Potato Soup

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This easy Potato Soup recipe is truly the best! It’s quick and easy to make on the stovetop, it’s nice and creamy (without using heavy cream), and it’s always so cozy and comforting and delicious.

Do you have a favorite potato soup recipe?

If not — psst — bookmark this one! ♡

This easy potato soup recipe has been my tried-and-true, back-pocket, all-time-favorite for over a decade now. It’s perfectly rich and creamy (without using heavy cream), it’s full of flavor (because bland potato soup is the worst), it’s easy to adapt to be vegetarian and/or gluten-free (see below), and it is always, always a crowd fave. I promise it won’t let you down.

Let’s make some potato soup!

Potato Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Potato Soup Ingredients:

To make this easy potato soup recipe, you will need:

• Bacon: I recommend using center-cut bacon here, to keep it a bit more lean. But any kind of bacon you love will do. We will also use its leftover grease (or butter, if you prefer) to sauté the veggies for extra flavor. That said, if you would like to make this soup vegetarian, see my recommendations below for a delicious meatless version.
• Veggies: Onion and garlic.
• Flour: We will use flour to make a roux to thicken the soup. Or if you would like a lighter soup, you can skip this step and just puree part of the soup to thicken it. (See tips below.)
• Chicken stock and milk: These will form the broth of our soup. Feel free to use chicken or veggie stock, and then whatever kind of milk you prefer (I used 2% cow’s milk).
• Potatoes: I highly recommend making this soup with buttery Yukon gold potatoes. But russets or red potatoes would also do.
• Cheese: I recommend a good sharp cheddar cheese here for maximum flavor.
• Greek yogurt or sour cream: To make the soup extra-creamy.
• Salt and pepper: Add in as much as you need at the end to season your soup well.

And finally…toppings! I’m a big believer that the more, the merrier when it comes to toppings and potato soup. Some classic options could include

• Extra bacon, extra shredded cheese, thinly-sliced green onions or chives, sour cream, fresh thyme, sprinkle of Cajun seasoning

How To Make Potato Soup:

To make this potato soup recipe, simply:

1. Cook the bacon. Dice and then sauté it in a large stockpot until it’s nice and crispy. Then transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, and reserve a few tablespoons of leftover grease in the stockpot (discarding the rest.)
2. Sauté the veggies. Sauté the onion and garlic in the bacon grease until softened. Then stir in some flour, to create your roux.
3. Add broth and potatoes. Then add the stock, milk and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes until softened, being sure to stir the soup regularly so that the bottom does not burn.
4. Add remaining ingredients. Then stir in the cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and crispy bacon bits. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper.
5. Serve warm. Then serve it up, loaded up with all of your favorite toppings!

Possible Variations:

Guys, there are so many ways to customize this soup! Some possibilities could include:

• Make it vegetarian: Nix the bacon. And in its place, add in 2-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning for a bit of extra flavor. (Plus, use butter or olive oil in place of the bacon grease.)
• Make it gluten-free: You could either:
  • omit the flour, and instead, whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch into the cold milk and then add it to the soup
  • don’t worry about cornstarch/flour at all, and instead, puree half of the soup to thicken it
• Lighten it up: Feel free to:
  • omit the flour and 2 tablespoons of grease/butter, and instead, puree half of the soup to thicken it
  • use skim milk
  • use turkey bacon (although you may need to add in a little extra olive oil or butter to sauté the veggies)
• Add in extra seasoning: If you would like to give your soup an extra twist, feel free to add in 1 tablespoon:
  • Cajun Seasoning (my favorite)
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Za’atar Seasoning
  • Taco Seasoning
• Use a mix of potatoes: For something different, feel free to use a mix of Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, for more of a sweet and savory blend of flavors
• Add in some extra veggies: If you’d like to load this up with extra veggies, feel free to toss in a handful of chopped cauliflower and/or broccoli along with the potatoes. They work well with this recipe too!

What To Serve With Potato Soup:

Looking for some side dishes to serve with this potato soup recipe? Here are a few of my faves:

• Everyday Salad or Our Family’s Favorite Salad
• Perfect Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Asparagus
• Berry Fruit Salad or Winter Fruit Salad

The BEST Potato Soup!

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 591 reviews

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

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Description

This easy Potato Soup recipe is quick and easy to make on the stovetop, it’s nice and creamy (without using heavy cream), and it’s always so cozy and comforting and delicious.  See notes above for possible variations, including how to make this soup vegetarian.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 3 tablespoons (reserved) bacon grease or butter
• 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 cups milk, warmed
• 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream

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Instructions

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally.  Transfer the bacon to a separate plate, using a slotted spoon, reserving about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the stockpot.  (Discard any extra grease, or you can substitute butter in place of the 3 tablespoons of bacon grease.  Also, if you are short on time, you can dice the potatoes and onion while the bacon cooks to save time.)
2. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.  Stir in the garlic and sauté for an extra 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.  Stir the flour into the mixture and sauté for an additional 1 minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.  Then stir in the stock until combined, followed by the milk and potatoes.
3. Continue cooking until the mixture just reaches a simmer, before it begins to boil.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, being sure to stir the soup every few minutes so that the bottom does not burn.  (The smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster your soup will cook.)
4. Once the potatoes are nice and soft, stir in the cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper and cooked bacon bits.  Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.  Or, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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Notes

• Be sure to also check out our Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe too — made easy in the crock pot!
• This recipe was originally shared here in December 2014.

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