This creamy homemade easy potato soup recipe is hearty and comforting. This soup tastes just like loaded baked potatoes because it's topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and bacon. It's a comfort food the family will love. This recipe is ready in less than an hour!
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Why you'll want to make it
It's easy to make. You'll love how easy this recipe is to prepare. There are no special skills required, so if you're a beginner in the kitchen, you're sure to be successful with this dish!
It's made with easy to find fresh and pantry staples. You'll love that the ingredients like potatoes, celery, and carrots are readily available at your neighborhood grocery store.
It's a hearty comfort food recipe that's ready in less than an hour. You'll love all the home cooked flavor in this hearty soup! If your family loves loaded baked potatoes, then they will love this creamy potato soup!
Ingredients
Potatoes - I used russet potatoes, but you can easily use Yukon gold or red potatoes.
Bacon - any variety will work
Chicken broth - I like using low sodium and add kosher salt if needed.
Carrots, celery, onion, garlic - gives the soup a rich flavor.
Milk and heavy cream - I like the richness heavy cream adds to the soup but you can use a lighter dairy product if you're watching fat and calories.
Toppings - load up this creamy potato soup just like you would baked potatoes! Sharp cheddar cheese, sliced green onions or chives, chopped bacon, and sour cream will make this soup stand out!
How to make creamy potato soup
Step One: Crisp bacon in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Remove bacon pieces and drain on paper towels. Leave rendered fat in pan (about 2-3 tablespoons, drain off any excess).
Step Two: Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in bacon fat until lightly browned and softened (about 5 minutes).
Step Three: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook for about one minute, stirring constantly.
Step Four: Slowly add the stock and milk, stirring to combine. Then gently add the diced potatoes, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir.
Step Five: Bring to a low boil then let mixture simmer until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
Step Six: Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to desired consistency. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in a blender in small batches.
NOTE: Never fill the blender container more than halfway full! The steam from the hot soup can blow the top off the blender.
Step Seven: Stir in heavy cream, if using.
Serve soup with your favorite loaded baked potato toppings.
Recipe Notes and Tips
You could skip the blender and use a potato masher. I use this method if I want a chunkier texture.
This recipe is delicious on its own, but it's out of this world when topped like a baked potato! Try bacon, sliced green onions, sour cream, and lot of shredded cheese.
To make a vegetarian version: skip the bacon and use olive or canola oil to sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.
To store: cover and refrigerate for 3 or 4 days. Reheat in microwave or over medium heat on the stove.
To freeze: when the soup has cooled, place in a freezer safe container. Freezer bags work well for this. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in microwave or over medium heat on the stove.
More soup recipes you may like
Corn Soup with Potato and Bacon
All my soup recipes!
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Creamy Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon diced and 2 tablespoon fat reserved
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 6 small or 3 large russet potatoes about 2 ½ pounds peeled and diced into one inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt such as Lawry’s
- Black pepper to taste
- 6 cups lower sodium chicken stock vegetable stock works well too
- ½ to ¾ cups whole milk use other varieties depending on your preference
- ¼ to ½ cup heavy cream can be omitted for a lighter version--add more milk if needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- Sour Cream
- Grated Cheese such as Cheddar Monterey Jack, Munster, Gruyere or Swiss
- Chopped Green Onions
- Chopped Bacon
- A dash or two of hot sauce like Tabasco
Instructions
- Crisp bacon in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Remove bacon pieces and drain on paper towels. Leave rendered fat in pan (about 2-3 tablespoons, drain off any excess).
- Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in bacon fat until lightly browned and softened (about 5 minutes).
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook for about one minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the stock and milk, stirring to combine. Then gently add the diced potatoes, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir.
- Bring to a low boil then let mixture simmer until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to desired consistency. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in a blender in small batches. Never fill the blender container more than halfway full! The steam from the hot soup can blow the top off the bender.
- If you used the blender, return soup to pan over low heat.
- Stir in heavy cream, if using.
- Serve soup with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- To make a vegetarian version: skip the bacon and use olive or canola oil to sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.
- To store: cover and refrigerate for 3 or 4 days. Reheat in microwave or over medium heat on the stove.
- To freeze: when the soup has cooled, place in a freezer safe container. Freezer bags work well for this. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in microwave or over medium heat on the stove.
- Since toppings vary, nutritional info is for about 1.5 cups of the soup only.
Renee Johnson
This soup was super easy to make, although the prep took me a little longer, but each person had their own way of doing things. The directions were perfect and wonderfully laid out. I did mine in my insta-pot using the Soup setting. It cooked the potatoes to perfection. It also kept it warm until everyone came home from a long day of work. Thank you for the most wonderful recipe for Potato Soup.
Nikole
Thank you Renee for such a great review and tip about the instant pot! I hope you come back for more recipes!!
Ciara Ward
I made a vegan version, added in 1/2c cup dry white cooking wine to deglaze the pan then 3 tbl sp butter, using oat and coconut milk in replacement for the milk and cream, Veggie bouillon and water for the stock, a couple dashes of old bay, some juniper berries, bay leaves and thyme... WONDERFUL!
Nikole
This sounds wonderful Ciara! Thank you for your comment and rating. These are great tips for vegan cooks!
BJ
This is one of my favorite recipe!
Nikole
Mine too BJ! Thank for the rating!
Nikole
Mine too BJ! Thanks for the rating and comment!
Kankana
I love a good soup, any time of the year and that creamy potato soup sounds so comforting!
Amanda Wright
Yum! Our Potato Soup Recipes are very similar. Love the bacon! ❤️
Nikole
Thanks Amanda! Can't have potato soup without bacon,right?!