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!

Bowl of crockpot potato soup topped with cheese, sour cream, green onions and bacon with a spoon in the soup.

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

Ladle of potato soup with toppings held over a slow cooker.

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.
Crockpot potato soup recipe ingredients with labels.

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.

Sauteed onion and garlic in skillet with wooden spoon.

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.

Pouring broth into potatoes, sautéed onion and garlic, thyme, salt, pepper in slow cooker.

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.

Blending soup in slow cooker with an immersion blender.
Shredded cheese added to pureed soup in slow cooker.

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:

Bowl of crockpot potato soup topped with bacon, green onions and cheddar.

More Crockpot Soup Recipes

crockpot potato soup with toppings in a bowl with a spoon
5 from 4 ratings

Crockpot Potato Soup

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
This crockpot potato soup is a delicious, creamy soup recipe that's so easy to make! I like to serve it with lots of toppings, like chopped green onions or chives, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar and sour cream.
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Ingredients

  • 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.

Instructions
 

  • 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.

Notes

  • 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.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 975mg, Potassium: 886mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 606IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 189mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Soup
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

I originally shared this recipe in December 2021. Post updated October 2024.

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