Loaded Potato Soup — all the flavors you know and love from a baked potato are channeled into an ultra creamy, cheesy, and deliciously flavored soup!
Pair this comforting soup with homemade dinner rolls or a light garden salad like this roasted veggie salad or Olive Garden salad.
The Best Potato Soup
This soup tastes channels the flavors of a cheesy baked potato loaded up with all the good stuff! It’s incredibly filling and the perfect kind of comfort food — there really is nothing better on a chilly day! That is, unless we’re eating this soup and enjoying a pumpkin spice steamer!
Not to mention, it’s a well-rounded meal that keeps you full and satisfied for hours. It’s an ideal dish to serve when hosting, truly the best of the best.
Ingredients
- Potatoes: Mix red and Yukon gold potatoes for extra flavor. Keeping the peel on adds texture and nutrients.
- Onion, Celery, Carrots, Garlic: Dice finely so they cook evenly and blend into the soup.
- Bacon: Cook bacon until crispy and save some fat for cooking the veggies.
- Seasonings: Adjust the amount to suit your taste. You can also use fresh thyme and oregano instead of dried.
- Chicken Broth: Save any extra to add when reheating leftovers.
- Butter, Flour: Cook flour over medium-heat with butter for one minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Milk: Warm the milk a bit before adding to avoid curdling. Be sure to use whole milk.
- Sour Cream: I love full-fat but you can use reduced-fat sour cream for a lighter option.
- Cheddar Cheese: Grate the cheese yourself for better melting.
Quick Tip
Mix red and Yukon gold potatoes for this soup. Yukon golds are sweet and buttery, while red potatoes are firmer with a mild, earthy taste. Together, they make an amazing flavor combination.
How To Make Potato Soup
- Chop & Prep: Cube potatoes, dice onion, celery, and carrot. Mince garlic. Slice bacon.
- Cook Bacon: Fry bacon in a pot, set aside. Keep some bacon fat in the pot.
- Sauté Veggies: In the same pot, cook onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in bacon fat. Add potatoes and seasonings.
- Simmer with Stock: Add chicken stock and simmer until potatoes are tender.
- Mash Some Potatoes: Lightly mash a few potatoes in the pot.
- Make Cream Sauce: In another pot, melt butter, mix in flour, then gradually add milk until thick.
- Combine: Add the cream sauce to the potato soup. Stir until thickened.
- Add Final Ingredients: Lower heat. Stir in sour cream, cheese, some bacon, and chives/green onions if using.
Storage
Storage Notes
- Because this potato soup is cream-based it is not a great candidate for freezing. The milk solids will separate as the soup thaws, resulting in a grainy texture with a lot of separation.
- To reheat leftovers: Add leftover Potato Soup to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Don’t boil the soup or reheat it at a high temperature; this will likely cause the ingredients to separate or potentially curdle.
More Delicious Soup Recipes:
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Crockpot Chili
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Chicken and Rice Soup
Potato Soup
Loaded Potato Soup packs all the cozy flavors of a baked potato into a creamy, cheesy, flavor-loaded bowl of soup!
Equipment
- 2 large pots
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cubed potatoes 6-1/2 cups, I love a mix of red and Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 small yellow onion diced, 1 cup
- 2 stalks celery diced, 3/4 cup
- 1 to 2 large carrots diced, 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 (12-ounce) package smoked bacon 12 slices of bacon
- Salt and pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk divided
- 1 cup sour cream 8 ounces, I use reduced fat/lite
- 2-1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese divided
- 1/4 cup chives or green onions, optional
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes and peel if desired (leaving the peel on adds texture and flavor). Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Dice the onion, celery, and carrot, and mince the garlic. Thinly slice the cold bacon with a sharp knife.
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon to your desired crispness, about 6–10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
- Drain all the bacon fat except 3 tablespoons. Pour the fat into a foil-lined bowl, then wipe the pot. Measure 3 tablespoons of fat from the bowl and return it to the pot. Discard or save the foil for later use.
- Add onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and sauté over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic in the last 30 seconds. Add diced potatoes and toss to coat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, along with thyme, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Toss to coat and cook for 1 minute.
- Cover with chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. See note 1 for crockpot instructions.
- Mash some of the tender potatoes with a potato masher, leaving some chunks.
- In another pot, melt butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add 2 cups (463g) of milk, whisking until thickened. Add remaining 2 cups (463g) of milk, whisking until thickened again. Season with salt and pepper (I add 1/2 teaspoon of each, but adjust to taste).
- Pour the cream mixture into the soup and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the sour cream, chives or green onions, 2 cups (193g) cheese, and half the bacon. Stir until the cheese melts.
- Top each bowl with 1/2 cup of the remaining cheese, the remaining bacon, and additional chives or green onions if desired. Enjoy warm!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To prepare this potato soup in the Crock-Pot (6-quart): Follow steps 1–5, then put everything in the Crock-Pot (except the cooked bacon). Cook on low for 5–7 hours or high for 3–4 hours. Mash the potatoes in the crockpot, then continue with step 7. Add everything to the crockpot and cover for 15–20 more minutes on high to heat through, then serve.
Storage: Because this potato soup is cream-based, it is not a great candidate for freezing. Reheat leftovers in a pot, slowly increasing the heat while stirring frequently. Boiling the soup at a high temperature will likely cause the ingredients to separate or even curdle.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.9g | Protein: 16.1g | Fat: 24.1g | Cholesterol: 67.2mg | Sodium: 444.1mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 7.8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious soup for a cold and snowy night in PA.
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
How long did you cook your bacon?
How long do you suggest?
Just however crispy (or not crispy!) you’d like it. It depends on the pan you’re using, in a cast iron skillet, about 6-8 minutes
I made the potato soup tonight, it was delicious and very filling. We also thought it would be a good base for clam chowder.
Keep up the good work.
Lynn from Northwest Ohio
Yum! It would be a great clam chowder base! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment Lynn! 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!!
Yay! Thanks for your comment Corrina! 🙂
Can you tell me if omitting the bacon will effect the outcome a lot? I was thinking of making this for the weekend and there are a couple of vegetarians I have to worry about. Thanks so much for your help!
It does add a really nice flavor and base, but will still be tasty without it! Here are some ideas to still get that smoky flavor 🙂 https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-add-the-smokey-flavor-of-bacon-to-vegetarian-and-vegan-dishes-171151
Thank you so much! I ended up just leaving the bacon out – it was a HUGE hit! Many, many compliments and will make again very soon! My daughter especially LOVED it 🙂
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Michelle! 🙂
I am making this soup right now for my Buncos Club. I already had golden potatoes so I used them & the only other change I made is using ham. I bought a ham shank and boiled it for about an hour and used that broth for some of the liquid plus cubbed ham that I fried off. Will let you know how it turns out.
Sounds awesome!! Let me know how it tastes!
I just placed the items in the crockpot as per steps 1 – 6. No liquid goes into the crockpot while its cooking for 5-7 hours?
I apologize for the confusion Jim — the stock or chicken bouillon cubes (with water) do go in the crockpot with everything!
I never leave comments after I make recipes that I’ve found, but my goodness this was delicious. Even better the next day. Only thing I’d recommend is to hold off on putting the bacon in the soup while on the stove top. Save it for a topping, otherwise it gets soggy. Two thumbs up. Thanks for the delicious post!!!
So happy to hear this was a hit! Thanks for the comment David 🙂
Did not use the bacon or cheddar, used Asagio and lots of pepper. Delicious. Have way too may potatoes from the harvest. Thanks for sharing. Also used veg. broth and cubes instead of chkn. Hate meat for the most part.
So happy you enjoyed this soup! 🙂
This is really delicious and rich. Can it can be frozen?
Thanks