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You only need 6 ingredients for this creamy, cheesy, Crockpot Potato Soup! Garnish each bowl with plenty of bacon, chives, green onions, sour cream, or cheddar cheese. The loaded baked potato soup is delicious alongside a crisp green salad, a loaf of crusty bread, or a pan of cornbread!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Total comfort food! With this Crockpot Potato Soup, you get all of the flavors of your favorite loaded baked potatoes — without actually baking the potatoes! Instead, the slow cooker does the work while you go about your day. Pile on the toppings, like sour cream, green onion, bacon, and cheese, and you’ve got a creamy, hearty chowder that’s satisfying enough for a weeknight dinner.
You just can’t beat a cozy bowl of warm soup on a chilly day! Since Panera only seems to sell their Baked Potato Soup on Mondays and Wednesdays, I figured I better come up with my own version that we could enjoy any night of the week. It’s also a great make-ahead lunch to pack for work!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy crockpot potato soup. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Potatoes: I use russet potatoes, which are the classic choice for baked potatoes, too. Russets are high-starch, break down easily when cooked, and yield a light, fluffy texture. You can substitute with yukon gold potatoes, too. The yukon golds have a bit less starch and hold their shape a bit more, but also have a nice, buttery texture.
- Onion and garlic: aromatics that add great flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth: the liquid base. Use your favorite store-bought brand for ease, or use homemade broth for the best flavor. Vegetable broth will also work!
- Cream of chicken soup: this condensed soup adds flavor and creamy texture to the soup. For a slightly different flavor, you can substitute with other condensed soups, such as cream of celery or cream of mushroom.
- Cream cheese: add this key ingredient at the very end to give the soup thick, rich, texture and cheesy flavor.
Plus kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste!
How to Make Potato Soup in a Crock Pot
This slow cooker cheesy potato soup simmers in the Crock Pot for a convenient option that doesn’t require much attention!
- Peel and dice about 2 pounds of potatoes. Place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, garlic, chicken broth, condensed cream of chicken soup, and pepper. Give everything a good stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Use an immersion blender to puree a portion of the mixture directly in the Crock Pot, giving it a smooth, velvety texture. I like some chunks of potatoes throughout the soup, so I don’t blend the entire batch. For a completely smooth texture, puree the entire batch of soup. It’s up to you! If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. For an even chunkier potato soup, you can simply mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
- Stir in an 8-ounce block of softened cream cheese and cook the soup on LOW for 30 more minutes (or until the cream cheese melts and blends into the rest of the soup).
- Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with desired toppings.
What goes with Slow Cooker Potato Soup?
For an easy loaded baked potato soup, set up a little buffet and let your family members garnish their bowls with their favorite toppings. Good options include:
- Crispy, crumbled bacon
- Grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Sliced green onions or chives
- A dollop of sour cream
On the side, try serving your soup like they do at Panera — with a side of French baguette (perfect for dipping)! It’s rich and creamy, so it pairs beautifully with a crisp green salad, Wedge salad, or Caesar salad. It also goes well with saltines or oyster crackers, homemade buttermilk biscuits, a loaf of crusty bread, 3-ingredient sour cream muffins, corn sticks, or a pan of cornbread for dipping.
Make Ahead Tips and Storage
Properly stored in an airtight container, the creamy potato soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s a great make-ahead option that you can easily reheat on busy weeknights. In fact, I’d say it’s even better the next day!
To Reheat: Place the soup in a pot and warm over a low flame, just until heated through. Be careful not to let the soup boil.
How to Freeze
I do not recommend freezing the soup after you add the cream cheese. A dairy-based broth tends to “break” or separate when thawed, giving the soup an undesirable texture. Instead, you can prepare the soup in advance, but do not add the cream cheese. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, store in airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat over low heat, stirring the cream cheese into the pot during the final 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Don’t want to peel and dice the potatoes? Paula Deen’s easy Crock Pot Potato Soup recipe uses a bag of frozen hash browns instead!
- Potato soup with ham: Stir 8-12 ounces of diced, cooked ham into the soup at the same time that you add the cream cheese.
- Swap out the condensed cream of chicken soup for another flavor. Cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup would both work well.
- In lieu of russet potatoes, try Yukon Gold potatoes.
Tips for the Best Crockpot Potato Soup Recipe
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so cooking times vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my soup is always done after 2 hours on HIGH (or 4 hours on LOW). Your slow cooker may need a little longer for the potatoes to become tender.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the soup. Cold cheese hitting a hot pot of soup is more likely to curdle.
- This potato soup recipe is a healthy option with just 152 calories per cup. The broth is thick and rich, but doesn’t include any butter or heavy cream. It is not Keto-friendly or low-carb, however, because potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates.
- For a gluten-free soup, check your labels and make sure that you’re using a gluten-free brand of condensed soup, chicken broth, and cream cheese. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
More Crockpot Soup Recipes to Try
If you love the convenience of slow cooker soup recipes, be sure to sample some of these other great options:
- Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham
- Lentil Soup
- Crock Pot Vegetable Soup
- Farmhouse Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Beef Barley Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Slow Cooked Beef Vegetable Soup
- Crock Pot Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef
- Summer Vegetable Soup
- Crock Pot Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
- Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Crockpot Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes (about 3 large or 5-6 small), peeled and cubed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened at room temperature and cubed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional toppings: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced green onion or chives; grated cheddar cheese; dollop of sour cream
Instructions
- Place the peeled, cubed potatoes in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with onion, garlic, chicken broth, condensed soup, and pepper. Give everything a stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender.
- Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender or food processor) to puree the soup until it reaches the desired consistency. Puree just a portion of the soup if you like some potato chunks throughout, or puree all of the soup for a completely smooth texture.
- Stir in the softened cream cheese and cook for about 30 more minutes on LOW, or until the cream cheese melts into the soup. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream cheese, if necessary. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so cooking times vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my soup is always done after 2 hours on HIGH (or 4 hours on LOW). Your slow cooker may need a little longer for the potatoes to become tender.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the soup. Cold cheese hitting a hot pot of soup is more likely to curdle.
- This potato soup recipe is a healthy option with just 152 calories per cup. The broth is thick and rich, but doesn’t include any butter or heavy cream. It is not Keto-friendly or low-carb, however, because potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates.
- For a gluten-free soup, check your labels and make sure that you’re using a gluten-free brand of condensed soup, chicken broth, and cream cheese. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in October, 2019. The photos were updated in December, 2021.
I have made this soup many times and always use the frozen hash browns – soooo easy! If you use the shredded kind (vs. the cubed) you don’t even have to blend it. It creams us nicely when you stir in the cream cheese. For a little more flavor, I put the bacon in at the beginning so it cooks up with that great flavor. I use real bacon bits for a quick addition.
Family favorite for sure!
Thanks, Sarah! Great tip to avoid blending! 🙂
Soup is excellent! My husband ate three bowls and said for me not to worry about the leftovers because they will not be a problem!
Thank you once again for a great recipe!
Amazing! I’m so glad that he approves, Jane. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂