Is there anything better than creamy loaded baked potato soup on a cold day? Chunks of potato and vegetables are cooked in chicken broth until tender and then enriched with fat-free evaporated milk, cream cheese, and sharp cheddar cheese for a super creamy soup without all the calories. The crockpot makes it totally hands off! {Gluten-free}
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Best Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
There’s something so warm and comforting about loaded baked potatoes, and they’re even better in soup form! This hearty soup will fill you up on those cold nights and will be a go-to all throughout soup season!
My family loves to make a topping bar with sour cream or Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions. Then, everyone can make it their own. Great for dinner or even game day!
For more healthier potato recipes, you’ll also want to check out these Healthy Roasted Potatoes, Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes and this Dill Potato Salad!
Before You Get Started
There are two ingredients you will not want to adjust here: russet potatoes and fat-free evaporated milk. Russets are the regular brown potatoes you get at the store and they’re the very best for potato soup IMHO.
And to make a creamy, lightened up soup without heavy cream, you absolutely want fat-free evaporated milk. It’s my favorite hack for adding creaminess without loads of fat!
Pro Tip: If you don’t want to fuss with peeling potatoes in the morning, you can actually peel and cube them the night before! Just keep them submerged in a bowl of water in the fridge, and strain off the water in the AM. Easy.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Russet potatoes: Russets are a classic option for loaded potato soup because they are high in starch, so they’ll become soft and tender while cooking and can be mashed for a thick, creamy soup.
- Fresh thyme: You can use dried thyme if you don’t have fresh.
- Fat-free evaporated milk: This is my secret ingredient! It’s made by cooking down fat-free milk to make it as thick as heavy cream, but without the added fat. We always have several cans in the pantry!
- Reduced-fat cream cheese: Technically you could skip this, but it adds extra richness and tanginess that really brings the whole soup to the next level.
- Cornstarch: Towards the end of slow cooking, you’ll add cornstarch with the other dairy products and it will help thicken the soup for the perfect texture.
Optional Toppings
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt, crispy bacon crumbles (pork or turkey), shredded cheese, green onions, or chives for garnish
How to Make Healthy Crockpot Potato Soup
- In a slow cooker, combine the potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, chicken stock, and spices. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes become tender. Remove the thyme sprigs.
- In a small bowl, combine the evaporated milk with the cornstarch, add to the slow cooker along with the cream cheese cubes, cover and cook on high for 30-40 minutes, until the broth thickens.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese and use a fork or potato masher to mash up some of the potatoes for a thicker texture or pulse with an immersion blender for a smoother texture.
- Top with sour cream or Greek yogurt, bacon, chives and additional shredded cheese if you’d like!
A note on cooking time: All slow cookers cook differently so times may need to be adjusted to your specific slow cooker. You could also cook this soup on high for 3-4 hours to speed up the process. Just check to make sure the potatoes have become fork tender before you add the cornstarch and milk mixture.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Storage Guidelines
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing potato soup, as the potatoes can have a strange texture when frozen and thawed.
Reheat in a saucepan on the stove over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Top with your garnishes and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is definitely hearty and satisfying enough to enjoy as a main meal, although it isn’t super high in protein, so you may want to add something extra on the side. You can add some extra with the toppings, like Greek yogurt, bacon, and cheddar, though.
It’s also nice with some homemade cornbread with almond flour or even this high protein pita bread to mop up every last drop!
We usually like to either have it as a simple, filling meal on really cold days, but it’s also really nice alongside roasted chicken and a nice salad, like this tossed green salad.
Recipe Variations
- Add Southwestern flavor: Add 2-4 ounces of green chiles for a smoky flavor and a little extra heat.
- Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable broth and skip the bacon.
- Use mashed potatoes: If you have leftover mashed potatoes (we love these mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt), use them to replace the raw potatoes. Slow cook the veggies without the potatoes, then add the mashed potatoes, cream cheese, evaporated milk, and cornstarch at the same time. So easy!
More Healthy Creamy Soup Recipes
If you’re craving more creamy, cozy soups without all the calories, you are absolutely in the right place!
My Sweet Potato Coconut Soup is naturally sweet and aromatic, and ready to serve in just 30 minutes.
Our family loves this Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup, especially the kiddos!
Cottage cheese is the secret ingredient in my High Protein Tomato Soup recipe, and I promise, you would never even know!
This Creamy Chicken Potato Soup uses evaporated milk, too, and is loaded with veggies and protein to make it a complete meal in a bowl.
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Loaded Baked Potato Soup {Crockpot}
Video
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 12 ounce can fat free evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese or neufchatel, cubed
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional Toppings
- Sour cream, greek yogurt, turkey or pork bacon crumbles, shredded cheese or chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, mix together the potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, broth and spices. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes become tender. Remove thyme sprigs.
- In a small bowl combine the evaporated milk with the cornstarch, add to the slow cooker along with the cream cheese cubes, cover and cook on high for 30-40 minutes, until the broth thickens.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese and use a fork or potato masher to mash up some of the potatoes for a thicker texture or pulse with an immersion blender for a smoother texture.
- Top with sour cream or Greek yogurt, bacon, chives and additional shredded cheese if desired.
Notes
- All slow cookers cook differently so times may need to be adjusted to your specific slow cooker. You could also cook this soup on high for 3-4 hours to speed up the process. Just check to make sure the potatoes have become fork tender.
- Baby red potatoes are a good substitute for the russet potatoes and you can skip the peeling process. However, they will hold their shape more during cooking and might make for a slightly thinner soup, as not as much starch will be released from the potatoes.
- The neufchatel cheese can be omitted, but it adds lots of creaminess to the soup.
- If you prefer a really smooth slow cooker potato soup with cream cheese, you can use an immersion blender in the slow cooker to get a super smooth texture or use a potato masher to break down the potato chunks.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in September 2023, and the text, formatting and some photos were updated in January 2026.
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