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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.

The BEST Potato Soup Recipe

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

The BEST Potato Soup

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!

Homemade Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

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:
  • 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!

Loaded Homemade Potato Soup Recipe

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:

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The BEST Potato Soup Recipe

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

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.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

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.

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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The BEST Potato Soup Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

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1,352 comments on “Potato Soup”

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  1. Literally the best soup ever. Just made it today out of boredom and I was astonished at how amazing it tasted. If you’re skeptical, just make it!!!






    • Left out the bacon, used the 3 tbsp of butter. I used a bit more broth by accident and I only had 2% milk. Almost the whole 32 oz box. Added 1 tsp salt. Used light sour cream not yogurt and 2% milk. Really flavorful. I had made a different recipe a few months ago that was very bland. I’m sticking with this one. It was thick after mashing the potatoes. I loved it!!

  2. This potato soup really is the best! I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I’ve been making this frequently for over a year.






  3. Sounds Delishe I will make this today.

  4. Do you peel the potatoes? I’m going to use petite gold baby potatoes.

  5. It was delicious. That said, I (annoyingly, I know) can’t say I followed the recipe. I didn’t add the milk til the end for concerns it would curdle/separate, and because don’t usually have straight milk on hand, so I used half and half (only 1/2 C total) and used broth for the rest of the liquid volume (which I adjusted up to make it liquidy enough for all my added veggies). It was plenty creamy. The greek yogurt and cheddar cheese are plenty of dairy creaminess on their own. I also added celery (basically a whole bunch) and carrots (around 6-7oz). You could get away with adding more vegetables, like broccoli (towards the end) or greens if you are also interested in nutritional content of your food. Hubby and I are vegetarians and used Morningstar fake bacon (our go-to for bacon) for the bacon. It would be just as good without it, in my humble opinion. I also did not add the 1 tsp salt, as our bouillon (Better Than Bouillon- No Chicken Base) is plenty salty.






  6. Just made this for dinner tonight. Really great recipe! Will definitely save this !

  7. Oh My God! I made this tonight per hubby’s request. He’s been BEGGING for potato soup, and I’m so happy I found this recipe! I was blown away by how delicious it tasted even before adding the cream and cheese (and sans bacon)! The only thing I would change is that I think I’ll add some celery next time. Delicious, delicious, delicious! This blog never disappoints. I shared the recipe with my mom right away!






  8. Your Recipe is a True Winner! Loved it. I may someday Bake some Salmon and add to it! God Bless.

    God Bless, Kimbery Boston

  9. Made it, loved it! I like my soup loaded, so I added extra potatoes and extra meat (ham AND bacon). Because of that, I increased the milk and chicken stock by 1 cup each. I love that this soup is so versatile and you can change it to suit your taste. The flavors blend magnificently! Btw, if you are feeling lazy, you can do two bags of frozen roasted red potatoes but still follow all cook times. No need to thaw, just dump them in!






    • Very good! First time making this recipe. Had a few changes because I didn’t have all ingredients. I used garlic powder, onion powder, and garlic salt instead of garlic and onion. Also, did not have bacon but imagine it would have been a tasty addition ?
      I added baby corn. I couldn’t use flour (allergy) so I opted to blend half and it was a perfect thickness. It was so easy to make and fast. Everyone who tried some loved it!






  10. I have made this recipe hundreds of times and LOVE IT! One quick hack that works just as good is to use frozen diced hash brown potatoes. Tastes just as good and saves time chopping. Enjoy!






  11. This was so so good !!! Quick and easy. Delicious






  12. Ingredients and recipe are great! The only thing I did differently was to take 1/2 of the soup out at the end and use an emulsion blender to really combine all those flavors and thicken it up. Whole family loved it!!!






  13. Made this soup the other night and it was delicious, hubby and I both loved it. Definitely will make it again.

  14. Delicious soup, especially for a lighter version. Very quick too!






  15. It’s May 6…it snowed….Still soup time. I made this recipe for dinner. Absolutely the best I have ever made. Not sure whether it was May Snow or just all those wonderful ingredients married together that made this taste so good. Thanks for the recipe.

  16. They are at the bottom of the page

  17. I made the recipe as written (which I rarely ever do) – the exception is that I didn’t have broth, so I had to improvise with the equivalent of bullion cubes. My entire family gave it five stars. Great flavor and texture. Really easy and quick to make, and uses ingredients we almost always have on hand.






  18. After Easter I thought I would give making ham stock in the instapot a go and then used some of the stock in this potato soup. Also used leftover baked potatoes. Really great! (and cleaned out my fridge). My 8yo had the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. That’s never happened before. :)






  19. Just finished destroying 2 bowls of this. Super happy with the results. Followed the recipe as closely as I could for the most part. Ended up over mashing the potatoes at the end and it was a little more loose than I intended it to be. So I added a can of mixed veggies to give it a little more texture, let those simmer in. A few dashes of smoked paprika, couple tablespoons of butter… It was exactly what I wanted. Flavorful and filling. Great recipe that I’m sure I’ll make again!






  20. I make this soup often and looked up recipes to for comparison. This one is a really great and simple soup. You would have a tough time making this bad. I mean potato, corn, bacon and onions really just can’t not taste good. I did not and would not use garlic in theis recipe. Garlic has no place in the presence of this soup IMHO. So rich in flavor already and don’t feel like it would help soup and thats a LOT of garlic for this volume of soup. Give me anyred sauce with tons of garlic sure. Just not here. Was excellent.






  21. Making this for the first time. So excited .. I added celery and carrots too. Can this be frozen? Thank you !!!

  22. I make soup every week for my husband, in laws, and sister. This one was the best ever!!! Everyone raves about it and continues to ask for it. I’m making it for the third time in a month and a half!






  23. Fabulous recipe! Will definitely make again. Delicious without the bacon but I did use real bacon bits and scallion as a topping. Good tip noted to use a masher or immersion blender if you like a smoother consistency. Wondering if recipe should include peeling the potatoes or not. Thank you






  24. This is the best soup I have ever eaten in my life.






  25. Very good and easy! I used sour cream and half and half. Added green onion and more shredded cheese and bacon to each bowl.






  26. I can’t wait to try this recipe!!! I have about 80lbs of potatoes I need to use up, can this soup be frozen??

  27. Delish!! Easy and family loooove it!! ?






  28. So delicious! I’ve made this several times, each time slightly different and it never disappoints. I use whatever potatoes I have on hand (red or golden, and don’t peel them). I even added a couple sweet potatoes when I didn’t have enough regular. I double the recipe since it’s so good. I’ve also added carrots (in with potatoes), celery and broccoli. It’s equally tasty with either yogurt or sour cream, and I’ve never added the bacon. I use an immersion blender at the end to make it all smooth. Thanks for the tasty go-to recipe!






  29. We made this recipe exactly as stated but doubled. It was delicious! I will definitely make it again. And I froze a sample bowl to see what happens and it was fine two weeks frozen. Just as tasty. I couldn’t wait any longer. Great recipe!






  30. The best I have ever had!??






  31. I TOTALLY modified the recipe:
    • I baked, then peeled the spuds
    • Canadian Bacon
    • T Olive Oil
    • 1/2 bag frozen cauliflower
    • Omitted flour and used immersion blender to thicken
    • Omitted cheese(Thought about sprinkling some on top, but it doesn’t need it)

  32. Easy to make and was delicious! Even puréed some for my daughter to try. Will definitely make again. Does anyone know how many calories this is? Thanks!






  33. I made 2 batches, the first batch I made with almond milk. I wanted to make it gluten free, so I did not use the flour, but used the recommend amount of corn starch instead. The second batch I used corn starch and instead of almond milk, I used full fat coconut milk. They both were sooo good, although the coconut milk batch was so creamy and good!! I thought it might taste like coconut, but it did not at all. Of course the coconut milk adds a lot of calories if that is a concern. Oh, I blended about half of it in the blender which was another recommendation in the recipe.

    I just found this website and I’m obsessed!! THANK YOU!!






  34. Great recipe! I made this gluten free and dairy free and it came out delicious. A little thick so might add more broth next time, but I absolutely loved it.
    I replaced the flour with Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 baking flour, 2 cups of coconut milk, I didn’t have sour cream so I used a little vegan cream cheese since it’s not very thick, and So Delicious shredded cheddar. ????






  35. WOW!!! This was sooo good. I did adjust the recipe a bit.

    I doubled the recipe and added 3 chopped celery stalks & 3 minced jalapenos (added them in at the same time as the onion). It had great flavor and not very spicy. (I will probably add 6 jalapenos next time!)

  36. I’ve spent so many years searching for the perfect potato soup recipe. This is it! My husband and I loved it. Easy, straightforward, and delicious. We had some loose sweet Italian sausage on hand, so I used that instead of bacon. Also used an immersion blender in about half of it. This one is a keeper.






  37. Great recipe!






  38. Absolutely delicious!!!!! Did garlic bread on the side, but the soup is a stand alone meal.






  39. Delicious soup. Used both sharp old cheddar & smoked old cheddar. Used only 1 cup of half & half cream. Plus before adding cream, cheese, sourcream & bacon, I put 1 – 2 cups of drained potato into a bowl – mashed w hand masher – returned it to the soup.






  40. does anyone know home many calories are in this???

  41. Used my immersion blender at the end a lil bit ♡♡♡ omgoodness ♡♡♡ amazing

  42. I’m a guy. And I cook a couple times a month. This chowder is perfect. The genius behind this delicious dish is that its made using a roux!
    Ever since I started making this recipe for my family and friends I’ve grown from 5″8′ and 112lbs to now I’m 6″4′ of pure muscle. Plus my kids obey me now, and my wife laughs at all my jokes. It has been life-changing. Try it today!






  43. YOOOOO this slaps! I am a vegetarian so no bacon was used but instead I just added a bit more garlic, cayenne pepper, cajun spice, diced red pepper, and celery. It is super good!






  44. Great recipe. Could it be preserved in quart sealers or frozen for future use.

  45. It’s my go to potato soup recipe. I’ve learned over time to leave the sour cream out on the counter to get the chill off. It won’t curdle that way.
    I also wonder if anyone has added cream cheese? I’m thinking it would add to the creaminess, but don’t want to mess it up.
    Wonderful soup.






  46. Wow! Super good!! I added the bacon, salt, and pepper when the potatoes were halfway done cooking. I also added one cup of green onions. ( Did the 2x serving) Was really good as leftovers with herb focaccia bread.






  47. Wow!!! I tweaked the recipe a little for what I had on hand… Amazing!!! Better than the last batch I made years ago! Also added a pinch of celery salt!!! Cannot WAIT to make this again! Thank you!

    • Wow!!! I tweaked the recipe a little for what I had on hand… Amazing!!! Better than the last batch I made years ago! Also added a pinch of celery salt!!! Cannot WAIT to make this again! Thank you!






  48. Came out very flavorful, creamy and delicious. Very easy to make. Super satisfying.






  49. This is the best potato soup we have ever had! I didn’t change a thing.
    It does say yogurt or sour cream and I used sour cream.
    Definitely would always use Yukon Gold potatoes, as suggested.
    I cut up the potatoes little bigger than 1/4 inch squares,
    makes the soup sort of chunky, especially good like that! I would not mash the potatoes!
    A great recipe!