Slow Cooker Potato Soup with hearty potatoes, tangy parmesan cheese and a hint of garlic is a cozy bowlful of comfort food ready to warm you on a cold winter night, made easy in the slow cooker.
This is one of my favorite slow cooker soup recipes to make. Image all of the deliciousness of your favorite pasta alfredo remade into a creamy crock pot potato soup. How can you go wrong with garlic, cream and parmesan cheese included in one easy soup recipe?
The guys love anything made with potatoes and ask for this soup over and over again. They even floated the idea of adding steak, making it “steak and potato soup”. Hmm.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER POTATO SOUP
INGREDIENTS
- Potatoes – I used russet potatoes for this recipe, but I’ve also tried Yukon Gold. Both are excellent to make potato soup.
- Onion – both yellow or white onions are fine for this recipe.
- Garlic – for convenience I use minced garlic from a jar for recipes that call for garlic to be mixed into a sauce or other ingredients. That way it’s always on hand for recipes where the garlic isn’t standing alone.
- Bay Leaf
- Thyme – dried thyme from the spice rack or fresh are both good here.
- Vegetable Broth – or chicken broth. My secret is to mix up my own broth using seasoned vegetable bouillon base.
- Half and Half -if you don’t have it, mix equal parts heavy cream and milk, or substitute evaporated milk. (NOT Sweetened Condensed Milk).
- Parmesan Cheese – shredded or grated are both fine. Add more cheese if you like it really cheesy!
DIRECTIONS
- Add potatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf to your slow cooker. Pour broth over the top and cover. Cook on High 3 to 4 hours until the potatoes are tender. Remove the Bay Leaf.
- Stir in half and half and parmesan cheese. Using an immersion blender, blend until soup is smooth, leaving a few chunks of potato in the pot. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle on topping before serving.
Tip – Be sure to add the parmesan cheese at the end of the cooking time to avoid it sticking to the slow cooker.
FLAVOR ADD-INS FOR SLOW COOKER POTATO SOUP
This flavorful potato soup is a great base for lots more savory ingredients. I like to top it with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, keeping it healthy-ish, but anything goes.
- Steak – fry a strip steak in a separate pan toward the end of the cooking time, cut it into bite-size pieces and stir into the soup before serving. Top the soup with crispy fried onions.
- Chicken – fry a chicken breast in a separate pan and cut into bite-size pieces before adding it before serving. Or use up leftover cooked chicken from the fridge. Top with parsley and sliced scallions.
- Sausage – fry two beer brats or Italian sausages in a separate pan, cut into bite-size pieces and stir in before serving.
- Veggies – stir in chopped veggies, like cauliflower, squash or green beans, at the halfway point and let them cook with the soup.
MORE SOUP RECIPE IDEAS:
- Old Fashioned Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Curry Lentil Coconut Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Classic French Onion Soup
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 medium bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1-1/2 cups half and half or cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- cooked broccoli, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese for topping optional
Instructions
- Place potatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaf and thyme into bottom of 6 – 8 quart slow cooker. Pour broth over ingredients and stir. Cover with lid.
- Cook on High for 3 – 4 hours or Low for 6 – 8 hours until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf.
- Stir in half and half and parmesan cheese until combined. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Or transfer in batches to blender and puree until smooth.
- Ladle into soup bowls and add toppings before serving.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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