An easy potato soup recipe is made with simple ingredients, for the ultimate comfort food! This creamy soup is a great recipe to warm you up on cold days, and it’s easy enough for busy weeknights!
Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes
Potato Soup Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, chopped (cook until crispy)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ pounds yukon gold potatoes (6 large potatoes), peeled and diced (about 1/2 inch to 1-inch pieces)
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ cup cream
- **Optional, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- **Optional, Pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
- **Garnishes: Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped chives or green onions, crumbled bacon and a dollop of sour cream.
Equipment:
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Immersion blender, blender, or potato masher.
Instructions
Crispy Bacon Delight: Start by sizzling the bacon in your Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches your desired crispness. Remove the bacon, reserving the flavorful bacon grease in your soup pot.
Softening Symphony: In the bacon fat, sauté the onion on medium-low heat until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, releasing its aroma.
Roux Magic: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and bacon grease, and stir. Then slowly stir in the broth until smooth, creating a roux that thickens the soup beautifully.
Potatoes: Add the diced potatoes, 4 cups of chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and optional smoked paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Creamy Embrace (Optional Chunks!): For a velvety smooth soup, carefully transfer all the soup to your blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. For a rustic twist with delightful potato chunks, blend half of the soup until smooth and return the puree to the pot.
Flavorful Finale: Stir in the cream and half the reserved bacon for a flavorful touch. Let the soup simmer on medium heat for another 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
Serving with Flair: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your favorite garnishes like shredded cheese, fresh chives, sour cream or the remaining bacon bits. Indulge in a bowl of creamy comfort with a delightful texture contrast from the optional potato chunks!
Potato Soup Tips
- Potatoes: Yukon golds are the best potatoes to use because they are the most creamy. But, if you don’t have Yukon gold potatoes, you can also use russet potatoes or red potatoes and it will still be delicious.
- Personalize your creaminess: Blend more or less of the soup depending on your desired texture. Experiment until you find your perfect balance!
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a touch of heat or try other spices like 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme, rosemary or parsley.
- Flavor variations: Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth for a vegan option.
- Leftover love: This soup tastes even better the next day! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Substitutions
Potatoes: You can substitute the Yukon gold potatoes for red potatoes or russet, the texture will be a less creamy, but still very good.
You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream for a healthier version.
Turkey bacon can be substituted for regular bacon to get a lower calorie soup.
Leftover Potato Soup
This creamy potato soup isn’t just delicious, it’s built to be enjoyed beyond the first bowl. In fact, its flavors deepen and meld even more beautifully the next day! So, if you find yourself with a pot full of leftover goodness, here are some ways to savor it all over again:
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To freeze for longer storage, portion the soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
The Next-Day Delight:
- Straight from the fridge: Simply reheat the soup gently in a pot on the stove or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. The flavors will have had a chance to cozy up overnight, giving you a richer, more complex experience.
Soup Transformations:
- Creamy mash makeover: If you have leftover mashed potatoes, combine them with the soup for an ultra-comforting, chunky masterpiece. Just heat both separately and then blend together until desired consistency.
- Cheesy casserole magic: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Pour leftover soup into a baking dish, top with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly. A perfect way to feed a crowd!
- Breakfast surprise: Who says soup is just for lunch and dinner? Leftover potato soup makes a surprisingly delicious and nourishing breakfast when paired with a crusty roll or toasted sourdough.
Potato Soup Recipe Card
If you tried this recipe, I’d love 5 stars! Let me know how it turned out in the comments! And tag me on Instagram with your Soup!
Easy Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ pounds yukon gold potatoes 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1/2 inch to 1-inch pieces)
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- **Optional ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- **Optional Pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
- **Garnishes: Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese chopped chives or green onions, crumbled bacon and a dollop of sour cream.
Instructions
- Sizzle bacon in a Dutch oven, or soup pot, over medium-high heat until it reaches your desired crispness for garnish.
- Remove the bacon to a paper towel, leaving bacon grease in your pot.
- In the bacon grease, sauté the chopped onion on medium-low heat until tender and translucent. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the minced garlic and continue to sauté for about 30 seconds, till you can smell its aroma.
- Sprinkle the all purpose flour over the vegetables in the bacon grease, and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Then slowly stir in the broth until smooth. This creates a roux that helps to thicken the potato soup.
- Next, add your diced potatoes, 4 cups of chicken broth, whole milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and optional smoked paprika (if using).
- Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10-12 minutes, until your potatoes are fork-tender.
- For smooth potato soup, carefully transfer all the soup to your blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend till smooth. OR… For soup with potato chunks, as pictured, blend half your soup until smooth then return the puree to the pot with the remaining soup.
- Next, add the sour cream and half the reserved bacon and stir till well combined.
- Let your soup simmer on medium heat for another 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine.
- Ladle potato soup into bowls and top with garnishes like shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh chives or green onions, and the remaining bacon bits.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
