Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup is one of the best soups to make in the slow cooker!
This recipe makes a big batch of soup, great for the entire week! My other favorite big batch soup recipes are French Dip Soup and Buffalo 15 Bean Soup.
Baked Potato Soup is my all time favorite, I order it at every restaurant when it is available. You can’t beat how creamy this soup is, and how great the toppings blend in. You will see in this recipe I am not actually baking the potatoes, just peeling and dicing raw potatoes. I’ve made baked potato soup before with leftover baked potatoes and it can tend to be gluey.
This recipe for Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup, has a bit of prep work, but it is really worth the time. You can peel and dice your potatoes the night before, just place them in water, and refrigerate. Drain off the water before starting the recipe.
How to make Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup:
- Peel and dice the potatoes, add them to the slow cooker. Pour over chicken broth and add diced onion, whole garlic, and black pepper. I like to keep the garlic whole in this recipe. It keeps it from getting pungent.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours. When the cooking time is up, add the soup into a blender and pulse along with the cream cheese, you may have to do this in batches. Alternatively, if you have an immersion you can add the cream cheese to the slow cooker and blend right in the slow cooker.
What do I top the soup with?
Serve this soup buffet style because not every guest will like all the toppings. Serve these toppings as a choice along with the soup:
- Sour cream
- Green onions or chives
- Cooked and crumbled bacon (or store-bought bacon bits if you are short on time).
- Shredded cheddar cheese
How can I make this recipe low fat
- Fat-free or low-fat cream cheese
- Turkey Bacon
- Low-fat sour cream and cheese (or leave off, still good without!)
Feeding a large crowd?
I often make this recipe for a large crowd and cooking enough bacon is almost impossible, it goes quickly as a topping for this soup. My solution for that is to cook and crumble one pound of bacon and stir it into the soup after cooking, then everyone gets an equal amount.
Can I freeze this soup?
- Most of my recipes can be put in the freezer after cooking but sadly this recipe does not work well.
- The texture of the potatoes turn grainy and mealy and cream turns foamy.
- If this recipe seems too big for you to finish up, cut the recipe in half. Or package up right away for a family who lives in another household.
More baked potato inspired recipe you will love!
- Twice Baked Potatoes – Recipe by Spend with Pennies
- Loaded Baked Potato Pizza – Recipe by Nutmeg Nanny
- Loaded Potato Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole – Recipe by the Country Cook
- Slow Cooker Baked Potato Casserole
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad – Recipe by the Southern Bite
Love making soup in your slow cooker? Try another one of my soup recipes:
- Slow Cooker Pizza and Pasta Soup
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Slow Cooker Curried Chicken Noodle
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup
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Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs. russet potatoes
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 whole garlic cloves (keep them whole) or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 7 cups Chicken broth (or 7 cups water and 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes)
- 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
- 16 oz. Cream cheese (2 blocks total)
Toppings
- Sour Cream
- Cheddar cheese grated
- Green Onion or chives sliced
- Cooked Bacon crumbled
Instructions:
- Peel, and dice your potatoes in a small dice. Add potatoes, garlic, onion, black pepper and chicken broth to slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- You are now going to blend about 2/3's of the soup with the cream cheese in your blender, you may need to do this in batches. Or use an immersion blender right in your slow cooker.
- Season the soup with salt to taste.
- Serve with desired toppings.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Fat-free or low-fat cream cheese
- Turkey Bacon
- Low-fat sour cream and cheese (or leave off, still good without!)
- Most of my recipes can be put in the freezer after cooking but sadly this recipe does not work well.
- The texture of the potatoes turn grainy and mealy and cream turns foamy.
- If this recipe seems too big for you to finish up, cut the recipe in half. Or package up right away for a family member who lives in another household.
Can I use Yukon Gold instead of Russet potates?
yes. they will work fine.
Made this tonight, exactly as the recipe states…. It was amazing! Husband had fourths! Cooked on high for 4 hours. Used the immersion blender and left the soup a little chunky. Topped with cheddar, chopped bacon and fresh chives. It was fantastic, thank you!
Can I use regular cream cheese?
Yes!
What may I use in place of the cream cheese? Not a big fan of it?
Heavy cream will work. Won’t be as thick but will work.
If I use heavy cream in replace of the cream cheese, how much should I use?
This soup is so easy and yummy!
Hi I have a 4 qt crockpot how would you recommend adjusting the recipe quantities?
What is a serving size amount?
Can I add oysters in a jar when I put in the potatoes, etc?
I would stir them in towards the end. After it’s been blended together.
Hi Sarah, Can I cook this on high for six hours rather than low at 8-10 hrs?
Saw your earlier post and switched to high for 6 hours
What about cooking it in an instant pot? How much time?
So many soups call for low sodium chicken broth so as not to be too salty. Would this soup taste better with low sodium broth or regular? So anxious to try it!
Hi Sandy! If you are concerned I would do low sodium, then you can add a touch of salt at the end if needed.
Any idea how to convert this to the instant pot? So much faster
Can you add cheddar cheese to the potato soup, in addition to the cream cheese?
yes! that would be really good!
Can half and half be used instead of cream cheese? If so, how much?
Will the soup be thinner with half and half?
Yes it will be thinner, you can more potatoes and blend up a bit more at the end to get more thickness.
When would I add the cheddar cheese? During the six hour cook time?
I would at the end after the cream cheese.
I actually only had a block and a half of cream cheese when I made this soup, so I substituted the other half block of cream cheese with Velveeta and let it cook for another hour. It turned out SO GOOD!!!
This recipe was amazing, I was worried since I’m not a huge cream cheese fan- I used 95% fat free cream cheese and it was filling which was great but no weird cream cheese taste, just the promised delightful baked potato flavour and texture. It also lasted really well the next day for lunch and more leftovers a couple nights later which surprised me. I still have some in the freezer, i’m hoping might be ok when thawed out to but it’s pretty much the perfect recipe!
This may have been asked but is it possible to cook it on high for 4 hours instead of low for 8 hours?
I think this would work Wendy. I’ve never tried this, but I would think 4 hours on high, if the lid wasn’t opened would cook the potatoes.
I cooked on high for 4 hours, then used an immersion blender. I also substituted half a block of cream cheese with Velveeta. Very happy with the results!!
We are having a chili/soup cookoff at work and this sounds amazing! Do you think If I started it going the night before around 10 and then mixed in the cream cheese around 6 in the morning then brought it to work and let it just let it sit on warm or low it would be fine until 11-2?
I do think it would be fine on warm. I would sneak in and stir it every once in a while. 🙂
Do you know how well this work being heated up for a second day?
It does very well. I do it on the stove top over medium heat. I hope that helps!
Can this be cooked more quickly if put on high? I keep forgetting to start this earlier and we are going to be eating pretty late!
Yes! I should do fine on High. Probably 6 hours.
what’s a garlic glove? 😉
thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious.
It’s from a fresh head of garlic, just one piece of that head, peeled is a clove 🙂