This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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:
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.)
Sauté the veggies. Sauté the onion and garlic in the bacon grease until softened. Then stir in some flour, to create your roux.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream
Instructions
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Made this for the first time today. Wasn’t sure to keep skin on potatoes but Yukons have thin skin so I kept and it was great. As other suggested I added a dash of bay seasoning and it was just the thing to take it to the next level. 12 y/o son and husband really liked it as well. Easy cold weather recipe. Will be making again :)
Overall this was a really good recipe. We made very few modifications so the base recipe is very good. Highly recommend to add green onions and extra sour cream at the end. And also to modify your recipe liquid depending on how many potatoes you have. Very good recipe!
So delicious!! The sour cream gives it a perfect hint of tanginess. Easy to follow recipe and turned out great. Definitely will make again. Creamy and decadent, but not heavy.
Sharon —
I made this soup and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Instead of Yukon Gold potatoes, I used small, red potatoes just harvested from my garden, the onion and garlic was also home grown. I garnished with fresh chives and parsley as well as extra bacon. Super delicious, I will definitely make this recipe again!
This was amazing soup. Very creamy, easy to make. The prep took most of the time. I topped the soup with diced scallions, bacon and cheddar cheese. My husband loved it.
I love this recipe, about the thickening choices, my daughter told me she was in a pinch ad used instant mashed potato flakes and it worked so well she keeps it on hand just to use to thicken soups and stews.
Susan Mature —
Great tip thanks so much!!! I am not a fan of flour.
Tammy —
When do you add the instant potatoes?
Amanda —
I take some of the potatoes out and mash them and put them back in. Thickens right up. I also add a little hot sauce to my own bowl because it makes it takes kinda of like nacho cheese
This is the best potato soup I’ve ever had. What makes it better is if you use your home garden-grown Yukon Gold potatoes! The only change I made was adding chopped celery since last summer’s celery crop was so plentiful and I have plenty in the vegetable freezer.
Very nice potato soup I made it it a little less fattening. I did not add sour cream or cheese. Instead of cow milk I used light coconut milk. I also used Zartar seasoning and it turned out amazing.
I’m 70 years old ever since I was a child growing up in the ozarks during cold winter days our family has looked forward to my mother making her famous Potato soup. I have tried to find the recipe that my mother used with no luck. I accidentally ran across this while looking for something to do with Potatoes that a friend of mine had given me. This is even better than my mothers soup. To make sure ,I sent the recipe to my daughter for validation and she agreed. It is easy to make and it doesn’t take that long to make.
Love this soup! My 7 year old said “mom, please never lose this recipe so I can make it when I grow up!”
Question: can I make it ahead and leave it on the stove on low for a couple hours? Wanting to make for guests, but want to visit before we eat. Just want to make sure it will not affect the consistency.
I love how easy this recipe is to make besides the deliciousness. I’ve made this so many times already and I wouldn’t change a thing. I would like to see the nutritional information if possible. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
My go to recipe, with minor changes.
I cut the bacon slices up with scissors into my cast iron enamel pot. Then when the bacon is cooked I remove most of the grease and then add the ingredients. I change out the potatoes for a bag of frozen hash browns (less work!), and half a bar of softened cream cheese instead of the sour cream. I also add in some velveeta cheese for flavor. Goes great with crusty French bread
Right now I am walking to my dumpster with the soup and pot. Both are going in. The recipe was confusing and I wasted a lot of money on ingredients. First recipe that did not work for me. Sorry!
This is the best potato soup I ever tried. I didn’t have bacon, but did have some tiny diced ham and that was perfect. Used red potatoes instead of Yukon, but just added a sweeter taste. Left out cheese, but did use sour cream. Yummy soup I had hoped would make leftovers, but everyone went back for more!
This is creamy, wonderful flavor and texture. I used sour cream.. so easy to make. It immediately became a family favorite. Best potato soup recipe I’ve ever tried.
Made it vegetarian and was delicious. I did add thyme , parsley and carrots and celery. I always add stuff its just my way. Used plant based sour cream and was really good as well. A keeper!!!
I made this tonight and it was amazing!! Did not realize I didn’t have bacon (I know that’s a sin here in the south lol), but I used the Kinder’s Butcher All Purpose seasoning and it added a great flavor without the spice like the Cajun. My sick husband loved it!
This soup is amazing! I’m fighting a cold at the moment and this soup really hit the spot. I loved how it was very forgiving on the ingredients so that I could use what is in my fridge. I used sautéed onion paste instead of fresh diced onions. I also added parmesan cheese rinds as an addition to use them up. Delicious and feeling really satisfied. Thank you!!
I never comment on recipes, this is literally the first time. I have to say I’ve been making this soup recipe for at least 5-6 years and it never fails. It’s delicious, easy to make, and with few ingredients. Not sure what more you could ask for. Love it!
Love this recipe, so delicious. I did not use flour and it was fine but saw the tip of keeping mashed potato flakes on hand to thicken the soup if decided. I used yogurt bc I did not have sour cream on hand and also had no cheddar handy so I used the rest of the pimento cheese I had in a container and it was so good. Nothing like implanting.
I wanted to like this soup after the effort but frankly I like my mom’s simple recipe better. There’s no chicken stock involved, so no flour thickener or sour cream required. You just boil the potatoes, ions and celery, drain and add milk and bacon or ham if desired, season and simmer for a while. If it needs thickening, mix some water and cornstarch and add. Much easier and creamier.
This soup was soooo yummy! And so very easy. I diced the potatoes really small because my son prefers them in small pieces, and the soup was ready within an hour, start to finish. Flavor was REALLY good!
Love this potato soup!! I’ve been making it every fall/ winter for the last few years and just busted it out again. Super easy to follow and you can always make small modifications depending on what you have on-hand. Doesn’t take very long and the leftovers store super easily, either in the fridge or frozen. I like to use the immersion blender once the sour cream and cheese are added in to make it thicker and creamier.
Tonight is the 2nd time I’m making potato soup with this recipe. Me and BF love it. It’s so good. Thank you for sharing!!!!
This soup is delicious! We loved it.
Delicious! Loved it!
Made this for the first time today. Wasn’t sure to keep skin on potatoes but Yukons have thin skin so I kept and it was great. As other suggested I added a dash of bay seasoning and it was just the thing to take it to the next level. 12 y/o son and husband really liked it as well. Easy cold weather recipe. Will be making again :)
Can you post the nutritional info please
Great tasting soup…..how many calories in a serving?
Overall this was a really good recipe. We made very few modifications so the base recipe is very good. Highly recommend to add green onions and extra sour cream at the end. And also to modify your recipe liquid depending on how many potatoes you have. Very good recipe!
So delicious!! The sour cream gives it a perfect hint of tanginess. Easy to follow recipe and turned out great. Definitely will make again. Creamy and decadent, but not heavy.
I made this soup and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Instead of Yukon Gold potatoes, I used small, red potatoes just harvested from my garden, the onion and garlic was also home grown. I garnished with fresh chives and parsley as well as extra bacon. Super delicious, I will definitely make this recipe again!
All time favorite potato soup recipe, right here. Thanks for this one, Ali!
I’m going to make this potato soup tonight and eat it tomorrow night, the soup will have lots of flavour.
This was amazing soup. Very creamy, easy to make. The prep took most of the time. I topped the soup with diced scallions, bacon and cheddar cheese. My husband loved it.
I love this recipe, about the thickening choices, my daughter told me she was in a pinch ad used instant mashed potato flakes and it worked so well she keeps it on hand just to use to thicken soups and stews.
Great tip thanks so much!!! I am not a fan of flour.
When do you add the instant potatoes?
I take some of the potatoes out and mash them and put them back in. Thickens right up. I also add a little hot sauce to my own bowl because it makes it takes kinda of like nacho cheese
This is the best potato soup I’ve ever had. What makes it better is if you use your home garden-grown Yukon Gold potatoes! The only change I made was adding chopped celery since last summer’s celery crop was so plentiful and I have plenty in the vegetable freezer.
Just made your potato soup recipe. Followed it as written. It is perfect. Will be taking it for lunch tonight. Will brighten up the night shift.
So good! I made it vegetarian and served with shredded cheddar, chives, and crispy fried onions. The whole family loved it! Thank you!
This is worth 500 stars. Delicious and easy – definitely going in my dinner rotation.
Very nice potato soup I made it it a little less fattening. I did not add sour cream or cheese. Instead of cow milk I used light coconut milk. I also used Zartar seasoning and it turned out amazing.
I’m 70 years old ever since I was a child growing up in the ozarks during cold winter days our family has looked forward to my mother making her famous Potato soup. I have tried to find the recipe that my mother used with no luck. I accidentally ran across this while looking for something to do with Potatoes that a friend of mine had given me. This is even better than my mothers soup. To make sure ,I sent the recipe to my daughter for validation and she agreed. It is easy to make and it doesn’t take that long to make.
This family loves this soup.. ❤️
Looking for great Recipes to share & make with Family.
Love this soup! My 7 year old said “mom, please never lose this recipe so I can make it when I grow up!”
Question: can I make it ahead and leave it on the stove on low for a couple hours? Wanting to make for guests, but want to visit before we eat. Just want to make sure it will not affect the consistency.
Kind of bland. I added red pepper flakes which made it better.
I love how easy this recipe is to make besides the deliciousness. I’ve made this so many times already and I wouldn’t change a thing. I would like to see the nutritional information if possible. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I am Allergic to onions what can I use instead of onions. This this recipe looks like something I would really like to have. But I can’t eat onions
Use a few celery sticks, and a shredded carrot, along with the garlic the last couple minutes of sauté.
K
My go to recipe, with minor changes.
I cut the bacon slices up with scissors into my cast iron enamel pot. Then when the bacon is cooked I remove most of the grease and then add the ingredients. I change out the potatoes for a bag of frozen hash browns (less work!), and half a bar of softened cream cheese instead of the sour cream. I also add in some velveeta cheese for flavor. Goes great with crusty French bread
I added left over mashed potatoes to help thicken the both and used cornstarch instead of flour.
Right now I am walking to my dumpster with the soup and pot. Both are going in. The recipe was confusing and I wasted a lot of money on ingredients. First recipe that did not work for me. Sorry!
This is the best potato soup I ever tried. I didn’t have bacon, but did have some tiny diced ham and that was perfect. Used red potatoes instead of Yukon, but just added a sweeter taste. Left out cheese, but did use sour cream. Yummy soup I had hoped would make leftovers, but everyone went back for more!
This was very delicious. It really is the best potato soup I have ever had. Thank you.
Kathy H.
Could I use heavy cream instead of Greek yogurt/sour cream?
Turned out delicious! I used margarine instead of bacon grease or butter, used Colby jack cheese. Also added some carrots and peas. Yum!
This is creamy, wonderful flavor and texture. I used sour cream.. so easy to make. It immediately became a family favorite. Best potato soup recipe I’ve ever tried.
Made it vegetarian and was delicious. I did add thyme , parsley and carrots and celery. I always add stuff its just my way. Used plant based sour cream and was really good as well. A keeper!!!
This soup is very yummy! My husband and I both enjoyed it and it’s super easy to make.
Simple question: when dicing the potatoes, should they be boiled or baked already, or raw?
I made this tonight and it was amazing!! Did not realize I didn’t have bacon (I know that’s a sin here in the south lol), but I used the Kinder’s Butcher All Purpose seasoning and it added a great flavor without the spice like the Cajun. My sick husband loved it!
This soup is amazing! I’m fighting a cold at the moment and this soup really hit the spot. I loved how it was very forgiving on the ingredients so that I could use what is in my fridge. I used sautéed onion paste instead of fresh diced onions. I also added parmesan cheese rinds as an addition to use them up. Delicious and feeling really satisfied. Thank you!!
So easy and versatile. It’s our favourite potato soup.
will this freeze well?
I never comment on recipes, this is literally the first time. I have to say I’ve been making this soup recipe for at least 5-6 years and it never fails. It’s delicious, easy to make, and with few ingredients. Not sure what more you could ask for. Love it!
This soup is DELICIOUS!!! I tossed in chopped fresh broccoli and shredded carrots as well. It was a hit!
I love this soup! It’s so hearty and filling. Can it be frozen?
I’d love to make this in bulk but am curious if this will freeze well or if the potatoes or dairy will not do well in freeze or reheating?
Wowzers-made for dinner tonight, and this soup is sooo good!
Love this recipe, so delicious. I did not use flour and it was fine but saw the tip of keeping mashed potato flakes on hand to thicken the soup if decided. I used yogurt bc I did not have sour cream on hand and also had no cheddar handy so I used the rest of the pimento cheese I had in a container and it was so good. Nothing like implanting.
I wanted to like this soup after the effort but frankly I like my mom’s simple recipe better. There’s no chicken stock involved, so no flour thickener or sour cream required. You just boil the potatoes, ions and celery, drain and add milk and bacon or ham if desired, season and simmer for a while. If it needs thickening, mix some water and cornstarch and add. Much easier and creamier.
This soup was soooo yummy! And so very easy. I diced the potatoes really small because my son prefers them in small pieces, and the soup was ready within an hour, start to finish. Flavor was REALLY good!
this was very delicious me personally I would cook this everyday just for me. I’m in love with this recipe my children love it too.
Best potato soup I’ve ever made! Simple and so full of flavor. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Best soup ever! Very easy to make!
Love this potato soup!! I’ve been making it every fall/ winter for the last few years and just busted it out again. Super easy to follow and you can always make small modifications depending on what you have on-hand. Doesn’t take very long and the leftovers store super easily, either in the fridge or frozen. I like to use the immersion blender once the sour cream and cheese are added in to make it thicker and creamier.