Creamy Potato Chowder

Classic Creamy Potato Chowderwith bacon, veggies, and potatoes, made creamy with sour cream. This easy recipe can be made in the slow cooker or the instant pot!

This is one of the oldest recipes on Rcova and it’s getting a much needed make-over.I shared this recipe back in 2009 and I have recently updated the pictures, the post, and the recipe to get it ready to share with you again. Updating really old content is really fun for me because I shared some of my very favorite recipes early on in blogging. I shared them because I loved them, made them often, and knew they were solid recipes. So excited to be bringing this old favorite back into the spotlight today.

Soup and rolls is a perfect comfort food combo. Try some of my favorites:Mom’s Jumbo Dinner Rolls,Fluffy Sourdough Rolls, andGrandma Lucy’s Famous Clover Rolls.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s simple to make – and you can make it on the stove top, in the instant pot or in the slow cooker.
• You can top it with just about anything – bacon, cheese, green onions, hot sauce – so it’s easy to customize.
• It’s easy to scale up to feed a crowd!
• It’s very economical since potatoes are the star of the show.

Ingredients

• Bacon
• Large White or Yellow Onion
• Minced Garlic
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Water
• Chicken Better-Than-Bouillon
• Salt & Pepper
• Sour Cream
• Optional: Chopped Green Onions, Additional Sour Cream, Grated Cheese, and/or Hot Sauce, for serving

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Creamy Potato Chowder

Step #1.Cut bacon into 1/4″ pieces and brown in the bottom of a stock pot. Remove with slotted spoon.

Step #3.Add potatoes, carrots, celery, water, bullion, and salt to pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Step #2.Cook onions in 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat until translucent. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.

Step #4.Remove from heat. Stir in cooked bacon and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Recipe FAQs

How to make Creamy Potato Chowder in the slow cooker

You’ll want to cook up the bacon on the stove top as directed in the recipe. Continue through the steps that cook the onion and garlic, too. Add the cooked onion and garlic to the base of your slow cooker and add the rest of the veggies, water, bouillon, and salt. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5-6 or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the sour cream and bacon just before serving and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

How to make Creamy Potato Chowder in the Instant Pot

You’ll want to cook up the bacon on the stove top as directed in the recipe. Continue through the steps that cook the onion and garlic, too. Add the cooked onion and garlic to the base of your Instant Pot and add the rest of the veggies, water, bouillon, and salt. Set the pressure cooker to cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. When the cook time is up, release the pressure valve for quick pressure release. Stir in the sour cream and bacon just before serving and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Expert Tips

• Feel free to peel the potatoes or not, depending on your preference.This busy mama rarely peels the potatoes and it tastes just great.
• If you’d like to make this a cheese soup,reduce the amount of sour cream to 1/2 a cup and add 1 to 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese at the end of cook time. Stir until melted and well combined.
• Feel free to use chicken broth instead of water and bouillon if you have it on hand.
• You can add an additional 1 to 2 cups water to this recipe if you like;it’ll make a thinner soup. Just adjust it to your liking.

More Soup Recipes to Consider

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This recipe was originally published in December 2009 and has been updated, rephotographed, and rewritten in December 2018.