Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Potato Soup is my favorite cold weather dinner when I want something warm, hearty, and comforting that basically makes itself. It's thick, silky smooth, and loaded with smoky bacon, garlic, butter, sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream. It's rich, deeply savory, and warming from the very first bite. Finished with crispy bacon, fresh green onions, and extra cheddar, every bowl is completely irresistible. I make it for busy weeknights, Sunday meal prep, game day gatherings, and potlucks because it's budget-friendly and reheats beautifully.
Ingredients
- 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
Here are a few tips I've learned from making this soup on repeat:
- 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
Calories: 411kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 13gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 662mgPotassium: 877mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 531IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!