On cold, busy days, I always find myself turning to Slow Cooker Potato Soup for something hearty, creamy, and effortless. The soup is impossibly thick and velvety, loaded with smoky bacon, garlic, sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream. It’s rich, deeply savory, and warming from the first spoonful. Topped with green onions and extra cheddar, every bowl is pure cozy comfort.
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I make this for cold weather weeknights, Sunday meal prep, and busy weeks when I need a hands-off dinner while I do everything else. It’s budget-friendly, kid-friendly, and always the most loved soup in my house all season long. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheat beautifully on the stovetop or microwave.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to Make Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Step-By-Step Instructions
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Honestly, this is the best potato soup recipe for busy days because the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting. Russet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes both work beautifully here, so use whichever you have on hand.
Add Everything to the Slow Cooker
Place the diced potatoes, chicken stock, crumbled bacon, yellow onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
Cook Until the Potatoes Are Tender
Cover and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or Low for 5 to 6 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Once they’re soft, lightly mash some of the potatoes using a potato masher directly in the slow cooker until you reach your desired consistency. For an even smoother mash without any stringy bits, a potato ricer like this one makes it easy to press cooked potatoes straight into the pot for a silkier texture.
This step naturally thickens the soup and gives it that comforting, chunky texture without any extra effort. If you want to switch things up, frozen hash browns or shredded hash browns can actually be used in place of fresh potatoes for an even quicker prep.
Make the Creamy Base and Blend
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk until smooth, then add the mixture and the butter to the slow cooker. These angled measuring cups make it easy to pour the mixture right in without spilling.
For an even richer and thicker soup, you can swap the whole milk for heavy cream or evaporated milk, or stir in a few tablespoons of cream cheese right at this stage for extra body. Use an immersion blender to blend until creamy, leaving some chunks for texture if you like. I always use my immersion blender, which is perfect here because you can blend right in the slow cooker without transferring hot liquid anywhere.
If you prefer to skip the flour altogether, onion powder and garlic powder can also sub in for the fresh aromatics and the soup will still come out beautifully seasoned.
Serve and Top the Soup
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. I use deep ceramic bowl to make serving easy and keep the soup warm longer at the table. Serve warm and enjoy!
This soup travels really well to potlucks and gatherings. Keep it warm in the slow cooker insert with the lid locked on the “Warm” setting during transport, or transfer it to a thermal soup container to hold the heat for hours. Pack the toppings separately so everyone can add their own.
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Add Preferred SourceIngredients
- 4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Chopped green onions for serving
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, chicken broth, cooked bacon, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.4 large potatoes, 2 cups chicken broth, 6 slices bacon, ½ medium onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Cover and cook on High for 3–4 hours or Low for 5–6 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Lightly mash some of the potatoes to naturally thicken the soup.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk until smooth. Add the mixture and the butter to the slow cooker. Use an immersion blender to blend until creamy, leaving some chunks for texture if desired.¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups whole milk, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Serve warm and enjoy!½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, Chopped green onions
Notes
- Cut the potatoes evenly: Cube the potatoes into similar-sized pieces so they cook through at the same rate, and you don’t end up with some mushy and some firm.
- Whisk the flour and milk until completely smooth: Any lumps in the flour mixture will end up in your soup, so take an extra minute to whisk it thoroughly before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Mash to your preferred texture: Lightly mashing some of the potatoes thickens the soup naturally. Mash more for a creamier result, or leave most of the chunks intact if you prefer a brothier, heartier result.
- Use the immersion blender carefully: Blend in short pulses and leave plenty of potato chunks. Over-blending can make the soup gluey, so less is more here.
- Add toppings right before serving: Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and green onions are best added fresh to each bowl rather than stirred into the whole pot, especially if you plan on storing leftovers.
- Flash-freeze for easy freezer portions: Freeze individual servings in muffin tins or silicone molds first, then transfer the frozen portions to a freezer bag so you can grab exactly how much you need without thawing the whole batch.
Nutrition
How to Store Leftovers
Let the soup cool completely before storing. Transfer it to an airtight glass container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of milk or broth to bring back that creamy soup consistency if it’s thickened up too much in the fridge.
For longer storage, ladle the cooled soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat. The texture holds up really well after freezing, especially if you give it a good stir while warming it back up.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Potato Soup
A thick, loaded bowl of this delicious soup is filling on its own, but it pairs beautifully with crusty bread or warm dinner rolls for dipping. A classic grilled cheese sandwich alongside a bowl is one of my favorite combos, and a simple green salad rounds out the meal nicely without making it feel heavy. Whether you’re feeding the whole family on a weeknight or hosting a casual soup party, this lineup has everyone covered.
For something a little heartier, serve with a side of cornbread or buttery biscuits straight from the oven. It’s the kind of delicious meal that feels complete no matter what you pair it with, and leftovers the next day might honestly be even better.
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