Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup {Marie Callender's Copycat Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

Does cream cheese thicken up potato soup? ›

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

Potato cheese soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. For best results, allow the soup to cool completely before putting it in the freezer and defrost overnight in the fridge before warming. Note that dairy-based soups and potato soups do tend to curdle and separate when frozen and thawed.

That's because when you blend potatoes, it causes swollen starch granules to burst, which makes the whole thing sticky, like melted cheese or dough."

Cheese is a particularly tricky addition to soups because if the temperature of the soup is too hot or too cold, the cheese won't melt properly and will start to clump. Temperatures over 150 degrees Fahrenheit will cause the cheese to release liquid too fast as a result of broken protein bonds.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

If you want to thicken your potato soup without using any additional ingredients, you can try cooking it for a longer period of time. Simmering the soup will evaporate some of the liquid, resulting in a thicker consistency.

For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours.

Why doesn't potato soup freeze well? ›

The freezing and thawing process can affect the texture of ingredients that are kept whole in a soup, like noodles or chunks of vegetables. Potatoes are very starchy and can turn mushy when defrosted.

So what do you do if you've made the mistake of using starchy potatoes in your soup? One trick to make your potato soup a little less grainy is to add some form of dairy –- cream, milk, or even cheese. Because dairy is generally creamy in texture, that characteristic will carry over into your soup.

Cornstarch is a very effective thickener, and a little bit can go a long way. Add cornstarch to a small amount of cold water or other liquid (wine or stock) and whisk into a thick slurry.

Potatoes: You can use any potato in our recipe, but I highly recommend Yukon Gold potatoes. There's no need to peel them, and when cooked, they are buttery and almost melt in your mouth. Veggies: This is potato soup, but we love adding a few cups of extra veggies.

The purple foam that you're seeing while making potato soup with Russet potatoes, barley, onions, and water is likely due to a chemical reaction between the potatoes and the water. While it's not common for the foam to turn purple, it could be related to the type of potatoes you're using or some other factors.

Dairy curdles liquids when added improperly or if heated for too long. To avoid this risk, stick to higher-fat content products, such as cream or crème fraîche. It might be tempting to add sour cream or softened cream cheese to help thicken the soup, but cream cheese does not always work.

Cream cheese can also help to thicken cream-based sauces. It can act as a thickener for salad dressings, dips, and be used as a replacement for mayonnaise. It can also help to thicken pancake batters and be used as a base for cake icing when mixed with butter.

It adds both decadent flavor and a smooth texture. The creamy mouthfeel of melted cream cheese, when thoroughly and properly incorporated, adds richness to soup beyond compare. It's especially appropriate in potato soups as it adds some fat and body to accentuate the starchiness of the spuds.

Lastly, depending on your type of soup, a parmesan rind can offer a slight bit of creamy thickness if added towards the beginning of the cooking process to simmer for a while. Add dairy ingredients when the soup is simmering on low to reduce the chance of curdling.