This potato soup recipe became our family's go-to when Emma came home from school one freezing January day and announced he was "too cold to eat anything that isn't soup." What started as a desperate attempt to warm him up turned into the most requested dinner in our house. I've made it probably fifty times since then, tweaking and perfecting until we got that perfect balance of creamy, chunky, and completely satisfying.
Why You'll Love This Potato Soup Recipe
This soup saved my sanity during Emma's picky eating phase when he decided he didn't like "chunks" in his food. Somehow this creamy potato soup recipe passed his test because the potatoes get all soft and blend into the broth perfectly. Now it's what I make when anyone in the house is feeling sick or just needs something warm and comforting.
What really surprised me is how filling it is without being heavy. Emma can eat a whole bowl and not be hungry again for hours, which is saying something for a growing seven-year-old. Plus it's one of those recipes where you probably have most of the stuff already, so no special shopping trips when you're craving comfort food.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Potato Soup Recipe
- What You Need for Potato Soup Recipe
- How to Make Potato Soup Recipe Step by Step
- Easy Swaps for Your Potato Soup Recipe
- Storage Tips
- How to Store Your Potato Soup Recipe
- Potato Soup Recipe Variations
- Equipment For Potato Soup Recipe
- The Recipe That My Friend and I Still Argue Over
- Top Tip
- Why This Potato Soup Recipe Works
- Time to Make Some Soup Magic!
- Related
- Pairing
- Potato Soup Recipe
What You Need for Potato Soup Recipe
The Main Stuff:
- Russet potatoes
- Chicken or vegetable broth
- Heavy cream or whole milk
- Butter
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- All-purpose flour
The Good Stuff:
- Thick-cut bacon
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Fresh chives or green onions
- Salt and black pepper
If You Want to Get Fancy:
- Celery for crunch
- Carrots for color
- Bay leaves for depth
- Paprika for garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Potato Soup Recipe Step by Step
Get Everything Ready:
- Cook bacon in your big pot until crispy
- Take bacon out but leave the fat
- Dice onions and garlic while bacon cools
- Peel and cube potatoes
Build the Base:
- Cook onions in bacon fat until soft
- Add garlic for the last minute
- Sprinkle in flour and stir around
- Slowly pour in broth while stirring
Cook the Potatoes:
- Add cubed potatoes to the pot
- Bring to a boil, then turn down heat
- Simmer until potatoes fall apart easily
- This takes about 15-20 minutes
Make it Creamy:
- Mash some potatoes right in the pot
- Leave some chunks for texture
- Stir in cream or milk slowly
- Add cheese and let it melt
Finish it Off:
- Serve hot with crusty bread
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add bacon pieces back in
- Top with sour cream and chives
Easy Swaps for Your Potato Soup Recipe
Potato Options:
- Russet → Yukon Gold (just as creamy)
- Regular → Red potatoes (more chunky but still good)
- Fresh → Leftover mashed potatoes (thin with broth)
Cream Changes:
- Heavy cream → Half and half
- Dairy → Coconut milk (makes it different but tasty)
- Regular → Greek yogurt (add at the end so it doesn't curdle)
Cheese Switches:
- Sharp cheddar → Mild cheddar
- Cheddar → Gruyere (if you're feeling fancy)
- Regular → Cream cheese (makes it extra smooth)
Broth Options:
- Chicken → Vegetable broth
- Store-bought → Homemade (if you have it)
- Regular → Low-sodium
For Different Diets:
- Dairy → Plant-based everything
- Bacon → Turkey bacon or skip it
- Butter → Olive oil
Storage Tips
How to Store Your Potato Soup Recipe
In the Fridge (3-4 days):
- Let it cool completely before putting it away
- Store in airtight containers
- It gets thicker when cold, so add milk when reheating
- Stir gently when warming up
Freezing (Not Great):
- Potato soup doesn't freeze well
- The cream separates and gets weird
- The potatoes get mushy
- Just make smaller batches instead
Reheating Tips:
- Use low heat and stir constantly
- Add milk or broth to thin it out
- Don't boil it or the cream will curdle
- Taste and add more salt if needed
Potato Soup Recipe Variations
Loaded Potato Soup:
- Extra bacon and cheese
- Sour cream stirred right in
- Green onions on top
- Basically a baked potato in soup form
Cheesy Broccoli Potato:
- Add frozen broccoli in the last 10 minutes
- Use lots of sharp cheddar
- Emma actually eats vegetables this way
- Top with more cheese because why not
Ham and Potato:
- Use leftover ham instead of bacon
- Add some diced carrots
- Perfect for after holidays
- Feels like a complete meal
Spicy Version:
- Add diced jalapeños with the onions
- Sprinkle in some cayenne
- Top with pepper jack cheese
- Not for Emma, but I love it
Slow Cooker Style:
- Throw everything in the crockpot
- Cook on low for 6 hours
- Mash and add cream at the end
- Perfect for busy days
Equipment For Potato Soup Recipe
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Sharp knife for chopping
- Potato masher or immersion blender
- Ladle for serving
- Cutting board
The Recipe That My Friend and I Still Argue Over
My friend and I have been having the same argument for three years now about whether you should put the potatoes in with the onions or add them after the broth. She insists that cooking them with the onions makes them absorb more flavor, but I think it makes them get mushy too fast. We've literally made side-by-side batches to prove our points, and honestly, both ways taste good. The real disagreement came when Emma tried both versions and said mine was better.
Her version was creamier, but mine had better potato chunks that didn't fall apart completely. Now whenever we make soup together, we do it my way, but she always mutters about how her method is "more traditional." The funny thing is, we both learned from watching our moms make soup, and apparently they did it differently too. Sometimes I think we just like having something to argue about while we cook, because we always end up eating both batches anyway.
Top Tip
- The biggest mistake people make is adding the cream too early or too fast. If you dump it in while the soup is still boiling, it'll curdle and look gross. Turn the heat down low, add the cream slowly while stirring, and keep it at a gentle simmer. Emma learned this lesson when he tried to help and turned our beautiful soup into chunky, separated mess.
- Another thing I wish someone had told me - don't mash all the potatoes. Leave some chunks for texture, or you'll end up with something that looks like thick baby food. Emma calls over-mashed potato soup recipe "gross mush soup" and refuses to eat it. I aim for about half the potatoes mashed and half still chunky. It gives you that perfect creamy base with little bites of potato that make it feel more like real food than just flavored liquid.
Why This Potato Soup Recipe Works
Making potato soup recipe dozens of times taught me that it's all about getting the starch level right. When you cook the potatoes until they're just falling apart, some of them break down and thicken the soup naturally while others stay chunky for texture. The flour helps too, but it's really the potatoes doing most of the work. Emma figured this out before I did when he complained that my first attempts were either too thin or too thick - turns out I was either overcooking or undercooking the potatoes.
The other thing that makes this recipe work is building the flavor in layers. You start with bacon fat, then onions, then garlic, then flour, then broth - each step adds something different. If you just throw everything in at once, it tastes flat and boring. But when you take time to cook each thing properly, you get this rich, complex flavor that makes people think you're some kind of soup genius.
What ingredients go in potato soup recipe?
The basics are potatoes, broth, onions, and something creamy like milk or cream. Most people add bacon for flavor and cheese for richness. I always use butter, flour, and garlic too. You can keep it simple or load it up with extras like chives and sour cream.
What is a good thickener for potato soup recipe?
The potatoes themselves are the best thickener - just mash some of them right in the pot. Flour mixed with the butter also helps, but don't use too much or it gets gummy. Some people use cornstarch, but I think that makes it taste weird.
Why does my potato soup recipe have no flavor?
You probably didn't season it enough or skipped building flavors. Cook the onions until they're soft, use good broth, and don't forget salt and pepper. Bacon fat makes a huge difference too. Taste as you go and fix the seasoning.
How to make potato bacon soup?
Cook bacon first and save the fat for cooking onions. Add the crispy bacon back in at the end so it doesn't get soggy. Emma insists on extra bacon on top because he says regular amounts are "not enough bacon for soup.
Time to Make Some Soup Magic!
Now you know how to make the potato soup recipe that turned Emma from a picky eater into a soup lover. This recipe proves that sometimes the simplest comfort foods are the hardest to get right, but once you do, you'll never want to go back to the canned stuff.
Want more family-friendly recipes that actually work? Try our The Best Tuna Salad Recipe for easy lunch solutions that kids will actually eat. Need a veggie-packed dinner that doesn't taste like vegetables? Our The Best Zucchini Lasagna Recipe is perfect for sneaking nutrition into picky eaters. And when you want something that feels like a treat but isn't too complicated, our Best Shrimp Tacos Recipe delivers every single time!
We can’t wait to see your bowl of comfort! Share your photos with
Leave us a five-star review and become part of our kitchen family!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Potato Soup Recipe
Potato Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large pot or Dutch oven (For cooking soup base)
- 1 Sharp knife (For chopping)
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Potato masher (Or immersion blender)
- 1 Ladle (For serving)
- 1 Small bowl (For holding garnishes)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes - peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon - cooked until crispy chopped
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese - grated
- ½ cup sour cream - for topping
- — — fresh chives or green onions - sliced for garnish
- — — salt and black pepper - to taste
- Optional — celery carrots, bay leaf, paprika - for added flavor or color
Instructions
- Cook bacon, then sauté onions and garlic in the bacon fat until softened
- Stir in flour and cook briefly to form a light roux, then whisk in the broth
- Add cubed potatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender
- Mash half the potatoes in the pot and stir in butter, cream, and cheese until smooth
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, chives, and reserved bacon pieces
Leave a Reply