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This old fashioned, comforting potato soup is seriously hearty. Loaded up with bits of crisp salty bacon, rich cream, and sharp cheese. One bowl of this gloriously filling soup will warm you up on the coldest of days!
The Only Potato Soup Youโll Ever Need
Potato soup is one of those timeless, comforting dishes that just worksโespecially when youโre juggling busy weeknights but still want something homemade that hits all the right notes. This version? Itโs got all the classic ingredients you know and love, just kicked up a notch.
What I love most is how flexible it isโyou can make it as creamy as you like! Whether you want a thicker, heartier bowl with a splash of heavy cream or prefer something a little lighter, the consistency is totally in your hands. Plus, you control how much to blend, so you get to decide if you want a smooth, silky texture or something with more of that chunky potato goodness.
And letโs be honestโthis is one of those recipes thatโs a guaranteed family favorite. Itโs basically a baked potato in a bowl, loaded with all the toppings (yes, all the toppings). How could anyone resist?
Ingredients You Need
Image shows ingredients needed to make this recipe including: potatoes, onion, garlic, bacon, flour, sour cream, cream, cheese, milk, salt, pepper.
- Milk & Cream: you can use any milk of your preference, I would recommend using a 2% since we are adding cream. You can of course use whole milk and not use the cream. Or use any combination.
- Onion: this can always be swapped out for leeks for a sweet, earthy flavoring to the soup.
- Flour: we are using this in combination with the sour cream and the potatoes themselves to make the broth thicker.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold Potatoes are the best option due to their low starch, they hold their shape well when boiled, plus they have a buttery texture and a superior performance in soup overall.
- Cheese: for more flavoring use an Extra Sharp Cheddar, for a more mild flavoring use a Sharp Cheddar.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
Letโs Make Some Extra Creamy Potato Soup
- Cook the bacon, dice and sautรฉ the bacon in a large dutch oven until it reaches your desired level of crispiness. Then remove the bacon and set aside. Keep at least 2 tablespoons of the grease for using to sautรฉ the onion. Add the onion in and cook until softened. Then add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the flour, stir this together with the onion/garlic until a thick paste forms, this creates a roux and helps thicken our soup.
- Pour in broth and milks. Add seasonings. The seasonings can always be adjusted at the end to taste. Add the potatoes in and let this simmer until the potatoes are softened and easily mashed with a fork.
- Blend, to desired consistency. Then add in the sour cream and cheese, stir into the soup until combined. Stir the bacon back into the soup while leaving some set aside as an extra topping.
Expert Tips
- Dice the potatoes small for quicker cooking and faster dinner prep.
- Chunky vs. Creamy: Blend the soup to your desired consistency using an immersion blender or regular blender (before adding the bacon back). Be cautious when blending hot liquids.
- Lighten it up: Swap bacon for turkey bacon, add cauliflower, and replace cream with milk or sour cream with Greek yogurt. Check out my Secretly Healthy Potato Soup for more ideas!
- Season to taste: Adjust salt & pepper, or mix in your favorite seasoning (taco, Cajun, Italian) or a pinch of chili powder for heat.
- Sneak in more veggies: Peas and carrots work great for extra nutrition!
Favorite Topping Ideas
We love to treat this potato soup just like our baked potatoes and use all the toppings! Some of our favorites include:
- Bacon โ Crispy and crumbled for a savory, smoky biteโ.
- Cheddar Cheese โ Sharp or mildโ.
- Sour Cream โ Adds a tangy creaminessโ.
- Green Onions or Chives โ For a fresh, zesty finishโ.
- Croutons or Crackers โ For crunchโ.
- Parsley โ Fresh herbs to brighten up the flavorsโ
- Cayenne or Chili Powder โ For a spicy kickโ.
- Paprika โ Adds both color and a hint of warmthโ.
- Blue Cheese โ A bolder option for cheese loversโ.
- Crumbled Sausage โ For extra meaty goodnessโ.
If you make and love our recipes, it would help us if you would leave a comment and rating! And donโt forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube.
Creamy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth unsalted
- 1ยฝ cup milk
- ยฝ cup cream
- 3 lbs potatoes peeled and diced
- 1ยฝ tsp salt
- ยผ tsp ground black pepper
- โ cup sour cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Optional Toppings:
- green onion diced
- bacon cooked and diced
- cheese shredded
- sour cream
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: Add the bacon to a large dutch oven or pot and cook over medium high heat until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside, leave the grease in the pot.
- Saute Onion: Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add Flour: Stir in the flour and allow this to cook for about 2-3. This cooks the flour.
- Create Broth: Pour in the chicken stock, milk and cream. Add in the diced potatoes, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Simmer: Bring the pot to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until the potatoes are softened and easily mashed.
- Blend: Turn heat off and using an immersion blender, blend the soup until some of the potatoes are blended, be careful not to overblend, leave chunks of potato in the soup. IF you don't have an immersion blender then carefully pour portions of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return soup to the pot after blending.
- Add Final Ingredients: With the heat still off, stir in the sour cream and shredded cheese. Return the bacon to the soup. Stir to combine.
- Serve warm with any additional toppings of your choice.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Milk & Cream: you can use any milk of your preference, I would recommend using a 2% since we are adding cream. You can of course use whole milk and not use the cream. Or use any combination.
- Onion: this can always be swapped out for leeks for a sweet, earthy flavoring to the soup.
- Flour: we are using this in combination with the sour cream and the potatoes themselves to make the broth thicker.
- Potatoes: Gold Potatoes are the best option due to their low starch, they hold their shape well when boiled. Dice them fairly small for quicker cook time.
- Cheese: for more flavoring use an Extra Sharp Cheddar, for a more mild flavoring use a Sharp Cheddar.
- Thickness: to create a thick, creamy soup blend more of the potato. If your soup becomes too thick, heat up extra chicken broth and pour into the soup until desired consistency is achieved.
- Leftovers can be stored sealed in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on stovetop, while stirring.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Soup Recipes
Potato Soup FAQโs
Use a low starch or waxy potato. They have thin skins and are high in moisture, low in starch. They hold up well and keep their shape when boiled. Yukon Gold potatoes are my favorite choice for this particular recipe.
Yes! This soup is made to be ultra creamy, you can leave out the flour if desired, the soup will still be creamy, just blend the soup to get your desired consistency.
Be careful not to overblend, this is going to be the main cause of making a soup that is too thick. To thin it out, gradually add more liquid (heated broth) until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
Recipe first published October 17, 2018. Updated August 20, 2021 with new images and information, recipe remains unchanged.
Photography done by the talented @KJandCompany.co
I only have medium cheddar will that be enough flavor?
Yes absolutely!
Hi, can you use creme fraiche instead of cream?
This recipe is the bomb! Everyone that has tasted it loves it. Easy to make and instructions are great. I make this recipe a lot.
Absolutely excellent! Great recipe and great taste! My granddaughter, daughter and myself absolutely loved it! Thank you for sharing! It will definitely be made again and in our home!!
Easy Peasy. Not sure if I used Yukons or not; I bought Speisekartoffeln at the local German store. Added butter. No sour cream. Cut the recipe because there are just two of us, and have enough left for a light lunch. DH had two servings. Hadnโt made potato soup in ages, and wanted a recipe. This fit the bill. Ohโalways fry more bacon than the recipe calls for. ๐
wow, this is the best potato soup I have eaten. My son says it is awesome as wellโฆ.this recipe is a keeper!!!!โฆthank you!
Made this recipe tonight as a polar vortex is descending on Michigan. It is wonderful and has the perfect consistency and is so creamy. I did add some diced celery and shredded carrots to the soup with the potatoes. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
It wasnโt for my family. I cooked the onions until they browned but the flavor was too strong. I took all the onions out after cooking them with the chicken broth, cream and milk but it was still too strong. I added more cream and milk but it was still too strong. I cooked it for 2 hours to try to cook the potatoes enough but they still needed more cooking. I couldnโt cook them very high with milk and cream in the mixture. I added some bacon to the mix and cheese but it still had a strong onion taste. I eventually decided we needed to eat so I put the rest of the potatoes and sour cream in. It helped quite a bit but I couldnโt get the onion taste out enough for my liking and my husband and daughter felt it needed less onion as well. It has some good ideas but I would probably leave out the onion, cook the potatoes separately, and add butter. I love butter.
Hi Kris. Sorry you had issues with the recipe. Some notes I have for you: the onion flavor most likely came from browning the onions. The recipe doesnโt call for them to be browned. Browning them would cause a more intense flavor.
Due to using cream and milk in the recipe, the fats actually make it ok to bring the liquid to a boil, it wonโt separate. Most likely the long cook time came from cooking at too low of a temperature. The potatoes should be fully softened within 20 minutes of cooking in the soup.
Seeing that you and your family arenโt huge onion fans, maybe you shouldโve used 1/2 or 1/4 of the small onion, or even onion powder! Down here in the south ,the more onions the better, lol! I also add some fresh diced celery, along with the leafy part of the stalk, to the simmering pot of potatoes.
This soup is wonderful! Made it tonight and we all loved it! I did add some cut up ham and it was delicious especially with toasted garlic bread dipped in it! Itโs a keeper!
Can I leave off the half & half?
You can substitute the half and half for cream or just more milk. The half and half just makes it a bit thicker and creamier than using regular milk only. But use what you have on hand ๐