This easy creamy loaded Potato Soup recipe is so good! Learn how to make the best cheesy potato soup with bacon in a creamy base (without heavy cream). A quick, 30-minute recipe that is total comfort food.
We love easy creamy soups all year long, like fresh Corn Chowder, New England Style Clam Chowder and this Potato Soup. They are hearty enough to serve as the main course, paired with crusty French Bread.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
The BEST Potato Soup Recipe!
Homemade potato soup is so easy to make from scratch and beats any restaurant soup. The base is so creamy, hearty and filling. It’s like a delicious loaded baked potato with all your favorite toppings but as a soup, yes, please!
The soup uses ingredients you most likely already have at home and can be made so quickly, great for busy evenings.
Ingredients
Meat – We used bacon in this recipe, you can substitute bacon for cubed ham, if desired.
Potatoes – you can use Russet, Idaho or Yukon gold potatoes. NOTE: If you’re using Yukon potatoes, the skin may be left on.
Veggies – Though we only added onion and garlic, you can add cubed carrots and celery to the soup.
No Cream Required!Instead of using heavy whipping cream. Make a roux to thicken the soup with butter, flour, broth and milk
Cheese – Mild cheddar or sharp cheddar is great.
How to Make Creamy Potato soup
Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, season with salt and cook until tender then drain.
In a separate dutch oven, saute bacon until crispy, remove and set aside, reserving 1 Tbsp bacon grease.
Add onions and butter and sautee until soft. Add garlic, cooking until fragrant.
Whisk in flour, milk and broth until smooth.
Add drained potatoes, season with salt and pepper and bring to a soft boil.
Stir in sour cream, cheese and bacon. Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
Serve the creamy potato soup with your favorite toppings!
Toppings for Potato Soup
You can top the creamy with your favorite toppings to make it a truly loaded soup!Here are some options:
Bacon bits
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Diced avocado
Cooked corn kernels
Croutons
Green onion or chives
Loaded potato soup is comfort food at its finest. You’re going to love the combination of flavors in the soup. Every bite is loaded with creamy soup with chunks of potatoes, bacon, and cheese.
More Easy Dinner Recipes You’ll Love:
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole – irresistibly good
Place sliced potatoes into a stockpot and completely cover with 1″ of water. Season with ½ tsp salt and cook 8-10 minutes or until potatoes pierce easily with a knife then drain.
Meanwhile, saute bacon in a dutch oven until crispy then transfer to a plate, reserving 1 Tbsp bacon grease in the pot.
Add 4 Tbsp butter and chopped onions then sautee until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.
Quickly whisk in the flour. Slowly add 2 1/2 cups milk and 2 1/2 cups broth, whisking constantly then bring to a soft boil.
Add drained potatoes and season soup with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper or season to taste.
Stir in 3/4 cup sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheddar, and half half of your cooked bacon (reserving the rest for serving). Bring to a boil then remove from heat and serve with your favorite toppings.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potato soup
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 428
Valentina Ablaev
I am Valentina, the creator behind the food blog Valentina’s Corner where I share our family’s favorite recipes. When I am not in the kitchen, I enjoy spending quality time with my husband and 5 children. We invite you to join us on our blogging journey!
It contains all the flavors of a baked potato but can be made in a fraction of the time. Onions, celery, and bacon add powerful flavors to the tender potatoes, while cream, cheddar cheese, and parsley bring the finishing touches. Add toppings to personalize each serving, and a well-crafted, cozy soup is born.
Cornstarch Slurry is a classic way to add thickness to your soup. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add this slurry once the soup begins to boil and stir in.
Add milk, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, allspice, celery seed, thyme, seasoning salt, dry white wine, cayenne pepper and chicken granules. Allow to simmer and thicken, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are cooked through, approximately 25 minutes.
Most creamy potato soup recipes call for a dairy product of some kind. If you plan to make a thicker version, try using thicker dairy from the outset. For example, if a recipe calls for whole milk, try adding heavy cream instead toward the end of the cooking process (set the burner no higher than medium heat).
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups. Red potatoes fall into the low-starch category, as do smaller, newer potatoes. Fingerling potatoes will do well in soups, as will long white potatoes.
You can always use water in your soup, but if you want it to have a full body and dimension, a good stock or broth can make all the difference. They have the ability to transform a bland soup into a flavorful meal, as well as adding extra nutritional value.
Another option for thickening soup is by using dairy like sour cream or yogurt. Start with a small dollop and stir before checking the consistency and adding more. We recommend using plain yogurt so you don't alter the taste of the soup. You can also use cream if you prefer.
Now that your potatoes are perfectly boiled, it's time to add them to your soup base. Whether you have a creamy or chunky potato soup recipe, gently stir the boiled potatoes into your prepared soup mixture and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors meld together.
A pinch of seasoning can make all the difference to freshen up the flavors in a ho-hum soup. Most canned soups have plenty of sodium, so skip the salt and stick with spices like cumin or curry powder or try dried herbs like basil or rosemary.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch or arrowroot with a small amount of cold water to form a slurry. Once the slurry is smooth, gradually pour it into the simmering potato soup. Stir well to ensure the slurry is evenly distributed.
You can also go with more heat and spices. "Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on.
Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.
This soup-thickening hack couldn't be easier. Unlike using flour, which requires either making a little roux before you start cooking or a beurre manié afterwards, or using a cornstarch slurry that can create a gloppy texture, the instant mashed potato flakes can simply be sprinkled into the finished dish.
Many instant soups are made as health foods and are made to become a healthy part of your diet. That said, there are many instant soups that are not healthy. Some brands contain a high amount of sodium. While a pack or two of these noodles won't harm you, having them on a regular basis can have negative effects.
A loaded baked potato is typically topped with a variety of ingredients such as cheese, sour cream, and bacon, whereas a regular baked potato is often served with just butter and perhaps some salt and pepper.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
