Slow Cooking · Soup

How to Make the Best Potato Soup with this Secret Ingredient!

Robin at Haphazard Homemaker

You just can’t beat a good old slow cooker soup!  It’s so easy to throw together and needs no fussing over while it cooks. It took me all of 5 minutes to get the slow cooker going, then I had the afternoon free to do other things. I love not having to peel and cut up potatoes for this recipe! If I still had chopped onion and celery stocked in the freezer, it would have taken even less time.

I have updated this recipe to include stove top cooking directions.

Slow Cooker Best Potato Soup IngredientsSlow Cooker Potato Soup Ingredient

Printable Recipe

  • 1 30-32 oz bag frozen diced hash browns
  • 1/2 diced onion
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup thin celery slices (optional)
  • 4 – 5 cups chicken broth (depending on desired thickness)
  • 1 can cream of celery or cream of chicken soup
  • 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1  8 oz pkg softened cream cheese (the Secret Ingredient) Add towards end of cooking time.
  • NOTE: I had a 1# bag of diced ham that I added just because. The soup is excellent with or without it.

Optional for garnish:        

  • Shredded cheese
  • Crumbled cooked bacon

Slow Cooker Directions

  1. In the slow cooker, pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker. Stir in the can of soup, and then add pepper, potatoes, onions and celery.
  2. Cook on HI 3 hours or LOW approximately 5 hours.
  3. Stir in the softened cream cheese. I mashed it on a paper plate and put in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, so that it is soft enough to melt in the soup quickly. Stir into the slow cooker and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Stove Top Directions

  1. In a large soup pan, stir together chicken broth and can of cream soup, then stir in the frozen diced hash browns, diced onion, thin celery slices and pepper.
  2. Cook on medium heat about 15 – 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through.
  3. Add in the softened cream cheese. I mashed it on a paper plate and put in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, so that it is soft enough to melt in the soup quickly. Stir into the hot vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Savor the Flavor of Slow Cooker Potato Soup

This rich and creamy potato soup is the ultimate comfort food, especially when served with hot cornbread or warm crusty rolls. Maybe add a side salad or a simple dessert, and you definitely have a drool-worthy meal.

My, oh my! Just thinking about it makes me hungry!

Printable Recipe Card

Potato Soup w/Secret Ingredient

Grab a bowl & get you some….

Robin

60 thoughts on “How to Make the Best Potato Soup with this Secret Ingredient!”

      3. You’re a lady after my own heart. I HATE peeling potatoes, I always managed to to nick myself. I’m going to put aside some of my ham from Easter to make this with. I’ll let you know how it comes out

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      1. Hello, Regina! You might try neufchatel cheese. It is right next to the cream cheese in the store. It doesn’t have cream in it, so is less rich that cream cheese, and maybe use half as much. Or try skipping it entirely and add a little milk. Maybe 1/2 to 1 cup. I’ve not tried either, but the neufchatel cheese is interchangeable with cream cheese in recipes and I grew up on milk-based potato soup, so I’m sure either will work fine.🙂

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  2. My recipe I cook up a package of bacon. Take bacon out and use most of it for garnishing. Use potatoes, carrots, heavy whipping cream, milk, flour, chives. Don’t use cream cheese or hash browns. Like my recipe alot more. Thank you though.

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  3. I made this soup yesterday. I don’t have a slow cooker so I did it in low oven. Worked like a charm. I added some dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and celery seed. I also thickened it with a bit of water and cornstarch. I will definitely be making this soup again. Delicious! 😋

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  8. I just wanted to let you know that my family and I enjoyed this soup! I made it in my crock pot and it was delightful. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ☺️

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  9. This soup was really good. We used leftover ham from Christmas and it was an awesome addition. We will make it again. We served with salad and garlic cheese toast. Yum.

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    1. Thank you for visiting! 🙂
      I am not eating gluten free, so I had to do some research…
      *Replace the potatoes with Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns (I don’t know if those are refrigerated or frozen)
      *Kraft shredded cheeses have about 20 parts per million. The powdered cellulose in Sargento’s shredded cheeses is not derived from any gluten grain.
      *The other ingredients seem to be all gluten free.
      PLEASE read package ingredient lists to verify that infor for yourself.
      I hope that helps. 🙂

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  13. Thank you for the recipe. I made it and it was delicious, the family loved it . I added cooked bacon bits, will b definitely be making it again

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  15. Hi,

    I live in South Africa, is Hashbrown a type of frozen potato? We don’t have frozen potatoes here, I will have to use fresh potatoes. What would your suggestion be? Thanks, Tamsyn

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    1. Hello Tamsyn! Yes, you can use fresh potatoes. The frozen hash brown potatoes used in this recipe are diced in about 1/2″ (1.27 cm) squares. Peel, cut and then soak the potatoes for 10 or 15 minutes to release some of the starch. Then they will be fine in the soup.. 😊

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  20. I like this soup, the next time I make I’ll make two changes, add bayleaf and instead of ham I’ll add italian sausage. It was a little on the bland side for me.

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  23. Have you tried using fresh hash browns that are not precooked? I live in Idaho and have a lot of potatoes so I hate to buy frozen ones when I can make my own.

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  25. My grocery has recently started carrying a hashbrown/bacon combo bag and instead of cream cheese I used heavy cream (lactose free cream has a better taste than lactose free cream cheese)the LF cheddar is a taster option if you need to use LF products.

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  27. I made this soup using 2 lbs. of russet potatoes, 1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup, and a quart of chicken broth. I added baked ham as well, and I thought it tasted really good. I will definitely make this again.

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