This Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup is so creamy and easy to make! It’s the BEST way to make use of leftover ham and can be made with or without a ham bone. Make it on the Stove Top or in the Slow Cooker!
Be sure to try my recipes for Ham Casserole, Ham and Bean Soup, and Split Pea Soup next!
Ham and Potato Soup
There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of this super creamy, extra cheesy Ham and Potato Soup. The secret here that makes this soup different than the rest is that you add mashed potatoes to the soup instead of cubed potatoes. (Trust me. It makes all the difference.)
From there, you can blend it to make it extra smooth. After that, it’s easy to add in frozen peas, corn, carrots, or whatever you like! Or keep it simple with savory bites of ham, melted cheese, and chives. You just can’t go wrong with this restaurant-quality soup recipe.
Scroll down to see how easy it is to make! (Plus Crock Pot instructions and PRO tips that you should definitely check out.)
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Gently boil cubed mashed potatoes in a pot until very fork tender. Drain and mash with 1 TBS butter and a splash of half and half.
While the potatoes cook, sauté onion and celery in a pot with butter for 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, onion powder, and sage. Cook for 1 minute, then add flour. Cook for 1 more minute.
Add chicken broth, half and half, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the mashed potatoes.
Blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches until smooth and combined. (This is optional but it makes the soup so thick and creamy!) Add the diced ham and simmer until you’re ready to serve.
Remove from heat and gradually sprinkle in the cheese and stir to combine. Make sure the soup isn’t too hot when you do this or the dairy in the cheese will separate and become grainy instead of smooth.
Garnish with chives and serve!
Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts nice and creamy. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from clumping together in the bag, but it also prevents it from melting as well.
- This is the cheese I always use, it tastes great and melts super creamy.
- Always add the cheese at the end when the soup has been removed from the heat. If the broth is too hot when added, the dairy separates and ends up being grainy. Add it gradually to a warm base for creamy results!
- If you have a ham bone, let it simmer in 4-5 cups of water for a few hours, bubbling gently, until it reduces. Use 3 cups of the ham broth instead of chicken broth. (You may also add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, a bay leaf, etc. to create an even more flavorful stock.)
- The flour helps create a thicker base but it can be omitted if necessary.
- If you prefer cubed potatoes instead of mashed, red potatoes are ideal as they hold up best in soup. Add them after you bring the soup to boil and reduce to a simmer and cook them in the broth until fork tender, about 40 minutes. (But I highly recommend you try the mash & blend method, it’s so thick and creamy!)
- Frozen corn and/or peas can also be added at the end!
Crock Pot Method
- Lightly boil cubed potatoes. Drain and combine with 1 TBS butter and a splash of half and half. Mash gently.
- Sauté the onions and celery in 3 TBS Butter. Add garlic and seasonings and cook for 1 more minute. Toss with flour, cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer to the Slow Cooker. Add the chicken broth, ham, and mashed potatoes. Stir until well combined.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8.
- Warm up the half and half for 45 seconds. Slowly add it to the Crock Pot, stirring as you do so. Use an immersion blender to mix until smooth and well-combined.
- Remove from heat. Slowly sprinkle in the shredded cheese and stir to combine until smooth.
- Garnish with chives and serve!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup freezes very well.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Immersion Blender For blending soups and sauces right in the pot without transferring to a blender. (Highly recommend!)
- Kitchen Scale To weigh the potatoes for the soup, super handy for following recipes.
- 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven I make everything in this! I use Le Creuset but this is a more economical option that’s still good quality.
- Box Cheese Grater
- Garlic Twister (always use fresh garlic instead of jarred!)
Try These Next
- Naan Pizza
- Ground Beef and Noodles
- Ham Casserole
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Ranch Chicken
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Tried This Recipe?
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Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon Golden Potatoes, about 4 medium potatoes
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
- 1 small yellow Onion, diced
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- ¼ cup Flour
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 3 ½ cups low sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Half and Half, plus and extra splash
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 pinch ground sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups ham, diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chives, to garnish
Instructions
- Shred the cheese from a block, measure out the half and half. Let them all sit out at room temperature.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Add to a stock pot and cover the potatoes with 1 inch of water. Add the salt and boil gently for 10 minutes or until very fork tender. Drain, then gently mash. Stir in 2 TBS Butter and a splash of half and half. Set aside.
- While the potatoes boil, melt the 3 TBS butter in a large soup pot and add the onions and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, dried thyme, onion powder, and ground sage. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and use a silicone spatula to stir for 1 full minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaf. Slowly stir in the half and half. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Add the mashed potatoes and stir them until combined into the soup. Discard the bay leaf.
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the broth until very creamy and combined. You can also use a blender and blend in batches. Blending is optional but makes the soup so thick and creamy.
- Add in the diced ham and stir to combine. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the cheese gradually over the warm (not hot!) base and stir until melted and combined. Taste and season with salt/pepper if desired.
- Garnish with chives and serve!
Notes
1 8oz. steak = about 1 ¼ cups diced ham.
Crock Pot Instructions:
- Lightly boil cubed potatoes. Drain and combine with 1 TBS butter and a splash of half and half. Mash gently.
- Sauté the onions and celery in 3 TBS Butter. Add garlic and seasonings and cook for 1 more minute. Toss with flour, cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer to the Slow Cooker. Add the chicken broth, ham, and mashed potatoes. Stir until well combined.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8.
- Temper the half and half in the microwave until warm. Slowly add it to the Crock Pot, stirring as you do so. Use an immersion blender to mix until smooth and well-combined.
- Remove from heat. Slowly sprinkle in the shredded cheese and stir to combine until smooth.
- Garnish with chives and serve!
Made your Ham & Potato Soup tonight for my family. It was outstanding! The directions were easy to follow and it was quick to make. We used our food processor to grate the cheese and mash the potatoes!
I’m so happy the soup was such a hit Doug, thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
This was delicious! This will be my go – to recipe from now on with leftover ham and/or mashed potatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Kathy, I’m so happy this will be your go to with leftover ham or potatoes. Thanks so much for the great review!💗
Made this on the stove top, and came together so easily. Adding mash potatoes was a game changer. I ended up putting from corn and peas at the end and really enjoyed it as well.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup Bailey! I love the corn and peas addition. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😀
So flavorful! Thanks for the great recipe. We just made a couple small changes – no immersion blender and only 3/4 cup half and half (which was plenty). We’ll definitely be making this again.
I’m happy to hear this was a hit Heather! Thanks so much for commenting and for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
This was delicious! I bought a one pound chunk of Bavarian ham at the deli and diced it. I used an immersion blender but left some chunky potatoes in.
It was one of two soups I made for the week and it became more flavorful as the week went!
A definite one to repeat!
I forgot the stars!
Thank you so much! You’re the best!!
I am so happy that you enjoyed it Noel!!! LOVE it, you made me want to make a batch! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
I’m not a big fan of potatoes BUT omygosh! This is so good! The tip about when to add the cheese was fantastic and appreciated.
Yayyy! I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup Angela! This is one of my favorite ways to use leftover ham. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😍
I just made this recipe, but used 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, russet potatoes, and gruyere cheese all things I had on hand and WOW it is so delicious! So glad there is enough to have tomorrow. What a great way to use our leftover ham from Thanksgiving!
Hi Emme! It’s so great to hear you were able to make such great use of your leftover ham. This is one of my favorite ways to use leftovers as well! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
I jus made this for tomorrows lunch and omg the flavor is out of this world talk about restaurant quality …. I didn’t follow the recipe down to the t tho…. I omitted the sage cuz I personally do am not a fan of it. I used heavy cream on acct of not having enough half n half n let my potatoes parboiled but cut into the 1 inch squares to give it a lil more depth n character…..but this is so yummy
.. thank you for sharing this recipe. be blessed
kimberly
Hey Kimberly! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe and were able to adapt it and make it your own based on what you have and like! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your tips and leave a review as well, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie