will also be a lot creamier than our version! You could also likely substitute the dairy milk with unsweetened almond or oat milk. ~ Marion :)