Name: Slow Cooker Potato and Ham Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 495 min
Ingredients: 2 large ham bones; 2 celery stalks (leaves trimmed and diced); 3 carrots (peeled and diced); 1 medium white onion (diced); 1 TBSP minced garlic; Kosher salt (to taste); Black pepper (to taste); 1 Bay Leaf; ½ tsp. dried rosemary; 3 pounds russet potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces); 8 cups chicken stock; 1 cup heavy cream

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This Slow Cooker Potato and Ham Soup uses leftover ham bones, fresh veggies, and lots of potatoes to create a dinner that is easy and filling! Throw everything in your crockpot before work and come home to a delicious, home cooked meal that the whole family will love!

An overhead shot of a white bowl filled with slow cooker ham and potato soup. The soup is sprinkled with parsley.

This soup recipe is very much one of those “clean out the fridge and use what we have on hand” recipes. Leftover ham bones impart so much flavor to a simple potato soup recipe that is cooked low and slow in a crockpot. Add a splash of cream to make it even more luxurious!

For this recipe you’ll need:

Ham bones (we had leftover bones from making shredded ham in the slow cooker)
Potatoes
Mirepoix (that’s carrots, celery, and onion!)
Garlic
Bay Leaf
Dried Rosemary
S&P
Chicken Stock (veggie works, too!)
Heavy Cream

All the ingredients for slow cooker potato and ham soup are in glass bowls and measuring cups on a white background. Every ingredient is labeled.

How to make Slow Cooker Potato and Ham Soup

Create the first layer. By putting the ham bones, veggies, and seasoning in the slow cooker.
Add the potatoes and stock. The potatoes will sit on the top and gently cook in the liquid.
Cover and cook on low. For 8 – 10 hours. This will allow enough time for the potatoes to get tender and for the ham bones to release all that delicious flavor.
Remove the ham bones. No one want to bite into a bone! If your bones are like mine, they’ll have split apart so be sure to get all the pieces. You’ll be left with all that good bone meat that falls right off and into the soup. So tender! Remove the bay leaf at this time, too.
Stir in the cream. This just makes the soup extra creamy and luxurious! And now it’s ready to serve!

Add the ham bones, veggies, and seasoning.

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How can I thicken potato soup?

This soup is broth-based and definitely isn’t a thick soup, but it can be thickened if desired! Before stirring in the cream, microwave it for 30 seconds to warm it up. Add 3 TBSP of flour to the cream and whisk until smooth. This is called a slurry, by the way, and it’s often used to thicken soups and sauces! Now, stir the slurry into the soup and cook for a few minutes more, until the soup is thickened. Voila! You’ve just thickened your potato soup.

A white bowl filled with slow cooker ham and potato soup sits on a white backdrop. The soup is sprinkled with parsley. and there is another bowl of soup in the background and a white and yellow striped napkin with a silver spoon in the foreground.

Can I freeze potato soup?

I do not recommend freezing this soup for a few reasons. For one, potatoes get weird when you freeze them. They just do. Especially the ones in this soup. For two, this soup contains cream. Dairy soups should never be frozen as they can separate and curdle, totally ruining the soup. However, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.