This Creamy Potato Soup is thick and creamy! Bacon, onions, and cheese give it an incredible flavor, and a simple roux gives it a thick and creamy texture. It’s all made in one pot and ready in 45 minutes, so it’s perfect for busy days when you want a low-effort dinner!
If you love Potato Soup, you’ll love Crockpot Potato Soup, Instant Pot Potato Soup, and Creamy Nacho Potato Soup!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this easy creamy Potato Soup recipe:
- Classic Potato Soup recipe ingredients:
- How to make this easy Potato Soup recipe:
- Make a smoother soup
- Can I make it in the crockpot?
- Can I make it in the Instant Pot?
- How to make Potato Soup ahead:
- Serving suggestions:
- More soup recipes you’ll love!
- Potato Soup Recipe
This homemade Potato Soup is made with shredded cheese, russet or Yukon gold potatoes, sautéed veggies, crispy bacon bits, chicken broth, spices, and a simple roux. It’s like a loaded baked potato wrapped up in a hearty soup!
The best part is that this soup is made on the stovetop in under an hour, so it’s perfect for busy days when you’re short on time!
As with all soup recipes, there is a bit of chopping required (bacon, onions, vegetables, potatoes, etc.), so it does take a little time to prep.
However, I’ve included lots of tips and tricks below to help you prep ahead and make ahead!
Why you’ll love this easy creamy Potato Soup recipe:
- Simple ingredients: This soup uses basic pantry staples and common ingredients to create the best Potato Soup recipe you’ve ever had!
- Make-aheadable: You can make the entire soup and reheat it just before serving for a low-stress, comforting meal!
- Ultimate comfort food: There’s nothing quite like a piping hot bowl of potato soup on a cold day!
Classic Potato Soup recipe ingredients:
- Bacon: the bacon adds a ton of flavor to the soup as it is cooked first, and the fat cooks the onions and other vegetables. All of that flavor stays in the soup! If you want to make this soup vegetarian, you can skip the bacon and use a couple tablespoons of oil to cook the vegetables.
- Onions: any onions will do, although I generally use white or yellow.
- Carrots and celery: carrots and celery build a deeper flavor base for the soup, so I like to keep them in there! This is definitely not a vegetable soup and is still perfectly creamy and heavy on the potato 😉
- Potatoes: I prefer to use gold or russet potatoes for this recipe, but really, any potato will do (and you don’t even have to peel them!)
- Seasonings: you can taste and adjust the herbs and seasonings to your tastes, but I always recommend making the recipe as is and tasting before experimenting
- Chicken broth: low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth is called for in this recipe. Although it could be swapped for water, you will lose a lot of the flavor!
- Milk: you can use whole milk for a creamier texture if you prefer.
- Toppings: I like to add a little shredded cheddar cheese and green onions on top for extra flavor! You could also add a dollop of sour cream if you like.
How to make this easy Potato Soup recipe:
This soup is all made in one pot and super easy to make! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Sauté the veggies in the leftover bacon fat.
- Add the spices and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and potatoes.
- Melt the butter and mix it with the flour to make a roux.
- Whisk in the milk. Continue heating and stirring in 30-60 second intervals until thickened. Stir into the soup.
- Stir in the cheese and serve!
Make a smoother soup
If you’re not a fan of chunks in your soup, feel free to use a potato masher or immersion blender to blend the potato chunks. If you want some chunks, you can blend half the soup.
Can I make it in the crockpot?
Absolutely! This recipe is based on my Crockpot Potato Soup recipe, which is a reader favorite here on The Recipe Rebel.
Can I make it in the Instant Pot?
Yes again! I have an easy Instant Pot Potato Soup recipe here that will guide you through the process.
How to make Potato Soup ahead:
Soup is a great option for prepping ahead or cooking and reheating later. Here are a few ways to make dinner time easier!
Prep ahead:
Taking out some of the prep work is a great way to save yourself some dinnertime stress. You can:
- Chop the vegetables and store them in the refrigerator for several days — the only ones that can’t be cut in advance are the potatoes!
- Cook the bacon, remove it from the pot, and sauté the vegetables. Then add all your seasonings and liquids and refrigerate. This way, you can pull out your soup pot the next day and simmer on the stove until everything is tender.
Make it ahead and reheat:
This soup will be even better the next day!
You can make the soup entirely, then cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days (provided all your ingredients are fresh), and simply reheat gently on medium-low heat before serving.
Serving suggestions:
I love serving this soup with a chunk of no-knead bread or one of my homemade breadsticks to scoop up the delicious soup!
If you want to balance things out, you can also serve a simple salad or Roasted Vegetables alongside the soup.
More soup recipes you’ll love!
- Chicken Noodle Soup — always a favorite!
- Albondigas Soup (Meatball Soup) — a fun twist on meatballs.
- Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup — a comfort food classic.
- Potato Leek Soup — loaded with flavor!
Potato Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, (chopped)
- 2 carrots, (peeled and chopped)
- 2 ribs celery, (finely chopped)
- ½ medium onion, (finely chopped)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds russet or gold potatoes, (peeled and chopped), about 6 medium
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (melted)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, (plus more for topping)
- Sliced green onions, for topping
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, cook the bacon on medium-high heat about 4 to 5 minutes, until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
- To the pot, add the carrots, celery, and onion, cooking and stirring on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened.
- Add the salt, garlic, parsley, dill, thyme, and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broth and potatoes to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom to remove any browned bits.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together the butter and flour. (Choose one large enough to allow the mixture to bubble up and thicken.)
- Whisk the milk into the bowl, using a spatula to scrape the flour from the sides as necessary.
- Microwave in 45 to 60 second intervals (start with 60, then reduce as the milk gets thicker and closer to being done), whisking well each time, until the milk has thickened considerably. Keep an eye on it!
- When the potatoes have cooked, stir in the thickened milk, 1 cup of the Cheddar, and most of the bacon (reserving some for topping).
- Top with the remaining bacon, additional Cheddar, and green onions as desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Dennis says
Here’s what I did differently:
I made a roux for thickening on the stove top instead of the microwave. Doubled the recipe, tripled the cheddar and it was delicious. Thank you for making me a hero today!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Dennis!
Laura says
Delicious! Very rich and perfect for a cold day
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura!
Melissa says
Exceptionally easy! Love the lighter texture than thicker cream based potato soups. On my monthly rotation for fall and winter.
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Melissa!