This Baked Potato Soup is thick, creamy and incredibly comforting. Loaded with all your favorite baked potato toppings and super simple to make all in one pot, this soup is perfect for weeknight dinners.
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This post was originally posted on 1/6/2021 and updated on 9/12/2024.
Why We Love Baked Potato Soup
- Easy soup recipe that is made all in one pot! That means an easier clean up!
- Only needs simple ingredients you can find anywhere.
- Fast enough for weeknight dinners, but perfect for weekends and potlucks too!
- Family friendly dinner that everyone is going to go crazy for!
- This baked potato soup is cozy, comforting and absolutely delicious!
Baked Potato Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Bacon
- Onion
- Salted Butter
- Minced Garlic
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Chicken Broth
- Russet Potatoes
- Heavy Cream
- Sour Cream
- Swiss Cheese
- Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Dried Parsley
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Substitution Suggestions
- Onion: If you have an onion hater, you can omit them and add 1 teaspoon of onion powder instead.
- Salted Butter: You can use unsalted butter, you'll have to taste as you go and see if you need to add more salt to the soup.
- All Purpose Flour: White whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour will work. Whole wheat flour will make the soup a little darker.
- Chicken Broth: I prefer chicken broth over vegetable broth in this potato soup. Mainly because it gives more flavor, but you can use vegetable broth or stock. You can also use water and chicken bullion too.
- Russet Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best potatoes for this soup. They keep their shape and have the best texture. They are more starchy and the starch helps thicken the soup. I don't recommend using a different potato. If you needed to use a different potato, gold potatoes will work.
- Heavy Cream: If you want to cut back on the richness of the soup you can use half and half or whole milk. However, the soup will be a little bit thinner and the cream really does give it the richness it needs. It's a loaded baked potato soup after all!
- Sour Cream: Plain Greek yogurt works great! I use it often.
- Cheese: I really like the flavors of Swiss and cheddar together in this soup. If you want, you can use all cheddar, or a blend of your favorite cheeses. Co-Jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and any type of Cheddar are all great options. Avoid using bagged shredded cheese from the store, it does not melt as well and can leave the soup with a grainy and unpleasant texture. Take the time and shred your own cheese.
How to Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- First, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut your bacon into bite size pieces and add them to a dutch oven or large soup pot.
- Fry the bacon pieces over medium heat until they reach desired crispiness. Remove pot from heat, remove the bacon and place on plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the grease from the pot, except reserving 1 tablespoon.
- Next, add butter and chopped onions to the bacon grease and over medium heat sauté onions until they are translucent. About 4-5 minutes.
- Then add the minced garlic and sauté another minute until the garlic is really fragrant. I love the smell of garlic!
- Now, sprinkle the all purpose flour over the onions and garlic and stir it all up and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring or whisking the entire time and scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Gently add the potatoes to the pot, increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low, simmer and stir occasionally until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
- Now that the potatoes are cooked, stir in the heavy cream and sour cream. Heat it through, but do not boil. Boiling can scorch the cream or cause it to curdle.
- Then stir in the shredded cheeses a handful at a time. Do NOT add it all at once, the cheese will clump together and not melt smoothly.
- Stir in the dried parsley, salt and black pepper.
- Ladle it up and top it with the bacon pieces, extra shredded cheese, green onion slices, chopped chives and extra sour cream.
What to Serve with Baked Potato Soup
This soup is a full meal in itself, but nothing goes better with soup than bread. My Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread, Easy Garlic Bread or simple bread and butter would all be delicious paired with this soup.
Soup and Sandwich is a classic combo. Try my Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese and I highly suggest dunking the sandwich!
If you want something light on the side, nothing beats a nice crisp green salad with your favorite dressing.
Any type of potato is accepted in my house! However, the fam really goes crazy when the potatoes are loaded. Try these Loaded Mashed Potatoes next time you're craving loaded potatoes. They're rich, creamy and loaded to the max!
Storing Potato Soup
Storing: Store any completely cooled leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat the soup on the stove over low heat or in the microwave until warmed through. If the soup seems extra thick, add a little chicken broth or milk to thin it out.
Freezing: This soup can be frozen, however sometimes the texture can change when it's thawed. The potatoes can feel a little grainy, but it still tastes yummy and the texture has never bothered my family. Let the soup cool completely, then either package it up in freezer safe airtight containers or freezer bags. Quick Tip*** bags are great, because they freeze flat and then can be stacked to save room in the freezer.
Thawing: Let frozen soup thaw overnight in the fridge or thaw using your microwaves defrost setting.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I love using a Dutch Oven for soups and chilis. They heat evenly and they will last forever if taken care of properly.
- I couldn't cook without my kitchen shears. I use them for everything. Cutting bacon, opening everything, snipping basil, and so much more.
- A box grater to shred your own cheese. I use mine almost every day!
- A garlic press works great if you want to use fresh garlic and not have to chop it. I use a Pampered Chef one but this one from OXO is great too!
Tips for the Best Baked Potato Soup
- Read the entire recipe and gather all your ingredients before you start. This will help the cooking process go smoothly and leave less room for any errors.
- Cut the potatoes bite size and all the same size. They should be no bigger than ¾". Doing this will allow the potatoes to cook quickly and evenly, meaning they will all be done at the same time and you'll have no hard potato surprises.
- Don't boil the soup once the heavy cream and sour cream are added. Let it hang out on low heat.
- Shred your own cheese. Using bagged shredded cheese does not melt as smoothly due to the anti-caking agents added to it and can leave your soup with a grainy texture.
- Add the shredded cheese a handful at a time and stir it until it's completely melted. Repeat until the cheese is added. It will create a smooth creamy soup. Adding all the cheese at once can cause the cheese to clump up, stick to the pot and potatoes, and not melt all the way through.
- Want more veggies? Stir in some precooked broccoli, cauliflower or carrots at the end.
FAQs
No, you can leave the skins on if you prefer. It will add more texture in the soup. Be sure to wash and scrub them well.
There are few different ways to thicken the soup. First, you can add a couple cups of soup to a blender, than stir the pureed soup back into the pot. It will thicken up as it stands. Or you can add a corn starch or flour slurry. Whisk or shake 1-2 tablespoons corn starch or flour with equal amounts of water or chicken broth. Add the slurry to the soup and simmer on medium-low heat until it thickens.
I prefer using Russet or as known as baking potatoes for this soup. The Russet potatoes have the best texture, hold up well and the starch helps thicken the soup. Plus, Russets are the most common potato used for baked potatoes, and this is baked potato soup after all!
Yes!! I think it tastes even better the next day. Make the soup as instructed, let it cool and store it tightly covered in the fridge. Reheat on stove over low heat until warmed all the way through. If the soup seems too thick, you can add a splash of chicken broth or milk to loosen it up.
More Cozy Soup Recipes:
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Creamy Corn Chowder
- Cheesy Broccoli Soup
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- Easy 3 Bean Chili
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Chicken Dumpling Soup
- Split Pea Soup
- Beef Barley Stew
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Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- ½ pound sliced bacon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, about 8 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
- 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- chopped green onions or chives, optional for topping
Instructions
- Cut bacon with kitchen shears into bite size pieces and cook in dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove bacon pieces to paper towel lined plate. Drain grease, reserving 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add butter and onions to bacon grease. Sauté the onions over medium heat until they are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté another minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in flour and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add chicken broth while stirring the whole time and scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Gently add in potatoes, and stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low, let simmer and stir occasionally until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on size of potatoes.
- Stir in heavy cream and sour cream and heat through, but do NOT boil.
- Add shredded cheeses a handful at a time, stirring each time to completely melt the cheese.
- Stir in parsley, salt and black pepper.
- Serve with bacon pieces, extra shredded cheese, sliced green onions, chopped chives and sour cream.
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