Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe}

Name: Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 onion (chopped); 1 Tbsp oil; 3 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth; 32 ounces bag frozen hash browns (diced, not shredded); 10.5 ounces condensed cream of celery soup; 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup; 12 ounces evaporated milk; 16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (divided); green onions (chopped (for garnish)); salt & pepper (to taste)

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Hearty and full of potatoes and cheese, 30 Minute Hash Brown Potato Soup is a super quick potato soup recipe without a lot of fuss or mess. This potato soup with frozen hash browns made on the stove is so quick and easy (only 30 minutes!) that it is one of my favorite "crisis meals."

Hash Brown Potato Soup topped with shredded cheddar cheese and garnished with chopped green onions. — Potato Soup with Frozen Hash Browns Made on the Stove

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💭 Prep-Ahead Potato Soup tip
❓ FAQs
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💭 Prep-Ahead Potato Soup tip

Hash Brown Potato Soup is a quick and easy "crisis meal"—meals that can be made in 20-30 minutes with shelf-stable (or freezer) ingredients that I keep on hand. I consider frozen ingredients to be shelf stable since they are not perishable in the way that produce is.

Shredded cheese can be frozen for several months (I have a huge basket in my freezer full of various shredded cheese varieties that I replenish when they are on sale).

While fresh onions are prone to getting soft, if you use our method of bulk cooking onions a bag at a time and freezing in 1 cup portions, you will always have prepared onions ready to go. The onions can be put into the soup still frozen, but doing so may increase cooking time.

If you want to stock up some sautéed onions in the freezer while making Hash Brown Potato Soup, go ahead and do all the onions in a bag and freeze the rest in portions equal to the number of onions used. It takes a little longer to chop, but you only have to sauté and wash the prep dishes once instead of 7 or 8 times.

❓ FAQs

📋 What do I need to make Hash Brown Potato Soup?

30 Minute Hash Brown Potato Soup Ingredients

frozen hash browns
cheddar cheese
cream of chicken soup
cream of celery soup
chicken broth
evaporated milk
onion (and a little oil if you need to sauté)

⏲️ How long does it take to make potato soup with hash browns on the stove?

You can have this delicious, hearty soup on the table in under 20 minutes if you have sautéed onions in the freezer. If you don't have prepared sautéed onions, it's still a quick 30 minutes from start to finish.

🛒 What kind of frozen hash browns should I buy?

Hash Brown Potato Soup uses bagged, loose frozen hash browns rather than the formed hash brown patties. Bagged hash browns come either diced or shredded. This recipe uses unseasoned diced hash browns since they are closest to chopped fresh potatoes usually used in potato soup.

If you don't care about the consistency of the potatoes, feel free to use shredded. If preferred, you can keep blending with the immersion blender until all of the potatoes are smooth and no shreds are left.

🥔 Can I make this with fresh potatoes?

While it is not as quick and easy, you can make this potato soup with fresh potatoes. One trick to cutting down on the prep time needed is to use Yukon Gold potatoes and skip peeling them. The skins are thin and light in color, so it isn't necessary to peel the Yukon Gold potatoes first.

Quarter or dice 5 pounds of clean potatoes and add them when the instructions say to add the frozen hash browns. Simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender before moving to the next step in the instructions. Continue the instructions as directed.

🥘 Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes! I'm a huge fan of using my crock pot, and this potato soup recipe is easily adapted to the slow cooker.

To make a crockpot potato soup, start by sautéing the onion (if you have sautéed onion in the freezer, you are a step ahead) in a skillet. Add all ingredients (reserve ½ cup cheese and the green onions for garnish) to the slow cooker and cook for about 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low.

Before serving, blend to the desired consistency with an immersion blender. Serve garnished with shredded cheese and green onions.

🧀 What kind of cheese goes in Hash Brown Potato Soup?

I like to use shredded cheddar cheese, but you can substitute a processed cheese product like Velveeta for easy, smooth melting.

I have also mixed things up by using other styles of shredded cheese based on what I have one hand. Queso cheese, Mexican-style blend, and gouda cheese are all very good in the soup.

🥕 Is Hash Brown Potato Soup vegetarian?

Although not vegetarian as written, Hash Brown Potato Soup can easily be adapted for vegetarians. Simply substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and use another can of cream of celery soup (or cream of potato soup) instead of the cream of chicken soup.

🥗 What goes with Hash Brown Potato Soup?

Like most soups, Hash Brown Potato Soup calls out for a slice of delicious, crusty bread for dipping. We have a Lidl nearby, so I typically buy a fresh baguette from their bakery to serve with soup.

A fresh salad is really all this soup needs to add a green vegetable.

📋 How do you make potato soup with frozen hash browns?

Start by sautéing the onion in the same pot you will cook the soup in.

Onions sautéing in a large pot with a wooden spoon

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add frozen hash browns and return to a boil. Add soups and evaporated milk and stir. Bring to a simmer.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is thickened with a few chunks of potato remaining (about 2-3 minutes). This will give you a thicker, smoother soup. Remove blender.

Add all of the cheese except the portion reserved for garnish. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Season with salt & pepper to taste before serving garnished with remaining cheese and chopped green onion.

Serve in bowls or crocks and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and green onion.

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