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 made this today and it is delicious!
I followed the recipe with the exception of adding more chicken stock and used regular chili powder.
I will certainly make this again. Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup, Roseanne! 🙂
Best potato soup ever! I won a soup contest prize at my work. I received almost all the votes for the best soup and got a day off work with pay! I’ve made this several times. I use whatever milk I have: sometimes half and half or cream or evaporated milk. It’s good every time and so easy to make.
That is awesome Lori! I am so glad you enjoy the soup so much. A paid day off of work is an awesome prize. 🙂
I made your soup loaded potato I added to much of instant mashed potatoes it is a little thick how do I thin it out ? I didn’t have anything to pree potatoes with.
Hi April, a bit more chicken broth should help to thin it out.
I am thinking about making this tonight, and I only have small red potatoes on hand (I actually have a ton of them which I need to use before they start looking like little old men). Other than it being more of a pain to peel & cube the ones I have, is there a particular reason why you used gold potatoes? I.e. will the red be an acceptable substitute?
Many thanks for any advice!
Hi, Tiana! Another baker used red skin potatoes and it worked perfectly for her. I hope that you enjoy the potato soup. 🙂
If they are the thin skinned ones I would just give them a good brushing and chop them.
Hello there! I can’t wait to try this recipe tonight. I wanted to add cheddar cheese to this to make it a cheesy potato soup. Do you have any recommendations on when I should add the cheese?
Hi, Rita! When in the cheesy mood, I will add the cheese towards the end. I hope that you enjoy the potato soup. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
I was quite happy with it. Minor changes made because of what I had at home. Just realized though we ate hours ago that I meant to throw some shredded cheese on top. I will have to look thru your other recipes and see if there is anything else I would like to make. Today was your potato soup, a country pumpkin nut bread and a double batch of fruitcake cookies.
You have been busy in the kitchen today, Sue! All the recipes you choose to make sound delicious. I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup. I can’t wait to hear what you try next. Thank you for following my blog and for commenting. I appreciate it! 🙂
I think tomorrow for breakfast we are going to have your blueberry pancakes. I was also looking thru your scones. MMMMMMMMMMMm
Yummm blueberry pancakes and scones would make an awesome breakfast!
Being ultimately lazy and not having a blender or food processor, I added a package of dehydrated mashed potatoes and it thickened it quite well and still very tasty. I know, . I know It’s food heresy!
I glad that to hear that the dehydrated mashed potatoes worked well and I am so glad you enjoyed the potato soup, Jordan. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Best potato soup I ever had. I used all half and half as a substitution for the milk and cream.I used Better than Bullion Chicken. Adds so much more flavor than regular bullion. (I add it to taste, slowly, to be sure it doesn’t become too salty.) I did not use any chili powder and I did not puree any of the soup. Absolutely a fabulous hit with everyone.
Hi, Carla! Thank you so much! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the potato soup! 🙂
The only thing I changed in this recipe was the amount of fat. I trimmed off the excess fat from the bacon and used half & half instead of heavy cream. The soup was delicious! My 18 year old grandson loved it and so did I. Also, it took me over an hour, not 30 minutes, to prepare it.
I am sorry that it took longer than expected, Sandra, but I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup. 🙂
Absolutely the best potato soup ever! Easy to make and a huge favorite of anyone who has tried it!
Thank you so much, Tracey! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the potato soup. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Made this tonight and it was super easy and delicious. Only thing I suggest is when boiling your potatoes to frequently stir as it sticks to the bottom very quickly.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup, Meagan! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Great recipe. If I’m not wanting to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to make my grandma’s recipe I always have to look for one that is quicker (All I wanted tonight was potato soup after my dental surgery) . This one was by far the simplest, yet satisfying recipe I’ve ever found, and will be my go to for simple nights. I always add carrots and celery during the simmering because I think my family would die with out those 2 vegetables. (Only half of what I buy ends up in the soup if I’m lucky same for the bacon.) Thank you for sharing it.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup, Andy! I hope that you recover quickly from your dental surgery. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I’ve not cooked it yet I just have a few questions
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Could the heavy cream be substituted with cream cheese
And I’m new to cooking could I use minced garlic in a bottle?
Hi, Jacob! I have not personally tried substituting with cream cheese however, I know a few others have with success. In reference to the garlic, minced garlic in the jar will work fine. Let me know how your potato soup comes out. 🙂
Do you think I could I use frozen cubed hash browns, and double the recipe? If doubling, do you think two packages of hash browns?
Hmm, honestly I’m not sure exactly how it would work with frozen cubed hash browns, though I think it could be done. As for how much, it depends on the size of the package; this recipe uses 2.5 lbs of potatoes so if you doubled it that would be 5 lbs. If you do try it this way I’d love to hear how the potato soup turns out for you, Nicole!
I made this for someone who is recovering from a serious illness and doesn’t have much of an appetite. She lived it and ate all of it! It’s so rich and hearty. It’s just what she needs to gain some weight. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy to hear the soup was such a success, and hope that your friend is feeling well soon!
Wow! Yummmm!
Thank you so much, Pam! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Potato Soup. 🙂