Ham and Potato Soup is a cool weather staple around here and it’s easy to make in the crock pot and perfect for any leftover baked ham! A simple and delicious soup loaded with potatoes, sweet carrots and tender ham cooks in the slow cooker all day so dinner is ready when you are.
This easy slow cooker ham and potato soup is perfect served alongside our favorite 30 Minute Dinner Rolls with a fresh Kale Salad!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Few things are as comforting as a delicious and creamy soup on a cold winter day! Even better is coming home to dinner after a busy day of work or errands!
I truly love potato soup, it’s so comforting! One of my very best friends made this delicious Ham and Potato soup for me for lunch one day! It was a chilly day and this warmed me from the inside out! (Thanks Dee, you’re the best)!
Since then, I’ve made this soup so many times. It’s always delicious and never lasts long around here! This is one of those soups that is fabulous the first day just as amazing leftover… (and any time I can cook once, eat twice is a good thing around here)!
Technically you could consider this delicious soup a potato chowder as it is a thick creamy soup that is generally chunky. Regardless of what you call it, it’s absolutely delicious! While chowders often contain fish (like seafood chowder), they can contain a variety of vegetables or meat and still be considered a chowder (like Slow Cooker Corn Chowder)!
How To Thicken Potato Soup
One thing I particularly love about this soup is that it uses potatoes to thicken it without adding in a lot of heavy cream and butter. While the flavor and texture are rich and creamy, it’s not loaded up with fat and calories!
If you are trying to curb your dairy or fat intake, you can thicken this ham potato soup recipe (or other potato soup recipes) with mashed up potatoes and carrots right before it is served. This will make it slightly creamy but with just enough rustic chunkiness and not too rich. Simply scoop out a couple cups of potatoes and carrots and gently mash, then return to the Crock Pot. Adjust for flavor with salt and pepper and let everyone dig in!
If you’d like it even thicker, you can also add in a few potato flakes to reach desired thickness. If you’d prefer, you can also create a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and water), stir it in and let it simmer in the crock pot 15 minutes on high.
I most often use leftovers from my fave Crock Pot Ham or a ham bone to make this soup but if you don’t have leftovers, it works perfectly with diced ham steaks from the grocery store too! If you’d like to make this into a cheesy ham and potato soup, stir in a handful of cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese just before serving. Remember that dairy can curdle at high temperatures so when you don’t want to cook it too long in the slow cooker. Once you add the milk and sour cream (and cheeses if you add any), you just want to make sure everything is heated through.
Can You Freeze Potato Soup with Ham?
Most creamy soups and chowders can be easily frozen, including this ham and potato soup recipe. All you have to do is put leftover soup in the fridge overnight to make sure it is completely cooled. Then, pour into a plastic freezer bag and lay flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, simply stack them up and you have a grab-and-go meal for another busy day!
More Slow Cooker Soups You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 cups potatoes diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 2-3 cups ham diced
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- pepper to taste
- 5 cups Ready to Serve Chicken Broth (I use low sodium)
- 1 cup 2% milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, ham, thyme, parsley, pepper & broth to a crock pot.
- Cook on low 7 hours, or high 3 hours.
- Remove 2-3 cups of the potatoes/carrots and mash, then return the mashed mixture to the crock pot.
- Add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Makes twelve 1-cup servings.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
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Thanks for the recipe. One question, after you remove the 2 cups of potatoes and carrots, then immediately return the mash, what do you do with the potatoes and carrots? I didn’t see directions to add them later or mash them? What is the point of removing them, if you are supposed just return them back to the pot? Sorry, just a bit confused.
Thanks!
You mash the potatoes and carrots and return them to the soup.
I have made this before and it turned out extremely well. However, I forgot to throw everything in the crockpot this morning before I left for work. Do you think I could make it the same way on the stove, but just cook it until the potatoes and carrots are soft enough to mash?
Yes, this would definitely work on the stove. I’ve made it that way before too. My Cordon Bleu Soup recipe is very similar and has stove top directions. Hope that helps.
Holly, I love your recipes! I have used others but this one is spectacular! Looking for recipes for potato soup brought me back to your site and it fit the bill! I’ve never made potato soup like this, I know that I and my family are going to just die over this.
Thanks for your brilliant recipes!
Karen, thank you for your message, I’m so happy you love this as much as I do! :)
This was a huge crowd pleaser at dinner tonight! Wonderful flavor and it filled us up without having to add bread, we just ate a bit of tossed salad with it. Perfect dinner!
I just made this today and I am quite disappointed. I must have missed something because it timeout a watery and tasteless. It tastes really watered down. I do not know how to jazz it up to resurrect it.The children and hubs will likely not eat this the way it is. Any suggestions?
I have this cooking now! My house smells amazing. I will add corn and also some cheese to it! I’m very excited to try it!
I did this recipe. It came out great! I used about 4 more potatoes (left the skin on) and beef bouillon cubes – I was out of chicken stock and cubes. I also put in 2 more cups of water, 1/2 cup cream cheese and 1 tablespoon garlic powder. It came out amazing!
So glad you enjoyed it Mel!
all I have is chicken broth. what is the difference between ready to serve and regular. how do I make regular broth ready to serve?
Ready to serve doesn’t require water to be added. If you add water to the soup per the directions on the can it will work perfectly. Measure the broth once the water has been added.
question – I’m a new cook and am cooking this right now – however I have a question – when you say remove 2-3 cups then return it – why? Are you doing something to the 2-3 cups you take out?
Yes, you will mash the portion that you remove and then add it back into the soup.
i put my masher, right in the crockpot. IMO – no need to take any out. it all works, in the end and it’s just messing up more dishes, to clean.
Thank you for the great tip Tina!!
I have this coming in the crockpot now. So excited to try it!
I have it cooking now. Stinking auto correct!
Enjoy Lisa, we love this soup!
Does the ham need to be cooked before adding to the recipe?
The ham doesn’t need to be pre-cooked. It will cook in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
I have this soup in my slow cooker. It has been on high, for three hours, and the potatoes are not near done. Still very hard. I anticipated this, when I got it going, so not a big deal. Just wanted to let others know, if they are not accustomed to cooking potatoes, in a slow cooker.
I’m planning on making this tomorrow and am hoping you can tell me how many servings this makes, and about how big those servings would be? Thank you!
This makes about 8 1 cup servings.
I am currently making this soup and the smell is incredible, I have been cooking it on high for three hours but carrots/potatoes are still not soft enough to mash. My crockpot is fairly new so may have to extend cooking time to four hours. Anxious to finish up and eat!!
Tried making this for dinner tonight, and I too am having a tough time after the 3 hours on high. The potatoes and carrots are still WAY too hard to mash. I’ll have to let it cook longer and save it for tomorrow’s dinner. Smells delicious though…
This soup had great flavor. I added a stock of celery. Next time I make this I would cut down the broth and increase the milk. I would wisk 1/4 cup flour into the milk before adding so it would be thicker also.
A shortcut for thickening potato soup, Mix in some mashed potato flakes, it thickens instantly.
Great idea!
I made this today and can’t say enough good things about this soup! Delicious! That being said, I followed the recipe with one minor mistake…oops I put fresh cilantro in the soup instead of parsley! I was talking away with my nephew, who was visiting and never realized it was cilantro…haha! I went to add some more fresh “parsley” to the soup before serving, when I realized my mistake! My husband and son couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was (and they aren’t crazy about cilantro). I told them what happened, they thought it was funny and both went for seconds! I consider it a success! Thank you for the great recipe, and so easy too!
LOL.. oops about the cilantro, I’ve done that before too!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Loriane! We love it too…
I am making this now. I adjusted it a bit, adding extra seasonings, corn, and of course lots of love. Looking forward to a yummy smelling house for the rest of the day!
Hooray for my new crock pot!
Yay for a new Crock Pot, definitely one of my favorite appliances!
I just made this soup. It is excellent! I am going to take some to my brothers house this evening and have a great meal with him. He will love it. Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Karen!
Adding to our menu plan! Does this freeze well? I’d like to make a big batch and be able to freeze a couple meals.
I haven’t tried freezing it but hopefully someone else has and can let you know how it worked out!
Cooked potatoes generally don’t freeze very well. They tend to become “grainy” when they defrost.
I don’t believe I have ever had this, I am going to try it for sure. Thanks for sharing.;)