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This slow cooker loaded baked potato soup has been a reader favorite for years, and I totally get why. It’s thick, creamy, loaded with tender potatoes, and tastes just like your favorite loaded baked potato. Pile on the bacon, cheese, and green onions, and dinner is done.
Why You’ll Keep Making This Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Dinner: Add the potatoes, onion, and broth, then let your slow cooker do most of the work.
- Creamy and Cozy: Tender potatoes and a rich, creamy broth make this the ultimate cold-weather comfort food.
- Load It Up: Bacon, cheese, sour cream, green onions, and all your favorite baked potato toppings make every bowl your own.
A Reader’s Review
“Thank you for this recipe! So easy and delicious- perfect for a cold, snowy night in New England. I didn’t even peel the potatoes, and it was perfect.”
Erin
Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup Ingredients
- Adjust the Texture: For a smoother soup, mash some of the potatoes with a fork or potato masher. You can also use an immersion blender for an even creamier texture.
- Watch the Salt: Use low-sodium chicken broth and bacon if you want more control over the salt.
- Lighten It Up: Swap the heavy cream for half and half or whole milk.
- Need It Thicker? The butter and flour roux will thicken the soup as it cooks. You can also mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and add it with the cream and sour cream.
- Don’t Hold Back on Toppings: Try crispy bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, chives, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, or diced avocado.
- Make It a Meal: Serve it with crusty bread or pour it right into a bread bowl.
How to Make Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
This slow cooker loaded baked potato soup is easy to make and perfect for a cozy dinner. If you love creamy soups, try my cheeseburger soup or broccoli cheddar soup next.
- Cook the Potatoes: Add the russet potatoes, onion, and chicken broth to a 6–8 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- Make the Roux: About 30 minutes before serving, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until the mixture is frothy.
- Make It Creamy: Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and sour cream. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes thick and smooth.
- Thicken the Soup: Stir the cream mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for another 20–30 minutes, until the soup has thickened. Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper as needed. Serve topped with cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions.
Must Have Kitchen Tools
- Slow Cooker: Use a 6–8 quart slow cooker.
- Medium Saucepan: Perfect for making the creamy roux.
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Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Creamy slow cooker loaded baked potato soup with tender potatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions. It's an easy cold-weather dinner!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces about 4-5 large potatoes
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 small onion, or half a large onion
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sour cream additional for topping, if desired
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream or half & half
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- cooked and crumbled bacon for topping
- shredded cheddar cheese for topping
- sliced green onions for topping
Instructions
- Add 4 cups russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces, 1 cup diced onion, and 3 cups chicken broth to a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- About 30 minutes before serving, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in ¼ cup all-purpose flour and cook until frothy.
- Slowly whisk 1 ½ cups heavy cream and ¼ cup sour cream into the butter and flour. The mixture should thicken up quite a bit as you whisk.
- Stir the cream mixture into the slow cooker. Replace the lid and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes, until thickened.
- Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper to your liking before serving. Serve with cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions on top.
Video
Notes
Leftover Instructions
- Refrigerator: Let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before reheating.
- To Reheat: Warm the soup over medium heat on the stove, stirring often, or heat it in the slow cooker until it reaches 165°F. Add a splash of cream or chicken broth if it gets too thick.
- Make Ahead: Add the potatoes, onion, and broth to the slow cooker the night before and refrigerate it covered. The potatoes may turn slightly brown as they sit, but this won’t affect the flavor. Keeping them covered with broth will help reduce browning
Nutrition
Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 347mgPotassium: 415mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 879IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Realized I was out of flour right when this is about to be done. What can I use instead?
You could skip making the roux and add a cornstarch slurry to thicken instead. Use 2 tablespoons cornstarch, stirred into 2 tablespoons cold water, and stir it into the potato mixture along with the sour cream.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! We dont have a O’Charleys around here anymore and I was really craving this soup. It was fantastic..the 7 year old super picky eater even gave it 2 thumbs up! Only minor change i made was to add half of the cooked bacon bits to the soup while it was in the crockpot and save the other half for topping!
I come back to this all the time!! Only recipe I use for potato soup now but I also do it on the stove top all the time!
Great recipe. My favorite
It came out so good!
Should the brother cover the potatoes and onions?
Yes, always put the lid on when cooking in the slow cooker.
Want to make this for work but not sure if it will be ok in crockpot for hrs without making the potatos to soft. I leave for work at 3 am but lunch isnt until 830. What time should i start it so i can have the sauce added before i got to go to work? Would i be able to leave it on keep warm at work or would i need to put it on low?
It will be totally fine if you set it on LOW before work and get to it for lunch at 8:30! Thanks Sarah and good luck! Your co-workers are lucky!
This soup was perfect! I used whole milk instead of cream because that is what I had on hand and it was delicious, thick and creamy! I will definitely make this again!
Seriously SO GOOD!! I make this at least once a month as everyone loves it. Definitely a fall/winter staple!!
Can you use frozen hashbrowns?
Hi Katherine, thank you for your question. Yes you can, you will probably need about 1.5 pounds and it won’t take as long to cook. Probably only need 3-4 hours. Let me know how it turns out!
Definitely need an immersion blender for this and i did cook the potatoes before in an Instant pot. A fork or potato masher wasn’t suitable equipment for a “creamy smooth” soup. Needs less onion and add garlic in my opinion.
Am I missing something here? I am following the recipe to a T. 1 & 1/2 cups of heavy cream is making my butter/flour mixture SO thin. Nothing like the video. This soup turned out so watery, I’m going to toss it.
Hi Carrie, the ratio is correct. You need to very slowly add the heavy cream into the flour and butter mixture, stirring constantly. While you are stirring it should thicken while you pour. Not sure what happened with yours.
This was very good and easy to make! My husband hardly ever likes Crock Pot soups, but loved this one! I will be adding to my fall rotation.
These look so good
Can I make a day ahead and refrigerate? DO I just steps 1 to 3 and the rest day of?
Hi Judyann, if you do steps 1-3 the day before, your potatoes might turn brown. They will taste fine, just not look very good. But yes, I think your plan would work.