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Ultra Creamy Potato Soup

written by Ashley Fehr

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4.97 from 63 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings

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Last updated on January 10, 2025

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!

close up image of potato soup in bowl with spoon stuck in

If you love Potato Soup, you’ll love Crockpot Potato Soup, Instant Pot Potato Soup, and Creamy Nacho Potato Soup!

Table of Contents

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! 

overhead image of two bowls of potato soup with toppings on the side

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!
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Classic Potato Soup recipe ingredients:

ingredients needed for potato soup on white background.
  • 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.
cooking vegetables in pot in bacon fat
Sauté vegetables in remaining bacon fat.
add spices to vegetables and cook in pot
Add dried spices to vegetables and cook.
  • Add the chicken broth and potatoes.
  • Melt the butter and mix it with the flour to make a roux.
potatoes and broth added to vegetables in soup pot
Stir in broth and potatoes and simmer.
butter and flour whisked together in measuring cup
Whisk together melted butter and flour.
  • 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!
milk added to roux in glass measuring cup
Then whisk in the milk.
thickened milk and cheddar cheese added to potato soup
Stir in thickened milk and cheese before serving.

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.

ladle scooping potato soup from pot

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:

  1. 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!
  2. 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!

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Potato Soup

written by Ashley Fehr

4.97 from 63 votes
This Potato Soup is thick and creamy! Bacon, onions, and cheese give it incredible flavor and a simple roux makes it thick and creamy.
square image of potato soup in bowl with spoon stuck in
Review
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Cuisine American, canadian
Course Main Course, Soup
Servings 6 servings
Calories 437cal

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
US Customary – Metric

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

Calories: 437cal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 1019mg | Potassium: 1014mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4017IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 2mg
Keywords potato soup

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Roxanne Zitzner says

    I’m soy, dairy and gluten free! My baby is intolerant so I had to learn quick!

    Ok so sub:
    Earth Balance soy free for the butter
    1:1 gluten free flour
    Almond milk
    And I also added a bit of Forager sour cream and corn. It was really good!

    Thank you for this recipe

    Reply

  4. Greg Petrosky says

    My wife and I made this soup and enjoyed it so much that we have made additional batches and shared them with our immediate family. Everyone agrees that this recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

  9. linda says

    very good recipe, with a few additions to make it great for my family’s taste.

    the recipe did not specify what kind of cheese, so i went with medium cheddar to be on the safe side. at the end i added some parmesan to up the sharpness, so next time i think i would be good with sharp cheddar.

    like other commenters i added a bowl of frozen broccoli in lieu of one potato.

    don’t have dill. used everything else listed plus some smoked paprika and chili powder.
    my prep and cooking times were much longer than stated on the recipe, but that is not unusual for me. the soup is pretty forgiving, i think, since i was also making fresh bread and doing laundry at the same time! haha
    this recipe is a keeper. thank you Ashley for sharing it!!!

    Reply

  11. Courtney says

    Just tried it last night! Very good, and I added a seasoned chicken breast in to boil then I shredded it. Question: I see this is 6 servings, what happens to be the serving size?

    Reply

  12. Misty Sharp says

    Delish!!! I just added more vegetables and seasoning due to I used more broth to cover potatoes. A keeper, thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  13. Beth M says

    This soup is delicious! I just ate a small bowl of leftover soup for breakfast! I made it exactly as directed and would not change a thing. I’ll make this soup again and again. I probably will double the recipe next time.

    Reply

  16. Jen says

    Best potato soup recipe ever! Full of flavor and adapted great to lactose free! I made it with lactose free milk and Cabot brand cheddar (naturally lactose free). Since I doubled the batch, I made the milk mixture on the stove and it worked just as well. I’ve been looking for a solid lactose friendly potato soup recipe for quite some time and this is by far my favorite – my whole family loved it!

    Reply

  17. Brooke says

    Delicious soup! Instead of 900 g of potatoes, I did 700 g of potatoes and the rest with cauliflower and broccoli to add some more veggies. I didn’t have dill but the soup was still amazing. Making a roux in the microwave is a game changer!!

    Reply

  18. Susanne Ford says

    Ashley, this soup is amazing! I was a little leary of making a roux in the microwave, but it is definitely a game changer! I like that you don’t have to use heavy cream or half and half to make the soup creamy. Adding the veggies is also a plus. 🙂

    I never write reviews, but your potato soup certainly deserves one!

    Reply

  20. Sandy says

    This looks delicious! My mother used to make potato soup when I was growing up so this brought back great memories. I’ll need to make this for my parents . I’m lactose intolerant and I’ve always wondered about making these milk-based soups with the “fake”milk that’s now available. Do you think those milks would work for this recipe? Thanks

    Reply

      • KarSen says

        just to add to this conversation, i did make this soup with the lactose free milk and it worked GREAT. Very tasty, rich and creamy, will definately make it again. 1 tbls flour for every 1/2 c. milk is rule of thumb i use and i did however go with 2 c. milk with 4 tbls flour just for creaminess. i also didnt micro it first i just whisked the lumps out then slowly added it to the simmering soup, seemed to work just fine and gave me what i wanted, imo ONLY. it works both ways but i didnt want to take any chances with the different kind of milk in the microwave.

4.97 from 63 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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