This is the soup version of a fully loaded baked potato: soft, creamy potatoes, a lot of cheddar, and all the good stuff piled on top. The slow cooker does almost all the work. You chop a few potatoes and an onion in the morning, and at dinner time you spend five minutes mashing and stirring in the cheese. That’s the whole idea behind this crockpot loaded potato soup.
Most crockpot potato soup recipes throw the cream and cheese in at the start. That’s where they go wrong. Dairy that cooks for eight hours tends to curdle or turn grainy, and you end up with a soup that looks broken. Here the dairy goes in at the very end, which gives you a smooth, thick soup every time.
Cook’s note: Try not to lift the lid during the first few hours. Each peek lets heat escape and can add 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.
RECIPE
Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lb russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 oz cream cheese softened and cubed
- 1 cup half-and-half warmed
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar freshly shredded
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- sour cream
- green onions or chives sliced
- extra shredded cheddar
Method
- Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, broth, salt, pepper and thyme to a 6-quart slow cooker. The broth should come most of the way up the potatoes but not fully cover them.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until a potato cube falls apart when pressed with a spoon.
- Mash the soup right in the slow cooker with a potato masher until about half the potatoes are broken down and the rest are chunky.
- Stir in the cream cheese until it melts completely. Then stir in the warm half-and-half and the cheddar a handful at a time.
- Cover and cook on low for 15 to 20 more minutes, until hot. Don’t let it boil after the dairy goes in. Taste and add salt.
- Serve topped with bacon, a spoonful of sour cream, green onions and more cheese.
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Why This Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup Works
- Russet potatoes. Their starch breaks down and thickens the soup naturally, so there’s no flour or cornstarch slurry needed.
- Half mashed, half chunky. Mashing only part of the potatoes gives you a creamy base with real bites of potato, like the inside of a baked potato.
- Cream cheese first, then the rest. Cream cheese melts smoothly and holds the cheddar in the soup, so it doesn’t turn stringy or oily.
- Warm the half-and-half. Cold dairy poured into a very hot soup is a common reason for curdling. Thirty seconds in the microwave solves it.
- Shred your own cheese. Bagged shredded cheddar has anti-caking starch, which makes the soup a little gritty. A block of sharp cheddar melts much better.
Fresh Potatoes or Frozen Hash Browns?
Both work, and people argue about it a lot. Here’s the honest comparison:
- Fresh russets have better flavor and a more natural, fluffy texture. They take 10 minutes of peeling and chopping.
- Frozen diced hash browns (the cubed kind, not shredded) save that time and cook an hour or two faster. The texture is a bit firmer and more uniform. Use a 30 oz bag and check the label for added salt.
If you’re peeling fresh potatoes the night before, keep the cubes covered in cold water in the fridge so they don’t turn gray. Drain them well before they go in.
Getting the Thickness Right
Potato soup thickens a lot as it stands, so it’s better to aim slightly thinner than you want. Too thin? Mash more of the potatoes, or leave the lid off on high for 20 minutes. Too thick? Stir in warm broth or milk a splash at a time. It’ll also firm up in the fridge overnight, so plan to loosen it when you reheat.
Easier Bacon
Frying bacon while you’re also dealing with soup is a lot of juggling. Instead, lay the slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp. No splatter, and you can do it in the afternoon before the soup is ready. For extra flavor, stir a tablespoon of the bacon fat into the soup with the cheese.
Variations
- Lighter: use whole milk instead of half-and-half and Neufchâtel instead of cream cheese.
- Vegetarian: vegetable broth and smoked paprika on top in place of the bacon.
- Ham and potato: stir in 2 cups of diced ham with the cheese. A great way to use holiday leftovers.
- Broccoli cheddar potato: add 2 cups of small broccoli florets for the last 45 minutes.
- Cheesier: if you’re a fan of the crockpot Velveeta mac and cheese, swap half the cheddar for 4 oz of cubed Velveeta for an extra-smooth, melty soup.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, with the toppings stored separately. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low, stirring often and adding a splash of milk. Freezing is tricky: finished potato soup with dairy separates and turns grainy once thawed. If you want to freeze it, freeze the soup after mashing but before the cream cheese, half-and-half and cheddar go in. Then add the dairy after reheating.
One food safety note: the slow cooker “warm” setting is fine for serving for a couple of hours, but don’t leave the soup sitting out overnight to cool in the crock. Move leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, as the USDA recommends for leftovers.
Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup FAQs
Do I need to peel the potatoes? No. Unpeeled russets give a more rustic soup with more fiber. Just scrub them well.
Can I use Yukon Gold potatoes? Yes. They make a creamier, more buttery soup, but it’ll be a little less thick than with russets.
Why did my soup curdle? The dairy was added too early, it was too cold, or the soup boiled after it went in. Low heat and warm dairy at the end fix it.
Can I make it on the stove instead? Yes. Simmer the potatoes, onion, garlic and broth covered for about 20 minutes until tender, then continue from the mashing step.
If you love thick, cheesy soups, the cheese and corn chowder is another one to try, as are this Irish funeral soup and the one pot lasagna soup, and there are more in our soup recipes.
