These 5-ingredient slow cooker layered cheesy potatoes are creamy, cozy, and loaded with tender potatoes, cheddar, and a rich sour-cream sauce. Just layer everything in the slow cooker and let it cook while you get on with your day. You’re going to love the golden cheesy edges and easy, crowd-friendly comfort.
Why You’ll Love It
- Easy slow cooker prep — layer everything, cover, and let dinner cook itself.
- Creamy and cheesy — tender potatoes, rich sauce, and melted cheddar in every layer.
- Feeds a crowd — three pounds of potatoes stretch into a generous side dish.
- Frees up the oven — especially handy when other dishes need the oven.
Ingredient Notes
White potatoes are what I use here—plain old white potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced thin. Yukon Golds will work in a pinch, though they’re a little richer and softer. Russets can get a bit more crumbly, but they’re still perfectly edible. I won’t pretend I haven’t used them when that was all I had in the pantry. Try our 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup next.
For cheese, sharp cheddar has the best flavor to me, but colby-jack melts beautifully and has that mild, kid-friendly thing going for it. Pepper jack works sometimes too, though it can get spicy if you use too much. So—moderation.
The condensed cream of chicken soup gives the dish its familiar casserole flavor. Cream of mushroom or cream of celery works fine if you’d rather keep it meatless. I grew up with cream of mushroom in nearly everything, which probably explains why I still have a soft spot for those old spiral-bound community cookbooks. Half the recipes begin with “open cans.” Honest food, if not exactly glamorous. If you like this, you'll love our Crockpot Ham and Potato Casserole.
Use full-fat sour cream if you can. Light sour cream works, but the finished potatoes aren’t quite as velvety. They’ll still disappear, though. People are not standing around evaluating the fat percentage of your casserole. At least not at my house. If they are, they can bring dessert next time.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds white potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick; peel them if you prefer, but I usually leave the skins on
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or colby-jack, divided
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 small onion, very thinly sliced, or 1 tablespoon dried minced onion if you want a gentler onion flavor
- Nonstick cooking spray or 1 tablespoon softened butter, for greasing the slow cooker
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Generously spray the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray, or rub it all over with the softened butter. Do not skimp on this part. I once thought, “Oh, a little spray is probably enough,” and then spent twenty minutes soaking the crock while my family wandered off to watch some crime show. Grease it well and save yourself the aggravation.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, and black pepper until smooth. It may look a little thick and strange at first—nothing alarming, just keep stirring. This is the sauce that works its way down between the potatoes while they cook.
Scrub the potatoes, pat them dry, and slice them into thin rounds, somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. A mandoline makes quick work of this, but please use the guard. I have a scar on my knuckle, and I’m still annoyed about it. A sharp knife works just fine; it just takes a few extra minutes and maybe a little patience.
Slice the onion very thinly if you’re using fresh onion. You want it thin enough that it softens into the potatoes instead of leaving anybody with a big crunchy onion surprise. If your family has Opinions about onions, dried minced onion is a nice little workaround.
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Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the soup-and-sour-cream mixture over the bottom of the greased slow cooker. It doesn’t need to be perfect. This first little layer helps keep those bottom potatoes from sticking and gives you that lovely cheesy crust later. For another easy option, see our 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Potato Casserole.
Arrange a layer of potato slices over the sauce, overlapping them slightly like shingles on a roof. Scatter over a small handful of onion, then sprinkle about 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese across the top. Spoon roughly 1/3 cup of the creamy sauce over that and gently spread it around with the back of the spoon. Don’t worry if every potato isn’t covered; it all settles together as it cooks.
Repeat the layers—potatoes, onion, cheese, and sauce—until you have used all the potatoes and sauce, finishing with the remaining cheese on top. Press everything down gently with clean hands or a spatula so it fits under the lid. It always looks like far too much at this point. It isn’t. Potatoes have a way of humbling you.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are bubbly. Try not to keep lifting the lid every half hour. I know it’s tempting—I do it too—but each peek lets heat escape and drags the whole thing out.
If you want a browner top, and your slow cooker insert is oven-safe, carefully place the insert under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes after cooking. Watch it like a hawk. Cheese can go from golden to tragic in about forty-five seconds, especially in my oven, which has moods.
Let the potatoes rest uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so they can settle a little and scoop more neatly. Keep the slow cooker on WARM if dinner is delayed, and give the potatoes a gentle stir once or twice if they sit for a while.
Variations
Add diced ham between the layers, usually about 1 to 1 1/2 cups, and these turn into a pretty hearty supper. Cooked crumbled bacon is good too, though it’s almost unfair how bacon can make people act like you invented cooking.
For a meatless version, swap the cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom or cream of celery. I actually prefer cream of celery sometimes—it has a little more zip.
You can use extra cheese, maybe another 1/2 to 1 cup, especially if you’re feeding teenagers or people who believe cheese is a personality trait. I tried adding broccoli once because I was feeling virtuous. It was not terrible, but it released enough moisture that the layers got a little soupy. Edible? Absolutely. Worth repeating? Not particularly. Some things don’t need improving. You might also like our Ham and Potato Au Gratin.
For an oven-baked cheesy potato side, try Crack Potatoes, with hash browns, sour cream, cheddar, bacon and ranch.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers should be cooled and refrigerated within 2 hours. I spoon them into a covered container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. They reheat nicely in the microwave, covered loosely, until steaming hot. Add a tiny splash of milk or a dollop of sour cream if they seem dry, though usually they don’t.
For a larger amount, put the potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil, and warm at 350°F until hot throughout. Sometimes I add a small handful of cheese over the top because, well, why not. You can’t really recreate that just-cooked slow cooker texture exactly, but they’re still very good the next day.
Final Notes
There’s something almost old-fashioned about a crock of cheesy potatoes sitting there, warm and a little messy around the edges. Not fancy food. Not food you photograph under perfect lighting while nobody touches it. This is food for people who come in hungry, drop their keys on the counter, and ask what smells so good before they’ve even taken off their shoes.
Make it for a holiday table, a neighbor’s backyard dinner, a regular Sunday supper, or one of those gray afternoons when the news is irritating and the laundry has somehow reproduced overnight. Serve it with green beans if you want to feel balanced. Serve it with buttered rolls if you don’t. Try our Slow Cooker Amish Kielbasa Potatoes next.
Either way, save yourself a scoop before everybody else gets to it. I’m not saying you should hide it behind the milk. If you like this, you'll love our Mississippi Mud Potatoes.
But I’m not saying you shouldn’t, either.
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Layered Cheesy Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds white potatoes Scrubbed and thinly sliced, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick; peel if preferred.
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or colby-jack Divided.
- 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream Full-fat preferred.
- 1 small onion Very thinly sliced; or use 1 tablespoon dried minced onion.
- 1 application nonstick cooking spray or softened butter Use nonstick cooking spray or 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing the slow cooker.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Generously spray the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray, or rub it all over with softened butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
- Scrub the potatoes, pat them dry, and slice them into thin rounds between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
- Slice the onion very thinly if using fresh onion, or measure the dried minced onion if using it instead.
- Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the soup-and-sour-cream mixture over the bottom of the greased slow cooker.
- Arrange a layer of potato slices over the sauce, overlapping them slightly, then scatter over a small handful of onion, sprinkle about 3/4 cup of shredded cheese across the top, and spoon roughly 1/3 cup of creamy sauce over it.
- Repeat the layers of potatoes, onion, cheese, and sauce until all the potatoes and sauce are used, finishing with the remaining cheese on top, then press everything down gently so it fits under the lid.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are bubbly.
- For a browner top, carefully place an oven-safe slow cooker insert under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes after cooking, watching closely.
- Let the potatoes rest uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before serving; keep the slow cooker on WARM if dinner is delayed and stir gently once or twice if they sit for a while.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
