Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup is creamy, full of veggies and ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for an easy, delicious hearty soup.

Slow Cooker Recipes make busy fall and winter schedules so much easier. Coming home on a cold day to a big batch of Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup or Slow Cooker Taco Soup will warm you up in an instant.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup in bowls with parsley garnish

SLOW COOKER HAM AND POTATO SOUP

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup is a delicious set it and forget it meal your family will enjoy that tastes like you stood by the stovetop tending to it for hours.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup collage of prep steps

Soups are a big part of the fall season, with their instant “warm you up” abilities and ability to freeze portions or take portions for quickly heated lunches. Slow cookers are such a great tool for making easy soups in the winter, especially this Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup.

Serve Slow Cooker Ham and Potato soup as a main dish with Easy Dinner Rolls or Black Pepper Bacon Biscuits that incidentally would go fabulously with this soup!

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup ingredients in slow cooker before mixing

With less than 20 minutes of prep work your slow cooker is set and ready to go.

The Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup simmers away on its own, melting the vegetables into this delicious creamy base. A quick mash, a bit of heavy cream and sour cream and dinner is served!

The best part of slow cooker meals like this Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup is that they’re perfect for weeknights now that everyone is back to school or for those hearty meals you’re going to need after a day spent out at the soccer fields watching the little ones run around in a pattern that almost resembles soccer.

This Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup can be ready, waiting for you to come home, peel off the grass covered uniforms and eat! 

 

Tools Used in the making of this Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup:
Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. For larger roasts you can also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Better Than Bouillon: You’ll never need to buy boxes of broth if you keep on hand the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
Spice Rack – If you buy spices in bulk from local grocers or from Penzey’s, it’s less expensive and significantly higher quality than buying the jars individually. This spice rack helps to keep from ending up being left with tons of little bags of spices. 

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup in bowls with parsley garnish

HOW TO STORE SLOW COOKER HAM AND POTATO SOUP

  • Serve: Don’t leave your Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup out for longer than about 2 hours before putting it away. If you leave it out too long the soup will start to grow bacteria that can make you sick.
  • Store: Always allow the soup to cool to room temperature before you put it in the fridge. In a sealable container, the Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup can last about 3 days. After that, it’s time to throw it out and make more.
  • Freeze: Unfortunately, it is not recommended to freeze creamy soups such as this, because the sour cream and milk will separate and create a grainy texture when defrosted.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup in bowl with parsley garnish and spoon bite

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Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup is creamy, full of veggies and ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for an easy, delicious hearty soup.
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 8 cups russet potatoes , diced
  • 1 yellow onion , diced
  • 2 large carrots , peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 16 ounces Cubed Ham
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream , (you can also substitute whole milk)
  • ½ cup sour cream

Instructions

  • Add the potatoes, onion, carrot, celery, ham, Kosher salt, pepper chicken broth to your slow cooker and cook on low 7-8 hours, or high 4-5 hours.
  • Using a potato masher, mash about ⅓ of the potatoes (don't worry the ham won't really mash that much)
  • Add the flour, heavy cream/milk and sour cream and stir everything together.
  • Cover and cook on high for an additional 15 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 1496mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 18.2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Keyword: Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup Collage

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.
Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup that's creamy, full of vegetables and chunks of ham, finished off with milk and sour cream for a easy and delicious hearty soup.Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup CollageSlow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup CollageSlow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup CollageSlow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup CollageSlow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup Collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I finally got to make this potato soup this past weekend and it was such a hit!! These are so Instagrammable and adorable! Thx for sharing!

  2. I made this because I needed to use up a couple of pounds of ham and I also needed something easy and affordable. I am so glad I did! Husband loved it and the picky kids even gave it a thumbs up! I used half and half and omitted the sour cream because I didn’t have any. We added cheese to our individual bowls. Delicious! Thanks!! 🙂

  3. Looking to use up a bunch of deli ham that my son purchased for a scouting trip and didn’t get eaten. Is it worth a try to dice it up and use in place of the cubed ham? Was hoping to find a soup recipe for it…

    1. I’ve never tried it but my gut is telling me a lot would depend on the thickness of the slice to it holding up in the cooking process. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it turns out.

  4. Made this today and it was delicious! I still had plenty of ham leftover from Easter using your Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham recipe. The only difference is I didn’t add the flour and no sour cream; husband is not a fan of sour cream. I think this would also be good with some corn; which I might try tomorrow!

  5. Do you have a specific place you buy the cubbed ham? I’ve made this several times and we love it! I’m just always having a hard time finding the ham lol

    1. I get mine from Safeway but I think Walmart and Target both carry it in their grocery area. If you still end up not having any luck, I know they sell the ham steaks at Costco and you can always just cube that up in a pinch.

  6. I made this recipe today and it is delicious! Nice, thick, hearty soup perfect for a child winter day. This recipe was so easy and turned out so good I couldn’t believe it! I did mine on high for 4 hours and another 15 minutes after asking the heavy cream sour cream, and flour. Perfection! Definitely a keeper. 

  7. I just made this recipe tonight and I’m eating it while I type, lol. It’s delicious! I made it on the stove top though, instead of in the Crock Pot, so I thought I’d let everyone know how I did that in case you want to do the same thing.

    It was an accident, but it worked out really well! I was going to make it in the Crock Pot this afternoon, but my bag of potatoes was moldy so I had my husband pick up some frozen potatoes on his way home from work this evening. I used 6 cups of frozen cubed hash brown potatoes and 2 cups of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes. The shredded ones cook and mash faster, so I think I’d use 4 cups of each next time. I put all the ingredients into a pot on the stove instead of the slow cooker, and I also added one cup of dry chardonnay. I also added a few sprinkles of garlic seasoning. I let it boil for around 20 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes were cooked, and then I mashed most of the potatoes and proceeded with the rest of the recipe as normal. I also sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese on top before serving.

    One note – I think next time I will only use 1 package of ham, as two packages is a bit too much meat for me, but that’s just personal preference. (I prefer not to have meat in every bite.)

    Very good recipe!! 🙂

  8. I made this on Saturday when is was cold and snowy. WOW! One of the best soups I’ve ever had. My husband LOVED it! Thanks!!

  9. Is there a difference between heavy whipping cream and heavy cream? I looked for just heavy cream but all I could find was the heavy whipping cream… and if there is a difference is there anything I should adjust? Thanks so much this sounds amazing!

    1. They’re essentially the same thing so need for any adjustment. Heavy whipping cream is just a bit lighter in fat content than heavy cream. I hope you enjoy the soup!!

  10. I am especially happy with this soup!!! I don’t consider myself a “cook,” but I chose this recipe to use for a community event at the non-profit co-op art gallery I’m a member of, Lakewood Arts, here in Lakewood CO. Out of about 13 crockpots of wonderful soups, this recipe was voted to be (I was told “hands down”) the best crockpot soup. So not just me, but about 30 other people would give this Ham and Potato Soup your highest rating, of 5. By request, I just got through sending the website for the recipe to all the members of our gallery. Thanks so much for sharing.

  11. I am making this now and cheered on by all the positive feedback. I didn’t see anyone ask what happens if you just put in your ham bone from leftover ham – has lots of meat on it. I still have time to take it out and cut the ham up but of course would prefer not to.

    Second question: I cook at odd times of the day which means sometimes the crockpot will be on too long for the recipe. It does have a keep warm switch. What is your advice here? If you are serving the next day, can you leave it in the crockpot and just keep it warm or is this dangerous?

    1. Putting a ham bone in with leftover ham is a great way to boost flavor too! Go for it!!

      Because I’m constantly making new recipes and feeding my family, I always have a slow cooker (or two) going. I don’t see any issue with leaving it on a warm setting. You’ll just want to make sure it gets a good stir before serving.

  12. Made with left over honey ham used baby carrots baby red potatoes so good can this stuff up an sell it !

    1. I was wondering if you could use red potatoes instead of Russets. Thanks for sending your modifications. I’m going to try it out tomorrow

  13. I found your recipe looking for something to use some leftover ham.  Made this for dinner tonight.  
    It was really good.  We used peas as well.  Tasted like a loaded potato.  My family loved it too.  
    Thank you!

    1. Anytime you can find a meal that everyone loves, you know it’s a keeper! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you all enjoyed it!

  14. This soup is super simple and taste amazing. I used 2% milk and low fat sour cream added chicken bouillon and minced garlic. I will definitely be making this again and again?????

  15. My husband and I really enjoy this soup. My husband has been wanting it for the last week so Im making it tonight. A great recipe for a cold Wisconsin day.

  16. This is by far my FAVORITE soup recipe!! I was wondering if you know how I could convert it to a Instant Pot recipe? I really want to make this but very short on time these days. Thank you so much for this recipe!!

    1. I haven’t tested it so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation but I’m sure you’ll be able to find a recipe online with similar ingredients and follow it.

  17. My family loves this! I made it exactly as the recipe states and it turned out creamy, chunky and delicious!!

    1. Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.

  18. I have made this soup twice ,the first time in slow cooker second on the the stove top.It was great both times.My favorite.

  19. Best potato soup! Didn’t  have celery sub celery salt and celery seed. 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2. cup 1/2 & 1/2. So good!

  20. It’s currently 10 degrees out where I live, so I thought I would give this nice hearty soup a try, and it turned out perfect!  My chef husband loved it too.  I added a bay leaf and a bit more pepper than written, and garnished it with green onion and cheese.  Thanks for a lovely recipe that has become a family fave!

  21. This was a very good soup. A terrific way to use up some leftover Christmas ham. Thick, rich, hearty and will certainly make again.

  22. Delicious!
    We had leftover ham from Christmas to use. Added a can of corn. Made it dairy-free by blending one can of rinsed chickpeas along with about 1/3 of the potatoes and some broth, then mixed it all back in. Garnished with green onion snips. My goodness, it was yummy. The whole family loved it!

    Wish there was nutrition info with the recipe.

    1. Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets. Thanks for dropping by though to let me know you enjoyed it!

  23. I am making this now and have a question. The four cups of broth does not cover everything. Is that ok? Or do I need to run and buy more?
    Can I use almond flour instead of regular flour?

    1. It will all breakdown during the cooking process so it’s fine that it doesn’t cover it in the beginning. As to the flour, you can substitute with almond or you can just leave it out all together and either mash more of the potatoes or add more cream cheese to get a thicker consistency. Hope this helps!

  24. Made this recipe this morning before church. Quick and simple to put together and then easily finished upon our return. My husband loved it. It was thick and creamy. Thank you

  25. Rich and delicious. The thick, creamy texture had my family believing that I had added cheese to the mixture. I now scoff at recipes that add cheese to their potato soup! I like ham over bacon for both the flavor profile and texture. 
    I have fresh Thyme growing under my deck (still doing well into the month of December) so I tend to add that to many of my slow cooker recipes and braising liquids. I am now making this recipe a third time in two months!

  26. You can really play with this too like some people have on here (gonna try cheese!). Can add thyme or rosemary for different flavor… thicken with instant potatoes and or cornstarch. Seems like if you follow the recipe you shouldn’t have problems though. I used leftover turkey broth and leftover ham I froze from Thanksgiving 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!!! These are my fav recipes as a full time employee myself!

  27. SABRINA, 
           Is it necessary to mash some of the potatoes? I would prefer to just use the cubed potatoes without mashing  any of the potatoes. 
               What  is the purpose of mashing   Some of the potatoes anyway? 
                              ??

    1. Mashing some of the potatoes just helps give it a thicker consistency. You could always add more flour/heavy cream and sour cream at the end to help thicken it to your liking. I’d love to know what you try and how it turned out for you. Enjoy!

  28. Making this right now! I can’t wait to be able to eat it!!! I’m excited, I used 2 cups of regular chicken broth and 2 cups of chicken stock!! I’m so nervous. I hope it turns out well. Also I could only find heavy whipping cream, should I add more flour to thicken it?

  29. I made this soup today following the recipe exactly and it was soooo good. I took it to work and had a lot of hungry officers tell me how much they loved it. I normally have to tweak recipes to my own preferences but after one taste of this soup, I couldn’t find a single thing to add or adjust. I will definitely be making this recipe a few more times this winter. Thanks!

    1. Awww, that’s so sweet! You totally made my day! I’m so glad you made it and then came back to tell me about it!

  30. so good! I made a few modifications, I added 1 tsp of thyme and rosemary. I also added a cup of frozen corn 1 hour before serving.  Very hearty on a cold fall day :). Thank you!

  31. Perfect dish to start fall! I made this last year as well and was pleased to find the recipe again. I added a can of sweet peas – yum!

  32. I’m making this recipe right now (only my pregnancy brain got the best of me and I’ve had it on warm for the last 3 hours..ugh!) And I read the ham as needing to use 2 packages of 16oz cubed ham.. now I’m realizing I only needed one 16oz package or two 8oz packages of ham. Pregnancy brain- 2, Elyse- 0!
    Oh well.. it’ll be really hammy and really yummy leftovers!

    (Will rate after I complete this recipe successfully!)

  33. I tried this and it turned out super yummy! Several people said it turned out runny so I made sure to keep mashing and I cooked it closer to 5 hours on high and it turned out just fine. I also added some elbow noodles and topped it with cheese. Perfect fall comfort food!

  34. I’m hoping to make this to use up some leftover ham and mashed potatoes. Do you think this recipe would work with already mashed potatoes?

    1. That may be hard, I’m not sure how the mashed potatoes would hold up in the slow cooker, it could just get mealy in an unappetizing way.

  35. Mine was really thin the last time. We like it alot thicker, will whipping cream make it thick also or do I need the heavy cream?

  36. Great recipe! Loved the flavour. I left it in crockpot for 8.5 hours. No problem. I used my handheld chopper thingee to just whip the one third of the potato/carrot mixture as required. Added the cream and sour cream and flour and left it and we had to leave for a few hours and it was a tiny bit too thick when we got back. Tomorrow I will add a little chicken broth to thin it out and we are good to go. So next time I think I will use milk instead of the cream to lighten it up a bit. Otherwise, I will make again for sure.

  37. I had read about it being thin and after cooking on low for 8 hours mine was also. I turned it up to high for about 2 hours and then my potatoes finally were soft enough I could mash them. I noticed my potatoes were kind of green so that probably had something to do with it. My husband loves it and I did too! Will definitely make it again only I’ll make it on high. I don’t think it got hot enough to really cook the potatoes properly.   Maybe that’s what happened with the others as well?! Thanks for the great recipe! 

  38. I made this yesterday. As other comments have stated…mine turned out very runny as well. I followed the recipe and used amounts provided. My crockpot has the sealed lid and I cooked this for 5 hours on high. Not sure if sealed lid has effect. Taste very good we just had to use a spoon with a strainer. May try using half of the broth next time.

    1. I’m so glad the taste was still great but I’m not sure if the sealed lid made the difference in consistency or not. You could also try adding in a bit more flour and that might help tighten up the soup as well.

  39. Great soup the entire family loves it, I did cut it in half because I have a small slow cooker. I added some thyme to the crock as well, delicious!