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This easy loaded baked potato soup recipe is simple to make, thick, and creamy. All your favorite baked potato flavors are packed into this comforting and warming meal!
You might also enjoy my Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole or Potato Soup with Bacon next.
Why you’ll love it
This baked potato soup is a favorite since it’s a hassle-free way to get all the cozy flavors of a loaded baked potato in a soup. Some readers have even said this is the one they’ve been searching for. It’s super hearty, and you’ve probably got most of the ingredients on hand.
In case you’re wondering, we’re not actually baking the potatoes for this soup. Techniques for making this recipe vary, but I find it easier to just get on with the soup and cook it all in one pot. I always go with the simpler option if the taste is there! And it definitely is.
What you’ll need
- Bacon – I’m a big fan of using bacon to enhance the flavor in dishes. Instead of using butter or oil in this recipe, I use the leftover bacon grease after crisping up the bacon for sautéing.
- Garlic and onion – my go-to is sweet (Vidalia) onions
- Potatoes – I like Russets best for this soup
- Flour and milk – while this baked potato soup is creamy, it doesn’t actually contain any heavy cream. I used whole (3%) milk along with some flour to thicken it.
- Chicken broth – to add more dimension to the broth
- Toppings – I chose sour cream for that classic baked potato flavor and creaminess, scallions for a pop of freshness, and freshly grated sharp cheddar along with the bacon!
What’s the best kind of potatoes to use?
- I prefer using Russet potatoes in this soup, which are often just labelled as baking potatoes at the grocery store, because they’re starchy and help thicken the soup nicely and are the preferred variety for baked potatoes. They also fall apart fairly easily, which is great for soups.
- I peeled them, but you could always scrub them and skip the peeling step. It’s totally up to you! Some people like the added texture.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to mince garlic with this garlic press. It’s so handy.
- This is the Dutch oven I use, and kitchen shears make cutting up the bacon easy.
- I recommend grating your own cheddar from a block with a grater rather than using the pre-shredded kind in a bag. It melts way better and has a superior taste as well.
How to make baked potato soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut up the bacon, and fry until crispy in a soup pot. Remove the bacon and set aside, and leave behind about half the grease. Add the onion, and sauté until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk until the flour is dissolved.
Pour in the broth, and add the potatoes and garlic. Scrape up the browned bits, and increase the heat. Right before it boils, turn it down and simmer until the potatoes are tender, then mash if desired. Stir in the sour cream and most of the cheddar and bacon, leaving some for topping.
Garnish with the scallions and extra bacon and cheese, season generously with salt & pepper, and enjoy.
Pro tip
As with any creamy potato soup, it’s very important to add enough salt to bring out all the flavors.
Substitutions and variations
- To give this soup more texture, I like mashing the potatoes a little bit (I just use my potato masher and do it right in the pot), but you can skip that step if you want them to be more intact.
- Want to add a little heat? Add a generous pinch of cayenne pepper or some crushed red pepper flakes.
- You could always add some ham or shredded Easy Baked Chicken Breast if you want more protein in here.
What to serve with baked potato soup
- This soup definitely eats like a meal, but some sourdough bread would be the perfect thing to serve it with if you’re looking for something else.
- If you are looking for an all-out comfort food meal, however, try a slice of my Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- A side salad makes a great pairing since this soup is pretty rich. I recommend mixed greens with my better than Olive Garden Italian Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers of this soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days max in the fridge.
- When reheating this creamy baked potato soup, do it on a low heat, stirring often. You will likely need to add some more chicken broth because the potatoes continue to release starch. The longer the soup sits, the more it will thicken up.
- This soup is okay frozen, but I do find that freezing potato soups can make them a little grainy when reheated. It will still taste good, though. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More cozy soup recipes
Let me know if you’ve tried this loaded potato soup recipe in the comments below. You can also find me on Instagram. Tag me #saltandlavender to showcase what you made!
Easy Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 large Russet potatoes diced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or more to taste
- Chopped scallions to taste
- 3/4 cup sour cream or more to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut up the bacon and add it to a soup pot (I use kitchen shears to make this job easy). Fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it's nice and crispy (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, prep your onion and potatoes. You can peel the potatoes like I did, or scrub them and leave them unpeeled if you prefer.
- Once the bacon is done, take it out of the pot and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about two tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot (it's fine to eyeball it). Discard the rest of the bacon fat or reserve it to use in another recipe.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté it for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook it for about a minute.
- Whisk the milk in slowly until the flour has dissolved.
- Add the chicken broth, garlic, and potatoes. Increase the heat to high. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. When the soup is almost boiling, reduce the heat and cover the pot with the lid slightly open. Let the soup simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- While the soup's cooking, get the cheddar, scallions, and sour cream ready.
- The potatoes should be quite fall-apart tender by now. I like to take my potato masher and mash the potatoes a little bit right in the pot, but if you want to leave the potatoes as-is, that's fine too.
- Stir in the sour cream and most of the cheddar and bacon (I reserve some to top the soup with). Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Top each bowl with the scallions and remaining cheddar and bacon.
Notes
- If at any point the soup is too thick for you (especially when reheating it), add in some chicken broth slowly until your desired consistency is reached.
- I suggest reheating this soup on a low heat and stirring it often. The potatoes can cement on the bottom if the heat is too high.
- This recipe is also on page 165 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love this soup. Have you ever made it in the crockpot? If so how long do you cook it?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Melissa! 🙂 I haven’t tested this one in the Crockpot – sorry!
I misplaced my usual potato soup recipe so I thought I would give this similar one a try. Big mistake. I’m sorry but I followed the directions to a “T” and it was not great. I’m giving it a 3 because it was edible but I will not be making this again. Typically I boil the potatoes separately then add them to the milk/broth/roux. I think that is a huge part of where this recipe went wrong. It made the texture very grainy and bland. I ended up adding garlic powder, onion powder and a ton of s&p in order to salvage it. I’m so disappointed.
Sorry you didn’t like it. It’s very highly rated by others.
Excellent recipe! I used a 2lb bag of frozen cubed hash browns instead of fresh potatoes and it came out wonderfully. It would be great with some bbq brisket on top too for a little extra protein. Thanks so much!
That’s great! And love that brisket idea!
Excellent recipe. Tried with family and they loved it!!!!
That’s great! 🙂
Really enjoyed making this recipe. My husband loved it!!
Wonderful!!
Easy peasy. Tastes great.
Thank you, Marsha! 🙂
Can i use 2% milk! If so how much?
I’d use the same amount. 2% just means it’s thinner and the soup is more likely to curdle, so I’d try not to boil it if possible.
This is the best potato soup I ever made! In the past, other recipes came out grainy. My husband wasn’t hungry but once he smelled it cooking he was there getting a big bowl. I cooked sweet Italian sausage on the side cause he likes it in his soup. It was great.
That’s awesome!!
Made this last night. I make potato soup all the time so this recipe was a little different with sour cream and bacon. I use ham and only chicken stock and half and half. This is very thick and creamy, but we liked it a lot. It’s not very salty even after I added salt and pepper. Next time I’ll spice it up a little more.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! Maybe try adding some Tony Chachere’s seasoning – I love adding it to potato soup!
I made the loaded bake Potato Soup, it is amazing the flavor is so good. I’ll recommend this recipe to my friends and family. 🙂
Thank you!!!
I made this for friends & they loved it! It’s a favorite now. I added chopped celery & fresh spinach!
That’s awesome! So glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂