This crockpot potato soup recipe is one of my all time favorites. It’s creamy, hearty enough to be filling, and delicious. It’s perfect for a nice cold day, or any day that you could use some comfort.
I remember when I was having a pretty hard time in life. I was exhausted, stressed out, and overwhelmed. Work was taking all of my focus, and the guilt that I wasn’t doing a lot at home started to set in. Even though I was struggling, I felt that I was dropping the ball as a wife and a stepmom. My stepsons and husband are independent people for the most part, but the drive to make this soup didn’t come from wanting to do something for myself, like the mushroom soup recipe did, it came from wanting to do something for my loved ones.
I had zero energy at the time, but thankfully this recipe is made in the Crockpot so I could literally do a quick prep and get it all cooking and forget about it until everyone was home and it was time to eat. It’s a fairly forgiving recipe so you can kind of hurry it along if needed, or let it simmer in the crockpot for hours until you have a moment to eat it, which is great.
Make this Crockpot Potato Soup when…
- You don’t have much hands on time to cook
- You are craving something warm and comforting but don’t have a lot of energy
- You want something hearty, creamy, and filling
- You want to make something using minimal ingredients that you probably have around the house
Ingredients needed…
Here is what you’ll need to make this Crockpot Potato Soup recipe:
- Potatoes – the staple ingredient of this recipe. You can really use any type of potato for this. I used russets, because they break down easily in creamy soups like this.
- Onions and garlic – to build that flavor
- Chicken broth – You could use chicken stock too, or even veggie broth if you want to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Heavy cream – to add to the silky, creamy texture
- Cornstarch – to help thicken the soup
- Cream cheese – to also help thicken and make even creamier
- Salt and pepper – To taste
- Paprika – To add a little something
- Shredded cheese (optional) – to add to the top later
- Bacon (optional) – to add to the top later
- Green onions (optional) – to add to the top later
Equipment I swear by…
- A large Crockpot or slow cooker (The Ninja one is my favorite)
- Potato masher
My tips and tricks to make this Crockpot Potato Soup recipe…
To make it vegetarian:
Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and omit the bacon or use the fake bacon bits.
To make it vegan:
Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, omit the bacon or use the fake bacon bits, and omit the heavy cream and cream cheese (or use vegan cheese).
To make it thicker:
The cornstarch in this recipe already makes this soup very thick, and it only continues to thicken as it sits or if you have leftovers. There isn’t much liquid left at the end so I wouldn’t suggest trying to make it any thicker.
To make it thinner:
You can omit the cornstarch, and/or add another cup of broth to make the soup more brothy and less thick. I would also omit mashing any of the potatoes as well.
While the Crockpot Potato Soup simmers…
This soup takes a few minutes of prep time and then hours of hands off time to cook so once you have it in the crockpot, the day is basically yours:
- Get some rest
- Go for a walk, or spend some time outside
- Read your favorite book, or watch a good movie
- Cuddle with your pets
How to make it…
- Peel and chop your potatoes, onions, and garlic.
- Add your potatoes to the crockpot with the onions, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Mix together the heavy cream and cornstarch in a separate bowl, and then pour that mixture into the crockpot. Add your cream cheese and mix together.
- Mash some of the potatoes to help thicken.
- Cook for another 30 minutes.
- Taste and see if it needs any more seasoning. Ladle into bowls.
- Add any toppings you want, such as shredded cheese, bacon, and onions, and serve.
Are you struggling right now…
- Use prechopped onions. You can get frozen bags of chopped onions at most grocery stores.
- Use jarred or minced garlic.
- If you don’t have the capacity to peel and chop potatoes, you could use the equivalent amount of frozen cubed potatoes/hashbrowns instead.
- Skip mashing any of the potatoes if you don’t have the energy. It will still taste the same.
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Crockpot Potato Soup
Equipment
- Crockpot or slow cooker
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 8 medium sized potatoes
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced (About 1.5 to 2 tbsp)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 tbsp paprika (add to taste)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Optional (to add to the top)
- shredded cheese Optional
- bacon or bacon bits Optional
- green onion Optional
Instructions
- Peel and chop your potatoes, onions, and garlic.
- Add your potatoes to the crockpot with the onions, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Mix together the heavy cream and cornstarch in a separate bowl, and then pour that mixture into the crockpot. Add your cream cheese and mix everything together.
- Mash some of the potatoes to your desired consistency. (Please note it will continue to thicken as it sits)
- Cook for another 30 minutes.
- Taste and see if it needs any more seasoning. Ladle into bowls.
- Add any toppings you want, such as shredded cheese, bacon, and onions, and serve.
Notes
What to serve with Crockpot Potato Soup
My burnout situation…
I’ve been focusing lately on trying to regulate my nervous system and simply take care of my basic needs. I have basically been resting and bed rotting for months now, and I still don’t feel any more rested or like I have any more energy which I’m told is normal with total burnout and nervous system dysregulation. I could sleep all day, every day. I can get 15 hours of sleep and still have no energy when I wake up.
So after consulting with the professionals, they now want me to try to focus on waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, as well as trying to feed myself some consistent meals at consistent times. And remembering to drink water.
This honestly sounds a little insane when I type it out, but my job was so intense and high-stress for the last while there that I didn’t usually eat or drink anything for the entire day. The environment was so busy and chaotic that many days I had to skip my breaks and lunch in order to get the work done, and we weren’t allowed to have food or liquids in our work area, so that means I would just go without until I got home.
No wonder I’m a bit of a mess.
I’m a work in progress that’s for sure, but aren’t we all.
Conclusion
It’s natural to feel guilt in hard times when we are struggling and feel like our responsibilities are being neglected… but I find it funny that we never seem to feel that same guilt about neglecting ourselves or our self-care.
It took a long time for me to learn (and I’m still learning) how important it is to make myself a priority and to be kinder to myself.
If all you can manage to do today is to throw some ingredients into a crockpot and go back to bed, that is okay.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Take care of yourself.
-Caitlin
