The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup
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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.
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).
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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!
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.
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
The Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe
Equipment
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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I love this soup, but I used Smoked Ham Hocks broth , just reduced the amount some of chicken broth . It was Delicious thank you
I am so glad that you enjoyed the Potato Soup, Wendy! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Amazing!!! Turned out perfectly! I didn’t have Ancho chili powder, but used what I had, & it was amazing! Thanks for sharing
I am so glad that you enjoyed the Creamy Potato Soup, Sherry! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Wow this was a great recipe. The ancho chili powder really spiced it up nicely. Thanks for
sharing.
The family loved it
I am so glad that you enjoyed the Creamy Potato Soup, Bonnie. The ancho chilli powder gives it a little kick. 🙂
What’s recommended for the heavy cream?
Hi Larry! I’m not partial to a particular brand, if that’s what you mean. If you’re looking for a substitute, half-and-half could work though the potato soup won’t be quite as creamy.
I made this for first time ever making potatoe soup it was definitely delicious my family loved it and I made grilled cheese sandwiches with ham yummy to our tummies lol
Thank you so much, Heidi! I am glad that your family enjoyed the Potato Soup! 🙂
Would regular chili powder do the job? It’s what I have on hand. This soup is great!
Hello, Allison! Yes, it will do just fine. The taste will be slightly different but still good. Enjoy the Potato Soup!:)
I’m cooking for a large group and making a few soups. Have you ever Doubled it or tripled it and it do ok? I have a big stock pot that definitely can handle the volume but don’t want to mess up anything.
Hello, Kara! I have never tripled the soup, however, I know others have and have had success. I hope that everyone enjoys the Potato Soup! 🙂
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream? Will it turn out okay? Can’t wait to try this (even though I don’t have the heavy cream)!
I think that would be fine, Lucy! Would love to hear how you like the potato soup! 🙂
Recipe looks great. Can I make this vegetarian and just have ba on as a garnish? I was thinking butter instead of bacon grease and vegetable stock.
Hello, Shelly! I haven’t tried it that way personally but it should be fine. Let me know how it turns out. I hope that you enjoy the Potato Soup. 🙂
Can this be made a day in advance and reheated?
Hello, Robin! Yes, that should be fine. I hope that you enjoy the Potato Soup. 🙂
The soup was delicious and well balanced. Simple with just the right amount of flavor.
This is a new favorite. Highly recommend.
I did transfer to a crockpot where it cooked on low for about 4 hrs
I am so glad that you enjoyed the Potato Soup, Marissa! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
First time EVER cooking potato soup and it turned out great. I did add a bit more salt and ancho chili. Really liked the flavor. I “mashed” the soup a bit as I like more of a chunky textures. It’s 90 degrees here in LA but I still enjoyed this great bowl of yum!
Hello, Angie! I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup. 🙂
Husband said was best soup I have ever made. I dod add a little smpked paprika. Didnt have ancho powder.
I am so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the Potato Soup, Penny! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Will this freeze?
Unfortunately the consistency of the soup doesn’t fare well after being frozen due to the dairy, it tends to separate a bit after being thawed 🙁
Thank you.
This soup is delicious! A perfect soup for a chilly Autumn evening. Thank you for sharing!😍😍
I used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. I also did not puree, as i love the big chunks of potato, and lastly, I added about 2/3 cup of cream cheese instead of sour cream. I got the idea from an old “stand by” potato soup recipe i cooked for years in the crock pot.
Great Flavor too!
I am so happy that you enjoyed the Creamy Potato Soup Recipe, Colleen! Thanks for commenting. 🙂