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 (chopped)
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds russet or gold potatoes (peeled and chopped) 900 grams
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- shredded cheese and green onions for topping as desired
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon pieces on medium high heat until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon and drain in a bowl lined with paper towel, leaving bacon fat in pot.
- To the pot, add carrots, onion and celery, cooking on medium heat until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add salt, garlic, parsley, dill, thyme and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth and potatoes to the pot, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits from the bottom.
- Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Thicken the milk:
- Meanwhile, place melted butter in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup (leave yourself some room at the top as the mixture will bubble up and thicken considerably). Whisk in flour.
- Whisk in milk, using a scraper to get the flour from the sides of the cup as necessary.
- Microwave in 45-60 second intervals (Start with 60, then reduce as the milk gets thicker and closer to being done), whisking well each time, until milk has thickened considerably. Stand at the microwave and keep an eye on it as the mixture will bubble up.
Finish the soup:
- When the potatoes are cooked, stir in the thickened milk, most of the bacon (reserve some for topping) and cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining bacon, additional shredded cheese and green onions as desired.
Nutrition Information
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Joe Wagner says
This was very good, and even better as leftovers.
I like your way of making a roux in the microwave. To thicken soups/stews/gravies, I usually make a slurry of flour and some liquid (water, stock, milk) and add it at the end of the cooking steps. Don’t know if one method is better, but yours is more satisfying for some reason.
Under the blog post section “How to make this easy Potato Soup recipe”, there is no mention of cooking the potatoes in the broth, which might confuse someone who is skimming the post. The recipe card is more complete.
Regards,
Joe
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Joe! Yes the recipe card is always the most complete recipe
Shannon says
Thanks for the very fantastic recipe! We had it for lunch today and it was delicious. When I cook bacon I save the grease so I used some of it to cook the veggies in and added real bacon bits to the soup.
Ashley Fehr says
I love that!
Lou says
Made this potato soup for a family I nanny for. They loved it! I’m am making it again today.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Diane Wyant says
Loved this recipe and I have been making potato soup for years! The variation I made was to make the roux on the stovetop with condensed milk. The spices are perfectly balanced. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Diane! I think you mean evaporated milk 🙂
Kelly says
My family loved this!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Barb Post says
Just made this for the first time – and it definitely won’t be the last!! Very tasty, just the right amount of “thickness”. A truly delicious dish!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Barb!
Ambreonna says
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times now and without fell it taste sooo good! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Ann Marie says
Very tasty and easy! We loved this soup
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you!
PaV says
I love this recipe but every time I make it, it always falls flat. I add a little vinegar to give it that acidic taste but was wondering what everyone else does… am I overcooking the spices???
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that! Rather than vinegar, I would try stirring in a little sour cream for that tangy, rich flavor.
Diane Crotty says
This was awesome! I will be making this over and over!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Diane!
Diane says
Very tasty potato soup. I especially like the dill, thyme combination. I made a traditional roux on the stovetop and added the cheese to the roux, using evaporated milk, which is my go to for creamy soups, I am a soup lover and have made many versions of potato soup. This is a good recipe for potato soup. I will make it again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Diane!
Ashlyn says
The potatoes did not get soft enough after 4 hours on high and the taste was kind of bland. We added extra spices at it helped a little. I would try to again!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ashly, this is a stovetop recipe and shouldn’t take more than 45 mins. Did you simmer the soup for 4 hours?
Michelle says
No potatoes wld take 4hrs to cook!
Pinky says
Excellent! Made recipe as is. Soup was delicious! Can’t wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!
corina says
It was excellent. I made it without carrots or celery because I didn’t have any. I skipped the dill because I’m not a fan. I used pre-cooked bacon and I used sharp white cheddar. In lieue of becon drippings, I had some frozen roast turkey fat. I was unsure how much to keep microwaving the roux. I did 60 seconds then 45 seconds and it seemed pretty thick. I was focussed on thickening not cooking the flour. At first my soup tasted a bit floury, but i left it on the stove a bit longer and it was fine. Next time, I will nuke a few more times to make sure the flour is cooked out. I think this part could easily be done on the stove.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked out for you, Corina!
Erin S says
So delicious!! My whole family loved this soup. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Erin!