Loaded Crockpot Baked Potato Soup takes everything people love about a cheesy, bacon-topped baked potato and turns it into a cozy, spoonable dinner. Russet or Yukon gold potatoes simmer for hours in the slow cooker with broth, aromatics, and simple seasonings until they’re fall-apart tender and ready to mash.
A quick stir-in of cream cheese, cheddar, and sour cream transforms that base into a rich, velvety soup you can load up with crisp bacon and green onions. It’s the kind of cold-weather staple you can toss into the crockpot in the morning and come home to a house that smells like pure comfort.
Equipment
- 5–6 quart slow cooker / crockpot
- Cutting board and knife for chopping potatoes and onion
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Potato masher or immersion blender (for texture)
- Skillet for cooking bacon (or oven-safe pan)
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1–2 inch chunks (about 6–7 cups)
- 1 small to medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3–4 cups (720–960 ml) low-sodium chicken broth (just enough to mostly cover potatoes)
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or parsley (optional)
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup / 60 g) butter
- 4–8 oz (115–225 g) cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1–1 ½ cups (120–180 g) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ½–1 cup (120–240 g) sour cream
- ½–1 cup (120–240 ml) heavy cream or half-and-half, as needed for consistency
Toppings:
- 6–8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- Extra shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced green onions or chives
- Additional sour cream, optional
Instructions And Steps
Start by peeling and dicing the potatoes into roughly 1–2 inch chunks so they cook evenly and break down easily later. Add the potatoes to the slow cooker along with the chopped onion, garlic or garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme if using, and the butter cut into pieces.
Pour in enough chicken broth to almost cover the potatoes—usually about 3–4 cups—leaving a little headspace so the crockpot doesn’t overflow as it simmers. Give everything a good stir so the seasoning and butter are distributed, then place the lid on the slow cooker.
Cook on high for about 3–4 hours or on low for 6–8 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and easily fall apart when pierced with a fork. The onion should be soft and nearly melting into the broth at this point, which builds the base flavor of the soup.
About 30–45 minutes before you’re ready to eat, cook the bacon in a skillet or in the oven until crispy, then drain on paper towels and crumble or chop into small pieces. Shred the cheddar cheese and slice the green onions while the bacon cooks so your toppings are ready to go.
Once the potatoes are tender, use a potato masher directly in the slow cooker to mash them into the broth until you reach your desired texture—smooth and velvety or slightly chunky. For a super-smooth soup, you can use an immersion blender instead, being careful not to overblend and turn it gummy.
Add the softened cream cheese cubes and most of the shredded cheddar cheese to the hot soup, stirring until they melt and disappear into the mixture. Pour in the sour cream and enough heavy cream or half-and-half to reach a thick but pourable, ultra-creamy consistency, stirring until fully combined.
Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed; potatoes absorb a lot of salt, so you may need another pinch to make the flavors pop. Let the soup cook on low for another 20–30 minutes so everything is heated through and the flavors meld while you finish any last-minute toppings.
When ready to serve, ladle the hot loaded potato soup into bowls and top each portion with a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese, a handful of crispy bacon bits, and sliced green onions or chives. Add an extra dollop of sour cream on top if you want that full “loaded baked potato” experience and serve immediately while steaming hot.
Tips And Tricks
Cut the potatoes into even, medium-sized chunks so they soften at the same rate and are easy to mash later. Russet potatoes give a fluffy, very creamy texture when mashed, while Yukon golds stay a bit silkier and naturally buttery, so either or a mix works well.
Softening the cream cheese before adding it to the crockpot helps it melt smoothly without little white specks; you can cube it and let it sit at room temp or microwave briefly until just soft. Add the dairy near the end of cooking so it doesn’t curdle or separate from long, high heat exposure.
If the soup ends up thicker than you like, loosen it with extra warm broth, milk, or cream until it reaches your ideal consistency. If it’s too thin, let it cook uncovered for a bit to reduce, or mash more potatoes to naturally thicken it instead of relying on extra flour or cornstarch.
Cooking the bacon separately and adding it at the end keeps it crisp instead of soggy. For maximum flavor, you can drizzle a tiny bit of the bacon fat into the soup before mashing, but keep it light so the soup doesn’t become greasy.
This soup stores and reheats very well; keep leftovers in the fridge for several days and warm gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of milk or broth to bring back the original creaminess. It also freezes decently, though the texture may thicken slightly—just thin with extra liquid when reheating and adjust seasonings again.
Variations
Use frozen hash browns instead of fresh potatoes for an ultra-fast, no-chop version—just dump them in with broth, seasonings, and cream soup or cream cheese and let the slow cooker do the work. You can also swap in diced ham for the bacon or add it along with bacon for a meatier soup.
For an extra-rich base, start by melting butter and making a quick flour roux on the stove, then whisking in cream and sour cream before adding that mixture to the crockpot toward the end. For a slightly lighter soup, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and low-fat cream cheese and sour cream while still keeping all the loaded flavors.
Stir in extras like corn or a bit of ranch seasoning for a “crack” style potato soup loaded with bacon, cheese, and tangy flavor. You can also boost the veggie content by adding carrots or celery at the beginning for more texture and sweetness without losing that classic baked potato profile.
