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 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.
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
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
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
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.
Saphyre
Can I use creme cheese instead of sour cream??
Sam
I think that would be fine, enjoy! 🙂
Nancy hunter
This soup was delicious!
I also added carrot & celery.
Thank you for the recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup, Nancy! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Angie
I don’t think I’ve ever made a 5-star rated recipe that actually lived up to the hype until this one. It was incredible.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Angie! I appreciate your kind words and I am so happy that you enjoyed the potato soup. Thank you for your 5-star review. 🙂
Sarah
Perfect comfort food for a quick dinner idea!! I used vegetable broth instead of chicken… and it was delicious!!
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the potato soup made for the perfect dinner, Sarah! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. I am so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Caylee
Is there something that could be used in replace my of the heavy cream? Could I use milk instead?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Caylee! If you’re looking for a substitute, half-and-half could work though the potato soup won’t be quite as creamy. 🙂
Patt Bridwell
I love potao soup. After reviewing this recipe I am going to male it for supper tomorrow night. I am hesitate regarding the chili powder, but I will give it a try using a small amount. I am planning to serve with hot garlic bread. if it’s good as it sounds I am expecting rave reviews!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for choosing my recipe to try, Patt! I hope that everyone loves it! Keep me posted on how it turns out. 🙂
Susie
Really want to make this soup but only have russet potatoes on hand. Can you substitute these?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Susie! My mom makes this with russet potatoes often and never complains, so that should be fine 🙂 I hope you enjoy the potato soup!
Tracy
Just tried it with some corn bread on the side. I didn’t have the ancho chili powder so I used regular chili powder instead. It turned out great. No wait, scratch that. It turned out absolutely wonderful! Can’t wait to try again using the ancho next time.
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Tracy! I am so glad that you loved the potato soup. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Natalie
Best Potato Soup I’ve ever made!! My teens loved it too. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the soup, Natalie! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Betty Whatley
Made this soup and was delicious. Could not fine that kind of chili powder at my store, but used regular chili powder. Was delicious. Going to keep looking for the type of chili powder you use. Thanks so much for sharing. Loved it.
Sam
So glad you enjoyed the soup, Betty! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Deborah Grapperhaus
5 Stars!! Made this tonight, wonderful, I had celery here, so I added that and a little extra bacon. It was so good we did not need any extra sour cream when serving. Definitely making again!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for the 5-star review, Deborah! I am so glad that you enjoyed the soup. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Tamara
I was looking for a potatoe soup recipe when I discovered this one. I couldn’t find the ancho chili powder bit went ahead and made it. I also added carrots and celery with some green onions for color. This soup is out of this world. Thank you so much for sharing it. It was a great discovery
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato soup, Tamara! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
JoAnn Jones
I have made potato soup like this for years except the chili powder. It is always a request. What is the different in ancho chili powder? I have never even tried just chili powder.
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, JoAnn! An ancho chili powder is 100% ancho peppers, just like a chipotle chili powder would be 100% chipotle peppers (dried and roasted jalapeños). The chili powder (or chili seasoning) typically found in a spice rack is often cut with other spices like cumin, garlic, and oregano. 🙂
Marcia Nicar
This is my 3rd time making this soup in the past few months. Whole family loves it. Thank you
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family enjoyed the potato soup, Marcia! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Patti Schmidt
I love potatoe soup and can’t wait to try this recipe! I will try and let you know how it turns out. 👍
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you enjoy the soup, Patti! 🙂
Dawn Mason
I made this for myself on New Year’s Day and craved it so much that I had to make it again tonight. I even doubled the recipe and I didn’t realize I would like the puréed potatoes as much as I do. Next time I might just do them all,All especially if I’m sick. This time I added some carrots. I wasn’t quite sure how to get them the right softest so I cook them separately and then added them after I re-added the puréed potatoes. Great recipe thank you
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the creamy potato soup, Dawn! Thanks for commenting. 🙂