Slow Cooker Creamy Ham and Potato Soup | Page 2

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

6 hours

Total Time

6 hours 20 minutes

Servings

6 servings

Do you have a Sunday ahead of you and zero desire to spend three hours standing at the stove? This soup is exactly what you need. Twenty minutes of prep, put the lid on, and the slow cooker takes over until evening.

Final result — A large steaming bowl of creamy ham and potato soup, absolute comfort for weeknight evenings.

In the bowl, the soup has that cream color leaning towards warm beige — dotted with touches of tender green from the spring onions. On the surface, a dollop of crème fraîche melts slowly into the broth. The aroma wafting up is something between a concentrated chicken broth and smoked ham. It warms you up even before the first spoonful. The potato chunks have that slight softness on the surface that says they are cooked to perfection — meltingly tender without being mushy.

Why you’ll love this recipe

✓The slow cooker does 95% of the work : You assemble everything in twenty minutes in the morning, and by evening it’s ready. No monitoring, no stirring every ten minutes, no pots boiling over.

✓It’s truly hearty : Between the potatoes, the turkey ham, and the cream roux, this is a soup that fills you up. No need to plan an extra dish.

✓Perfect for cleaning out the fridge : Leftover turkey ham, potatoes lying around, two forgotten carrots in the crisper drawer — it all disappears neatly into the slow cooker. Zero waste.

✓The texture can be adjusted at the last minute : Too thick? Add a bit of hot broth. Not thick enough? Give it three pulses with an immersion blender. You’re in control until the very end, stress-free.

Ingredient Notes

All ingredients assembled before the big dive into the slow cooker.

Yukon Gold Potatoes : The ideal variety here. Not too starchy like Russets that turn into mush at the slightest look, and not too waxy like Fingerlings that don’t cook well over a long duration. Yukon Golds have that pale yellow flesh that holds its shape while releasing just enough starch to thicken the broth naturally. If you can’t find them, Charlotte potatoes will work just fine.
Smoked Turkey Ham : Get thick slices from the deli counter rather than thin vacuum-packed ones — they hold up better after six hours of cooking and the smoky flavor is much more prominent. Cut them into generous one-centimeter chunks. Not confetti.
Turkey Bacon : Non-negotiable: it must be pan-fried before going into the slow cooker. Raw, it will never get crispy in a broth. Cooked, it provides that little crunch as a garnish and that smoky-salty note that elevates the whole soup.
Thick Crème Fraîche : This is added at the end of cooking, never at the start. If you put it in too early, it curdles and the soup becomes grainy — and that’s hard to fix. At the last moment, it provides that silky creaminess and a slight acidity that balances the richness of the roux.
The Roux (butter, flour, heavy cream) : Three simple ingredients that completely transform the texture of the soup. The secret is to whisk continuously for about ten minutes over low heat. The mixture goes through a slightly sticky phase before becoming smooth and glossy like a light béchamel. Don’t rush this step.

Put everything in the slow cooker and go do something else

Chicken broth, parsley, celery, carrots, turkey ham, cooked turkey bacon, garlic, onion, and potatoes — everything goes into the slow cooker in bulk. Salt, pepper, a good stir with a spoon. Lid on. Set it for six hours on ‘low,’ or three hours on ‘high’ if you started late. The smell of garlic and smoked ham starting to circulate through the house after an hour is a very good sign. Don’t lift the lid unnecessarily — every peek adds about twenty minutes to the cooking time.

Don’t botch the roux, it makes all the difference

When the potatoes smash easily under a fork with no resistance, it’s time to make the roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat — it should foam slightly without browning. Whisk in the flour all at once; it will form a dense paste that smells slightly like raw biscuit dough. Then add the heavy cream very gradually, a drizzle at a time, whisking between each addition. After ten minutes on low heat, the mixture becomes smooth, glossy, and light ivory in color. That’s exactly the moment we’re looking for.

Pour, mix, and don’t touch anything for ten minutes

Stir the roux directly into the slow cooker, mixing well to homogenize it with the broth — the soup will change texture before your eyes, becoming denser and more velvety. Then add the thick crème fraîche, stir again, and put the lid back on. Thirty more minutes of cooking, and everything binds together. If the soup is still too thin, a few pulses of an immersion blender on some of the potatoes is enough to thicken it instantly. If it’s too thick — add a little hot broth, not cold, so as not to break the emulsion.

Tips & Tricks

Cook the turkey bacon the day before if you’re planning a morning start — one less step in the morning, and the reheated bacon remains very good as a garnish.
Don’t salt right away: the turkey ham, bacon, and broth already provide a lot of sodium. Only taste at the end of cooking before adjusting.
The soup thickens in the refrigerator. The next day, reheat over low heat with a bit of hot broth and whisk lightly — it regains its texture in two minutes.

Close-up — This creamy texture is exactly what you’re looking for in a good potato soup.

FAQs

Can I use other potato varieties?

Yes, but the result will be different. Charlotte potatoes hold up well during long cooking and stay in pieces. Starchy potatoes like Russets will crumble and naturally thicken the soup — handy if you want a denser texture. Avoid Fingerlings, which are too firm for 6 hours of cooking.

Can this soup be made without a slow cooker?

Absolutely. Sauté the onion and garlic in a large Dutch oven, add all the ingredients, and simmer on low heat for 35 to 40 minutes covered. Prepare the roux separately and stir it in at the end of cooking. The result is excellent, just less hands-off.

The soup is too thin — how do I thicken it?