Soup is the one thing a slow cooker cannot really ruin, except in the four ways it reliably does: split dairy, dissolved pasta, grainy potato and stringy chicken. All four are timing, not the recipe.
Below are 5 crockpot soup recipes, each with a full recipe card and the LOW and HIGH hours for a 6-quart pot, plus what goes in late so nothing turns to mush.
Most crockpot soups are done in 6 to 8 hours on LOW or 3 to 4 on HIGH in a 6-quart pot; dairy, pasta, rice and greens go in during the last 15 to 30 minutes.
Quick answer
Most crockpot soups are done in 6 to 8 hours on LOW or 3 to 4 on HIGH in a 6-quart pot. Dairy, pasta, rice and fresh greens go in during the last 15 to 30 minutes, never at the start. Chicken breast comes out at 3 hours on LOW; leave it in for eight and it shreds into threads.
What are crockpot soup recipes?
Crockpot soup recipes are soups where the raw ingredients go into the slow cooker with stock and cook unattended, so the work is the timing of what goes in late rather than the stirring. For the pasta side of a weeknight, see crockpot pasta recipes, and for a hands-off pot of chicken see crockpot chicken recipes.
In the soup set of top-ranking crockpot pages, eight pages, not one gave the time both ways. You get LOW or you get HIGH, and the setting you need at two in the afternoon is the one that is missing. The tables here print both.
Pick the right crockpot soup in one minute
| Preview | Idea | Best for | Hands-on time | Avoid if | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup | A sick-day pot | Low · 6 h | You want a thick, creamy soup | Jump to recipe |
| 2. Crockpot Potato Soup | A cold evening with bacon and cheese | Low · 7 h | You avoid dairy | Jump to recipe | |
| 3. Beef and Barley Soup | A hearty Sunday soup | Low · 8 h | You are short on time | Jump to recipe | |
| 4. Crockpot Lentil Soup | A budget week with freezer portions | Low · 6 h | You want meat in every bowl | Jump to recipe | |
| 5. Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup | A creamy soup that stays green | Low · 5 h | You cannot have dairy | Jump to recipe |
For a first try, make the chicken noodle (1). It teaches the late-noodle rule that applies to every soup here.
How do you choose a crockpot soup?
- The main ingredient: beef and ham need the full LOW run, vegetable and lentil soups can use HIGH, and chicken breast comes out at 3 hours.
- What has to go in late: dairy, pasta, rice and fresh greens all wait until the last 15 to 30 minutes.
- The size of your pot: everything is timed for a 6-quart pot filled between half and three-quarters; a full pot runs slower and a thin one runs hotter.
LOW and HIGH are not two temperatures. Both climb to roughly the same simmer, and HIGH just gets there faster. HIGH is about half the LOW time, but collagen-rich beef, ham hock and dried beans come out better on LOW even when the clock says done on HIGH.
How to Make Crockpot Soup: the Base Method
Use less liquid
A slow cooker loses almost nothing to evaporation. Use roughly two-thirds the liquid a hob recipe asks for, and reduce with the lid off on HIGH for the last 30 to 45 minutes if it is thin.
Hold back what cannot survive
Dairy, pasta, rice and greens go in late. Thicken with a cornflour slurry at the end, not sprinkled in.
Cut chunks big
Cut potato and vegetables at least the size of a walnut so they hold through a long cook.
1. Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken, carrots, celery and onion cook in stock for six hours on LOW. The noodles wait until the last twenty minutes.
Added at the start, small pasta gives up its shape and thickens the broth to paste. Chicken breast is done at 3 hours, so thighs are the safer pick for a full day.
Shred the chicken in the pot, return it, then add the noodles and parsley for the final stretch.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes6
hours20
minutesChicken thighs and vegetables cook in stock for six hours on LOW, then egg noodles and parsley go in for the last twenty minutes.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs
6 cups chicken stock
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups dry egg noodles
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Put the onion, carrots and celery in the bottom of a cold 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the chicken thighs in a single layer.
- Sprinkle the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper over the chicken.
- Tuck in the bay leaves.
- Pour the stock over everything.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Lift the chicken onto a board and shred it with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot and discard the bay leaves.
- Stir in the noodles and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the parsley and taste for salt before serving.
Notes
- Chicken breast works only if you cut the time to about 3 hours on LOW. Keep leftover noodles out of the pot if you plan to freeze it.
TempPro instant-read thermometer
Reads 165°F in the thickest piece of chicken so you never guess.
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Pin it2. Crockpot Potato Soup
Potatoes, onion and stock cook for seven hours, then cream and cheese go in at the end off the boil.
Dairy added at the start splits under hours of heat and the soup goes grainy. Cut the potato into chunks at least the size of a walnut so it holds.
Mash a few chunks against the side of the pot for body without a blender.
6
servings15
minutes7
hoursWaxy potatoes, onion and stock cook for seven hours on LOW, then cream and cheddar are stirred in for the last half hour.
Ingredients
3 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks
1 large onion, diced
4 cups chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp butter
Directions
- Put the potatoes and onion in a cold 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper and paprika.
- Pour in the stock and stir once.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
- Mash a third of the potatoes against the side with a fork.
- Stir in the butter and cream.
- Add the cheddar a handful at a time until melted.
- Cook 20 minutes more on LOW without boiling.
- Taste and adjust the salt.
- Top with bacon and chives and serve.
Notes
- Freeze the base before the cream goes in and finish it after reheating, since cream splits on thawing.
Pin it3. Beef and Barley Soup
Stewing beef, barley, root vegetables and stock cook for eight hours. Nothing goes in late, because barley goes in at the start.
Beef and barley is the one soup where LOW matters: the collagen needs the slow climb, so HIGH gives tougher meat even when the clock says done.
Thicker than most, it keeps well and tastes better the next day.
6
servings15
minutes8
hours15
minutesStewing beef, pearl barley and root vegetables cook in stock for eight hours on LOW with nothing added late.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb stewing beef, cut in 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup pearl barley
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 large onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
6 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Put the onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms in a cold 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the beef in a single layer.
- Scatter the barley over the beef.
- Whisk the tomato paste and Worcestershire into the stock.
- Pour the stock over everything and add the thyme, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- Check that the beef is tender and the barley soft.
- Add a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
- Taste and adjust the salt.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Barley keeps absorbing broth, so leftovers need a splash of stock when reheated.
Pin it4. Crockpot Lentil Soup
Brown lentils, carrots, celery and cumin cook in stock for six hours, with lemon and spinach stirred in at the end.
Lentils need no soaking and soften without turning to paste in a long cook. Lemon added late keeps the flavor bright.
It freezes well, so a double batch is worth the bigger pot.
6
servings10
minutes6
hours10
minutesBrown lentils and vegetables cook in stock with cumin for six hours on LOW, then lemon juice and spinach go in at the end.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups fresh spinach
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions
- Put the lentils, carrots, celery and onion in a cold 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and salt.
- Pour in the tomatoes and stock.
- Stir once.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Check that the lentils are soft.
- Stir in the spinach and let it wilt for 10 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust the salt.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- Salt at the end if your stock is already salty. Lentil soup thickens in the fridge, so thin it with water.
Pin it5. Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Onion, carrots and stock cook for five hours, with broccoli added at four hours and cheese and cream stirred in at the end.
Everything creamy waits. Cheese added early goes grainy, and broccoli added early goes grey.
Shred the cheese yourself; pre-shredded cheese melts less smoothly.
6
servings15
minutes5
hours15
minutesOnion, carrot and stock cook for four hours on LOW, then broccoli, cream and cheddar finish the soup in the last hour.
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Directions
- Put the onion, carrots and garlic in a cold 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- Stir in the broccoli.
- Cook 1 more hour on LOW.
- Stir in the cornflour slurry and mustard.
- Mash or blend part of the soup for body.
- Stir in the cream.
- Add the cheddar a handful at a time until melted.
- Serve at once.
Notes
- Do not boil after the cheese goes in. Reheat gently on the stove.
If it goes wrong
- Grainy, split soup: dairy went in at the start. Stir cream and cheese in off the boil at the end.
- Thick as porridge: pasta or rice sat in the broth for hours. Cook it separately or add it for the last 20 minutes.
- Collapsed potatoes: the chunks were too small. Cut them the size of a walnut and use waxy potatoes.
- Stringy chicken: breast stayed in all day. Use thighs, or take the breast out at about 3 hours.
- Watery soup: nothing evaporates under the lid. Use two-thirds of the stovetop liquid and reduce at the end.
A thin soup is fixed with the lid off on HIGH, not with more time on LOW.
How to Store and Freeze Crockpot Soup
Get soup into the refrigerator within two hours, in shallow containers. Warm holds temperature but does not cook, so it is not storage.
Lentil, split pea, minestrone base, beef and barley and tomato soups freeze well. Potato, broccoli cheddar and anything creamy should be frozen as the base only, with the dairy added after reheating. Freeze flat in gallon bags to thaw in about an hour.
For the pot of beans and ham that goes with soup night, see healthy crockpot recipes. For the chicken-specific timing, see crockpot chicken recipes. For portioning the same soups into the freezer, start with crockpot freezer meals.
Key takeaways
- Both LOW and HIGH hours matter: HIGH is about half the LOW time.
- Dairy, pasta, rice and greens go in during the last 15 to 30 minutes.
- Cut potato in walnut-sized chunks and use thighs for a full day.
- Use two-thirds of the stovetop liquid.
- Freeze creamy soups as the base only.
When the free version isn’t enough
An instant-read thermometer settles the chicken question at 165°F, and freezer-safe containers turn one pot into a week of lunches.
More to cook: crockpot pasta recipes, crockpot meatballs, freezer meals, crockpot chicken recipes.
Common questions
Can I put raw chicken in soup in a crockpot?
Yes. Raw chicken cooks safely in the liquid and gives a better broth than pre-cooked meat. Use thighs for a long cook and breast only for about 3 hours on LOW.
How long does soup take in a crockpot on HIGH?
Roughly half the LOW time, 3 to 4 hours for most soups. Beef, ham and dried beans are better with the full run on LOW.
Why is my crockpot soup watery?
Nothing evaporates under a sealed lid and vegetables release water. Use two-thirds of the stovetop liquid and reduce with the lid off on HIGH at the end.
Can I leave soup in the crockpot overnight?
On LOW for a soup built on tough meat or beans, yes. Do not use warm as storage; the soup should be in the fridge within two hours of finishing.
Should I sauté the onions first?
It is optional. Sautéed onions give a rounder, sweeter base; if skipping the pan is why you use a slow cooker, add a spoon of tomato paste instead.
What goes in the last 30 minutes?
Cream, cheese, pasta, rice, fresh greens and lemon. Dairy splits and pasta dissolves over a long cook.
