Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup (Slow Cooker)

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This one-pot creamy cheddar bacon potato soup, brimming with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and potatoes, offers an easy dinner option that's sure to please everyone's palate.

Using a slow cooker, this creamy soup becomes the epitome of ultimate comfort food—simply set it and let it do its magic.

a bowl of creamy chunky potato soup with toppings.

Left with spare potatoes? Beyond mashing or making pancakes, I love preparing heart potatoes for special occasions, for a stylish twist.

🛒Ingredients for Bacon Cheddar Soup

Potatoes - Yukon Gold potatoes, known for their tenderness, are our top choice, but Russet potatoes are a suitable alternative. Yukon golds possess a natural buttery flavor, which enriches the taste of the soup.
Bacon - choose your favorite bacon variety; regular, thick-cut, or bacon ends all work well here. For a leaner version, you can substitute bacon with turkey bacon or crispy fried tempeh with some smoky seasonings like smoked paprika, or cayenne. Diced ham is also a great alternative to bacon.
Chicken broth - opt for either homemade chicken stock or canned broth for this soup.
Milk - you can use any milk, with higher fat content yielding a richer soup, and feel free to substitute a portion with half and half or heavy cream if you prefer.
Shredded Cheddar cheese - mild and sharp cheddar cheeses, due to their lower moisture content, melt more readily than extra sharp cheddar, resulting in a pleasing texture. Grate your own cheddar cheese from a block to ensure smooth melting, as bagged cheese may contain anti-clumping additives.
Onion - regular brown onions or Vidalia sweet onions will work amazingly here.
Cream cheese - provides the creamy foundation for the soup, eliminating the need for heavy cream or sour cream, thus delivering the desired creaminess.
Toppings - cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, sliced green onions or fresh parsley

For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.

✅ EXPERT TIP: You can use any type of potatoes, including frozen hash brown potatoes; the key is to cook them until they're easily pierced with a fork.

🥘 How To Make Cheddar Soup

Cook the potatoes. In a large slow cooker (4 quarts or bigger), place potatoes, onion, and chicken stock. Mix them together.

Cover the cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours until the potatoes are very soft.

potato cubes and chopped onion with broth in slow cooker.

Cook the bacon in a skillet or oven until crumbly. Drain from bacon grease.

Make cornstarch slurry. In a separate bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk them together until there are no lumps. Set aside.

Allow the soup to thicken. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add cream cheese, bacon, milk, cornstarch slurry, shredded cheddar, salt, and black pepper.

Stir everything together, cover the cooker, and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.

cream cheese and cheddar cheese added to potato soup.

Remove the lid and use a potato masher or hand blender to mash about half of the potatoes. This will make the soup thicker.

Toppings. Elevate your hearty potato soup with your favorite toppings like bacon bits, extra cheese, chives, green onions, or dill. Add a touch of salt and pepper for extra flavor.

cooked creamy potato soup with toppings in slow cooker.

Serve! Pair your loaded potato soup with cucumber salad, dinner rolls or chicken patties if you prefer not to have soup alone.

Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

📋Tips

Choose starchy potatoes like Russet or Yukon Gold for better soup thickness.
Add dairy ingredients in the last 30 minutes to prevent curdling.
Adjust seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, or preferred spices before serving. Serve hot with fresh herbs like parsley or dill and enjoy!
For an entirely velvety smooth texture blend all the potatoes into a smooth mixture. However, if you desire a somewhat creamy texture with chunks of potato, blend about half the soup with an immersion or regular blender, maintaining some potato pieces for the best taste and texture.
If you like, you can leave the potato skins on; simply make sure to give them a thorough scrubbing beforehand.
This crockpot potato soup recipe is gluten-free. It can also be made vegetarian by skipping the crumbled bacon as a final topping and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
For the best melting performance, I suggest grating the cheese straight from the block. Pre-shredded cheeses often contain a cellulose-based powder to prevent clumping, which can hinder their ability to melt smoothly.
If you want a spicy element, add a dash of cayenne pepper, chili powder or quick pickled jalapenos to your soup.

Storage Instructions

🍱To Store. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they should remain good for 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing potato bacon soup due to potential issues with the dairy ingredients when thawing.
🥶Freezing. I typically avoid freezing potato-based soups as cooked potatoes can turn mushy when thawed, but if you choose to freeze, it's possible. However, expect a less smooth texture upon reheating. Freeze in one batch or separate containers for up to 3 months.
🔥To Reheat. Warm the soup over medium heat until it's hot (avoid boiling), or use the microwave. Finish it off with additional cheese, bacon crumbles, and a dash of chili flakes for a delicious touch!

👪Serving Suggestions

To complement this creamy potato soup consider serving it with uncomplicated sides such as a slice of French bread with butter and a side of roasted vegetables, like:

Sauteed asparagus
Roasted asparagus and carrots
Green beans
Brussels sprouts or roasted broccoli

Or read more on what to serve with potato soup.

More Delicious Soups

For all tasty soups, scroll through our Soup archives.

Variations

Dairy-free option: to substitute cream cheese and cheddar cheese use vegan cream cheese (coconut or almond cream cheese works best) and for the cheese, any vegan grated cheese should work as well (mozzarella type). To achieve a creamier consistency, you can also increase the potato quantity and blend more than half of them towards the end of cooking, requiring additional seasonings.
More bacon substitutes: we like to make variations of this soup using browned ground beef, kielbasa, or turkey bacon.
Loaded potato soup: for some healthy greens, add fresh broccoli florets, or stir in chopped kale or baby spinach towards the end of cooking. Veggies like carrots and celery are excellent too. Add these together with onions.
Add 1-2 bay leaves.

crock pot loaded potato soup with toppings.

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🤷Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen broccoli?

You sure can add frozen broccoli florets, but I recommend adding fresh for the best flavor and texture.

Should potatoes be peeled for soup?

For a rustic texture in soups, stews, or chowders, leave the potato peels on. For this I recommend using waxy potatoes as they will hold their shape better with peels on.