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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 recipe is amazing. I was surprised that I could make this soup and it be so simple. Easy to find ingredients and clear directions. Thanks for sharing!!

  2. Wow this was extraordinary! I added celery and it could not be more perfect. Thanks for this recipe!

  3. I was wondering what type of bread would go with this soup? Such as plain toast, a roll, biscuits, cornbread, etc.

  4. Holy cow. This soup is ridonks. Made it for lunch today… May just be the best soup to ever come out of my kitchen. And I likes me some soup. 

  5. this looks amazing and I have everything at my house except for chicken stock. Will this come out okay without it ?? 

    • Thanks Chet. This recipe really needs either chicken or veggie stock, as simply adding water will not provide any flavor. We hope you enjoy!

  6. Just made this, so good! Will be my go to potato soup recipe!

  7. Awesome soup recipe- easy to triple recipe for a big family

  8. Thanks this potatoe soup is easy and delicious 

  9. I made this as a vegetarian dish for my granddaughter.  It was delicious, vegetable broth instead of chicken and left out the bacon.  Made it a couple of days later using the bacon and chicken broth and it was amazing.  Love it.  It is pretty simple to make also.

    • That’s wonderful Ginny, we’re glad to hear you and your granddaughter enjoyed it, and that it was so adaptable! :)

  10. This soup was amazing! Super easy too! I added garlic, carrots, and seasoned salt. So. Darn. Good. Will be making again!

  11. This is the best potato soup I have ever had! This is also the first time I’ve ever made any type of potato soup at home & there was zero waste because the leftovers were consumed within two days! Will be making again. SUPER easy, delicious, and rich (without unnecessary added fat!). Thank you!

    • Thank you Lindsey, what a nice compliment! We’re so thrilled you enjoyed this, thanks for letting us know! :)

  12. I just made this soup, and it was by far the best soup I’ve ever made! I did add some some red pepper and garlic to the recipe, but it would have been just as great without. Everyone should run out and make this asap.

  13. This is seriously good…and that’s coming from a girl in the Heart Of Dixie!! Only thing I changed was instead of 2 cups of milk I subsisted 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of 2% milk (that made me feel a little better lol) Thank you for this recipe :)

  14. loved it.
    added spinach per somebody else’s comment.

    sometimes had to add a bit more stock with the spinach. loved this soup! thanks so much.

    • We’re glad you enjoyed this Judy, and the spinach sounds like a lovely addition!

  15. This is a great recipe!!  I made it for my family tonight and it was a huge hit with my husband.  I will be making this again for sure.  Thanks for the delicious recipe.

  16. Made this last night for my Husband and myself. It was absolutely delish! Super easy step by step. I will definitely make this again! 

  17. I am totally looking forward to making this! The weather is starting to get cold and wet… Perfect for making soup, right?! I have three hours without kids every day while they’re at school and making this would be a perfect way to enjoy the “me time” I get during those hours. Would I be able to make it and put it in a crock pot on warm until dinner time? Or would it over cook? Our house gets so busy in the evening and I tend to mess recipes up in the midst of all the chaos. Better to do it while I’m alone haha.

    • Thanks Amanda! And yes, soup + cold/wet weather is the best combo! :) We think this would be fine to warm up in the crockpot before eating, we’d just suggest doing it very low, like on your crockpot’s “warming” setting, to avoid overcooking. We hope you enjoy! :)

  18. Hello! I’m interested in making this for supper tonight and I can’t find chicken stock at my local store. Is it the same as broth? If I used bullion or broth how much should I use? Especially if I use the bullion?

    Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!

    • Hi Jen! Chicken broth will do just fine, and so would better than bouillon (the directions on the jar will tell you how much to use). We hope you enjoy this! :)

  19. My family really loved this recipe so much. Next time I will have to double it. They couldn’t get enough. I will  be making this again.

  20. I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it was great.  It was creamy yet light and flavorful yet not overpowering. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for the recipe. 

  21. Can you freeze this soup? Will it taste weird once you thaw it?

    • Freezing this (because of the dairy) will cause it to separate, so unfortunately this will not freeze well.

  22. Hi. I’m bummed this won’t freeze well. Sounds like the perfect lunch for work. I guess I will make it for dinner then eat it for lunch 3 days in a row lol. Approx how many potatoes is that? And approx how many did this feed?
    Thanks,
    Leigh
    PS. Love your recipes!!!

    • Yeah, dishes with a substantial amount of dairy just don’t freeze well unfortunately. You could always just make half the recipe so you don’t have so much leftover? This will make about 6-8 servings if you do the full recipe. It would be about 4-5 medium yukon gold potatoes (but always weigh on the scale when you’re shopping). We hope this helps! :)

  23. Hi there I can not have dairy , I do have rice milk do u think that would be ok and what could I use instead of yogurt and cheese because this soup does sound and look very nice Many thanx x

    • Hi Mandy! We have not tried a non-dairy version of this soup, so we can’t say for sure. However, we think (unsweetened, unflavored) rice/almond/soy/cashew milk should work. You could also try a non-dairy (vegan) cheese, such as Daiya, and plain soy yogurt or silken tofu (blended) with a little bit of lemon juice (in place of the sour cream. We hope this helps. Again, we haven’t tried it without dairy, so we can’t vouch for 100% for doing it this way, but we hope it works, and we hope you’ll let us know how it turns out if you try it! :)

  24. Hi!  This looks great with the exception of the cheese.  Can’t eat cheese.  Will it still be ok?  Should I dubstitute with something or its ok to just omit??

    • Thanks Vanessa! You could just omit, or you could try a non-dairy cheese, such as Daiya. We hope this helps!

  25. Love it!!!  Add ham, carrots and celery!  Super delicious!  Served with garlic bread.  Perfect fall dinner :-) Thank you!

  26. I made this soup tonight with just a few additions. Instead of just browning onion I made a basic mirepoix. I also added garlic and some chopped broccoli near the end of the cooking time.  It was really good, but I think next time I’ll add more bacon, or better yet, pancetta! I garnished with copped green onion and it was perfect for a damp autumn night. 

    • That sounds wonderful Tracy, and we bet pancetta would be amazing in this! We’re glad you liked it. :)

  27. Will a salad go good with this.

  28. I have everything except sour cream/yogurt.  Can I leave out or substitute?  I need a quick answer so I can make for my husband’s lunch today.  He’s working a lot of extra hours and I want to show him I think he deserves a little extra from me.

    • Hi Leanna, the only other thing you could use would be creme fraiche. Those products just add to the creamy, thick texture of the soup, and also provide a nice tangy flavor. You could leave them out if you don’t have time to pick them up at the store though. Do you have any heavy cream? You could add some of that to thicken it more. We hope this helps, and that you and your husband enjoy this!

  29. Thank you so much for posting this wonderful recipe, my family and I enjoy it very much! 

  30. Made this today after making your broccoli,cheese soup yesterday.  I used a leek and an onion, veg stock, and almond milk.  Strong cheddar and tangy Greek yogurt and added chopped Vidalia onion as a garnish.  Delicious!

    • We’re so glad you enjoyed it Cathy (the leek and onion sound like wonderful additions)! :)

  31. Would like this to be wheat free. Can I use a different kind of flour and it turn out fine? 

    • Hi Jana, we haven’t tried it with a different type of flour, but we imagine a gluten-free blend would probably work fine. We hope you enjoy!

  32. Awesome potato soup!!  I added leeks instead of onions!!!  Thanks for sharing your recipe!

  33. I can’t wait to make this soup for my family! Where are those blue soup bowls from? Thank you!

  34. Made this last night and I’m making it again tonight since its all gone. It was so easy and good.

  35. This potato soup is by far the best I have ever made! And I have made plenty! Super easy and so tasty!!

  36. Can I make this in the crockpot? 

    • Hi Brooke, we haven’t tried this, and creamy soups with more dairy are typically better made on the stovetop. However, we have seen a good amount of similar recipes made in the crockpot, these dairy ones are just a little fussier than other crockpot soups. That being said, here is what we’d try: You won’t need to dice your potatoes, just cut them into 1/4-inch chunks or slices. Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray, then follow the first step of this recipe, and then the second step (cook the onions longer if you want them more brown/caramelized). Don’t add the flour or chicken stock to them afterwards though. Add the potatoes, onion and chicken stock to the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. Mash the mixture with a potato masher, then add the milk, cheese, Greek yogurt/sour cream and salt and pepper, and turn the temperature to high. Cook on high for about 20 minutes. Taste the soup and add more salt, pepper and/or cheese if you’d like. Ladle into bowls and top with the listed toppings if desired. We hope this helps and that you enjoy – if you try it this way, definitely let us know how it is! :)

  37. Have you ever frozen the leftovers? I meal prep dinners because of different schedules of my family. Will it get runny if reheated?

    • Hi Michel, we haven’t, as soups with a lot of dairy typically don’t freeze well (they tend to separate and the texture gets weird). Sorry! :(

  38. Usually these “easy” recipes turn out to be just okay, but this really was an amazing soup! I couldn’t wait for my boyfriend to come home and taste it. I will definitely be making it again! I’m so glad I found this!

  39. Can you freeze this? 

    • Hi Josilyn, we wouldn’t recommend it, since dairy-based soups don’t freeze very well (the texture and consistency will change).

  40. This soup is amazing! But a little more work than I thought. I always add way more time. Prep work & chopping and dishes since I don’t have a dishwasher. Hubby better like it. 

  41. My husband and I are both super sick with the flu… he wanted potato soup so bad but I feel horrible and not able to stand over the stove to cook for him.  I found your recipe today while he was driving us from the doctors office into town to our pharmacy that is located inside a grocery store. we purchased the few things I needed and I made when we got home. In my husbands words “This is the best potato soup ever! 
    Thank you so much for sharing it on Pinterest!!!!! :-)

    • Awww we’re so sorry you and your husband have the flu, Stephanie! Not fun at all! Ugh. We’re so glad you like this soup though, thanks for giving the recipe a try! We hope you both get well as soon as possible. :)

  42. Just finished eating this soup. What a simple recipe. I am not a great cook and my husband loved this. We are stuck inside on a snowy day. I had to use onion flakes, a can of chicken broth and the bacon bits from the sealed package I buy for salads but it came out just perfect. Thank you.

    • You’re welcome Judy, we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Enjoy your snow day! :)

  43. This was delicious! Due to picky eaters in my house, I omitted the sour cream/yogurt, which I love, but I didn’t even miss it. I used a potato masher to create a thicker consistency and it was perfect. I highly recommend it! 

  44. Looks amazing! How do you think skim milk would work? 

    • Thanks Kaitlyn! We think skim milk would work fine, it just won’t be quite as thick or rich. We hope you enjoy! :)

  45. Just made this tonight! YUM! 

  46. Wonderful!  Just was I was looking for and so easy.  Thanks!

  47. Can’t wait to make this. I love bacon. And this soup!

  48. Delicious! I used Applegate farms uncurred Sunday morning bacon(which is actually sliced pork shoulder) and added Broccoli. 

    • Thanks Terese, we’re so glad you enjoyed this, and we bet the broccoli was a great addition!

  49. I had potato soup once as a kid- the quick mix (bulk barn kind) and loved it! It was so comforting and filling. I’ve been wanting to make a proper batch but always thought it would be too difficult. I’m excited to have this bowl of comfort on this MONDAY evening!!!! It took no time at all…thank you for bringing this bit of childhood comfort back!

  50. Could you substitute cream cheese for the sour cream?

    • We haven’t tried that Ginna, but we think that should work! Let us know how it turns out if you try it – we hope you enjoy! :)

    • We think you could Ginna, and we think it would be delicious! :)