Crockpot Potato Soup
Crockpot Potato Soup is creamy, comforting and so easy to make! Load up a bowl of this slow cooker soup with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Crockpot Potato Soup is Perfect for Busy Days
When it’s cold outside and I’m craving comfort food, this crockpot potato soup is one of my go-to easy dinner recipes. Like my favorite stovetop Potato Soup and Instant Pot Potato Soup, this slow cooker potato soup is rich, thick and creamy. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a chilly night!
I love this recipe because I can make it ahead on a busy day when I know I won’t have much time to cook in the evening. It takes just a few minutes to prep and then the soup simmers in the slow cooker until it’s ready to enjoy at dinner time.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It is delicious and absolutely perfect for a winter day.
Jennifer
Ingredient Notes
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: I have found that gold potatoes, such as Yukon golds, make the best potato soup. Their rich, buttery flavor and creamy texture give the potato soup a rich flavor and smooth, creamy texture. You can use russet potatoes instead if that is what you have on hand.
- Vegetable Broth: I recommend using low sodium vegetable broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the finished dish. You can substitute chicken broth if desired.
- Cheddar Cheese: I love to add shredded cheddar to this soup – it really adds to the flavor! Sharp cheddar cheese packs the biggest punch of flavor. It’s best to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself using a box grater, because the pre-shredded cheese that you can buy at the grocery store doesn’t melt as smoothly.
- Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream (Optional): Stirring some plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) into the puréed soup gives it a creamier texture without having to add heavy cream. Without the yogurt or sour cream, the soup won’t be quite as creamy and will have more of a pure potato flavor. Feel free to add the yogurt or not, depending on your preferences. I like it both ways.
How to Make Crockpot Potato Soup
This easy recipe starts with a quick stovetop step, which is well worth it. Sautéing the onion and garlic for a few minutes before adding them to the crockpot gives the soup more depth of flavor and eliminates the pungent flavor of raw onion and garlic.
Sauté onion and garlic. In a skillet on the stove, melt the butter and cook the onion for a few minutes until it softens. Then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds while stirring.
Add ingredients to slow cooker. Add the chopped potatoes, sautéed onion and garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours, until the potatoes are soft. If you used fresh thyme, remove and discard the stems. Most of the leaves will have fallen off in the soup.
Blend. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup in batches to a counter top blender. You can blend the soup completely smooth, or leave some chunks of potato in it, depending on your preference.
Finish the soup by stirring in the shredded cheddar cheese and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired. Then serve it with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Potato soup, just like a baked potato, is even more delicious when you load it up with toppings. I like to set out bowls with a variety of topping options and let everyone add what they like to their bowl of soup. Try chopped green onions or chives, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
My favorite side dishes to serve with this crockpot potato soup are:
- Salad: Try my simple Green Salad, Spinach Salad or Kale Salad.
- Bread: You can’t beat a warm homemade roll and a bowl of soup! Try my Honey Yeast Rolls or Garlic Knots. Or, keep it simple with my easy Biscuit Recipe, Garlic Bread or grab a loaf of crusty bread at the store.
More Crockpot Soup Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Slow Cooker Wild Rice Soup
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Crockpot Potato Soup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ pounds gold potatoes, such as Yukon gold, or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 3 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth, may need up to 4 cups
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream, optional*
- optional, for serving: crumbled cooked bacon, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, etc.
- Heat the butter in a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat until melted. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until onion softens and begins to brown, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove pan from the heat.
- Place the chopped potatoes in the slow cooker. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker, including any extra melted butter.
- Add the thyme, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker. Stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours, until potatoes are soft.
- If using fresh thyme sprigs, remove and discard the thyme stems (most of the leaves will have fallen off into the soup).
- Blend soup to your desired consistency using an immersion blender or by transferring the soup in batches to a counter top blender. You can leave some chunks of potato or blend until smooth.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir in the plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, if using. Serve with toppings as desired.
- I recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese that you buy at the grocery store is often coated in an anti-caking agent and thus doesn’t melt as smoothly.
- Adding plain Greek yogurt or sour cream makes the soup slightly creamier and tangier. The soup is also delicious without, and will have a more pure potato flavor this way.
- To Store: Leftover soup may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Heat over medium-low heat in a covered pot on the stove, stirring often. Or, heat in the microwave until hot. The soup thickens up as it cools, so you may wish to stir in a little more broth when reheating.
- Can you freeze this soup? Potato soup is not ideal for freezing, as the texture of the potatoes will not be as good after freezing (they can become a bit gritty). However, you can freeze this soup if you wish. Freeze it before adding any Greek yogurt or sour cream, because dairy can separate and curdle after freezing. It is best to freeze potato soup that has been blended until smooth, without chunks of potato. Once cool, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I originally shared this recipe in December 2021. Post updated October 2024.
Hi, Kristine!
I haven’t tried to make the soup yet, but the 5 star rating is for a beautifully written recipe! The instructions are clear and complete, the video is well done and demonstrates the recipe very well. I appreciate the Notes and suggestions too. And finally, I love that you included extras such as the button to insure that your screen doesn’t go down while you’re cooking and the feature to adjust the number of servings. The soup looks great too! I can’t wait to try it! I’m already planning to bring it to a friend who’s recovering from cancer treatment and is craving comfort food. I’m also going to check out the other recipes on your site – I’m sure they will be done with the same amount of thoughtful detail! Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Hi Gee Gee,
Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment! I am so happy to hear that all of the effort that went into this post is helpful to you. I hope that this soup brings comfort to your friend!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It is delicious and absolutely perfect for a winter day.
Can you throw the onion and garlic in the crockpot or is there a benefit to sautéing first? Can’t wait to make this! Thanks!
Sauteing the onion and garlic mellows the pungent flavor of raw onion and garlic, which might come through in the soup if you didn’t saute them first. It makes for a much better flavor in the soup. Enjoy!
This soup was delicious and EASY too. It was a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t like to doctor up their own soup! Even the 5 year old said it was the best way to eat bacon! 😂
I followed the recipe exactly and it made a creamy and delicious soup. I did add the Greek yogurt as the last step and some sliced green onions when I served it. I look forward to the leftovers!