This easy potato soup is loaded with cheese, bacon, and chives reminiscent of a loaded baked potato! It’s a simple soup that uses easy-to-find, affordable ingredients and comes together in less than 45 minutes. It’s hearty, wholesome, and delicious!
We make this easy potato soup recipe on the stovetop, no slow cooker needed. The prep is easy, and you get a flavorful, creamy broth and tender potatoes. Then load the potato soup with toppings, or don’t it’s up to you!
This potato soup is creamy without adding milk or cream. We top it with cheese, bacon, and chives but it is just as good without it. I will have leftovers for lunch without any toppings, to keep a balance, and it’s perfect.
We’re big fans of soup around here because they are one pot meals making clean up a snap, they’re a great way to use up leftover ingredients (hello turkey noodle soup), plus, it’s an easy and tasty way to sneak vegetables in. Don’t believe me? Try this vegetable beef soup and this fun chicken pot pie soup 😉.
Ingredients
- Dairy – Butter (use regular or unsalted) and shredded cheese. We use a combination of white and yellow cheddar cheese. Other good options include gouda, Swiss, Monterey jack, and provolone.
- Produce – Onion (use yellow or white), celery, garlic, chives (or green onions) for serving, and, of course, potatoes. We use yellow potatoes here. Stick to a potato variety that is not too starchy, like yellow or red.
- Spices – The soup is simply seasoned with salt (we use kosher salt) and black pepper.
- Pantry – Flour (all-purpose) and chicken broth. Use reduced sodium broth if you are sensitive to salt. If you want to make this soup meatless then use vegetable broth and eliminate the bacon.
- Meat – Bacon slices, cooked crispy and chopped. If you need a recipe, try this oven bacon. You can also use store-bought bacon bits as a topping for the potato soup.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
Next, add the garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 30-60 seconds while stirring.
Add the flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute. Stir almost constantly.
Slowly add the chicken broth to the flour mixture while stirring. Continue until it dissolves.
Next, add the diced potatoes to the pot.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil (will take about 4-5 minutes). Then lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- The potatoes should be so tender that they can easily be mashed with a wooden soup. Stir often to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed. If you are serving it as a loaded potato soup keep in mind that the bacon and cheese are both salty, so you won’t overdo it. As a reference we added ¾ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve in individual bowls and top with the crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and chopped chives or green onions.
Top tip
Serve the soup as is or use a masher or the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes right in the pot to get a thicker soup.
Frequently asked questions
Yellow potatoes (Yukon gold) work well in potato soup. They are not very starchy preventing “gluey” soup. Red potatoes also work well. Avoid high starch potatoes like russets, but in pinch they will work for soup, just avoid over stirring.
A combination of butter and flour (roux) is used to thicken the soup. Plus, the potatoes themselves will break down and thicken the broth.
Yes, the potatoes can be prepped ahead of time. Keep them covered with cold water and place them in the refrigerator for a few hours (no longer than 24 hours).
I prefer them peeled so we get a smooth creamy consistency. But it’s not a deal breaker, especially if using yellow or red potatoes because they have thin skin.
Recipe tips and notes
- Use reduced sodium chicken broth, low sodium bacon, and unsalted butter if you are sensitive to salt. Adjust the salt to taste at the end.
- Keep the potato pieces small, about ½ inch to 1 inch. And keep them roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate.
- Make the soup “creamier”, without processing, by mashing some of the potatoes right in the pot. Use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to mash them.
Storing and reheating instructions
Store leftover potato soup in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for 3 to 4 days. Freeze it by cooling it quickly and place it in an airtight container that is suitable for the freezer. Leave enough room to allow for expansion (1-2 inches). Freeze for up to 2 months.
Gently reheat the soup in a saucepan or the microwave until hot all the way through and has reached a temperature of at least 165° F. It is possible that the soup will thicken when cooled so add 2-3 tablespoons of broth (per serving) to loosen it when reheating.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 medium Onion finely diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus extra at the end if needed
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 tablespoons Flour
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 pounds Potatoes peeled and diced into ½ -1 inch cubes (we use yellow potatoes)
- 3-4 Bacon Slices cook crispy and chopped or crumbled, or use store-bought bacon bits
- ¾-1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese for serving (or use your favorite cheese)
- 1-2 tablespoons Chopped Chives for serving (or use green onions, if desired)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Next, add the garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute while stirring.
- Add the flour to the vegetables and stir well. Cook for 1 minute to get the raw taste out of the flour. Stir almost constantly.
- Slowly add the chicken broth to the flour mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon or whisk. Move around the pot in small circles. Continue stirring until the flour mixture dissolves in the liquid.
- Next, add the diced potatoes to the pot.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil (will take about 4-5 minutes). Then lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- The potatoes should be so tender that they can easily be mashed with a wooden soup. Stir often to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed. If you are serving it as a loaded potato soup keep in mind that the bacon and cheese are both salty, so you won’t’ overdo it. As a reference we added ¾ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve in individual bowls and top with the crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and chopped chives or green onions.
Notes
- Keep the potato pieces small, about ½ inch to 1 inch. And keep them roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate.
- If you were keeping the potatoes in water to prevent browning, make sure to drain it before adding them to the pot.
- Serve the soup as is or use a masher or the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes right in the pot to get a thicker soup.
- Use reduced sodium chicken broth, low sodium bacon, and unsalted butter if you are sensitive to salt. Adjust the salt to taste at the end.
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