Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup

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This easy crock pot ham and potato soup is simple and delicious! Potatoes and ham cook in a slow cooker for hours to make a rich and creamy soup. Right before serving stir in cream and cheese for a cheesy ham soup that is loaded with flavor. This is an easy set it and forget it meal!

bowl of slow cooker potato soup

This crock pot soup ham and potato is so good and so easy!  You just put it in the slow cooker, and let it cook for bowls of pure comfort food.

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It is a great way to use up leftover ham and is rich without being too heavy, since most of the creaminess comes from potatoes. Cheese is stirred in at the end of the slow cooking for a cheesy, delicious soup.

When you want a simple dinner you can make ahead of time this soup is ideal!

Looking for more ideas for leftover ham? Check out these ham and cheese muffins or Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas!

top view of ham and potato soup

Why You Will Love Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup

  • This is a low fuss easy recipe which mostly requires chopping and occasional stirring, making it difficult to mess up.
  • It will make your kitchen and your entire house smell amazing as it simmers away in the slow cooker.
  • It is a great way to use up leftover ham, and a convenient recipe to make after a big holiday like Easter.
  • It tastes just as good the day after you make it, so you can get multiple meals out of a big pot of soup.

Key Ingredients

  • Potatoes – I use white or russet potatoes for this soup. But yellow or red potatoes would work fine too,
  • Onions – I prefer to use sweet onions like Vidalia in this recipe. These onions add a little bit of sweetness and the flavor melds well with the potatoes.
  • Garlic, salt, pepper – I keep the seasoning for this recipe simple and just use salt, pepper and garlic. You can reduce the amount of salt if you like.
  • Ham – This recipe is great made with leftover ham you made for dinner, like Instant Pot ham or air fryer ham. But if you don’t have leftovers you can also buy ham steaks and dice them up.
  • Heavy cream – The cream is added at the end of the cooking time to help thicken and flavor the soup.
  • Cheddar cheese – I prefer mild cheddar cheese in this soup.
bowl of soup in front of crock pot

Step by Step Instructions

1. Chop

Peeling and chopping the potatoes is the most time consuming part of making this soup. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1 inch chunks.

diced potatoes

The chop the onions, mince the garlic and dice the ham. Put everything into a slow cooker, along with the chicken broth, salt and pepper and stir.

2. Slow Cook

The potatoes need to be covered with liquid during the cooking process. The 6 cups of chicken broth might or might not cover them completely.

potato and onions in slow cooker

So check at this point and add water to the slow cooker if the potatoes aren’t quite covered. Add just enough to submerge them.

Put the lid on the crock pot and set it on high. Let it cook for 4 hours, and then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for another 2-4 hours.

3. Thicken

About half an hour before you want to serve the soup turn the crock pot to warm. Then stir in the heavy cream.

The soup is thickened both by the cream and by mashing some, or all, of the potatoes. If you want creamy soup use an immersion blender to blend the potatoes.

If you want a chunky soup then use a hand potato masher and mash about half of the potatoes, or until you like the texture. Then let the soup rest, covered, on warm for about 30 minutes.

bowl of ham and potato soup

4. Serve

When you are ready to serve the soup stir in the cheese and then ladle it into bowls. Here are some great ways you can garnish this soup:

  • chives
  • parsley
  • bacon
  • green onions
  • sour cream
  • croutons

How to Store

This soup keeps very well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Just reheat it on low and it will taste delicious.

It also freezes pretty well, although the cream and cheese added at the end might separate when it freezes. If you reheat the soup slowly the broth will come back together and the soup will taste great, but it probably won’t look as good as before it was frozen.

crock pot ham and potato soup

Variations and Tips

  • You can add more vegetables to the ham and potato soup if you like, such as carrots or celery or cauliflower. Just chop them up and throw them in with the potatoes.
  • Changing the type of cheese you stir in at the end is a great way change up the taste of soup. I’ve also tried Colby Jack cheese and Gouda with tasty results.
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Can You Use Frozen Ham?

Frozen ham works fine in this soup. So if you have a bag of leftover Easter or Christmas ham in the freezer throw it in! Just make sure the ham was diced before it was frozen.

Find More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

bowl of soup in front of crock pot
4.60 from 32 votes

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

Published By Anne
This easy crock pot ham and potato soup is simple and delicious!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time7 hours
Total Time7 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 -10
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Ingredients
 

  • 8 large potatoes
  • 2 large sweet onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
  • 1 Tablespoon pepper
  • 2 cups ham diced
  • water if needed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • parsley or chives to garnish

Instructions

  • Peel and dice the potatoes into pieces about 1 inch in size. Chop the onions and mince the garlic cloves.
  • Add the potatoes, garlic and onions to the slow cooker, along with the chicken broth. Add the salt, pepper, diced ham and stir well.
  • If the potatoes are not covered by the broth add water to the slow cooker until the potatoes are just submerged.
  • Put the lid on the slow cooker and set the it on high. Let it cook on high for about 4 hours, then reduce the setting to low. Let the soup continue to cook on low for 2-4 hours, until you are ready to eat.
  • About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup stir in the cream and turn the slow cooker to warm. Use a potato masher to mash about half of the potatoes, leaving some to give it a chunky texture. If you prefer a smoother texture you can use an immersion blender to blend all the potatoes.
  • Let the soup sit on warm for about 30 minutes. Right before serving stir in the cheese.
  • Serve garnished with chives or parsley.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1457mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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cheesy potato soup with ham
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

3 thoughts on “Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup”

  1. Looks so yummy! From your recipe i decided to add potatoes and heavy cream to recook my frozen pea soup because it was so salty from the ham.

    Reply
  2. I’m making this soup for the second time. My son loved it last winter! It would be nice to know what size the crock pot should be when reading the recipe. I seem to remember last year realizing, in the middle of the process, that I needed both of mine. It got messy. So today I will make half. Thank you!

    Reply

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