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!
Hi! Any recommendations for heavy cream replacement? I would like to avoid stepping out.
Hi, Isabella! Others have used milk as a substitute, however, it won’t be as thick. Enjoy! 🙂
I used half n half….
Thank you both! Will try it out tomorrow 🙂
Could I use a different kind of potatoes? And it looks delicious!
Hi Chloe! I have done it with Russet potatoes as well. 🙂
Absolutely perfect. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Aaron! 🙂
This a yummy recipe!
I added parsley to mine. I found that pureeing did make the soup creamier with plenty of potato chunks left behind. My family loved it!
Thank you so much, Vickie! I am glad you enjoyed the soup. 🙂
The best Potato Soup we have ever had. WONDERFUL!
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup so much, Carolyn! 🙂
I have lots of Russet potatoes on hand. Would they be a good substitute for the Gold potatoes? I am excited to try this recipe. I sounds so good!
Hi Diane! Sorry for the delayed response, but yes russet potatoes should work just fine. 🙂
Can you freeze leftovers?
Hi Jenn! I typically don’t recommend it because the cream can separate out. 🙂
Thanks
Wow!! I’ve never made potatoe soup before..but this was Soo Good..I will definitely make it again! Thanks So much for sharing 🙂
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Tonya! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Hi, Tana! I haven’t left it in the crockpot all day, however, others have and had success. I hope that you do too. I would leave it on low. 🙂
BEST potato soup ever!
I am so glad that you loved it, Lizandra! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Seriously SO good! It’s my “meat and potatoes” eating hubby’s favorite soup I make. I make about 5 or 6 different soups and this one has taken the #1 spot and rightfully so! Thank you!
I am so glad that it was such a hit and a new favorite, Jennifer. Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING! My family ate it up! Thank you!!!
I am so glad that your family enjoyed it, Michelle! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Excellent Creamy Potato Soup Recipe, my Dear! And a BIG thank you for the newest addition to my collection of my favorite creamy soups that pair superbly with one of my all time favorites and oldies, but goodies….Grilled Cheese with Bacon!
I am SO happy to hear it was such a hit, Carrie! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Do you have nutrition information, especially carbs?
Hi, Sarah! Unfortunately, I can not provide you with that level of detail as everyone will use different brands of ingredients. 🙁
Do I have to purée it in a blender or will it be okay as is?
If you prefer a chunkier soup you do not need to puree at all, Sky. Enjoy! 🙂