Easy Crockpot Potato Soup with Frozen Hashbrowns
There’s something about early winter afternoons that can feel impossibly bleak. The sun is setting but you feel like you just ate lunch. Except that you’re hungry. And cold. And this, my friends, is the day that slow cooker potato soup was made for.
You overachievers might serve this as a first course, but it’s one of my favorite slow cooker dinners. I usually just pair it with a sandwich and call it a day.
Crockpot Potato Soup {With Frozen Hashbrowns}
Equipment
- Slow cooker (6 quart or larger)
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 4 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes with peppers and onions often labeled "Potatoes O'Brien"
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half & half
- ¼ cup sour cream
Toppings
- ½ cup colby jack cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 1 green onion (sliced)
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Instructions
- Cook veggies in broth and seasoning. Put the hashbrowns, chicken stock, salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, and mix them well. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours until the potatoes are soft.
- Prepare the roux. When the potatoes are almost ready, melt butter in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the flour while whisking until smooth. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time, to get rid of the flour taste.
- Add dairy.Slowly add the half & half while stirring. Turn up the heat to medium-high and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat and mix in the sour cream until it's all combined. (Optional: If you want the soup smoother, you can use a hand blender or pour it into a regular blender and blend until it's smooth.)
- Combine and finish cooking. Add the half & half mixture to the slow cooker with the potatoes. Mix well. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 30 minutes until the flavors mix and the soup thickens.
- Garnish. Serve the soup hot, garnished with shredded Colby jack cheese, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tips:
Be sure to use a slow cooker that can hold at least 4 quarts to comfortably fit the frozen hashbrowns and chicken stock.
For a completely smooth soup, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker or blend the soup in batches in a countertop blender until it reaches your desired consistency.
While the soup is cooking, cook and crumble the bacon, shred the cheese, and slice the green onions so that your toppings are ready when the soup is done.
When reheating leftovers, do so gently over low heat to avoid the dairy from curdling. Adding a splash of milk or stock can help bring back the soup’s creamy consistency.
You can add other vegetables or herbs as you like. Carrots, celery, or even a handful of fresh spinach can add extra nutrition and flavor.
Before serving, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. A little extra salt or pepper can sometimes make a big difference.
About the Ingredients
Here are some good ingredients (and alternatives) for this recipe:
Frozen hashbrown potatoes with peppers and onions: Use plain hashbrowns and add chopped onion and bell pepper.
Chicken stock: Use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
Half & half: I never have half and half so I always just use heavy cream.
Colby jack cheese: Any cheese will work fine, or can skip it.
Sour cream: You can use plain Greek yogurt or crème fraîche instead.
When winter settles in you’ll be glad you have this recipe in your back pocket. And somehow, those impossibly bleak afternoons won’t feel quite so bad anymore.
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
I am new to your page and very much enjoy your content thus far. I think the pic of your ingredients is a great touch; however for this soup recipe, I think what you have labeled as “diced tomatoes” should be “chicken stock”. ☺️
ha! you are right!