This easy potato soup recipe is creamy, comforting, and always a crowd favorite.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this delicious, creamy potato soup! It’s simple and easy to make and so perfect on a chilly, damp day.”
– Katrina
Like A Warm Hug In A Bowl
Love a cozy bowl of homemade potato soup. ♡
It’s the kind of comfort food I grew up eating on chilly Midwestern nights — simple, hearty, and always so nostalgic. I spent years tweaking this recipe, and it’s now a forever favorite in our house. And after tens of thousands of you have made it (and raved about it!) over the past decade, I’d say it’s officially a reader favorite here too!
This homemade potato soup recipe is wonderfully creamy (without needing heavy cream), layered with cozy garlic and cheddar flavor, and easy to customize to your taste. Even better? It’s quick and unfussy and ready to go in just 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights or lazy Sunday dinners or anytime you’re craving a cozy bowl of soup. One batch never lasts long in our house!
So if you’ve been searching for a tried-and-true potato soup recipe to keep on repeat, this is it!
Cheers,
Potato Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Potato Soup Tips
Before you get cooking, here are a few simple tips to help your potato soup turn out extra creamy and delicious:
- Dice potatoes evenly: Smaller, uniform pieces will cook more quickly and evenly.
- Warm your milk: This helps prevent curdling and keeps the soup smooth.
- Grate cheese by hand: Pre-shredded cheese is often coated with anti-caking agents that can make the soup grainy — freshly grated melts much creamier.
- Add cheese slowly: Stir it in a handful at a time off the heat to avoid clumping.
- Storage tip: Cool leftovers before refrigerating in a sealed container for up to 3 days; rewarm gently to keep the texture creamy.
Recipe Variations
This homemade potato soup recipe is endlessly flexible, so feel free to try one of these fun twists:
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the bacon and use butter or olive oil instead of bacon grease. For extra flavor, stir in 2–3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning.
- Make it gluten-free: Omit the flour and instead whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into the cold milk before adding it to the soup. Or skip thickener altogether and simply puree half the soup to create a naturally creamy base.
- Lighten it up: Reduce the grease/butter by 2 tablespoons, skip the flour, and puree half the soup to thicken. Use skim milk and turkey bacon (adding a drizzle of olive oil or butter for sautéing if needed).
- Add extra seasoning: Stir in 1 tablespoon of your favorite blend for a new twist — Cajun, Italian, za’atar, or taco seasoning all work great here.
- Mix up the potatoes: Try a blend of Yukon gold and sweet potatoes for a sweet-savory spin.
- Add more veggies: Toss in chopped cauliflower and/or broccoli with the potatoes for extra nutrition and texture.
More Potato Soup Recipes To Try
Love a cozy bowl of potato soup? Here are a few other reader favorites you might enjoy next:
The BEST Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, diced
- 3 tablespoons (reserved) bacon grease or butter
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 cups milk, warmed
- 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally. Transfer the bacon to a separate plate, using a slotted spoon, reserving about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the stockpot. (Discard any extra grease, or you can substitute butter in place of the 3 tablespoons of bacon grease. Also, if you are short on time, you can dice the potatoes and onion while the bacon cooks to save time.)
- Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the garlic and sauté for an extra 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Stir the flour into the mixture and sauté for an additional 1 minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the stock until combined, followed by the milk and potatoes.
- Continue cooking until the mixture just reaches a simmer, before it begins to boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, being sure to stir the soup every few minutes so that the bottom does not burn. (The smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster your soup will cook.)
- Once the potatoes are nice and soft, stir in the cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper and cooked bacon bits. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings. Or, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Be sure to also check out our Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe too — made easy in the crock pot!
- This recipe was originally shared here in December 2014.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I have made this recipe hundreds of times and LOVE IT! One quick hack that works just as good is to use frozen diced hash brown potatoes. Tastes just as good and saves time chopping. Enjoy!
Made it, loved it! I like my soup loaded, so I added extra potatoes and extra meat (ham AND bacon). Because of that, I increased the milk and chicken stock by 1 cup each. I love that this soup is so versatile and you can change it to suit your taste. The flavors blend magnificently! Btw, if you are feeling lazy, you can do two bags of frozen roasted red potatoes but still follow all cook times. No need to thaw, just dump them in!
Very good! First time making this recipe. Had a few changes because I didn’t have all ingredients. I used garlic powder, onion powder, and garlic salt instead of garlic and onion. Also, did not have bacon but imagine it would have been a tasty addition ?
I added baby corn. I couldn’t use flour (allergy) so I opted to blend half and it was a perfect thickness. It was so easy to make and fast. Everyone who tried some loved it!
Your Recipe is a True Winner! Loved it. I may someday Bake some Salmon and add to it! God Bless.
God Bless, Kimbery Boston
Oh My God! I made this tonight per hubby’s request. He’s been BEGGING for potato soup, and I’m so happy I found this recipe! I was blown away by how delicious it tasted even before adding the cream and cheese (and sans bacon)! The only thing I would change is that I think I’ll add some celery next time. Delicious, delicious, delicious! This blog never disappoints. I shared the recipe with my mom right away!
Just made this for dinner tonight. Really great recipe! Will definitely save this !
It was delicious. That said, I (annoyingly, I know) can’t say I followed the recipe. I didn’t add the milk til the end for concerns it would curdle/separate, and because don’t usually have straight milk on hand, so I used half and half (only 1/2 C total) and used broth for the rest of the liquid volume (which I adjusted up to make it liquidy enough for all my added veggies). It was plenty creamy. The greek yogurt and cheddar cheese are plenty of dairy creaminess on their own. I also added celery (basically a whole bunch) and carrots (around 6-7oz). You could get away with adding more vegetables, like broccoli (towards the end) or greens if you are also interested in nutritional content of your food. Hubby and I are vegetarians and used Morningstar fake bacon (our go-to for bacon) for the bacon. It would be just as good without it, in my humble opinion. I also did not add the 1 tsp salt, as our bouillon (Better Than Bouillon- No Chicken Base) is plenty salty.
Do you peel the potatoes? I’m going to use petite gold baby potatoes.
Sounds Delishe I will make this today.
Does this freeze well?
This potato soup really is the best! I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I’ve been making this frequently for over a year.
Literally the best soup ever. Just made it today out of boredom and I was astonished at how amazing it tasted. If you’re skeptical, just make it!!!
Left out the bacon, used the 3 tbsp of butter. I used a bit more broth by accident and I only had 2% milk. Almost the whole 32 oz box. Added 1 tsp salt. Used light sour cream not yogurt and 2% milk. Really flavorful. I had made a different recipe a few months ago that was very bland. I’m sticking with this one. It was thick after mashing the potatoes. I loved it!!