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.
Amy Davis
This soup is excellent. I didn’t have the chili powder, so I subbed in some chipotle habinero hot sauce. This will definitely be in dinner rotation going forward, and it reheats beautifully. Thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
april hogg
Made it last night for supper and we loved it! Hubby is pickier than a 2 year old and he loves it thank you for this great recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that this recipe was hubby approved and everyone enjoyed it, April! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Alicia
This recipe is great! My husband and teenage boys love it. Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that the soup has been a hit, Alicia! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Shayla
I’d like to try this today but the only ingredient I don’t have a is the sour cream. Is there a substitute or would it be okay without it?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Shayla! It will be ok without out, it just won’t be as creamy. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Shayla
Thanks for replying. I did try the recipe without the sour cream, but it was just as creamy because I blended more than half the potatoes. It was delicious.
Sugar Spun Run
Awesome! So happy to hear it, Shayla! I am glad that it turned out well and you enjoyed it! 🙂
Sheri Person
Can you freeze the leftovers of this soup?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sheri! Unfortunately, I don’t recommend it. The potatoes become too mushy. 🙂
Anne
Hands down best soup I’ve made to date! Wouldn’t change a thing. Used a masher and cayenne pepper in place of black because it’s all I had. Everyone devoured it! So good!! Wish I had more!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Anne! 🙂
Katie
This soup is delicious! Like better than restaurant quality! My husband who doesn’t even like soup said it was bomb. Making it again for the second time in a week to share with my family. Definitely a keeper!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Katie! 🙂
anthony baquedano
would it be okay if i leave out the heavy cream? i forgot to grab it at the store ://
Sam
Hi Anthony! You will probably need to substitute some more milk but the soup won’t be as rich and creamy as it should be. 🙂
Leora Thompson
Can I just use more heavy cream instead of sour cream?
Linda M Kelsch
I just made this last night absolutely delicious, served with toasted three cheese bread. I did not peel the potatoes, just cut them up, otherwise stayed true to the recipe… I did put the soup in the oven to cook. I find that I get distracted and things can scorch or burn when on the stovetop but will generally nicely cook in the oven, 350 degrees until potatoes soft. I will definitely make this again!
Sam
I am os glad you enjoyed it so much, Linda! 🙂
Amanda
This is seriously one of my favorite recipes!! I make it for the fam about twice a month and they always beg for more! Thank you so much for posting it! Instead of completely puréeing the potatoes, I go in with a masher until I am satisfied. Cheers XX
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much, Amanda! 🙂
Charlene
Made this tonight for dinner and we all loved it!!! I didn’t have the chili powder or the sour cream, but it was still so good! Thank you for the recipe!! Will definitely make again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Charlene! 🙂
Gerzalle Blanks
My potato soup came out delicious!!! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Gerzalle! 🙂
Hollis Ramsey
Here’s what I won’t change (because I LOVE it): using all the bacon fat, 3 T. butter, 1 onion, salt and fresh-ground pepper.
Here’s what I will change (because this is for just me): 8 strips bacon, maybe a diced shallot, 1/2 c. flour, ~4-6 unpeeled Russet potatoes, ~6 c. home-made chicken stock, 3 c. whole milk, 1 c. heavy cream,1 c. sour cream, 1 T. smoked paprika (MY spice obsession), ~1-2 c. shredded cheddar, ~2-3 chopped green onions + more bacon + more shredded cheese to top each serving, and NO PURÉEING!!! I like food that I can chew, as long as I have teeth. Oh, and definitely ~1/2 bunch chopped parsley (leaves AND some stems) to stir in just before adding toppings! Your soup is about 10 cups, mine is about 14-16 cups — I have a very big Dutch oven.
But your recipe is wonderful, and my changes are strictly personal. You love ancho chili powder (which I have and also like very much), and I love sweet smoked paprika. You like a creamier soup, and I love what Rachel Ray would call a ”stoup” — a soup that’s more like a stew.
Sam
I hope you love it, Hollis! 🙂
Hollis Ramsey
I did!
Sam
Awesome! 🙂
Michelle R
This is the BEST soup I ever made. I made hubby a taco soup and this one for me with intentions of freezing both for future meals. This potato soup never made it to the freezer 🙂 Buying more ingredients this week and will make enough to actually freeze this time. I will be making a loaf of homemade bread for dipping.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Michelle! 🙂
Tracy Riedl
Can this soup be made the night before and served the next day?
Sam
Absolutely, enjoy!