Loaded down with to-do’s, deadlines, and all the business of raising tiny humans, all of which are hungry and you still have to make dinner? Yeah me too.
My solution? Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup! Check out the video to see how easy this comfort meal is to make!
Serving a hearty, robust meal after a long day is possible with the help of a slow cooker. It’s the mighty appliance that can cook while we sleep, work, are out at baseball games or soccer practice, and more.
I love making this recipe year-round, it’s also gluten-free so my entire family can enjoy this meal. The kids love topping their bowls with bacon and a ton of cheese!
It even tastes better on the second and third day so you know I like to pack this soup into a thermos for one amazing hot lunch on a cold day!
It’s simple tips like this that make lunches exciting, and I’ve got even more ideas for you to try in the 101 Packed Lunches ebook. You’ll find more hot lunches along with epic wraps, bento boxes, and power bowls.
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All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
Can You Freeze Potato Soup
Well, technically yes you can freeze almost anything. But you should probably skip the freezing process when it comes to potato soup.
Potatoes tend to have an odd texture when defrosted and the soup really won’t be the same.
If you simply must try it, place all ingredients in a zip bag and freeze, laying flat, until ready to use. Thaw and cook as directed. Freeze leftovers in 1 cup servings for up to 3 months.
How to Prep Potato Soup Ahead of Time
Even though freezing is frowned upon, there are still other ways to streamline your potato soup plans!
You can easily prep this meal ahead of time by placing all ingredients in the slow cooker bowl, covering it, and refrigerating for up to 3 days. Then, when you are ready for it, cook using the instructions below.
But by far, the fastest way to get this Loaded Baked Potato Soup from a thought to reality is to use the Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe. It’s all the creamy goodness of the slow cooker one, but in under 30 minutes.
Best Potato Soup Toppings
We love topping our bowls with any baked potato toppings like cheese, bacon, and chives, but the sky is the limit! If you can dream of it being on a baked potato, you can definitely add top it over this soup!
How will you top your baked potato soup?
Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup is the perfect hearty meal that can be made in the slow cooker and prepped ahead for a later meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours + 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 pound yellow potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped into large chunks
- 8 ounces ham steak, cubed
- 32 ounces low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups (16 ounces) half and half or whole milk
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Sour cream, optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large (5qt) slow cooker, place onion, potatoes, ham, broth, pepper. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Once the potatoes are tender and the soup thickened, stir in the half and half, and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese, chopped bacon, green onions, and sour cream if using.
Equipment
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 801.8mg
- Fat: 28.6g
- Saturated Fat: 14.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 23.9g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 24.2g
- Cholesterol: 96.1mg
Kerri-Lynn
I made this recipe according to the directions and ended up with potatoes and ham in warm milk. Any thoughts on why it didn’t thicken and what can I do about it now?
MOMables - Laura
Interesting! Were any substitutions made?
Ericka
This was a hit with my family. I substituted the ham chunks for ground beef though. Same amounts. It was amazing. I think next time I’ll add a pound of ground beef instead of just half a pound. & possibly more potatoes just because it was so good! Thank you for this!
Kendall
Did you cook the ground beef separately before adding it in your substitution? I hate ham.
MOMables - Laura
Yes. Cook it in a pan and then add. Or, you can also use bacon.
Allison K
Are the potatoes raw or cooked before freezing?
MOMables
yes.
Julia
I added cream cheese to this recipe just to make it a bit more creamy smells delicious. Can you cook it on high to shorten the time
★★★★★
MOMables
That sounds delicious! I haven’t tried that method, but let us know how it works for you, Julia!
jeri lynn
hi! this sounds great. we don’t use a slow cooker, tho. can you modify it to cook over a stove? how long would you cook it? would you cook ingredients at room temp? thanks!!
MOMables
of course. You can sauté it as you would make a soup, veggies first, then potatoes and about 25min on the stovetop.
Darlene
Can you freeze potato soup in freezer bags
MOMables
yes, once it’s cooled.
jeri lynn
hi! we have been making and loving this soup for 5 years (as soon as you answered me about not using a slow cooker)! it was one of the first things i ever made for my kids… anyways, now we use a pressure cooker (instant pot) a lot, and would LOVE a way to adapt your recipe. i tried one i found online, but it was nothing compared to yours! i know nothing about adapting/figuring this stuff out, however… any ideas? thank you!!
★★★★★
MOMables - Laura
Hi Jeri! You’re in luck!!!! here is the Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup version! Enjoy!
dawn
Do you prefer cook the ham steak first? After cooking to do freeze in bags to prevent frexercise burn?
MOMables
it depends on what type of ham steak it is. Usually no, I don’t cook it. It cooks in the soup.
Clarice
I’m new to doing freezer meals and I have a question. Can the soup be made, without garnishes, and THEN frozen and reheated later? I mean, the crockpot version above is totally simple and pretty much effortless, but is there a major reason I shouldn’t make a double or triple batch of soup and freeze portions of it? Something to do with the dairy perhaps?? Thank you!
MOMables
Clarice, you can absolutely double the batch and freeze. After heating, garnish.
tabitha
Can you sub the chicken broth for vegetable broth? We don’t eat meat!
MOMables
Absolutely.
Tracy
Any idea of the nutrtion info on this?
MOMables
Tracy, you can head over to calorie counting websites like myfitnesspal.com to calculate.
Courtney
How would you thicken this? In the past I’ve used instant potatoes, but now that we have changed our eating habits, instant potatoes aren’t an option. I’m thinking of making a roux and adding it to the crock pot at the beginning? I will let you know how it turns out!
MOMables
You can make a roux or at the end, take 1 cup of soup liquid + a few potatoes and blend into a puree in your blender. remix with soup and now you have a thicker soup!
Cary
My family of 6 tried this tonight (I doubled it) and it made enough for all of us with 2 bowls for tomorrow. The flavor was great but we felt like it was a little thin for our taste and needed more potatoes with the broth. I think next time I will increase potatoes, decrease liquid and maybe add the half and half at the end. Just some feedback. Thanks for the recipes.
erica
My husband said the same thing too thin and we wereally all disappointed at dinner :( more water than soup I did the receipe exact what could I have done to really make it right?
★
MOMables
Sorry about that Erica! You could try using less chicken broth so it’s creamier.
Amy
This looks delicious! Do you have to freeze the potatoes, etc or can you cook from room temperature? Also, do you peel the potatoes or leave skins on?
Thank you!! We are loving your recipes!!!
MOMables
Potatoes are thrown in at room temperature. As they are :)
Kelly
I’d love to try this recipe but what can I sub for the half and half for people that can’t handle a lot of dairy?
MOMables
Kelly, sadly, this is one of those dairy filled recipes. If you are looking for a dairy free potato soup recipe, check this one out. It’s delicious!
Liz
Sounds great. Thank you. Have a good week.
Dawn Little
Sounds yummy! We don’t eat white potatoes, but I bet it would be amazing with sweet potatoes !
MOMables
I bet it would be delicious with sweet potatoes too!!
Lynda
How many potatoes?
MOMables
A pound.
Hannah
Realistically, how many people (including teenage boys) will this serve?
MOMables
I’d say it feeds a family of 4-6. (if your teenage boys are big eaters..I’d say 4 huge bowls to be on the safe side)
monica
What liquid containers do you recommend that FOR SURE don’t leak?
MOMables
check out the Mini dippers for sauces and small dips. in our store, you’ll see my favorite containers. all thermoses dont’ leak.
Céline
Sorry, being a French person living in England I don’t have a clue what half & half is… Could you “translate, please?
MOMables
Celine, half and half is half milk and half cream. Use whole milk :)
Stacey
Very cool! I was just telling my oldest daughter (10) the other night that I needed to find a recipe for baked potato soup and she said that sounded interesting. I told her it’s like eating all the deliciousness of a baked potato in a soup with cheese and bacon on top and her eyes got as big as saucers and she begged me to find one and then suggested I check the “momables” website that I love :)
MOMables
thank you Stacey! Let me know how she enjoys it! :)