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!
We use oatmilk 1.8% fat, instead of dairy milk. A great way to make it meatless, yet with some protein, is to grate an hardboiled egg on top of the serving. Adds color and taste, too.
No flour is required. This way both the gluten, and lactose sensatives, are happy.
It was a soup kind of night tonight and I had some potatoes in the bin that needed to be used up. This is the best baked potato soup! Rich, thick and absolutely delicious. The soup was easy to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand. I may add chopped celery and carrots as other people have suggested and then it will be fully loaded baked potato soup. I will definitely make this again.
No bacon (I was out) so I used the ham flavored concentrate from Goya to make a ‘ham broth’ and subbed that in for chicken/veggie stock. Didn’t have the time to do the onions and garlic, so I subbed in garlic powder and onion powder (for our tastes it ended up being 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder). Half the milk I used cream. Wayyyyyy more cheese. Flour wasn’t needed.
While it may sound like a totally different recipe I’m reviewing, I’m reviewing on this premise: You could cook possum danglers in bacon grease and they’re still gonna be possum ‘danglers’… it’s all about the foundation, the base, upon which a recipe is constructed. THIS RECIPE HAS A 5 STAR BASE. All my [lesser quality] subs and this was still YUMazing!! Pinning it as a ‘Tried and True’ recipe; will be a flavorite from now on!
My family absolutely LOVES this soup!!! I’ve made it to many times to count. I double the recipe. I use a 5 lb bag of golden potatoes. Once the potatoes are done I use a potato masher and mash some potatoes in the pot. I use the sour cream option, a full lb of bacon and 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese. Everything else the same as the double recipe. Absolutely the best potato soup EVER!!!
Simple, yet delicious! Added a splash of winter ale for good measure;) Thank you for the recipe!
Hearty, filling, & perfect for our cool CA weather. My 20 year old son requested potato soup then turned around made it and ate it (only after I chopped everything but hey! It’s all good). He loved it & sent pictures to his sisters Thank you!!!
Made this about 20 times! Awesome recipe and worth every bite! Nailed it👍👍👍
First time I ever made potato soup and it was amazing thank you so much!!
This is definitely the best potato soup I’ve ever made and possibly ever tasted. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
One question, can I freeze this soup?
Can I freeze this soup ?