Frozen hashbrown soup on stove is easy to throw together in the morning. Add frozen or defrosted cubed potatoes with cream cheese in the morning. Made with a few ingredients, it is based off our ever so popular Crockpot potato soup with frozen hash browns with a few adjustments.
This is how to make hash brown soup with frozen shredded potatoes, condensed soup and lots of cheese. You can cook this for dinner over low heat for a comfort food feel good dish even your kids will love. (affiliate links present)
What is the best recipe for potato soup?
If you want EASY with few ingredients, this is it here! We show you how to make it on the stovetop and slow cooked like our Crockpot funeral potatoes we love too. A nice kitchen hack that makes things a lot easier, you just pour the shredded potatoes out of the bag, allow to bubble and thicken and then serve!
Do you thaw frozen hash browns before cooking?
Absolutely not, whether you make this or our 5 Ingredient Hash Brown Casserole you add right out of the freezer/bag. I typically will buy several bags to keep in my fridge when I find any shape on sale because they’re so handy to have in the freezer. Name brand vs. Great Value from Walmart doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.
Frozen Hashbrown Potato Soup Recipe
We have made loaded baked potato soup with whole potatoes diced up into pieces too. Very similar to this one except I use cream of mushroom and sour cream instead of creamed. Turns out very much like this one except takes almost all day to get to the creamy consistency like this one.
It depends how much time I have that morning, which one I decide to make. I mean homemade from scratch is always the way to go but sometimes getting ready for the day gets away from me and I can’t prep it all before leaving for the morning. That is when this version comes in awful handy.
Ingredients
- 32 oz frozen hash browns – cubed is best
- 16 oz chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Ranch dressing mix – the dry kind
- 8 oz cream cheese, or you could use a dairy free variety but I wouldn’t use low fat
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 oz
- 1 c cheese shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 oz bacon bits or makes a great leftover ham recipe too after the holidays
Variations
You could in fact leave out the dry Ranch mix if you didn’t have it on hand, just adds more flavor and a bit of a kick to potato soup recipes of all kinds. If you don’t want to use condensed soup follow our Hash Brown Casserole without Soup and thin it out as you wish.
Can you use shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of cubed?
Yes in this recipe and almost every other one I have made with this ingredient it doesn’t matter which you buy. Since it is cooked for quite a while both will break down to become smooth so choose whichever you prefer or is on sale.
How to Make Frozen Hash brown Soup on the Stove
- I like to make this as a Dutch Oven recipe because the cast iron creates even heat and it is large enough.
- Combine the frozen hashbrowns, chicken broth, ranch seasoning, cream cheese, and cream of chicken soup. Mix together.
- You’d want to stir it intermittently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom so it does take more attention than the other version below. This will take closer to 1 hour or until as tender and smooth as you’d like.
Crockpot version
In the slow cooker, add combine the frozen potatoes, chicken broth, ranch seasoning, cream cheese, and cream of chicken soup. Mix together. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 3 hours. LOW is by far better. Lift lid and stir in the bacon pieces and cheese. Cook on high for another 2 hours or low for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Nothing doctored up on these photos, it was taken on one of the many nights we made and enjoyed this popular dish. Once the taters are cooked down and as tender as you’d like them to be it is basically done. Adding extras like bits of precooked meats are a bonus but of course optional.
Pressure Cooker version
If you wanted to make a version of this faster you could. We have made this we call Instant Pot potato cheese soup and it is fabulous.
How to Make Hashbrown Soup with Fresh Potatoes
If you did want to make from fresh you could as I mentioned below. I like dicing them but if you wanted it to cook much faster just use a cheese grater to shred russets instead. The only thing that would change would be the cook time, and not by much. For best results you’d want to shred on top of a few paper towels and press down to absorb the excess water or it will make your soup thinner.
What is the best way to peel fresh potatoes?
- Use starchy potatoes like russet potatoes for the best results. They have a high starch content and low moisture, which makes them ideal for shredding.
- Wash thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris from the skin.
- You can peel if you prefer, but it’s not necessary. Leaving the skin on can add extra flavor and texture.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. This will prevent the shredded potatoes from oxidizing and turning brown.
- If you’re using a box grater, choose the side with larger holes. If you’re using a food processor, use the grating attachment.
- Hold the peeled or unpeeled potato against the grater and move it back and forth in a steady motion to create shreds. Be careful not to grate your fingers!
- As you grate the potatoes, immediately transfer the shreds into the bowl of cold water. This prevents them from browning and helps remove excess starch.
- Drain in a colander. Then, wrap the shreds in a kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much water as possible. Removing excess moisture will help your dish crisp up nicely during cooking.
- Now that your shredded potatoes are ready, you can use them in your chosen recipe. Whether it’s making hash browns, air fryer latkes, or this!!
Remember that shredded potatoes tend to oxidize and turn brown if left exposed to air for too long. So, it’s a good idea to work efficiently and keep them submerged in water until you’re ready to use them in your recipe.
How to save leftovers
If you have leftovers wait until it completely cools first. Then transfer into airtight containers and store in the fridge. It will thicken more as it sits so when you reheat you may want to mix in a bit more broth. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute stirring in the middle of that time.
If you process them too much it will release a lot of starch and that can create a gummy potato soup consistency you may not like. To prevent this use a box grater instead and/or soak the shreds in cold water for 10 minutes to reduce the starches before using in your recipe.
If you want diced or shredded potatoes to stay together more than getting creamy you should try using Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes instead. Those varieties are firmer and will keep their shape a bit better than Russets.
Hashbrown Soup
Equipment
- 1 pot or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 32 oz frozen hashbrowns, cubed/diced is better than shredded
- 16 oz chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Ranch dressing mix
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken soup, 10 oz
- 1 c cheese, shredded cheddar
- 4 oz bacon bits
Instructions
- Set a large pot over low heat on the stove.
- Combine the frozen hashbrowns, chicken broth, ranch seasoning, and cream of chicken soup. Fold all ingredients together to coat. Cut and drop the cream cheese cubes on the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes stirring 3 times. Then lift lid and stir in the cooked and diced bacon pieces and cheese. Cook low for another 20 minutes or until warmed, potatoes are as tender as you would like.
- Prior to serving, stir the soup. Garnish with green onion, bacon pieces, and additional cheese as desired
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
