Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Hashbrowns is the easiest soup I make all winter, and it starts with a bag of frozen potatoes instead of a peeler. No peeling, no chopping, no standing at the counter with a knife while everyone asks when dinner is ready.
Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Hashbrowns
What I love most is that this loaded baked potato soup comes together in the crockpot with things I already keep in the pantry. Frozen hash browns, two cans of soup, broth, cream cheese, and cheddar. Ten minutes of dumping and stirring, then you walk away. My kids top theirs with so much bacon and cheese that it barely looks like soup anymore, and I’ve stopped fighting it.
Ingredients & Equipment
- Frozen diced hash browns
- Chicken broth
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Bacon pieces
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese
Full measurements for each ingredient can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also need a few things from your kitchen:
- Slow cooker
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Can opener
- Silicone spoon
- Ladle
Step By Step Directions
This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings. It takes 10 minutes of prep time and cooks for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Step 1. Grease the insert of your slow cooker.
Step 2. Add the frozen hash browns, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, bacon pieces, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
Step 3. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
Step 4. One hour before it’s done, cut the cream cheese into small cubes. Add the cubes and the shredded cheddar to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Step 5. Replace the lid and cook for that final hour, stirring once or twice, until the cream cheese has completely melted in.
Step 6. Serve in bowls topped with more shredded cheddar and bacon pieces.
Crockpot Potato Soup with Hashbrowns
Frozen hash browns are the whole trick here, and which bag you grab does make a difference. You want diced hash browns, sometimes labeled southern style or potatoes O’Brien if they have peppers and onions mixed in. A 32 ounce bag is what this recipe is built around.
Shredded hash browns work too, but they break down much more and you’ll end up with a thicker, smoother soup that’s closer to a puree. Some people prefer it that way. If that’s you, use the same 32 ounce amount and cut the cook time by about an hour.
Do not thaw the potatoes first. They go into the crockpot frozen, straight from the bag. Thawed hash browns release water and get gummy before they ever start cooking.
Why Frozen Potatoes Work Better
Making crockpot potato soup with frozen potatoes isn’t a shortcut you settle for, it’s actually better for this recipe. The potatoes are already blanched before they’re frozen, so they hold their shape through a long cook instead of falling apart the way fresh diced potatoes do after six hours.
They’re also already cut evenly, which means every bite cooks the same. When I dice potatoes myself, some pieces are mush and some are still firm no matter how careful I am.
And there’s the part that matters most on a Tuesday: you open a bag and pour. That’s the entire prep. If you want to use fresh potatoes instead, peel and dice about 2 1/2 pounds of russets into half inch pieces and cook on low for 6 hours. Just know you’re adding 15 minutes of work to a recipe designed not to have any.
Variations
- Sausage potato soup. Brown 1 pound of breakfast sausage or Italian sausage and stir it in at the start. This is the version that turns it into a full dinner.
- Ham potato soup. Add 2 cups of diced ham with the hash browns. It’s my favorite way to use up leftover holiday ham, and the salt from the ham means you can cut back on the added salt.
- Chicken potato soup. Stir in 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken during the last hour with the cream cheese.
- Hamburger potato soup. Brown and drain 1 pound of ground beef and add it at the beginning. Kids tend to like this version best.
- Potato broccoli cheddar soup. Add 2 cups of chopped broccoli florets during the last hour so they stay tender instead of going to mush.
- Cracked potato soup. Add a packet of ranch seasoning mix along with the other seasonings. That’s the whole difference, and it’s a good one.
- Potato leek soup. Sauté 2 sliced leeks in butter and add them at the start, then leave out the garlic powder.
- Make it spicy. Stir in a can of diced green chiles or a few dashes of hot sauce before serving.
- Change up the cheese. Pepper jack, colby jack, or a smoked gouda all melt well here. Sharp cheddar gives you the most flavor.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It thickens up considerably overnight, so stir in a splash of broth or milk when you reheat it on the stove over medium low heat.
You can freeze it for up to 2 months, though I’ll be honest that the texture isn’t quite the same coming out. The cream cheese can look separated after thawing. Reheat it slowly and stir often and it mostly comes back together. If you know you’re freezing half the batch, freeze it before you add the cream cheese and cheddar, then stir those in fresh when you reheat.
Tips & Tricks
- Grease the insert, and don’t skip it. Between the cheese and the starch from the hashbrown potatoes, this one sticks. A quick spray saves you a lot of scrubbing.
- Cube the cream cheese, don’t drop the block in. Small cubes melt evenly in an hour. A whole block leaves you stirring at white lumps right when you want to be serving.
- Let the cream cheese sit out while it cooks. Room temperature cream cheese melts in faster and smoother.
- Shred your own cheddar. Bagged shredded cheese has starch on it that keeps it from melting smoothly. A block and a box grater takes two minutes and makes a real difference here.
- Taste before adding salt. Between the broth, the two cans of soup, and the bacon, there’s already a lot of salt in this pot.
- Don’t stir too much in the first few hours. Letting the potatoes sit undisturbed keeps them in pieces. Constant stirring breaks them down.
- For thicker soup, mash some of it. Press the back of a spoon against the side of the crockpot a few times before you add the cheese.
- Make it a topping bar. Set out bacon, cheddar, sour cream, chives, and green onions and let everyone build their own. It buys me about ten quiet minutes at the table.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns? Yes. Use about 2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and diced into half inch pieces, and cook on low for 6 hours. Frozen is easier and holds its shape better, but fresh works fine.
Do I need to thaw the hash browns first? No, and you shouldn’t. Add them frozen straight from the bag. Thawed potatoes release water and turn gummy.
Should I use diced or shredded hash browns? Diced gives you a chunkier soup with distinct potato pieces. Shredded hash browns break down more and give you a thicker, smoother soup. Both work, so it comes down to what texture your family likes.
Can I make this without the canned soup? You can, though it changes the recipe. Replace both cans with 2 cups of milk whisked with 1/4 cup of flour, added at the beginning. It won’t be quite as rich, but it works if you’d rather skip the cans.
My soup is too thin. How do I fix it? Take the lid off and cook on high for 30 minutes to let some liquid cook off. You can also whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/4 cup of cold milk and stir that in, then cook 20 more minutes.
Can I make this vegetarian? Yes. Use vegetable broth, swap both cans for cream of mushroom or cream of celery, and leave out the bacon. Top with extra cheese and green onions instead.
Can I make this on the stove? You can. Simmer the hash browns, broth, canned soups, bacon, and seasonings in a large pot over medium low heat for about 30 minutes, then stir in the cubed cream cheese and cheddar and cook 10 more minutes until melted.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 32 oz frozen diced hash browns
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup bacon pieces plus more to serve
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese plus more to serve
Instructions
- Grease the insert of your slow cooker.
- Add the frozen hash browns, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, bacon pieces, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- One hour before it's done, cut the cream cheese into small cubes. Add the cubes and the shredded cheddar to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Replace the lid and cook for that final hour, stirring once or twice, until the cream cheese has completely melted in.
- Serve in bowls topped with more shredded cheddar and bacon pieces.
Notes
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