This creamy potato soup recipe is a cozy meal that’s easy to make!

Filling, flavorful, and easy to make, creamy potato soup uses ingredients you likely have on hand to make a quick and creamy soup.

Cozy and 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, chop them and stir them in.
  • Make it in advance and serve it all week!
adding cheese, sour cream, and bacon to creamy potato soup in a pot

Potato Soup Ingredients

  • Potatoes: Any spuds will do, but Yukon gold or red potatoes have a smooth buttery texture while russets are a bit more grainy. You can leave a bit of skin on red/Yukon potatoes but russets should be peeled due to their tougher skin.
  • Bacon: Fresh fried bacon is key for flavor – it’s not just about the crispy bits (yum!); the bacon grease left behind is used to sautée the onions, adding a delicious smoky taste.
  • Soup Base: Flour is used to thicken this soup and the base of this soup is chicken broth and milk. Broth adds flavor and using milk in place of heavy cream makes it creamy without being too heavy.
  • Add-Ins: Adding sour cream adds a little tang while bacon and cheese make it taste like our favorite loaded baked potatoes.

Variations

Here’s where you can get creative.

  • Stir in finely chopped vegetables like carrots or celery along with the onion.
  • Chopped herbs like parsley or chives/scallions/green onions add a fresh flavor.
  • Additional cheeses can change the flavor and add richness
  • Leftover ham or turkey can be added.

How to Make Creamy Potato Soup

  1. Crisp the bacon in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Set aside.
  2. Cook the onions in the bacon fat per the recipe below.
  3. Add the liquid whisking until smooth, stir in the potatoes and simmer.
  4. Mash the potatoes in the pot until the soup is creamy (or leave some chunks). Stir in cheese, sour cream, chives, & bacon pieces.
Scooping a ladle of of creamy potato soup

Tips for Potato Soup

  • Red potatoes or Yukon golds will make the best potato soup recipe as they have a smoother texture than russets.
  • 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!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
5 from 89 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Creamy Potato Soup

This creamy and cozy potato soup is comfort food in a bowl!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

  • 6 slices bacon chopped
  • ½ white onion finely 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 or Yukon gold
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch cubes.
  • In a soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
  • Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat until they begin to soften without browning, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute longer or until fragrant.
  • Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine (the mixture will be thick). Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
  • Whisk in chicken stock and milk, a little bit at a time whisking until smooth after each addition. Add in the potatoes and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Reduce the temperature to medium-low and gently simmer the potatoes, stirring occasionally until softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Ensure the mixture doesn't boil as the milk can burn.
  • Once tender, use a potato masher to gently mash some of the potatoes to create a creamy consistency.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, and ½ of the crispy bacon. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining bacon.

Notes

Uncooked bacon is best in this recipe. If using pre-cooked bacon, cook the onions in salted butter.
Yukon gold potatoes are another great choice in this recipe. Russet potatoes will work however they have a grainy texture and will change the consistency of the soup slightly.
You can mash the potatoes or slightly blend some of them with an immersion blender to get a creamy texture. 
The soup can be thickened by mashing more potatoes or stirring in potato flakes.
Store potato soup in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. 
5 from 89 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 484.87 | Carbohydrates: 55.69g | Protein: 20.02g | Fat: 20.88g | Saturated Fat: 12.03g | Cholesterol: 60.41mg | Sodium: 464.61mg | Potassium: 1419.29mg | Fiber: 4.36g | Sugar: 12.64g | Vitamin A: 784.52IU | Vitamin C: 23.41mg | Calcium: 408.04mg | Iron: 2.56mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
a bowl of creamy potato soup with text
potato soup topped with bacon and cheese with text
a serving of potato soup in a bowl topped with bacon with text
Top imager - a bowl of potato soup topped with bacon. Bottom image - a pot of potato soup topped with cheese and bacon with text

Categories:

,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

5 from 89 votes (69 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. This is a great base recipe…I added lots more onion, herbs as I preferred and a jalapeño….for those velveeta haters, don’t comment on a recipe that includes an ingredient you don’t like and just want to bash.5 stars

  2. Hi. I’d like to make this for my family. do you think a vegetable could be added? if so what would be best and when to add it? my lil grandson loves carrots hoping that would work. thanks so much for your help. ❤️

    1. Hi Christina, you could use the 2x feature on the recipe card to double the quantities listed in the ingredients. I would make 8 servings but perfect for leftovers or seconds if people really love it!

  3. Wonderful, thick and creamy soup. I treated a little. I use some leftover mashed potatoes. Everything came out great.5 stars

  4. 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.5 stars

  5. It’s cold and rainy here today! This potato soup was the perfect comfort food for supper. And lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow SWP Employee5 stars

  6. 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!5 stars

  7. 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!5 stars

      1. Everything your looking for on a cold winter night. Warm creamy and rich. Mmm. A new family favorite!5 stars

      2. This soup is such a delicious choice for those chilly nights! Glad you enjoyed it, Raquel.

  8. 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.5 stars

    1. Hi Rachel, you can try dicing them a bit smaller or parboiling is a good idea. But I am so glad you loved it.

  9. 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

    1. 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!