20 Slow Cooker Soups for Fall

As autumn starts, my lunches change. Gone are the salads, sandwiches and light bites. In come the soups. Lots and lots of soups.

Because nothing is more comforting on a dreary fall day than a big bowl of hearty soup. Plus, it is the easiest way to get more vegetables into my family, especially my kids, and we all need those vegetables to beat the flu season when it hits!

This year has brought the same fondness for soup recipes like my squash & apple soup or my carrot, ginger & miso soup. But it’s a little different for me this year. I am having to avoid gluten and dairy (except yogurt) for a little bit, and eat a lot more soft foods anyway just while my gut heals and chronic fatigue symptoms lift. I’m amazed by the difference it has already made – I’m feeling better than I have in years!

But after what my body has been through in the last few years, it’s probably not entirely surprising that I still feel tired a lot of the time, and that even though I love cooking, some days I just cannot face a long afternoon in the kitchen cooking something complicated. I need easy. I crave simple.

Enter the slow cooker. My beloved crockpots (yes, I have two: this basic one and this more flashy but still affordable one). I use them often for yogurt, cooking dry beans, making stock or bulk-cooking stews, as well as at least one meal a week. But now it’s saving my life in yet another way – now that it is officially autumn and I’m supposed to be eating more cooked, softened foods, it is making me a big batch of soup each week for lunches or occasional dinners (some of these are seriously hearty).

As I sit and write this now, it is cooking away a batch of lentil and veg soup in the background, giving me time to do some writing and meal planning.

I cannot fault the slow cooker – it saves me time and money every week, and can even cook meals you’ve pre-prepped from frozen (although do please thaw meat before cooking as the low temperature makes cooking meat from frozen more risky).

Pretty much all of these recipes are ones I would make a big batch of (using my bigger slow cooker) and either use throughout the week or freeze in portions for easy “defrost, heat and eat” freezer lunches and dinners later in the month.

So in the spirit of the slow cooker fall soups I will be enjoying in the weeks and months ahead, I thought I would share some of my favourites and ones I am most excited about here with you.

For dietary restrictions, I’ve marked V for vegan, GF for gluten free, DF for dairy free, LC for low carb, and P for paleo. Please do let me know in the comments if I’ve got any wrong, I’m not an expert and sometimes miss something.

20 Slow Cooker Soups for Fall

Vegetable Soups:

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (V, GF, DF, LC) – choose a low sugar salsa or make your own sugar free one by blending chopped tomatoes with jalapenos, spring onions (scallions) and fresh coriander (cilantro) to taste

The Best Crockpot Detox Lentil Soup (V, GF, DF, LC)

Slow Cooker Creamy Pumpkin Soup (V, GF, DF, LC, P)

Instant Pot Butternut Cauliflower Soup (GF, LC, use coconut milk instead of half-and-half for DF, V and P) – if like me you aren’t lucky enough to have an Instant Pot, follow the slow cooker instructions

Healthy Slow Cooker Lentil & Vegetable Soup (V, GF, DF, LC)

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup (GF, LC)

Slow Cooker Creamy Potato, Corn & Jalapeno Soup (V, GF, DF, LC, P)

Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup (GF, LC, use dairy free milk instead of dairy for DF, V and P) – slow cooker option in Notes below

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup (GF, LC)

Slow Cooker Red Pepper & Tomato Soup (V, GF, DF, LC, P) – skip the sugar, it doesn’t need it!

Soups with Meat:

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup (use a gluten free biscuit dough recipe or skip them for GF and/or LC) – I would skip the chicken bouillon (the ingredients on stock cubes are often frightening) and you could use puff pastry instead of biscuit dough if you like

Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup (use cornflour or arrowroot – less than the plain flour – for GF/LC, and use dairy free milk and vegan butter for DF)

Chicken & Quinoa Minestrone (GF, DF, LC, P)

Slow Cooker Coconut Thai Chicken Wild Rice Soup (GF, DF, LC – check labels on curry paste to be sure) – skip the brown sugar (or use a drop of stevia or tablespoon of rice syrup) and find the lowest sugar/most real ingredients red curry paste you can

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup (GF, DF, LC) – the homemade enchilada sauce makes this that much better!

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Soup (GF, DF, LC)

Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Soup (GF option, DF, LC)

Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup (LC, use cornflour or arrowroot for GF, use non dairy milk, vegan butter and skip the cheese for DF hamburger soup)

Slow Cooker Creole Chicken & Sausage (GF (check ingredients on Andouille sausage), DF, LC, P)  – more of a stew than a soup, but delicious and melt-in-the-mouth all the same!

Crockpot Ham & Bean Soup (GF, DF, LC) – use any dried bean mix (I recommend overnight soaking if using dried beans for this recipe) or use a few drained tins of cooked mixed beans and just add them for the last half hour