Slow Cooker Potato Soup
This Slow Cooker Potato Soup is thick, creamy, and comforting — all without using heavy cream! Packed with tender Yukon gold potatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt, it’s an easy family favorite made right in your crockpot.
Equipment
- 6-quart crockpot for slow cooking
- saucepan for making roux
- whisk for combining roux and milk
- potato masher to thicken soup if desired
- soup bowls for serving
Ingredients
- 6 slices cooked bacon, diced
- 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons bacon grease or butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce can 2% evaporated milk
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- optional toppings: sliced green onions, extra cheese, extra bacon, sour cream
Instructions
- Add bacon, 3 cups chicken stock, potatoes, and onion to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours until potatoes are completely tender.
- Near the end of cooking, melt butter (or bacon grease) in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Gradually whisk in evaporated milk until smooth. Continue whisking until thickened and simmering.
- Pour the thickened milk mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt, and pepper until combined.
- For thicker soup, mash about half of the potatoes in the slow cooker. For thinner soup, add up to 2 cups of warmed stock. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with your favorite toppings such as green onions, cheese, bacon, or sour cream. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days.
Notes
Use Yukon gold potatoes for the creamiest texture, but Russet or red potatoes also work. Save the bacon grease to use in your roux for extra flavor. To make it vegetarian, use vegetable stock, skip the bacon, and add 2–3 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning. The soup doesn’t freeze well but keeps up to 3 days in the fridge.