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 loved this soup & I think it would make a great base for Clam Chowder just add the clams when adding the cheddar cheese.
This clam Chowder never fails me.
4 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams
3 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 ½ pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Drain clams through strainer set over medium bowl. Add bottled clam juice to drained liquid to measure 5 cups (add water if necessary). Bring potatoes, clam juice, bay leaves, and thyme to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low to maintain gentle simmer.
While potatoes are coming to boil, cook bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Pour potatoes and cooking liquid into pot with onion mixture, using wooden spoon to scrape bottom of pan. Add clams, cream, and parsley and simmer until potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Eating it now! So delicious- thank you!!
I love this soup recipe. I have made it many times. Do you think carrots would work well as an added vegetable?
I added two carrots and two small stalks of celery, tasted great.
Did you use them? I might try some shredded, but par boil them first.
So yummy! I was wonder if I could freeze this soup?
I’ve made two giant 6-8 quart variants based on this recipe in the last week (using roughly 3x the ingredients each time) and it’s been delicious, it’ll feed me for almost 2 weeks. I forgot the fresh garlic at the store so I used garlic powder, I sautéed a fresh carrot or two, celery stalks and onions in as much bacon grease as I could muster to start it off, went light on the flour and forgot it entirely the second time but thickened it by using more potatoes than you’d think and mashing 8 cups worth when soft.
Disregard the part where it says to discard any remaining bacon grease. Who do you think you’re talkin to, an amateur? Use it all. ;) other than that, great recipe to build off. You can use ham instead of bacon, use steamed broccoli n cauliflower in addition to or replacing the potatoes, add extra cheese and turn the same base into a great broccoli cheddar soup.
Love it and it’s a real hit!!
Have made this twice now and I have to say it’s my favourite potato soup – it turns out amazing every time! I find I slightly prefer using sour cream to greek yoghurt, but it’s delicious both ways. I also find the colour looks a little off if I use yellow cheddar – much nicer with white cheddar. Next time I make it I’m going to try using a different cheese, maybe emmentaler or gruyere, just for a different flavour. Topping with a dollop of sour cream and some sliced green onions makes it even better.
Man, I dunno, I made the recipe and find it super bland. I miss carrots and celery! So, tomorrow, I will saute up some carrots and celery and throw it into the soup in hopes of adding some flavor. I may even add some spice like Pioneer Woman’s recipe. I need something other than salt and bacon. This recipe is a huge miss for me.
Hi Cory,
Try adding some of the Cajun spice, it is all about how much you would like, however, I really found this to be the key to the taste since I did not use bacon at all. It is a really nice combo of spices though. Good luck
Best Recipe EVER!! HIGHLY recommended!!
I added cut up scallops and prawns. DELICIOUS!!
Any idea on calories?
It is delicious.