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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.

This post contains affiliate links.

The BEST Potato Soup Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

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1,351 comments on “Potato Soup”

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  1. Best potato soup I’ve ever made! Followed recipe exactly and added about 1/2 c chopped celery ( cooked with onions) and dried basil. Perfect!






  2. This was delicious! Tastes like a fancy potato soup from a restaurant! :)






  3. Can’t wait to make this!

    • Thanks, Ali! I love to pop some ingredients into a Google search to figure out what to have for supper and recipes magically show up. What I love more is when a Gimme Some Oven recipe is in the list. “Oh yay! This recipe is sure to be delicious!”






  4. Delicious!!!






  5. Has anyone made this ahead of time? Is it good to warm up 2 days later?

    • I’ve been using this as a meal prep recipe with no issues! I make a big pot on Sunday, divide it up into five containers, and it’s still just as delicious on Friday.






    • I have made a huge batch of this, so that we would have leftovers for a couple days. Yes, it actually gets better.

  6. Awesome ? this is my now go to recipe! Thank you for sharing

  7. This is similar to my Grandma’s recipe, which has celery and carrots plus seasoned salt….made this several times now with her additions, plus we do not (and never have) eaten pork, so I have always used turkey bacon (even in her recipe). Soooooo good! Leftovers do not last!!!






  8. I made this soup last night and it was absolutely delicious. Just what I was looking for and the Cajun seasoning was a hit. Thanks for the suggestion.






  9. I made this soup without the cheese because it tasted delicious. I also used a hand held beater to mush the potatoes and sprinkled the bacon bits on top.
    My German mother made a great potato soup. This one came close.






  10. Super easy and amazing. I used homemade chicken stock and 1% milk with low sodium bacon. I would have liked it thicker so next time I will mash a potatoes or two. Thanks so much for an awesome recipe.






  11. Just trying this out for lunch.. do you not mash or squish the potatoes at all when they are cooked? Just leave them whole?

    • I didn’t mash them but my son mashed them in his bowl. I would say it’s a preference. My husband prefers whole piece is a potato and my kids like them smooshed.

  12. So easy to make and so perfect to eat when the weather is frigid.

  13. This is a very basic recipe, and I’m not sure why it tells you to put the milk in at the same time as the broth… I would wait and put the milk in as the potatoes become tender so it doesn’t curdle. The recipe is a bit misleading, as there are two sets of directions. You have to scroll through quite a bit to get to the correct set which is underneath the ingredient list. I would also put more seasoning in this recipe such as thyme, salt, and pepper- with the onions and garlic. OK recipe but I had to doctor it up quite a bit.






  14. Great recipe. Easy to follow. I did use one full litre of chicken broth vs. the 2 cups mentioned….but, I also added three large carrots and two celery stalks. I had fresh dill so added that also for a bit more flavour. Will definitely make again.






  15. This is SO good! I actually did not have bacon so, substituted with turkey lunch meat crisped up with butter and garlic. The soup was amazing, tastes like scalloped potatoes!! This will definitely be on repeat.






  16. Sound’s yummy,going to make for dinner tomorrow.






  17. Making this recipe right now! Alas, the chicken broth I had expired January, 2020 (!) , so I had to sub for that. I used poultry seasoning instead, 1 teaspoon per cup of water and, as Goggle suggested, a few added seasonings – rosemary, thyme, marjoram and sage (it called for sage but I didn’t have any of that either). Instead, I used Italian seasoning…. So far, so good. I wish there was a way to estimate the number of potatoes to use, but I realize that is impossible… I used 8 medium sized potatoes. Im also adding a drained can of corn. It is delicious and a keeper! Will definitely make again!






  18. Great recipe, and I made it in less than 45 minutes, substituting sausage for bacon (added a little bit of oil to saute the onions), and adding corn kernals and three kinds of fish at the end! I also used russet potatoes and it came out fine. So filling!






  19. Will this soup freeze successfully?

  20. Easy to make!






  21. Simple ingredients, easy to prepare and delicious. I prepared it in my Presto Kitchen Cooker which is in deed turning out to be a versatile appliance. Fried the bacon for the potato soup recipe perfectly. Followed all the steps in order and ended with a pot of tasty potato soup!






  22. Incredibly delicious! Wow! I’m truly not a soup fan, but made this substituting with Canadian bacon and adding broccoli, celery, and red bell pepper. It’s a keeper and a sharer!






    • Great soup! I added about six diced baby carrots. Will most likely broccoli and celery the next time I make it!






  23. Wonderful – the only thing I did different was double the recipe!! So glad that I did. My husband loved it and so did my 6 year old and 1 year old. Will definitely be making this again, thank you!!

  24. This was Delcious! It was easily doubled! My family loved it!






  25. Do you peel the potatoes first? It says diced but nothing about peeling

  26. This was delicious ❤️ And easy to make!






  27. Made this soup today and loved it!!! I thickened with greek yogurt and mashed abit so it was very creamy without the fat. Yum!

  28. Family LOVED it!! It was DELISH!!






  29. To make it vegetarian, you also have to replace the CHICKEN broth. But, you can use Bacon Bits brand or morning star fake bacon as a replacement as they are vegan.






  30. Absolutely Fabulous!! So easy to make too! Thank you!






  31. Amazing recipe!! Going to be making this a lot ?

  32. I adore this recipe! So rick and full of taste. I always add a pinch of nutmemgg for the extra warmth, perfection!

  33. My family LOVES this soup!! It is super easy to make and you can add whatever you want to make it a little heartier, or just keep it simple. Either way, it’s delicious!






  34. Made this twice and it gets better and better. Everyone needs to try and make this it is very quick to make but tastes like it was alot of work. We love it.

    Wisconsin






  35. Awesome!!! Added some Tasso, try it sometime.






  36. Delicious and simple to follow recipe. Family raved about it! Added a cup of diced carrot. Can’t wait to make it again.






  37. Delicious and so easy!






  38. Absolutely delicious! Blew my husband away and he is not easily impressed with food, thank you for sharing!

  39. Tastes great!!






  40. The soup is so good.I added carrot and celery.Thank you for the receipe.






  41. Crowd pleaser!!! Used ham instead bc that’s what I had on hand.






  42. Absolutely amazing, delicious recipe!!!!






  43. Excellent






  44. This was great. Used creole seasoning in place of the salt and no bacon or sour cream because we didn’t have any. We prefer potato soup with just a cream base and not loaded anyways. So this was perfect. Ours got thick as potatoes cooked so just add more milk as needed. Very creamy. Thanks!






  45. Love it! Thanks

  46. This is delicious! I added some cauliflower in with the potatoes and made the veggie version since my daughter is a vegetarian. I would make this again in a minute.






  47. I used 1 clove of garlic and it was still overpowering. I’d recommended leaving garlic out of the soup and instead rubbing a clove of garlic toasted bread and using it for dipping. Too much bacon can also be overpowering. I used 1 piece of bacon and it was more than enough. Instead of 3 tablespoons of bacon grease. I used 1 tablespoon each of bacon, olive oil, and butter.






  48. omitted the sour cream and it was still one of the best soups I’ve ever tried!






  49. Very flavorful and hearty! So good! Whole family loved it!






  50. Its so great having this meal.