Crock Pot Potato Ham Soup is the easy way to use up leftover ham: diced potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and cubed ham cook low and slow in chicken broth, then part of the potatoes gets mashed and a little flour, cream and sour cream turn the whole pot thick and creamy. It serves 8, and the hands-on work is about 10 minutes.
How to make it: Put the potatoes, vegetables, ham, seasoning and broth in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. Mash about a third of the potatoes, stir in the flour, cream and sour cream, and cook 15 minutes more on HIGH.
Why You’ll Love It
- 10 minutes of prep: chop, add to the crock, and walk away.
- Uses leftover ham: a pound of cubed ham goes straight in.
- Thick without a roux: mashed potatoes and a little flour do the thickening.
- Serves 8: a full pot for a crowd or for lunches all week.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes: Eight cups, diced. Some of them get mashed at the end to thicken the soup.
Onion, carrots and celery: One yellow onion, 2 large carrots and 1/2 cup of chopped celery.
Ham: Sixteen ounces, cubed. Leftover holiday ham works well.
Chicken broth: Four cups. Low- or no-sodium broth works too.
Flour, heavy cream and sour cream: A quarter cup of flour, 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of sour cream go in at the end. Whole milk can replace the cream.
Salt and pepper: A teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper.
Ingredients
- 8 cups diced russet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 16 ounces ham, cubed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
How to Make Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup
1. Slow cook. Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, ham, salt, pepper and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
2. Mash some potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash about a third of the potatoes right in the pot.
3. Thicken. Add the flour, heavy cream and sour cream and stir everything together.
4. Finish. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes more, until the soup is thickened and steaming hot (165°F).
How to Make It Thick and Creamy
Straight from the slow cooker, the soup is brothy. These are the ways to bring it to the thickness you like, from the lightest touch to the heaviest.
Mash some of the potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, press about a third of them with a potato masher right in the crock. The ham will not really mash, so you can do this with everything in the pot. Mash up to half for a thicker soup.
Make a flour slurry. Ladle out about 1/2 cup of the hot broth, whisk the flour into it until smooth, and pour it back into the slow cooker before adding the cream. Then cook 15 to 30 minutes on HIGH.
Add potato flakes. For an even thicker soup, stir in instant potato flakes a little at a time, up to 1 cup, until it reaches the consistency you want. You may not need them all.
Give it the last 15 minutes. After the flour and cream go in, the soup needs its final 15 minutes on HIGH, covered, to thicken.
Tips for Success
- Cut the potatoes evenly: dice them to about the same size.
- Add the dairy at the end: the cream and sour cream go in only after the long cook.
- Season last: taste after the cream goes in, then add salt if it needs it.
Variations
- Cheesy: skip the flour and sour cream. Stir in 12 ounces of evaporated milk, 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar, break up some potatoes, and let the cheese melt. Top with more cheddar, scallions and bits of ham crisped in a skillet.
- With a cheddar roux: melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, then milk, and stir in freshly grated cheddar. Add it to the slow cooker for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
- Herbs and beans: add dried parsley and thyme, or bay leaves and onion powder, and a can of white beans.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat soup on the stove or in the microwave to a rolling boil; FSIS does not recommend reheating leftovers in a slow cooker. Cream sauces do not freeze well, according to FSIS, so this soup is best kept in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with crusty bread for dipping. For more potato soups, try Paula Deen’s crockpot potato soup, 5-ingredient slow cooker loaded potato soup or crockpot potato broccoli cheddar soup. For more ways to use leftover ham, there is ham and potato corn chowder, crock pot ham and beans and crockpot ham and potato casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an easy way to make ham and potato soup in a crockpot?
Put diced potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, cubed ham and chicken broth in the crock, cook until the potatoes are tender, mash some of them, and stir in flour, cream and sour cream for the last 15 minutes.
What’s the best broth for ham potato soup?
Chicken broth, regular or low-sodium.
What are some tips for making crockpot potato soup?
Cut the potatoes evenly, add the cream at the end, mash some of the potatoes to thicken it, and taste before salting.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Yes. Whole milk can replace the heavy cream; half and half works too.
Final Notes
Let the potatoes get fully tender, mash a third of them, and save the cream for the end. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crock Pot Potato Ham Soup
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Ingredients
- 8 cups russet potatoes diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 16 ounces ham cubed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, ham, salt, pepper and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- Use a potato masher to mash about a third of the potatoes right in the pot.
- Add the flour, heavy cream and sour cream and stir everything together.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes more, until the soup is thickened and steaming hot (165°F).
