Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder
Warm up in the most comforting way… a big bowl of this cheesy ham chowder, made easy in the slow cooker! Perfect for a busy weeknight!
Have some leftover ham? This cheesy ham chowder is the most mouthwatering solution! Even if you don’t have any leftover ham, it’s perfect to make on a chilly weeknight, and hearty enough to feed your whole family!
This post was brought to you by the makers of Promised Land Dairy. I received compensation to write this post through the Far From Ordinary Milk program. All opinions expressed are my own.
Okay I know that it’s not officially Fall until September 22nd, but it’s after Labor Day, which makes it unofficially my favorite season… Fall! I can’t get enough of the comforting meals like this cheesy ham chowder. On a chilly day, there’s nothing better than cozying up to a big bowl of thick, creamy chowder! The best part about this version? It’s made in the slow cooker! Just add the first several ingredients to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, and walk out the door! When you come back home for dinner, all it takes is a mere 20 minutes before it’s 100% ready to go… so you can use that time to unwind, take the trash out… or maybe sit down and read your favorite food blog (wink wink!).
One thing I love about this ham chowder is that it’s deliciously creamy, but with no heavy cream! Whole milk and some sour cream give it all the creaminess it needs, while also cutting down on fat and calories. I know it may seem weird to talk about cutting back on calories when this soup is rich and hearty like it is, but why add unnecessary calories?!
Over the next couple of months, there are a few holidays where you might serve ham, and inevitably have a bunch of ham leftover right? I know every time I serve ham, I’m left with SO much. After some ham sandwiches, and these puffs, I’m usually stumped as to what to do with all the leftovers. That’s where this chowder recipe comes to the rescue! It uses 4 cups of diced ham, so it’ll put a good dent in your leftover pile 🙂
BUT WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE LEFTOVER HAM?
Great question! You totally don’t have to use leftover ham for this recipe. Obviously it’s a great leftover idea, but not everyone serves ham and has leftovers right? I like to grab some fully cooked boneless ham steaks from the grocery store and just cube them up. In fact, that’s actually what I did for these pictures. The only ham I wouldn’t use would be really thin sliced lunchmeat… it might disintegrate during the long cook time.
LOOKING FOR MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES?
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
- Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Copycat Zuppa Toscana
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms
Grab some crackers, a spoon, and dig in!! Also, we love to make this no knead bread to serve alongside… nothing beats it!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes - (about 3 medium sized potatoes)
- 20 oz canned corn (drained), or frozen corn (thawed)
- 4 cups cubed ham steaks, diced into 1/2" cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock (or broth)
- 2 cups whole Milk
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
- extra parsley, pepper and cheese, - for garnish
Instructions
- To a 6 qt slow cooker, add the first 8 ingredients (potatoes through and including chicken stock). Stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, until potatoes are tender.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk milk and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into soup in slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH 20-25 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, sour cream and parsley until cheese is melted.
- Serve sprinkled with extra cheese, black pepper and parsley if desired.
Video
If changing the recipe serving quantity, the recipe plugin will change the ingredient values for you, but it does NOT change the written instructions, those are manually added and not subject to a slider/button. You will have to extrapolate that multiplication to any amounts listed in the instructions.
For example: if an ingredient calls for 4 cups, and you doubled the recipe, it will automatically change to 8 cups. In the instructions, if I say “use 4 cups of cheese”, you will have to realize that since you doubled it, you use 8 cups, not 4
Finally found my keeper recipe for this soup. Did ours on the stovetop instead of the crock pot and prebaked the potatoes to speed it up.
Can I cook this on High for 3-4 hours? I forgot to start it earlier today.
I haven’t tested it myself, but I think that would work just fine 🙂
My chowder is a lot soupy what can I do to thicken it up?
You can either mash some of the soup with a potato masher, or add more cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold liquid 🙂
Delicious!
Just made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband and I both had two bowl fulls. I needed to use my ham and found your recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Turned out absolutely amazing and plan on making again and not just after Christmas 🥰
I have red potatoes, do you think they’ll work?
They should 🙂
Thanks. This will be tomorrows dinner. Im do excited!!
This turned out very good! I’ll make it again!
I have regular white potatoes I’d like to use up. Can i use these instead of russets? Thanks!
Without testing it I can’t say for certain, but I would think those would work just fine 🙂
This is delicious! I plan to make this every time I make a big ham now. Even my three kids (ages 6, 4, and 2) all loved it. I made it exactly as is except for cooking on high for 4 hours instead of low for 8 hours and I used dried herbs instead of fresh. This is such a good recipe and I highly recommend it!
Is it absolutely necessary to peel the potatoes? That seems to be the main nutritional value in potatoes. Just wondered if recipe would work without peeling.
I’ve never made it without peeling them first, since the peel would separate during cooking and I don’t think the peel would taste good on it’s own like that.
Just made this soup for tonight’s dinner & it was amazing !! I served with cornbread & salad & we were stuffed. Will definitely be making lots more over the winter.
Is this soup freezer safe
I tend to have problems with dairy being tricky to freeze, as it can separate, but you could also freeze the soup right after step 1, then add the cornstarch and milk when reheating.
I don’t understand your comment in step one. What does “potatoes through including chicken stock mean”?
Meaning, the first 8 ingredients (potatoes, corn, ham, onion, celery, garlic, pepper, and chicken stock).
Can I use flour instead of corn starch?
Yes 🙂
I made this on the stovetop in a couple hours, and used a little less sour cream. It turned out great! (I even used skim milk and it was still pretty creamy because of the potatoes!)
I am not a fan of sour cream, can I omit this or is it necessary for creaminess? I would also like it loaded with potatoes. I guess maybe I would call it ham and potato soup lol. Is there plenty of room for more potatoes?. Thank you!
You could substitute the sour cream or heavy cream or half and half, and then there’d be more liquid for your extra potatoes 🙂
I have made this recipe several times, exactly as it’s written. It is wonderful!
We had a few rainy days last week and I still had some chopped up leftover ham in the freezer that needed to be used (I think I have one more package of it in the freezer still plus the ham bone) so I made this cheesy ham chowder. It’s super easy done in the slow cooker! To make it healthier for my WW loving self, I used 1% milk and light sour cream, which of course no one noticed. This never really thickened up the way I am used to chowders being, but that may be because I used 1% milk and light sour cream, but that was no matter! This was DELISH! It makes a lot so I packed some up to take to a friend. Kids LOVED this and gobbled up what little leftovers we had for lunch the next day. Excellent way to use up leftover ham!
I’ve never made a chowder but have made lots of soups. Had a bunch of leftover ham from Easter this chowder was incredible !! Could not stop eating it. Left the garlic out because we’re not huge garlic fans and added some diced carrots and frozen peas. Way better than any chowder my Mom ever made but I won’t tell her that. I prepped all the veggies the night before in the slow cooker and added the chicken broth, put it on in the morning before work and finished it up with the milk, cornstarch, sour cream and cheese when I came home. Absolutely delicious !!
Delicious! My 15 month granddaughter devoured it!!
Has anyone made this stovetop instead of slow cooker, and if so, how did you modify the cooking time?
You’ll just want to simmer until the potatoes are tender, then add in the milk/cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened.
Absolutely delicious. I used cauliflower instead of corn, as corn doesn’t agree with me, but it was very good. My husband said it was so much better than anything you get out of a can, and I agree. Thanks for the recipe Amanda! It’s a keeper!
This chowder is amazing! I made a batch last week and I’m making more today. I used ham broth (cooked a ham bone in a crock pot for 12 hours, and then froze it) and subbed the corn for fresh sliced carrots. My whole family keeps raving about it! Ham and beans just took a major back seat.
I forgot to mention in my previous comment that I used leftover spiral ham. Great way to use up leftovers!
This is a definite keeper! My husband and I loved this soup!
Ive never used potato flakes to thicken a soup/chowder, is it better than using cornstarch or do they yield the same results? If i use potato flakes do i do it Instead of the cornstarch or with it?. I want my soup very thick.
I don’t use potato flakes to thicken soup, so I can’t say for certain. I would try replying to some of the reader comments that mentioned using flakes.
You can try pureeing some potatoes and using those as a thickener.
Just made this tonight with leftover honey baled Christmas ham. It was AMAZING!!! Will definitely add to my staple recipe book!!!
Can you make this soup on the stove top?
Yes, certainly 🙂
It’s rare that I have all the ingredients for a recipe on my first viewing but when I looked around my kitchen I did, so I got out the slow cooker. The steps were easy to follow and soon I was putting the lid on it. A few stirs and a few hours later I was adding the sour cream and cheese and scooping some into a bowl. It tasted as good as it looked and smelled so I had another bowl. This was my first time making a chowder and because it was so easy to make I’ll be making it again, I’m sure. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
The type of milk used for this isn’t in stores is it okay to just use whole milk?
Yep, it’s just a brand of milk (this post was in partnership with the brand, which is why the brand name was mentioned – normally I never mention brands), so regular whole milk is perfectly fine 🙂
Can I use half and half instead of whole milk? 😊
Absolutely 🙂
I am going to make this tonight but wanted to comment about the mashed potato flakes. I use only potato flakes when thickening a soup. Just a bit at a time, let them absorb to see if more is needed then if so, add a little at a time until desired consistency. The great part ism, unlike cornstarch they will never clump.
Also, I would think but am asking, if I used heavy cream instead it would seem I would leave the sour cream out, yes or no?
I’ve not tested using heavy cream only, but I would probably leave out the sour cream.
Could I used frozen potatoes?
Yes, absolutely 🙂 I would probably thaw them so they don’t release too much liquid during cooking.
So I just made this and I read the directions wrong and mixed the corn starch and milk in right away, will this ruin it. ???
I haven’t tested it that way, but I would think it would be okay.
Can I make this on high for 4 hours?
Yes that should work 🙂
I haven’t made this yet, but it sounds very similar to my clam chowder. I use evaporated milk (fat free or low fat) in place of the whole milk and use instant potatoes for my thickener. I’m going to make this soup tonight.
@Debbie Thornton, could you tell me how you use instant mashed spuds for a thickener? I have packages of loaded mashed potatoes but my hubby doesn’t like them but blended into soup might be the trick!😊
I am going to make this tonight but wanted to comment about the mashed potato flakes. I use only potato flakes when thickening a soup. Just a bit at a time, let them absorb to see if more is needed then if so, add a little at a time until desired consistency. The great part ism, unlike cornstarch they will never clump.
Cut about 3/4ths of the potatoes somewhat larger so they’re easy to isolate and mash when thoroughly cooked. Stir this mash in, and you will have a lovely, thicker chowder (my family’s favorite chilly weather dinner, though we love it so much, I serve it in steaming August as well). Leftover veggies chillin’ out in the refrigerator can be whirled in a blender or food processor with some of the broth — and poof! — your chowder just got healthier. If you don’t think the kids will trust a greener chowder, tell them it’s leprechaun chowder, and if they are like my kids, they’ll gobble it up with big smiles on their little faces! Really, how often does a kid get to eat a bunch of tiny leprechauns in their soup?! Leftover carrots are best added in 1/2 to 1/4th” cubes. If mashed, they’ll make the chowder sweeter, especially if you want to add a lot. This is the ultimate leftover-user recipe, and you can cleverly name it based on the color of the veggies you used; think, “Green Eggs & Ham!” Have fun with this fun & easy family pleaser winner dinner!
I made this dish and it was delicious and extremely easy to make, I fed it to my family member and each of them through your enjoyed it
Absolutely delicious!!! First time making this chowder.
I’m always struggling to find a good recipe for leftover ham….my search is over. This soup is it! So delicious. I first sauted the veggies in butter on the Instant Pot saute setting, then I pressure cooked the first step on the Instant Pot soup setting, potatoes cooked perfectly, then finished the milk and corn starch, etc. Next time I will probably add more garlic and I added canned mushrooms too.
I don’t have sour cream could I substitute plain Greek yogurt?
I haven’t tested it, but that should work just fine 🙂
Any chance it would cook the same using fat free or 1% milk? Thinking of ways to make it a little but healthier, if possible. 😊
I haven’t tested it, as we only drink whole milk, but the only thing it would change is that it may not thicken up as much.
It’s fine with fat free milk – all we use.
Made this on the stovetop tonight and we loved it! Added a little more cheese for our taste plus some dehydrated carrots for more veggies.
Made it for the first time after Christmas and I cant believe how BOMB it was !! My husband love it !! I just added more potatoes and ham than usual… but came out great
absolutely scrumptious loved it loved it
Can leftovers be frozen
I haven’t tested it and freezing dairy can be finicky, but if you try it, let me know how it works out!
What is the nutritional value per serving.
As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
Wow! This turned out very good. Very tasty & very filling! Love it! Server with dinner rolls or buns & butter.
This soup looks so good! I love that it cooks right in the slow cooker too. Delicious!
Do you know if this would freeze well after its cooked?
Freezing anything with dairy in it can be a bit tricky, as it can separate, so I’ve never tried it.
Made this yesterday. Delicious!
Can you make this without a slow cooker?
Absolutely! Saute the onion and celery with a pat of butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven or soup pot for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add corn, ham, and diced potatoes. Season with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and milk until well mixed, then add to soup pot. Stir and cook until thickened to your liking. Stir in cheese, sour cream and parsley until cheese is melted.
Can I use creamed corn in this, my husband cannot have regular corn? Recipe sounds amazing, so I am gonna cook it with the creammed corn :o}
how many servings is this recipe?
Hi Dianne 🙂 There’s a little green box in the upper left hand corner of the recipe box that says how many servings it is, but this one is 10 servings.
RAINING CATS AND DOGS OUTSIDE!
This Chowder is amazing with garlic bread, Thank You!
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Looks amazing! Question: Is there an option to cook this soup on high for a shorter amount of time?
Hi Danielle 🙂 I would say 4-5 hours on HIGH would do the trick.
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So good, and so easy. I cut my potatoes on the smaller side, total cooking time on low (including 2nd & 3rd steps of adding milk/corn starch & cheese/sour cream) was right around 6 1/2 hours. Will make again for sure.
So so good! I made it in my Instant Pot and it turned out great. (Manual Pressure for 10 minutes and then a quick release) and then turn it off. I then added my milk, sour cream, frozen corn and cornstarch, stirred it well and put on the sauté function just until it is heated through and thickened. Do not boil the milk will curdle. Serve.
I Love This Chowder.
Wonderful family loved
This looks amazing and such perfect comfort food!! Question: Can this soup be frozen? It’s just my husband and me, so this would make way too much food to be eaten in a day or so. I’d love to make a big batch and freeze the leftovers. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Hi Gloria 🙂 I’ve never frozen this soup, so I can’t say for sure. I do know that I’ve had problems with other dairy soups not reheating well after being frozen, and then some others do just fine… so if you want to try it, I can’t vouch for the results. You could also freeze the soup right after step 1, then add the cornstarch and milk when reheating the thawed soup (either in a pot on the stove or in the slow cooker). If it does work though, I’d love to hear about it, and I’ll amend the recipe to share it 🙂 Hope you love the soup!
Great idea for leftover ham! I’m definitely filing this one away for post-holiday plans!
Slow Cooker recipes are the best and this looks amazing! thanks for sharing can’t wait to give it a try
Yes, yes, 1000x yes! This looks so incredibly delish- the perfect fall soup! And obviously scores extra points for low maintenance. Saving now!
So creamy! A perfect meal for cold weather!
So creamy! This looks delicious, and I just LOVE those chunks of potatoes!
So happy it’s soup season! This looks delicious!
I want to warm up to a big bowl of this now!
This is perfect comfort food! I’m like you, after Labor Day it’s FALL!!
This does look like the perfect way to warm up on a cool fall day!
This chowder looks AMAZING!!!! I can’t wait to try it!