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Baked Potato Soup is creamy, comforting, and ready in under 45 minutes! This cozy soup has all your favorite baked potato toppings like sharp cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, chives, and sour cream.
For more soup recipes, check out my Ground Turkey Soup with Rice and Kale, Easy Chicken Minestrone, or Split Pea Soup with Bacon.
Why I Love This Baked Potato Soup Recipe
- Weeknight Dinner – It takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish, making it a great weeknight dinner option that tastes like it took you all day!
- Family-Friendly – Both kids and adults alike love this creamy comforting soup.
- Customizable – You can easily customize it with your favorite baked potato toppings. Top this soup with extra bacon, pepper-jack cheese, jalapenos, hot sauce, or whatever toppings you like.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredient Notes
- Milk – I typically use fat-free milk, but you can use whatever kind of milk you have on hand. 2% or whole milk would add extra creaminess.
- Broth – I like to use vegetable broth but chicken broth will also work.
- Potatoes – I use russets in this recipe because hold their shape better and don’t turn to mush in the soup.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Freshly grated, off the block. I don’t recommend pre-shredded cheese as it doesn’t melt well into the soup.
How To Make Baked Potato Soup
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Heat up a large soup pot (something like this 5-quart cast iron dutch oven). Melt some butter and saute the onion and garlic.
- Make a roux – whisk in the flour, letting it cook a little to get golden, then whisk in milk and cream.
- Pour in broth and whisk until combined. Add potatoes and bring to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil).
- Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
- Chop up some bacon and cook it in a skillet until it’s crispy. PRO TIP: Cut the raw bacon directly into the hot skillet using kitchen shears. Once cooked, set the bacon aside to drain on paper towels.
- Once the potatoes are nice and tender, turn off the heat and stir in sour cream, cheese, and about half of the bacon. Taste your soup and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Garnish and serve.
How Do You Thicken Potato Soup?
Potatoes are very starchy, so as they cook they release this starch into the cream broth, thickening it as it simmers. Starting with a roux also helps to thicken your soup. If your soup is too thick, stir in milk or broth a little at a time until you are happy with the consistency.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is a rich and hearty meal on its own, so I will usually toss a quick salad together to serve on the side. Air fryer green beans or roasted broccoli would also be delicious sides.
To serve, I like to top each bowl with crispy bacon, shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, and a dollop of sour cream. Just like a regular baked potato!
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freezing: Potato Soup makes an excellent freezer meal. Allow the soup to cool completely, then portion into freezer bags or airtight freezer containers. Make sure to label them, then store in the freezer for up to six months.
Reheating: Thaw completely in the refrigerator first if necessary, then heat in a saucepan on the stovetop. You can also heat in the microwave, gently.
Recipe Tips
- Potato Dice – Cut potatoes as evenly in size as possible for even cooking.
- Cooking Time – The cooking time could vary based on the heat level or even on the potatoes themselves or how big you cut them. I wanted the potatoes to still have some texture, so you may want to cook them a little longer than I did.
- Grate Your Cheese – Use freshly grated cheese; avoid pre-shredded bags of cheese as they have a cellulose coating that will prevent melting.
- No Cream? You can use all milk and you’ll still get a thick soup, but it just won’t have the same creamy consistency.
- Peeling Potatoes – Russet potatoes have a thicker skin so I prefer to peel it off. However you can leave the skin on if you don’t want to take the time for peeling. Just know that some of the skin will fall off and be left floating in the soup.
More Cozy Soup Recipes
- Bacon and Bean Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Italian Bean Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Diced onion about half of one medium onion
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 cups Nonfat milk
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 cups Chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 Large Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 pounds)
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese plus more for garnish
- 1 cup Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 slices Bacon diced and cooked crisp
- Chives minced
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute more. Whisk in flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and whisk until combined. Stir in potatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer (do not boil).
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes, stirring often to keep the bottom from burning.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Drain grease and chop into bite sized pieces.
- Stir in sour cream, half of the shredded cheddar cheese, and half of the bacon. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until the consistency is to your liking.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, and the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and bacon, if desired.
Notes
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freezing: Potato Soup makes an excellent freezer meal. Allow the soup to cool completely, then portion into freezer bags or airtight freezer containers. Make sure to label them, then store in the freezer for up to six months.
- Reheating: Thaw completely in the refrigerator first if necessary, then heat in a saucepan on the stovetop. You can also heat in the microwave, gently.
- The cooking time could vary based on the heat level or even on the potatoes themselves or how big you cut them.
- I wanted the potatoes to still have some texture, so you may want to cook them a little longer than I did.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
LOOOVE this recipe. It’s my go-to for potato soup – and my adult kids love it so much I never have any left at my house when I make it!! I love the versatility of the potato, so I mash it a little to give it a Rustic mashed potato soup vibe.
Thank you Ki! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Just made this for dinner tonight I double the recipe my family enjoyed it
made a nice salad and garlic bread to go with it I’ll be keeping this recipe for sure.
Nice! Thanks for stopping Theresa.
I use quite a few of your recipes. I’m a 73 year old man who loves to cook. I do 95%of the cooking for my wife and me.
When browsing through Pinterest and I see yellow bliss road recipes I can count on them to be delicious and fairly easy to prepare. We really like your baked chicken wings, also instapot ribs.
Keep up the good work I’ll be keeping an eye out for more. The potato soup was great.
Hi Lee, Thank you so much for your kind words. So glad you are enjoying the recipes – my goal is to create good food that’s easy to prepare!
Good recipe. Followed to a T but potatoes took a lot longer to cook than the time given.
Hi Haley, Glad you enjoyed the recipes. The cook time for the potatoes can definitely vary, as stated in the recipe, and it can depend greatly on the cut size and the temperature.
I was very excited for this soup, but it was very bland and unflavorful.
The salt and pepper is added “as desired” and likely could have significantly improved the flavor.
This was delicious! My whole family loved it. Better than Panera 😉
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Shana.
I have been searching for a good potato soup and I FINALLY found it!!! This is sooo good. I love the fact that the potatoes all stay as cubed ones instead of mashing them. The flavor is phenomenal. If you’re looking for that comforting potato soup, this is definitely the one.
Awesome feedback Stacey! Thanks for stopping by.
Definitely a delicious meal for a cold day! My family gobbled it up before I could get a picture!
Nice! Thank you for your feedback Cindy.
I substituted leftover Ham I wanted used up, and it was amazing
Thank you so much for stopping by Danelle!
Is it 572 calories per serving or total for the 8 servings?
It’s per serving.
Can I put this in a slow cooker to keep warm for a luncheon?
Yes, you can keep it warm in a slow cooker. Just keep it on warm and watch it closely, because the milk could curdle.
Hi! This sounds amazing but I was wondering if you could make this version to suit a slow cooker?
Hi Rena, It won’t translate exactly to the slow cooker. You’d still need to saute the veggies and cook the bacon. You’d probably need another cup of broth and don’t add any milk to the slow cooker. It would be a completely different recipe.
I have made this recipe more times than I can count. It’s so easy and delicious, I can no longer eat potato soup from a can!
Awesome feedback Kaylee! Thanks for stopping by.