This homemade slow cooker Ham and Potato Soup Recipe is made in the crockpot and perfect for a cool weather day to simmer it's wonderful smells through the house. It's easy to make and really the best recipe. It's thick, creamy and delicious and has some vegetables for extra vitamins.
This soup is popular in the cooler months, particularly around the holidays, including Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. It is the best and easy way to use up leftover ham from your holiday meal. We've even added it to our list of Christmas Lunch Ideas.
We love to make this soup with leftover ham made with our 3-ingredient ham glaze. We love to pair it with our Baguette Bread Recipe or our copycat Popeye's Biscuits Recipe. Some of our other favorite soup are our Gumbo Recipe and Cheesy Cauliflower Soup.
Try this tasty creamy Turkey Soup with any leftover turkey you may have from the holidays!
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Ingredients
- butter
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- flour
- milk
- chicken or vegetable stock
- bay leaves
- potatoes
- ham
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Finely chop the onion, slice the carrots and celery, dice (cube) the potatoes and ham. Heat the butter in a heavy pot or fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
2. Add the celery and carrots and cook for one more minute. Stir in the flour and transfer to a crock pot/ slow cooker.
3. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and milk and stir to combine. At this point you want to make sure the flour is mixed into the liquid. This can be made easier with a whisk, or just stir vigorously for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and ham and stir gently. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve hot and enjoy!
Hint: You don't HAVE to sauté the onions separately, but it does make the flavor and texture better. If you're in a hurry, whisk together about 1 cup of the milk with the flour until combined then feel free to just throw everything into the crockpot, stir, and cook as directed.
What I Like About It
I love how easy and comforting this soup is. It's so simple to make, and a great way to use up our leftover holiday ham. I like that I can add a variety of vegetables and prepare it in the morning and have the delicious smells fill my house throughout the day.
Substitutions
- Half and half - for a richer, creamier soup, use half and half instead of milk. Cut down on the flour by 1 Tablespoon.
- With Heavy Whipping Cream - substitute half the milk for heavy whipping cream for an easy and comforting verison. Cut down the flour to ¼ cup.
- Bone broth - feel free to use homemade ham bone broth instead of chicken stock in the soup.
- Green Beans - exchange the celery for green beans for a green bean ham and potato soup.
- Without Milk - substitute all milk for chicken stock. Add an extra Tablespoon of flour.
Variations
- Cheesy- Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup is very popular! Stir in 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese until melted before serving, then top with more if desired.
- Spicy - add 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes at the same time as the chicken broth and milk to imbue heat into the dish
- Deluxe - add 2 teaspoons dried parsley and 1 teaspoon dried thyme for the deluxe version.
- Extra Vegetables - add 1 cup of green beans when adding the carrots, then add 1 cup of zucchini, 1 cup of yellow squash 1 hour before serving.
- Better for you - use a bone broth, then use our without milk substitution and our extra vegetables variation for a more nutritious version of this soup!
Equipment
- crock pot/ slow cooker
- pot or fry pan
- spatula
Storage
This makes amazing leftovers! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top over medium heat until warm, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
Top tip
Make sure the flour gets well mixed into the liquid for best results!
Recipe
Delicious Ham and Potato Soup Crock Pot
Equipment
- 1 crock pot
- 1 pot or fry pan
- 1 spatula to stir with
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup yellow onion about ½ large onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups carrots sliced
- ¾ cup celery sliced
- 2 ½ cups milk any %
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 ½ cups potatoes chopped into ¾" cubes
- 1 ½ cups ham cooked and cubed
Instructions
- Finely chop onion, slice carrots and celery, cube ham and potatoes
- Heat butter in a heavy pot or fry pan. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Add carrots and celery and cook and additional minute. Stir in the flour then transfer to a crock pot.
- Add milk and whisk vigorously until flour is well combined. Add chicken stock, bay leaves potatoes and ham and stir to combine. See photos above for a great visual.
- Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Serve hot with cheese (if desired). Enjoy!
Notes
- no time to sauté the onions and garlic separately? We recommend it as it adds a depth of flavor, but we get that sometimes you're in a hurry. Whisk together the flour and one cup of milk until well combined, then add all ingredients to the crockpot and stir to combine. Cook as directed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove, stirring occasionally until hot. Add milk to thin, if needed.
- Serve this up with our favorite Baguette Bread Recipe for a yummy meal.
Nutrition
FAQ
Chop and pan fry vegetables, add milk, chicken stock, bay leaves, potatoes and ham. Allow to simmer then serve!
Yes. Wait for the soup to cool to room temperature, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then reheat on the stove until hot.
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Nicole
YUM! This slow cooker ham and potato soup recipe was so delicious. Easy and comforting, just what we needed as our weather has turned to fall.