This creamy potato soup recipe is a cozy meal that anyone can master!
Filling, flavorful, and easy to make, creamy potato soup is loaded with delicious ingredients like bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. It promises to chase away all the chills!
Cozy & Creamy Potato Soup!
- Budget-friendly and hearty, this soup is a great meal for lunch or dinner.
- Simple and ready in minutes with potatoes and other ingredients I always have on hand (like onion, flour, milk and broth).
- Potato soup is a great way to use up leftover meat and veggies. It’s also a great recipe for getting veggie-resistant kids (or adults)to try new ones!
- Make it in advance and serve it all week.
- This is the perfect potluck soup, keep it warm in a crockpot or slow cooker. Set out bowls of add-ins (see below) and let everyone create their own soup masterpiece!
Ingredients for Potato Soup
Potatoes – Any spuds will do, but Yukon gold or red potatoes have a creamier texture and make the best soup. Leave some of the skin on for a rustic look and a bit of extra fiber!
Russet potatoes can be used but they tend to be a bit more grainy in texture and will slightly change the buttery consistency of the soup. Be sure to peel russets as the skin is tough.
Bacon – Fry it fresh in this recipe instead of using packaged bacon bits. Bacon grease will add a great smoky flavor to the onions!
Dairy – Skip the heavy cream, potatoes add great texture to this soup so just a little milk and chicken broth is all that’s needed. Sour cream adds a bit of tangy flavor (Greek yogurt can be substituted).
Add-Ins – Stir these in or let everyone add their own. Try cooked shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, a Mexican cheese blend, chives or green onions, diced ham, cooked ground Italian sausage, or a bag of mixed vegetables.
How to Make Creamy Potato Soup
- Cook bacon: Crisp the bacon in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Set aside.
- Cook onions: Cook the onions in the bacon fat per the recipe below.
- Simmer Potatoes: Add the liquid whisking until smooth. Stir in potatoes and simmer until fork tender.
- Mash or Blend: Mash potatoes in the pot until the soup is creamy (or leave some chunks intact). You can blend it with an immersion blender if you’d like a smoother soup.
- Season: Stir in cheese, sour cream, chives, & bacon pieces.
Serving Suggestions
We love bread with soup. In this case, our favorites are cheesy garlic breadsticks, a crusty loaf of artisan bread, or garlic bread to soak up all that creamy potato soup goodness!
Dinner rolls or cheddar bay biscuits are also great.
Pro Tips for Potato Soup
- Red potatoes or Yukon gold will give the best texture to this soup.
- To thicken the soup further, make a slurry by combining a 1:1 ratio of cold water and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well and slowly add to the pot of simmering soup while whisking to reach the desired consistency.
- Soups with dairy don’t freeze well as they can change consistency. If you do freeze this soup, freeze it before adding the extra sour cream. Reheat slowly over medium-low heat so as to not curdle the milk.
- Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Cozy Soups We Love
Did your family love this Creamy Potato Soup? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Creamy Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices cut bacon chopped
- ½ white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 pounds red potatoes peeled and diced small
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chives minced
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a soup pot over medium heat until crispy and browned. Strain the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the onions and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. The mixture will be thick.
- Slowly whisk in chicken stock and milk until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add in the potatoes and lower the heat to medium-low. Let the potatoes gently cook, stirring occasionally until soft. Ensure the mixture doesn't boil as the milk can burn.
- When the potatoes are soft, use a potato masher to gently mash some of the potatoes to create a creamy consistency.
- Stir in the shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, and crispy bacon. Taste and season with the desired amount of kosher salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup
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Absolutely delicious! My whole family loves this soup. Thank you for this recipe.
Can 2% ilk be used instead of whole milk? This soup sounds perfect for the cold days ahead.
Yes, that will work just fine.
I have been making this recipe for years and it’s just wonderful! Another way to thicken soup if too thin is to add some instant mashed potato flakes instead of cornstarch. I get some that are in little packets so I can control the amount and not waste it.
Great tip, thank you Mary!
Absolutely delicious
It’s cold and rainy here today! This potato soup was the perfect comfort food for supper. And lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow
Excellent. The second time I made this I used about one cup less water only because I like my soup really thick. This is a fantastic tasty soup and the recipe is easy. If I can make it, anyone can!
Tried this tonight . My son didn’t really want me to change the way I always make it, but once he tasted it he absolutely loves it! It was really really good!
I’m new here but really interested in your recipes!
Thank you for joining us! Enjoy Eva!
Absolutely fantastic!!
So glad you loved this recipe Tammy!
Everything your looking for on a cold winter night. Warm creamy and rich. Mmm. A new family favorite!
This soup is such a delicious choice for those chilly nights! Glad you enjoyed it, Raquel.
Trying this tonight. Can’t wait to taste
Tried this recipe out last night and it is now my new favorite potato soup recipe!! Absolutely phenomenal flavor! The only thing I had a problem with is the potatoes took a really long time to get soft even though I did about 1\4 inch dice. Next time I make I’m going to try parboiling the potatoes before adding to the soup.
Hi Rachel, you can try dicing them a bit smaller or parboiling is a good idea. But I am so glad you loved it.
Looks good don McFarlin
Thanks Don!
Hi Holly,
I enjoy your blog a lot. Keep up the good work.
To avoid burning, how much lee-way does a cook have in changing the order of the cooking steps? Say, cook the potatoes in broth, skip the roux (or add flour with the dairy,) mash the potatoes; then add milk, followed by the sour cream? Using a second pot to cook potatoes in broth simplifies my protocol and allows the roux.
I must admit that I took this tack when trying to envision your recipe happening in an instant pot or other multi-use pressure cooker.
Thanks and all the best.
Rod on Pender Island
Thank you so much Rod! I’ve only made the recipe on the stove, so can’t say for sure. Your method sounds like you’ve tried it before, so hopefully will work. Let us know if you try this delicious soup in the Instant Pot!
Great soup ……..
So glad you’ve enjoyed it John!
Love soups, potato, split pea and ham, veggie beef. Beef stew. Good chili.
Yumm, those are all delicious soups Donna!