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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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I am making this soup tonight for dinner. I par-baked the potatoes because it seemed odd to me to only boil and then simmer russet potatoes for 20 mins. It is now going on an hour and they are still not tender. I recommend giving yourself more time than you think to boil the potatoes.
Hi! Did you dice the potatoes like the recipe states in the ingredients list? Diced potatoes should definitely be cooked in 20 minutes. They are diced in the step-by-step photos too.
Hi can this be converted to a crockpot recipe? I’d love to make this for work tonight.
Hi Catty! I’ve only tested it as written – sorry. You’d have to do the searing steps on the stove first then transfer to a slow cooker.
Good recipes!!!
Thank you, Lydia!
I made this soup, I used Tony’s for seasoning, I added diced carrots & red bell pepper for color..I did not mash the potatoes..I really enjoyed the soup..quick & easy…
Excellent!! Thank you so much!
The flavor was good ! The milk stuck to the bottom of the pan even though it was was on my very lowest burner! So there was scum I had to keep taking off that came to the top as I stirred it almost constantly!! I had never added the milk until the very end because I was afraid this would happen! The flavor was good so next time I would just cook potatoes in broth and add milk at the end and slowly bring it to an almost boil! !!! Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Gail! I can’t say this has happened to me before. You need to whisk it quickly and my first thought was the pot was too hot if it’s sticking to the bottom.
It’s BLAND! Love the consistency but there no flavor at all. Not sure what to add to make it taste good – disappointing…my pigs will probably get most of it :/
Sorry you didn’t like it, Jen. It definitely needs to be salted properly as any recipe that has potatoes and cream. I love adding Tony’s or seasoning salt to soups if I feel they’re missing a little something.
We love baked potato soup. One thing I do different is actually bake the potato. After baked, I dice up in bigger chunks and add that to the completed soup. Then top with bacon, cheese, scallions, and sour cream, which are all also in the soup.
Yes that’s definitely an option! 😀
Recipe was easy and came together pretty quick. I used Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon about a half cup because I didn’t have uncooked bacon. Very enjoyable on a cold rainy day.
Glad you enjoyed it, Linda!
Are the potatoes diced up or sliced for this recipe
Hi! Diced.
I’ve made this recipe so many times and we all love it so much!! It is the ultimate comfort food especially in the winter. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Question. Is it possible to substitute half and half for the whole milk?
Hi Milly! I answered your question earlier today – you replied to another reader’s comment asking the question below. The answer is “yes”. 😀
Can this be frozen?
Hi! See “leftovers and storage” in the blog post. 🙂
I’ve made this a few times and it is delicious!!! Thank you!!! One question. Can I sub half and half for whole milk?
I’m so glad it’s a favorite!! Yes – I think some readers have done that. I think that would be a great substitution. The soup may end up a little thicker, which I don’t think is a bad thing, but you can definitely add more half-and-half or chicken broth in if you need to thin it at the end or when reheating leftovers.
This was really good. I cooked the potatoes in salted water while I got everything else going and then when it was time to add potatoes, they were already pretty cooked. I still simmered for 20 minutes to cook down the milk and because I like the potatoes to be pretty much mush.
Lovely! Thank you!