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Creamy, rich, and hearty Loaded Baked Potato Soup is simmered all day long in the slow cooker for the BEST flavor.
It’s easy to throw together in the morning, then when dinnertime rolls around you just have to top it with crumbled bacon, chopped scallions and shredded cheese and devour!
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Have you tried the baked potato soup at Panera? It’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s thick, creamy and filled with all the fixings of a loaded baked potato. I love it so much, I made my own!
I’ve found that some homemade potato soups are much too thick, more like watered down mashed potatoes than a soup. This crockpot potato soup has big chunks of potato floating in a light, creamy broth. Bacon, scallions and shredded cheddar just toss this soup over the top.
This creamy potato soup recipe makes a wonderful meal for chilly fall evenings or serve buffet style at a game day party. It’s the kind of recipe you just can’t help but love and it’s so flipping easy too!
Now, get ready for the best potato soup recipe of your life.
Ingredients for My Baked Potato Soup
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
Bacon – Chop the bacon before starting the recipe. You can make a vegetarian baked potato soup without the bacon, but, the bacon is essential in building the flavor of this recipe as the bacon fat is used for sautéing the vegetables.
Vegetables – Onion and celery help form the base of flavor in this potato soup. You could also start with a simple Mirepoix, which is a mix of carrots, celery and onion.
Potatoes – I love creamy, buttery Yukon Gold potatoes but russet potatoes work well, too. Red potatoes are too waxy and are not my favorite for this recipe.
Chicken Stock – Homemade Chicken Stock levels up the flavor but vegetable stock can be used to make it vegetarian. If you have Chicken Broth or vegetable broth, that works as a great substitute.
Seasonings – Onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper keep the seasoning simple. You can add your favorite seasonings like Italian seasoning or even a dash of nutmeg.
Half and Half – I love using half and half because it adds creamy richness without the calories of heavy cream.
Greek Yogurt – For a tangy flavor reminiscent of sour cream, I use low fat plain greek yogurt. (You can substitute sour cream if you prefer.)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese – Freshly shredded cheddar cheese will melt smoothly when stirred into the soup so for best results, shred your own cheese. Packaged shredded cheddar cheese contains anti-caking agents and preservatives which can affect the creaminess of the soup.
Scallions – For a mild onion flavor, I love to use chopped green onions or scallions to garnish the soup before serving.
How to Make Loaded Potato Soup
Homemade potato soup recipe is super simple to whip up and I love to enlist the help of my trusty CrockPot. It’s just minutes of hands on time and then your crock pot or slow cooker does all the work while you clean the house or binge on Netflix.
- Prepare. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces.
- Cook the bacon. Saute the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
- Sweat the veggies. Add the onions and celery to the bacon fat. Cook over medium-high heat until softened.
- Assemble. Place the potatoes in the slow cooker. Pour the chicken stock over the potatoes. Stir in the onions, celery, garlic powder, onion powder and dry mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook. Cook the baked potato soup on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Puree. Place 3 cups of the potato and broth mixture in a blender. Puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can puree some of the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender.
- Make it creamy. Pour the potato puree back into the slow cooker and stir.
- Finish. Stir in the half and half, yogurt and cheese.
- Serve. Garnish with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, a dollop of sour cream and reserved bacon.
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We love this programmable slow cooker with auto warm setting by CrockPot! It’s a great way to make dinners easy and keep them warm until you’re ready to eat. We pull this one out at least once a week and the price can’t be beat!
Kellie’s Tips for the Best Potato Soup
- Make it on the stovetop. You can easily make this on your stovetop in a large pot or Dutch oven. Just cover after you’ve poured all the ingredients in and simmer over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes or until your potatoes are fork tender. Follow the remaining instructions for pureeing and serving.
- Buy big potatoes. Why does it matter? Technically, it doesn’t, but I think it’s much faster and easier to peel and cut 2 or 3 big potatoes than a bunch of small ones.
- Use a high quality stock. Homemade chicken stock is best, but if you need to go with store-bought, use a brand that tastes good out of the carton. If you would sip on it when you’re under the weather, it’s worthy of making into soup.
- Don’t freeze it. Potatoes have a tendency to get mealy when frozen and thawed. It changes the texture of this baked potato soup in a bad way and I don’t recommend it.
- Get a head start. Baked potato soup can be made up to 2 days in advance. When reheating, you may need to add a little stock to the mix because the potatoes will continue to absorb the liquid when sitting.
What Are the Best Potatoes for Potato Soup?
The type of potato you use for this Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup is pretty important. I like to use a buttery Yukon Gold because the chunks will still hold their shape but they will puree nicely and provide enough starch to create a velvety, creamy texture in the soup.
Russets are great too because of their high starch content but any waxy potato, like red potatoes, I’ve found doesn’t work as well because they tend to get a little pasty and don’t break down as well.
How To Make Potato Soup Creamier
It’s so simple to make this easy potato soup recipe creamy without ending up like mashed potatoes or without using a ton of heavy cream. Simply remove a couple cups of the potato mixture and puree in a blender until smooth. Stir the potato puree back into the soup and voila, creamy potato soup. YUM!
If you want to add a little more depth to your potato soup, a dash of half and half or heavy cream lends a super buttery note to the soup that won’t add a ton of calories.
Even better, plop a few tablespoons of cold butter into the soup and stir until it’s melted. This makes your soup velvety smooth.
How to Store Leftovers
Transfer any leftover potato soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We love having leftovers the next day for lunch or an easy weeknight dinner.
What to Serve With Loaded Potato Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 cups peeled diced Yukon Gold potatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup low-fat plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
- Chopped scallions, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp over med-high heat. Transfer to a paper towel using a slotted spoon and drain off all but two tablespoons of fat.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the onions. Cook for 2 minutes and then stir in the celery. Cook the mixture until softened and then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes, stock, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Using a ladle, pour 2 cups of the potato/broth mixture to a blender. CAREFULLY, puree the mixture until smooth. (Cover the top of the blender with a towel, hot liquids in a blender can explode and the towel will protect you.)
- Pour the pureed potato mixture back into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Add the half and half, yogurt and cheese. Stir to combine.
- Serve topped with the reserved bacon, cheese and scallions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Soup with Artichokes and Mushrooms
- The Best Vegetable Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans and Spinach // Video
- BEST BAKED French Onion Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Tortellini Soup
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Kelli this soup is SO good. Made it today and will serve it throughout the chilly months ahead. Easy to put together and tastes like it took lots of work!! Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it! It is one of my easiest soup recipes.
My all time favorite soup! I can’t wait to make your version when the weather changes.
The weather has changed here already so it’s totally been on repeat!!! I hope you try it soon!
This is really comforting!