Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup {Marie Callender’s Copycat Recipe}
37 Comments Feb 04, 2024
Updated Mar 14, 2025
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If you love Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup, you can now (easily) make a copycat version of it at home in the slow cooker! This potato soup recipe calls for just six ingredients, making it a low-maintenance and delicious meal to whip up for a cold night.
I’m all for a tasty copycat recipe. I also enjoy Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole and this Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe.
Table of Contents
Why You Should Try This Potato Cheese Soup Marie Callender Recipe
I don’t know if I mentioned before that I worked at Marie Callender’s for about five years as a hostess, pie server, and waitress. I was even the bookkeeper, too! Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup was the most popular, so when our local Marie Callender’s closed, I had to figure out how to make this yummy cheddar cheese and potato soup at home.
This slow cooker version allows for the ingredients to marry together into a perfectly tender, creamy, and hearty soup. It’s also a great recipe if you’re looking to put something together that doesn’t require many ingredients. And even though the ingredients are few, the soup is still packed with so much flavor and taste. It’s as close to the original recipe as I could make it!
Recipe Ingredients
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Broth: You’ll want to use a family-size box or 2 regular-size boxes to make sure there’s enough broth to create the creamy sauce. (Chicken stock works fine as well).
- Potatoes: Any type of potato will do; however, I recommend using about 6-7 cups of peeled and 1/4-inch sliced Russet potatoes.
- Onion: White onion adds the perfect amount of flavor to the soup.
- Celery: I like to think of this as being a secret ingredient because it’s not really the highlight, but does add a veggie touch.
- Cheese: Grab the smaller box. It will be quartered and added toward the end of cooking time.
- Grated Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is what you’ll need for this ingredient and do not buy pre shredded kind as it won’t melt well.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add potatoes, onion, and celery to the slow cooker.
Step Two – Pour over the chicken broth.
Step Three – Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
Step Four – Cut the Velveeta into small cubes.
Step Five – Add in the cut Velveeta cheese and the shredded sharp cheddar to the slow cooker.
Step Six – Stir gently until the cheese melts. (Some potatoes will break apart, this is ok because it will help thicken the soup.) Serve with cornbread and honey butter, enjoy!
How to Serve
- I made Krusteaz Southern Style cornbread, and honey butter to go with this. But you can pair it with any bread or roll of your choice.
- You can also top it with a bit of parsley, chopped green onions, and more cheese.
- Create a full meal by pairing this soup with a delicious side salad or sandwich.
Recipe FAQs
Sure. Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
It’s pretty flavorful as-is, but you can always add pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, or any other seasoning you prefer.
You can pour some into an immersion blender or food processor and give it a few pulses. It will naturally be chunky due to some of the potatoes breaking during the cooking process.
Yes. Use a large pot (or soup pot) and cook it on low.
You can add half and half and/or heavy cream to enhance the flavors.
Soup recipes like this can easily be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes
- Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe
- Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup {Campbell’s Copycat}
- Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {Copycat Recipe}
- Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole {Slow Cooker}
- Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Spaghetti (Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat)
Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup {Marie Callender’s Copycat Recipe}
Ingredients
- 32 oz. chicken broth
- 7 cups potatoes, (6-7 cups), peeled and 1/4 inch sliced
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups celery, diced
Add this add the end!
- 16 oz. velveeta cheese , (this is the smaller box)
- 8 oz. sharp cheese, grated (do not buy pre-shredded or it won't melt well)
Optional Serving Ideas
- cornbread
- honey butter
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, and celery to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
- Cut the velveeta into small cubes, add that and the shredded sharp cheddar to the slow cooker, stir gently until the cheese melts. (Some potatoes will break apart, this is ok because it will help thicken the soup.)
- Serve with cornbread and honey butter, enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
- Make this vegetarian by swapping out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Soup recipes like this can easily be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I live in the Netherlands but I’m American. We don’t have Velveeta. Is there something else I can substitute it with? Thanks
It will be hard to find. I would add freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Very Good! I don’t put onions or celery in My soup!
I love Marie Callender potato cheese soup so I was looking forward to trying this recipe. I followed it exactly and the soup was OK, it just didn’t taste like Marie’s. I thought that maybe the next day it would taste better. It didn’t, so I added a little 1/2 & 1/2 and a tablespoon of butter. That made it richer tasting but not like Marie’s recipe.
I’ve made the recipe in the crockpot and on the range top.
I’ve made it to the precise ingredients and with one difference – sautéed the onion in butter, then added chicken stock and celery followed by potatoes, etc.
I will say that 2 tbs of butter made a huge difference as far as smoothness was concerned for me (personal preference).
Tastes just the way I remembered it.
So great to hear! I will try the butter, thanks for the tip.
I make it every 2 months or so. My wife and I just love it. Thanks very much mmmm
This was soooooo good, been looking for a recipe like this for a long time. So glad I found this as our Marie Calendars closed. So now I still get my soup. Yay. Thanks for sharing
I’m so happy to hear that! We have a Marie Callender’s about 4 hours away. We never get over there.
I’m glad I found this recipe. I’m making it tonight. I love this recipe. Taste just like Marie Callender’s potato cheese soup. All I need is my messy burger from Marie Callender’s and it’s like being at the restaurant. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.
My husband and I own a deli. I make our soups daily.
This recipe is very tasty, but do NOT use velveeta cheese. And don’t use vegetable or chicken “broth”.
Restaurants use soup base, but at home choices are Cooking Stock (right next to the broth in grocery stores) or a concentrate – Better Than Bouillon is one.
Velveeta and CheezWhiz have very distinct flavors. And although they are processed, you need American Cheese – either packaged (singles) or a block. It is also available as White American.
Most grocery service delis have it by the pound, but prepackaged is usually a bit cheaper.
Also, a golden potato, like Yukon, will hold its shape a bit better than a russet. Cube potatoes for a crockpot recipe but slice if you are hurrying the recipe on the stove top.
Great recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I have made this potato soup for many years. The recipe is almost an exact replica. I seldom have fresh celery on hand, so I sprinkle in some celery seed for the flavor. I don’t use Velveeta, so only sharp cheddar. Usually I add some parsley flakes and a dash of garlic powder (not too much). Since I want to eat this soup within an hour of making it, I always cook it on the stove top in a heavy pot. To make a meal of it, I often stir up a Bisquick dumpling recipe and cook dumplings on top of the soup for the last twenty minutes. Honestly, you just can’t get better than this. Four stars because in the case of this soup, I think slow cooking it is a waste of time.
I have made this several times. I love it. Taste like Marie callendars. I am making it on Sunday. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.