Soup season: 22 slow cooker recipes (2024)

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How about a big batch of beef barley soup? Barley has some solid health benefits, including high amounts of fiber and protein. Each serving of this recipe from The Chunky Chef boasts about 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein—and that’s just from the barley alone!

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A Vietnamese staple, pho mixes linguini-like rice noodles, herbs, and meat in a tasty broth. This version via Served from Scratch uses beef—specifically, flank steak—and can be made in your crockpot.

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If you have some extra black beans kicking around, or you just really love them, try this black bean soup from Emilie Eats—it uses a full pound of beans! It’s also easy to make in your slow cooker and is 100% vegan (just be sure to buy vegan cheese and/or sour cream if you want those as toppings.)

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A sour soup of Ukrainian origins, borscht gets its color from beets and can be served hot or cold. This version from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs also includes carrots, celery, onions, and tomatoes, and can be made in your slow cooker.

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Broccoli cheddar soup is the absolute best way to eat broccoli (apologies to beef & broccoli), and this version from The Recipe Critic is so good that we’ve made it for dinner in each of the last two weeks. Be sure to refer to the slow cooker section of the recipe, and for the record, we also added some chicken breast for extra protein!

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Butternut squash soup is a meat-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free option that can be quickly made right in your slow cooker. This version from Running on Real Food can squash any concerns you have about it being too difficult!

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A comfort from our childhood that’s still absolutely acceptable as an adult, chicken noodle soup is good for what ails you—or at least that’s what grandma used to say. Even if the only thing that ails you is hunger, this slow cooker version from Budget Bytes with carrots, celery, and egg noodles is the perfect cure.

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All the heartiness and comfort of chicken pot pie, but in soup form! This recipe from Creme de la Crumb calls for chicken, corn, peas, carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes in a creamy broth—and the whole thing can be made in the slow cooker. If you think you’ll miss the crust, don’t worry, as the recipe also recommends baking some biscuits.

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We just told you about chicken pot pie in soup form, now here’s a chicken taco in soup form. Seasoned chicken mixes with corn, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in this recipe from The Country Cook. And the soup isn’t complete until you top it with tortilla strips and shredded cheese.

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If you’re intimidated by traditional clam chowder, try this version from The Magical Slow Cooker, which enlists some shortcuts. It only needs eight ingredients, and aside from cooking the bacon, no other prep is needed.

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Don’t settle for tomato soup out of a can, and instead make your own bowl of creamy soup at home. This version from The Salty Marshmallow uses eight ingredients and can be made entirely in your slow cooker.

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French onion soup in a slow cooker? Ce n’est pas possible!But it’s true, c’est vrai!In fairness, as this recipe from Spend with Pennies points out, you do still need to broil the cheese after ladling it into bowls. This isn’t some wacky version where you cover the entire top of your slow cooker with bread and cheese…although now we’re tempted to try that.

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Chicken, sausage, and shrimp go into this classic gumbo from Stay Snatched, as well as okra, tomatoes, and the Creole “holy trinity” of green peppers, celery, and onion. Although Louisiana is credited for this dish, its origins can be traced back to West Africa, Europe, and even Native American tribes.

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Surprisingly, the name “Italian wedding soup” has nothing to do with the dish being served at weddings in Italy. The actual phrase in Italian is “married soup,” which refers to the blending of the flavors of meatballs and spinach, as well as onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and Italian spices. The Cozy Cook can help you conduct the ceremony (see the notes section for slow cooker tips).

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Imagine a baked potato with cheese and bacon, but the potato is pureed into a creamy, steamy soup. That’s essentially what you get with a loaded potato soup recipe, like this one from Damn Delicious.

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If you’re trying to prepare something fancy that doubles as an entree, lobster bisque can be your Maine attraction. (Get it? Because Maine is famous for lobsters.) And just because you’re living life in the fast lane, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your slow cooker, as evidenced by this recipe from Moms with Crock Pots.

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Making matzo ball soup from scratch is surprisingly easy, especially with your slow cooker. As this recipe from Tasty explains, the matzo balls need 30 minutes in the fridge, but everything else (and eventually the matzo, too) goes right in the pot. And because it’s from Tasty, you also get one of those adorable little helpful videos.

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Minestrone reminds us of elementary school because that variety of soup was regularly offered in the cafeteria lunch line. Although it still had a few types of beans, some veggies, and tubular pasta, it didn’t taste anywhere near as good as this version from Little Spice Jar. And it probably wasn’t cooked in a slow cooker, either.

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Lentils? Sweet potatoes? Morocco? Count us in. This winter “detox” soup from Little Spice Jar is just what you need to warm you in the cold months, and it’s easy to make in your slow cooker.

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Apparently, people really like the pasta fa*gioli from Olive Garden, because numerous copycat recipes exist, like this one from The Country Cook. This hearty and delicious dish features kidney beans, cannellini beans, ground beef, veggies, and your pasta of choice in a broth of beef stock and tomato sauce.

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Even folks who aren’t fans of peas can enjoy a warm bowl of split pea soup, which also boasts the flavors of ham, carrots, onion, garlic, and a variety of spices. Try this version from Spend with Pennies if you’re looking to enlist your slow cooker.

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This creamy soup—by now it should be obvious that we’re fans of creamy recipes—combines tortellini and Italian sausage, but also includes spinach, so there’s at least somewhat of a healthy aspect to it. Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that, so check out this recipe from Salt and Lavender for the details.