A hearty bowl of Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Soup is the perfect way to warm up! Put it in the crockpot in the morning on a busy weekday for an easy dinner.
There is something about the cold weather that makes me crave a bowl of warm, hearty soup! It’s probably because I’m looking for a way to warm up.
This ham and cheese soup is a family favorite and is one of the most delicious ways to use leftover ham. I make it a simple meal and serve it with dinner rolls and a salad.
How To Make Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Soup
Step One: Potatoes
Start by peeling and cutting the potatoes. To get four cups of cubed potatoes, I used four large russet potatoes.
One of my favorite shortcuts is to buy cubed potatoes from the refrigerator section of the grocery store, but they were completely sold out when I went grocery shopping.
Step Two: Ham
Next, cut up the ham. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any leftover ham to make ham and cheese soup this time so I bought a piece of cooked, sliced ham from the grocery store. It ended up working really well in this recipe.
If you are using leftover ham, your pieces won’t really be cubed but it doesn’t matter. You just need them to be bite-sized.
Step Three: Cook
Put the ham and potatoes in the slow cooker (don’t forget the crockpot liner for easy cleanup) and cook on high for 3-4 hours, low for 6-8 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step Four: Cheese
For the cheese in this recipe, I like to use Velveeta because it melts the best and is the easiest method.
It doesn’t work very well to add cheddar cheese directly into the crockpot like you can with the Velveeta. It wants to clump together instead of melting.
How To Use Cheddar Cheese Instead of Velveeta:
If you want to use cheddar cheese, here is how you can do it. Reduce the water in the slow cooker to four cups. When the potatoes are cooked, shred 4 cups of cheddar cheese. (I suggest shredding the cheese yourself because it will melt better).
Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan until it just starts to bubble. Slowly add the cheese about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until smooth. Once all of the shredded cheddar cheese has been added, stir the cheese sauce into the ham and cheese soup in the slow cooker.
Step Five: Combine
Put the cheese in the crockpot and stir until melted.
Step Six: Instant Potatoes
My mom taught me a great hack for thickening soup: instant mashed potatoes! If you want your ham and cheese soup to be thicker, stir in a little bit of instant mashed potato flakes at a time, stirring until fully incorporated.
Just don’t add too much of the instant potatoes or your soup will become more like a casserole!
Pour the soup into bowls, grab a couple of dinner rolls and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
1. Would it work to add more veggies to this soup? Definitely! Try adding corn, broccoli, and cauliflower.
2. Can you freeze leftover ham and cheese soup? Yes. Once the soup has cooled put it into an airtight container and store in the freezer.
3. How can I make ham and cheese soup on the stovetop? Instead of putting the potatoes, ham, and water in a slow cooker, put them in a large stockpot. Boil until the potatoes are tender. Turn down the heat and stir in the Velveeta.
More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cup cubed ham
- 4 cups cubed potatoes
- 6 cups water
- 16 oz Velveeta cubed
- 1/4 cup instant potato flakes optional
Instructions
- Put the ham, potatoes, and water in a slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the lid and add the Velveeta. Stir until all of the cheese has melted.
- To thicken the soup, stir in a little bit of instant potato flakes at a time, mixing until combined. If you add too much, your soup will turn into a casserole so go slow!
Ladybug says
Can I use canned diced potatoes?
Tonia Larson says
Yes, but canned potatoes are partially cooked so they won’t take as long to cook in the slow cooker.
Tiffany Emerson says
I’ve made it several times. My family & I really like it.
Wondering if potatoes & ham could be cut up & frozen until I’m ready to use it.
Tonia Larson says
Hi Tiffany,
Thank you! I’m delighted to hear that. You can definitely freeze the cut up ham. But raw diced potatoes don’t freeze well since they have a lot of water in them. They can turn mushy or grainy. You can buy canned diced potatoes but I’ve never tried them. For a shortcut, I often buy the diced package of Simply Potatoes from the refrigerator section of the grocery store.
Warmly,
~Tonia
Faith says
I’ve made this several times, and we always enjoy it. I made it today and my husband kept commenting on how good it was. Glad we have leftovers!
Tess says
Did anyone else have issues using cheddar cheese instead of velveeta? I followed the steps for this substitution but the melted cheese just clumped together & did not stay melted.
Lisa says
I’ve made this soup multiple times in the past year and not only is it easy, but it is delicious! If you like ham, potatoes, and cheese (who doesnt?) then you will love this soup!
Frances says
When do I add the cheese?
Tonia says
The cheese is added in step three after the soup has cooked.
Remove the lid and add the Velveeta. Stir until all of the cheese has melted.
Laura Miller says
What is considered a serving? 1 cup? 1.5 cups? Im counting calories and would love to get the correct serving.
Tonia says
Hi Laura! Yes, the recipe makes 10 cups or 8 servings which is 1 1/4 cup for each serving.
Chris says
The soup was excellent and so easy to make!!! I had one cup and an soooo full!!!
Jamie Mcaninch says
Excellent soup !!! I used 2 cups vegetable broth and 4 cups water added a small onion diced and 2 stalks celery cut up and added it to the potatoes and ham. Added black pepper also. It’s a keeper as my hubby would say.
Jennifer Milfs says
If I wanted to add a bag of frozen veggies to this, when would I add them?
Tonia says
Hello Jennifer,
I would thaw the frozen vegetables and then add them at the same time as the potatoes.
Enjoy!
-Tonia
Alex says
I love this recipe. I like to add some diced onions and chopped celery to mine. I also use red potatoes and leave the peel on. I’ve also subbed some of the water our for vegetable stock before and used some ham stock in it. It is a very versatile recipe. I like that I can keep it as it is or add stuff I need to use out of my fridge.
Tonia says
Thank you Alex! I’m happy to hear that. I love adding broccoli and cauliflower to my soup. Since my family doesn’t like the added veggies, I often cook them in the microwave and add them to my bowl only.
Tracy says
I am going to make this today. It looks awesome and I just happen to have some leftover ham to use up! It’s a rainy, cold, Memorial Day. I don’t have any instant potatoes, though, so if it needs thickening, I might try some cream cheese. Are the slow cooker times mixed up? 6-8 hours on high seems like a long time for potatoes?
Tonia says
Hi Tracy,
They sure are! Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll update the post.
Happy Memorial Day!
-Tonia
Tracy says
Oh my gosh this is good! I ended up making a batch and a half because I had more potatoes, and a few carrots I wanted to use up. I ended up adding too much liquid but I added some shredded cheese to my bowl, and a little salt and pepper, and it is awesome! Thanks for the great recipe!
Tracy says
I think I accidentally deleted my comment. This turned out awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Ichi Tokyo says
This looks so good.
Rhonda says
This looks so good. I loved your slow cooker corn chowder recipe.
Dawn says
This looks so yummy and you take amazing pics!
Julie says
Lord Almighty!!! This soup looks like it’s TO DIE for!! I’m a soup freak, no matter the season 🙂 I WILL be trying this! SO glad you shared this!
Marina says
This looks perfect!! I never tried soup with cheese and I am sure I will love it!
sherri lynn says
I have been in the mood for soups too! I think it’s a combination of all of this rain/dreary weather and knowing that it’s September!
Anne says
I could’ve done with this a couple of weeks ago Tonia. It’s already warming up nicely. Anne xx
Lindsay @ Delighted Momma says
I am in the mood for soup too! This looks pretty simple too!