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    Home » Recipes » Soups & Chilis

    The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup

    Updated: February 25, 2019 by Sam Merritt • 6,722 Comments

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

    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 ¾″ 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 ¼ 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

    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.
    4.98 from 4665 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings (recipe makes 3.5 qts of soup)
    Calories: 521kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt
    YouTube video

    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
    • ⅓ 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)
    • ⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon* salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder**
    • ⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
    • Shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and additional sour cream and bacon for topping optional

    Recommended Equipment

    • Immersion blender
    • Dutch Oven

    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 ¼ teaspoon and then taste-testing before increasing to ½ 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

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eric R

      October 30, 2024 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      Easy to make and delicious

      Reply
    2. Monica

      October 29, 2024 at 10:16 pm

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

      Reply
    3. Patricia

      October 29, 2024 at 2:23 pm

      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!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 30, 2024 at 6:50 am

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

        Reply
    4. Jaycee

      October 29, 2024 at 8:30 am

      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!

      Reply
    5. faith

      October 29, 2024 at 2:59 am

      5 stars
      This is great potato soup. Thank you

      Reply
    6. DWoods

      October 28, 2024 at 6:04 pm

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

      Reply
    7. Nicole H

      October 27, 2024 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic!

      Reply
    8. Steph Camargo

      October 25, 2024 at 9:55 pm

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

      Reply
    9. Crystal Gonzales

      October 25, 2024 at 8:58 pm

      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!!

      Reply
    10. Eleonora Schwartz

      October 25, 2024 at 1:19 am

      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.

      Reply
    11. Katey

      October 24, 2024 at 5:30 pm

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

      Reply
    12. Stacy

      October 24, 2024 at 11:35 am

      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!

      Reply
    13. Jonathan Geiger

      October 23, 2024 at 10:19 pm

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

      Reply
    14. Linda

      October 21, 2024 at 10:18 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • robin halliday

        October 27, 2024 at 12:00 am

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

        Reply
    15. Sally

      October 21, 2024 at 7:19 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Jenny Huntington

        October 22, 2024 at 10:20 pm

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

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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