4.98 from 5010 votes

The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup

Jump to Recipe ▼

7,396 Comments

Servings: 8 servings (recipe makes 3.5 qts of soup)

30 mins

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.

An easy and delicious creamy potato soup recipe that can be made in just one pot!  Loaded with bacon and creamy potato goodness, this is a favorite comfort food in my household.

A close up view of creamy potato soup, topped with bacon, sour cream, chives, and cheddar cheese

Something savory today!

Savory, creamy, and loaded with bacon, sour cream, and cheese.  You guys already know that we don’t exactly do health food around here, right? 😉

Even when I’m not sharing desserts, the food is always comfort food, and that’s usually best served with extra cheese (have you tried my baked mac and cheese yet!?) and usually comes with a few calories.  Let’s not think about that too much, alright?

I know I mentioned to you guys that I had this potato soup recipe for you back when I posted my Oreo Balls; I made it when Zach had a bad cold and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since (you might think that’s an exaggeration, but I can assure you that my food obsessions run deep… Please see photo below to understand why).

An overhead view of a bowl of potato soup]

Zach prefers to eat healthy most of the time (I pretend that I do, too, but really if I lived alone I’m pretty sure I’d eat creamy cheesy foods every night and never fit through any doors ever again), so the soup was a good break from baked chicken breast, but this definitely isn’t an every night kind of meal in our house.

Potato soup is definitely on the menu for this weekend, though… it’s so frigid outside I’ve convinced myself that I need soup, specifically creamy potato soup, to survive.  Potato soup makes me dramatic, evidently.

If you’re in the midst of a cold spell yourself (or even if you’re not) I think you’re going to enjoy this creamy potato soup as much as we do.  Read on for some tips on how to make it!

Two bowls of potato soup

Tips for Perfect Creamy Potato Soup

  • Cut your potatoes into pieces no larger than 3/4″ and try to keep them around the same size so that they cook at the same time.  Nothing worse than biting into a crisp, raw-inside chunk of potato!
  • To make this soup nice and creamy, I recommend pureeing about half of it either by using an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the soup to a blender, pureeing, and then stirring the pureed soup back into the pot (maybe you recognize this technique from my corn chowder).  If you want a completely smooth soup you can puree all of it, but I prefer to have a few actual pieces of potato, so I think pureeing half gives it the best taste and texture.
  • Don’t return the bacon to the pot until after you have pureed some of the soup. It’s best not to blend the bacon 😉.
  • The ancho chili powder is, in my humble opinion, a must and gives this soup the most perfect depth of flavor. I blend it into the potato soup and also sprinkle it on top before serving. I recommend adding just a 1/4 teaspoon and then taste testing before adding more.

Creamy Potato Soup, loaded with bacon and cheese

This would make a great comfort food for this cold and windy weekend (is there anything more cozy than a pot of soup simmering on the stove while the wind is howling at your window? Anything!?), and while I don’t follow football at all I do know that this would be great to make ahead and enjoy during the big game this weekend.

Who really cares about football when you can make yourself a Super Bowl of soup! 🤣😂 OK OK I’m sorry, enough of that!

Enjoy!

How to Make Potato Soup

Potato soup in bowl, with toppings
4.98 from 5010 votes

The Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe

An easy and delicious creamy potato soup recipe that can be made in just one pot! Loaded with bacon and creamy potato goodness, this is a favorite comfort food in my household.
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (recipe makes 3.5 qts of soup)
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients

  • 6 strips (uncooked) bacon, cut into small pieces
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted or salted will work
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • cup all-purpose flour, (42g)
  • 2 ½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1” (this was about 6 Large potatoes for me/1.15kg)
  • 4 cups chicken broth, (945ml)
  • 2 cups milk, (475ml)
  • cup heavy cream, (155ml)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon* salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder**
  • cup sour cream, (160g)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and additional sour cream and bacon for topping, optional

Instructions 

  • Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until bacon is crisp and browned.
  • Remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
  • Add butter and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onions are tender (3-5 minutes).
  • Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
  • Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pot and stir until smooth (use whisk if needed).
  • Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well.
  • Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes).
  • Reduce heat to simmer and remove approximately half*** of the soup to a blender (be careful, it will be hot!) and puree until smooth (half is about 5 cups of soup, but just eyeballing the amount will be fine. Alternatively you can use an immersion blender.).
  • Return the pureed soup to the pot and add sour cream and reserved bacon pieces, stir well.
  • Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
  • Top with additional sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese, or chives. Enjoy!

Notes

*I recommend starting with a more reserved amount of salt and then adding more as needed, the amount of salt needed will vary depending on the type/brand of broth you use
**If you haven't used ancho chili powder before, I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon and then taste-testing before increasing to 1/2 teaspoon if you like the taste.  
***If you want a completely creamy soup you can puree all of it, just puree in batches, about half of the soup at a time.  I prefer my potato soup with actual chunks of potatoes and prefer to puree just half of it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 1326mg | Potassium: 1176mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Bowl of soup made with vegetables and veggie broth.
Cozy Soup Recipe Series
This email series will guide you through some of my coziest soup recipes. You'll be making these all winter long!

You May Also Like:

4.98 from 5010 votes (2,119 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

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

Recipe Rating




7,396 Comments

  1. Eric R says:

    5 stars
    Easy to make and delicious

  2. Monica says:

    5 stars
    One of the best soups I’ve ever made!
    The whole family loved it. Thanks for the recipe😃

  3. Patricia says:

    5 stars
    Best potato soup recipe ever! Question…. I’d like to freeze some. Is this possible? And how do you recommend freezing it? Maybe have to freeze before adding the dairy? Thank you!!

    1. Sam says:

      Hi Patricia! I don’t typically recommend freezing due to the potential separation issue. 🙁

  4. Jaycee says:

    5 stars
    This was so good and easy to make! I’ve tried lots of potato soups and never found one I’ve liked enough to make again, but this one’s a keeper!

  5. faith says:

    5 stars
    This is great potato soup. Thank you

  6. DWoods says:

    5 stars
    good directions and enjoyed the results, thx for sharing!!! Will definitely make again.

  7. Nicole H says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic!

  8. Steph Camargo says:

    5 stars
    This as so easy and delicious. Added in sausage. Definitely will make again.

  9. Crystal Gonzales says:

    5 stars
    Omg! Made this tonight and it was so delicious. I’d give it a 10 star if I could ⭐️ definitely putting this recipe in my recipe box!!

  10. Eleonora Schwartz says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe. Using half the soup for a puree makes it exceptionally thick. I personally added sliced baby carrots for some color and they pair very nice with the recipe.

  11. Katey says:

    5 stars
    This is delicious!! Definitely keeping this recipe.

  12. Stacy says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! I’m actually not a big fan of potatoes, but my husband is & loves potato soup, so I thought I’d try it out. This was my first time making it & I couldn’t be happier! I followed the recipe exactly as written & it was so perfect for this fall day. My husband ate two “test” bowls off the bat! Thank you! Will definitely make again!

  13. Jonathan Geiger says:

    5 stars
    The most delicious recipe for potato soup I’ve ever made and no complaintsfrom my family!!

  14. Linda says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! Didn’t have bacon, so used diced ham steak which I browned slightly first. Otherwise made as written.
    This was refrigerated overnight before serving, which likely brought out the flavors.
    Will make again – with bacon. I enjoy making soups and this one’s a keeper.

    1. robin halliday says:

      5 stars
      great idea to refrigerate overnight! allows all the different flavors to marry properly!

  15. Sally says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! This is a hit with my family. I make it all the time. Thanks for the recipe, you are making me look good.

    1. Jenny Huntington says:

      my husband and I loved this recipe. I love the half blended idea, it was perfect. thanks