18 healthy crockpot soup recipes that are easy to prep and will warm you right up! Includes soups, stews, chili, vegetarian options, and more.
Crockpot soups and crockpot freezer meals are the real hero of weeknight dinners; especially those that can be dumped into the slow cooker without any sauté steps. they are often made with pantry staples, and many can be frozen before or after cooking!
The ultimate one-pot meal, these crockpot soup recipes are packed with nutrients, veggies, and protein. Using your own homemade bone broth will up the nutrition factor even more, and many of these recipes use pantry staples that you likely already have on hand.
These veggie-packed slow cooker soup recipes are going to warm you up to the tips of your toes but also fill you with nutritious ingredients.
Reasons You'll Love These Recipes
- they are cozy and nourishing comfort food!
- you can assemble ahead as a freezer crockpot meal OR make a large batch for meal prep
- many of them are 'dump and go' slow cooker meals (no sautéing!)
Slow Cooker Tips For Flavorful Soup
Cooking low and slow can strip some of the flavors from these crockpot soup recipes. Here are some tips to get the BEST flavor & texture from your crockpot soup recipe!
- use the right herbs- a general rule is to add hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme at the start of cooking. Reserve soft herbs like cilantro and parsley to add just before serving
- add acid at the end - most soups can benefit from a boost of acid (lemon juice, lime juice, balsamic vinegar etc) at the end of cooking. It really brings out extra flavor!
- taste for salt- always taste test before serving and stir in more salt if needed
- use the right cut of chicken- chicken breast cannot handle over 5 hours (on low!) in the slow cooker. If you need to cook for longer than that, consider boneless skinless chicken thighs. Bonus: brown the thighs first and they will hold together even better!
- coconut milk- in our experience, light coconut milk curdles in the crockpot, whereas full-fat coconut milk can withstand cooking up to 8 hours on low.
FAQ
Many of these slow cooker soup, stew, and chili recipes can be made in the Instant Pot - see individual recipes for details (we've included instructions if possible.
When using the slow cooker, it's best to use the low setting whenever possible. The reason for this is that some slow cookers cook quite hot, and on high, they can vigorously boil and overcook the ingredients.
With our tips (see above) for making flavorful soup in the crockpot, yes! It's just as good as soup on the stovetop, but maybe even better because you don't have to babysit a pot on the stove. Not to mention, you can start it early in the day and dinner will be ready and waiting for you when 5:00 rolls around!
Best Soup Storage Containers
- 20 oz meal mugs from Corningware
- 1 pint mason jars
- Crock Pot lunch warmer
- 24 oz thermos
- reusable plastic freezer jars
Soup Meal Prep Tips
- freezer crockpot meals - some soups can be assembled ahead and frozen as freezer crockpot meals.
- look for soups with no sautéing
- avoid cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower which must be blanched before freezing
- avoid potatoes or use baby potatoes and leave them whole
- cook first, then freeze- the majority of soups are freezer friendly! The only soups I've found to not freeze/thaw well are ones with delicate pasta shapes (like orzo).
- we like freezing our soups in mason jars (1 pint jars for single serving; 1 quart jars for multiple servings)
- reusable plastic freezer jars are also great for freezing soup
Crockpot Stews
Another great option for the slow cooker are stews; hearty, thick, and soul-warming! Here are some tasty and filling crockpot stew recipes.
Stew Meal Prep Tips
Stews are another great meal prep option and can be prepped ahead in two different ways:
- freezer crockpot meals- some stews can be assembled ahead and frozen as freezer crockpot meals.
- look for stews with no sauteeing step (or just skip it)
- avoid cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower which must be blanched before freezing
- avoid potatoes or use baby potatoes and leave them whole
- do not freeze quinoa; add to the crockpot just before cooking
- cook first, then freeze- the majority of stews are freezer friendly!
- we like freezing our stews in mason jars (1 pint jars for single serving; 1 quart jars for multiple servings)
- reusable plastic freezer jars are also great for freezing stew
Crockpot Chili Recipes
Does chili qualify as a soup or a stew? I'm leaning towards stew, but either way, chili is a staple in our crockpot routine! Easy to prep, easy to cook, and always delicious! There are a ton of different varieties of chili out there, which means there's always a fun new flavor to try out.
Chili Meal Prep Tips
Chili is another great meal prep option and can be prepped ahead in two different ways:
- freezer crockpot meals - some chilis can be assembled ahead and frozen as freezer crockpot meals.
- look for chilis with no sauteeing step, or just brown the meat and cool before adding to the freezer bag. I'm not a huge fan of the texture of ground meat in chili when it hasn't been browned first.
- do not freeze quinoa; add to the crockpot just before cooking
- cook first, then freeze - pretty much all chili recipes are freezer friendly!
- we like freezing our chili in mason jars (1 pint jars for single serving; 1 quart jars for multiple servings)
- reusable plastic freezer jars are also great for freezing chili
That's it, friends! We hope this post gave you some delicious crockpot soup recipe ideas. Let us know in the comments if you try any of them!
Denise says
LOL! I am getting better at 'rocking the crock pot'. How was the lentil soup?
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
Denise, thanks for including me on this round up! I love soup, esp when it's made in the crock 🙂 I've got to try that Sweet potato korma you made! It looks awesome!
Denise says
I really want to try your stew, Karen! I need to get my slow cooker out ASAP, it's so cold here this week-end :/
Denise says
Thanks, Lynsey!
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says
I just saw this now after posting a slow cooker recipe today, so I'm with you! I love this roundup and the nice variety of delicious meals we can make happen, even when we're gone all day.
Denise says
Thanks, Andrea! I have been re-motivated to get my crockpot out and working again 😉
Denise says
Ha ha, thanks, Mary Frances! I am totally craving comfort food at this time of year...but healthy comfort food!
Michelle { A Latte Food} says
Rock the crockpot--love it! I can't wait to try out these amazing looking recipes! 🙂
Denise says
Ha ha, thanks, Michelle! I got motivated enough to get going on the slow cooker recipes again 🙂
Danielle says
I need to be using my crock pot more this year too, it makes dinner so easy! This is such a great collection of recipes, thanks for including mine too!
Denise says
Thanks for the great recipe, Danielle 😉 I am so pumped to get my crockpot going again. We have SO much winter left here in Canada...
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These all look amazing, Denise! The slow cooker is my life saver and soups and stews are my favorite so I can't wait to try a few of these!
Denise says
Thanks, Kelly! I am still learning how to use my crockpot...some things seem more forgiving than others, and soups and stews seem like a big YES to me 🙂
Sarah@Whole and Heavenly Oven says
I can't wait to "rock my crockpot" with all of these recipes! Seriously stunning round-up, Denise! I am starving all of a sudden. 😉 Thanks for including my beef stew, girl! Pinning.
Denise says
Thanks so much, Sarah, and thanks for the delicious looking beef stew! I haven't made a beef stew in my crockpot yet...WHY!?