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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 594 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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1,357 comments on “Potato Soup”

  1. This was really good and so easy to make. I added a celery stalk and 2 carrots with the onion for a little extra color and flavor. I did not use the garlic – personal preference. I will absolutely make this again and again.






  2. Phenomenal! I’ve been looking for a go-to potato soup recipe for years and this is by far the best one I’ve tried. My family loved it too. The search is over! Thank you!






  3. Absolutely delicious!!!
    My new favourite soup.
    Thank you so much for sharing.

    • This is amazing, I used 3 cups broth and 1 cup milk because I didn’t have enough milk haha. Added celery because I needed to use it. Added some leftover ham as well. Talk about yummy!






    • This is a great starting base for potato soup. I NEVER add bacon to the pot because after it sits a while in the fridge, the bacon loses its crispness which isn’t very appetizing (add bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onion to your bowl instead) I always add some extra garlic powder/salt, onion powder, italian seasoning, a little dried thyme, a dash of cracked red pepper, and fresh cracked salt and pepper. If you don’t like the flour base, cook it up and add a bit of cornstarch mixed in water to thicken it up some. An easy, somewhat fast and delicious dinner for the family! This is a very easy recipe to turn vegetarian as well!

  4. This recipe is a keeper! Instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I modified by eliminating bacon and adding more carrots, celery, thyme and zucchini.Husband said it’s one of the best soups he’s ever had. This is going in the regular rotation in our house.






  5. This will cure what ales you






  6. This was really good! Like some others, I added fresh thyme.

  7. This is a delicious soup….used all fresh produce from my garden added some celery and carrots with the onion. Tasted just like a loaded baked potato. Very easy recipe to follow, I highly recommend this recipe.

    .






  8. Could this be made the night before and warmed up next day in a crock pot?






  9. Definitely the best potato soup I have ever made, 5 star, Cajun seasoning to give it that extra kick was delicious, It’s definitely on the all time favorite list, thanks my friend

  10. I use instant potatoes for thicking and also whipping cream but wonderful as is!






  11. My teenagers were saying things like, “This soup warmed my whole soul,” “This is the best soup I’ve ever had and it’s even better than Panera Broccoli and Cheddar,” “You can make this again tomorrow and all the other days after that…” My husband loved it, too. Thumbs up all around. Thanks!

  12. I thought the soup was very bland. I added so much salt and pepper, even some garlic powder and onion powder. I honestly think the flour roux should not be used. I’ve made potato soup before and I don’t remember doing a roux. It’s creamy and I like the texture, but no flavor at all. If you use Center cut bacon , you don’t get too much bacon grease. Make sure to add butter for the roux. Or skip the roux.






  13. Not the best potato soup I’ve made. I agree with the prior comments to omit the flour.






  14. Best potato soup I ever made and I had to improvise because I live in Brazil and they don’t have everything I needed.






  15. My family absolutely LOVES this soup. I always double it and freeze the second batch. I really don’t make any changes except I quadruple the garlic, add some matchstick carrots and cajun seasoning. Perfect comfort meal evweytime!!






  16. Hi, I made this soup tonight, it was delicious ! I did not use bacon, but did as you suggested added some cajun spices and used butter to saute the onion. I also did not use any milk but increased the amount of broth, left out the flower since we eat gluten free, added cauliflower and garnished the soup with grated carrots and crumbled gluten free crackers. Very tasty and filling . Thank you for the recipe !






  17. This was delicious! My husband loved it! Going into the regular rotation- so easy, followed your recipe exactly – great result! I love your blog and recipes- saw the one for the fennel bulb potato soup – I will try that next – but all I had was for the Best Potato Soup! So awesome 👏🏻
    Thank you🙏🏻❤️






    • Absolutely delicious!!! Easy to follow instructions, easy to make and oh so delicious! I ate three large servings of this delicious soup! My kids loved it too!






  18. Can I use baby gold potatoes? The instructions do not say to peel the potato, but in the pictures I don’t see any skins.

  19. Love this recipe so much!






  20. My toddler twins are very picky and they love this and so do we!






  21. Can I freeze this soup ?

  22. This is definitely the best potato soup I’ve ever made and possibly ever tasted. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    One question, can I freeze this soup?

  23. First time I ever made potato soup and it was amazing thank you so much!!






  24. Made this about 20 times! Awesome recipe and worth every bite! Nailed it👍👍👍






  25. Hearty, filling, & perfect for our cool CA weather. My 20 year old son requested potato soup then turned around made it and ate it (only after I chopped everything but hey! It’s all good). He loved it & sent pictures to his sisters Thank you!!!






  26. Simple, yet delicious! Added a splash of winter ale for good measure;) Thank you for the recipe!






  27. My family absolutely LOVES this soup!!! I’ve made it to many times to count. I double the recipe. I use a 5 lb bag of golden potatoes. Once the potatoes are done I use a potato masher and mash some potatoes in the pot. I use the sour cream option, a full lb of bacon and 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese. Everything else the same as the double recipe. Absolutely the best potato soup EVER!!!






  28. No bacon (I was out) so I used the ham flavored concentrate from Goya to make a ‘ham broth’ and subbed that in for chicken/veggie stock. Didn’t have the time to do the onions and garlic, so I subbed in garlic powder and onion powder (for our tastes it ended up being 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder). Half the milk I used cream. Wayyyyyy more cheese. Flour wasn’t needed.

    While it may sound like a totally different recipe I’m reviewing, I’m reviewing on this premise: You could cook possum danglers in bacon grease and they’re still gonna be possum ‘danglers’… it’s all about the foundation, the base, upon which a recipe is constructed. THIS RECIPE HAS A 5 STAR BASE. All my [lesser quality] subs and this was still YUMazing!! Pinning it as a ‘Tried and True’ recipe; will be a flavorite from now on!






  29. It was a soup kind of night tonight and I had some potatoes in the bin that needed to be used up. This is the best baked potato soup! Rich, thick and absolutely delicious. The soup was easy to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand. I may add chopped celery and carrots as other people have suggested and then it will be fully loaded baked potato soup. I will definitely make this again.






  30. We use oatmilk 1.8% fat, instead of dairy milk. A great way to make it meatless, yet with some protein, is to grate an hardboiled egg on top of the serving. Adds color and taste, too.
    No flour is required. This way both the gluten, and lactose sensatives, are happy.






  31. My daughter and I made this for the two of us and loved it! Thank you for sharing. I have a family of 5 and would need to at least double it to feed my hungry crowd!

  32. This potato soup is wonderful. I followed the recipe exactly as it is written starting starting with 3 Tbl. of butter since I don’t eat pork. The soup is easy to make and tastes great. I’ll stop looking for a potatoe soup recipe. Thank you for this recipe.






  33. Excellent. Added two carrots and two celery stalks along with the onion (as some others did), which just added more depth and flavor. Ended a dash more salt and probably 1/8 teaspoon more pepper at the end. Was delicious. Made the Everyday side salad with dressing as linked here. What was nice about this is it didn’t feel like a heavy meal, even though it was substantial.






  34. Delicious! I made this soup exactly as the recipe is written and it is perfection. The author’s suggestion of Cajun seasoning as an additional seasoning was spot on! Our only garnishment was additional cracked pepper. We ate this delicious soup with sliced cheddar and jalapeño bread. Wow!






  35. First time I’ve made potato soup and it is delicious. I followed the recipe, used chicken bone broth, sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt, mashed some of the cooked potatoes in the pot, and based on comments I also added about 1/2 TBS of Cajun seasoning for a little kick, plus about a 1/2 Tsp each of dried dill and dried thyme, along with salt and pepper of course. The Cajun seasoning I have includes turmeric and that spice gave the soup a warm color. Looking forward to trying other recipes of yours!






  36. thank you it was delicious and easy to make. i put 8 slices of bacon in because it’s bacon lol.






  37. I’ve tried soooo many baked potato soup recipes (my husband just LOVES this stuff) and they were always disappointing…. until now! Thank so you so much for sharing. I’ve finally landed on the recipe to keep.

    The texture is PERFECT and no cream means I can make it completely lactose-free at home and still have a wonderfully textured soup. Not sure about the servings estimate as the recipe as written made enough for the two of us to have one dinner and there’s one bowl’s worth leftover for lunch. Definitely double this if you hope to feed more than 2-3 adults as a main course.






  38. This turned out so good. It was a touch thick so I thinned with chicken broth. I added celery and carrots.






  39. Wow! This recipe is stupendous! The creamy potato soup is outstanding. I enjoyed making it and the result was unbelievable, the absolute best. Everybody who tried it loved it.






    • I have made this several times even when I have invited visitors for lunch. It is so easy to make and requires ingredients that most of us already have in the house. This soup is the best potato recipe I have ever used. It is delicious and definitely my go to especially when last minute guests are coming.






  40. This is the best potato soup I have ever made. I was a little worried about cooking the potatoes in milk . Most of the time I cook mine in water.Turned out awesome! Very creamy and great flavor.






  41. I am a pro chef and when my wife asked me to make potato soup with a bit of chunkiness, I racked my brain for something I’m sure I must have made in the past. Blank!
    So running around the net looking for ideas, I came across this recipe and chose it to make.
    With very few modifications, this recipe is a WINNER. My wife and teen son insisted that I put this on our favorite meals list to make in the future again.
    As mentioned in the directions, I did puree half of the soup, leaving some chunky potato bits for added satiation! Used a bit more garlic in the sautee than this recipe, and sharp cheddar cheese. A few minor changes to quantities, but overall in line with the recipe.
    OUTSTANDING result. Bon Appetit!

    Frank
    Elf Chef LLC






  42. First time I made this, I made it substituting plant cream for the milk. It was delicious—so easy, hearty, and delicious! I’m making it again tonight with homemade Greek yogurt and yogurt whey in place of the milk + a cup of chicken bouillon. I sauteed the bacon, onion, and garlic together in my instant pot, deglazed with the bouillon, then added the rest of the ingredients. I popped the lid on, and set it to cook for 8 minutes. When it’s done, I will add the yogurt, some chives, and a mixture of parmesan and cotija cheese. Looking forward to trying it!






  43. Fabulous recipe. I added celery and carrots and a pinch of hot chili’s. Will most definitely be making this often!






  44. I love this soup! I make it often. The yogurt and sharp cheddar add just the right amount of zing.






  45. This recipe was amazing!! I doubled it but used 1/2 cup of sour cream and an additional 1 1/2 of half and half plus the milk it called for!

  46. This soup was excellent we loved it






  47. This sounds fantastic. I can tell by the ingredients that it will taste great. I’m going to make this today. I plan on adding leeks to it along with my homemade chicken broth.






  48. Great soup recipe! I even omitted the sour cream. Making this for my guests again.






  49. I’m so happy I came across this recipe. We had all the ingredients on hand. It is so delicious and very easy to make. My only regret is I didn’t double the recipe!






  50. Will it still taste good if I do not use yogurt?