Today is all about the comfort food! Want to make the ultimate comforting Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup? This slow cooker dinner recipe features simple ingredients like potatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, cheese, butter, and milk for a perfectly thick, creamy soup. Topped with crisp bacon and green onion, this soup is a keeper!
Is there anything better than coming home to a warm, hearty soup? Especially when it’s something like this Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup. The best part is that you can make it in your slow cooker or on the stovetop—whatever works for you!
How to Thicken Cheesy Potato Soup
This Cheesy Potato Soup has a creamy chowder like consistency. It is not super thick but does thicken substantially when the soup cools. The addition of a flour slurry helps to make this a creamy consistency. However, if you prefer even thicker soups, here are some ways to thicken this potato soup recipe.
- Create a cornstarch roux. Add one additional tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of broth (from the pot). To avoid clumps from forming and to ensure that your soup has a consistent texture, be sure not mix the corn starch into the pot with other ingredients. Instead use a separate bowl for this task after thoroughly mixing it on its own until all lumps are gone then add back into the soup mixture once ready and stir.
- Instant mashed potato flakes can also be used to thicken this soup. To do this, skip the flour in this recipe and create a roux using mashed potato flakes and some broth from the soup. You will need one tablespoon of instant mashed potatoes per cup of liquid used. For this recipe, I used 6 cups of broth so I would need 6 tablespoons of potato flakes.
- Use less broth. Use 1 cup less of broth (in addition to the required flour) to make this soup thicker.
Recipe Variations
Potatoes – If you want to skip the russet potatoes you can use Yukon gold freshly cubed potatoes or 2 pounds of frozen, shredded hash browns.
Broth – I love using Better than Bouillon Roasted chicken broth base for my soup (this paste dissolves in water). You can use any chicken broth or bouillon cubes, but I feel like this product produces a way better flavor.
Cheese – Velveeta makes this soup what it is, but you can add in 2 pounds of fresh shredded cheddar cheese. If you want some extra spice, consider using Velveeta Mexican cheese.
How to Make this on the Stove
- In a large 6-quart stockpot, add an additional 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, the diced onion and garlic. Cook the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Whisk in the flour and mix to create a thick slurry. Add the potatoes, broth, and ground pepper; bring to a boil. Simmer this mixture for 15 minutes before adding the butter, and milk. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in the Velveeta and mix until thick, and creamy; serve warm.
What to Serve with Cheesy Potato Soup
This perfectly flavored cheesy potato soup is best served with crispy crumbled bacon bits and green onion before serving. You can also add croutons to the soup. We love to serve this soup with a bread side–here are some of our favorites:
- Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
- Frozen Garlic Bread Slices
- Cheesy Garlic Bread Crescents
- Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins
Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Potato peeler
- cutting board & knife
- measuring cup & spoons
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds russet potatoes scrubbed, peeled, and cubed
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups chicken broth *I used Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoon s butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 pounds Velveeta® cubed
- Green onions *optional
- Crumbled bacon *optional
Instructions
- Add your potatoes, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. All slow cookers vary so be sure to cook until potatoes are just fork tender.
- Whisk flour into 1 cup of milk until combined to make a roux. Add the mixture to your slow cooker. Then, add butter, and additional half cup of milk. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add cubes Velveeta, and stir until melted.
- Serve soup with crumbled bacon, green onion, and croutons. Enjoy!
Hello June,
You can use two cups of shredded cheddar. I do recommend grating or food processing cubes for a creamier texture.
Cn you use a different cheese other than Velveeta?