The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published March 2, 2021

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Potato Soup loaded with chunks of tender, hearty potatoes and made with a rich and creamy soup base. This soup is a reader favorite and for good reason – it’s easy to make and absolutely delicious! Top it with cheddar and bacon and no one will be able to resist.

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (1)

The BEST Potato Soup!

This is my idea of the perfect homemade potato soup! It’s creamy, it’s amazingly filling and it’s packed with goodness.

Growing up we had a lot of potato soup. It might have something to do with the fact that my grandparents were potato farmers so that just got passed down. My mom made it probably twice a month and now it’s the same for me, especially during cold winter months.

You’ll love that it’s something everyone in the family can agree on, and even get’s excited about when announced it’s what will soon await for dinner.

It’s also a very convenient recipe. Most of the ingredients are food staples you can keep on hand that don’t spoil quickly. The potatoes, carrots, celery and onions store well for weeks (and if you opt for bacon that keeps great in the freezer).

This easy potato soup recipe is one I would deem worthy of your recipe book! It’s an ultra comforting and cozy dish you’ll turn to time and time again.

Plus it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day if you happen to have any left.

Watch the Potato Soup Video!

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (2)

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (3)

Creamy Potato Soup Recipe Ingredients

  • Russet potatoes
  • Yellow onion
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Low-sodium chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Sour cream
  • Optional toppings (cooked bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions)

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How to Make Potato Soup

  1. Add veggies and broth to pot: Combine diced potatoes, carrots, celery and onions with chicken broth in a large pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Bring to boil: Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (it will take about 10 minutes to reach a boil).
  3. Let simmer until tender: Once it reaches a boil reduce heat to medium and continue to cook about 15 – 20 minutes longer until potatoes are very soft when pierced with a fork.
  4. Prepare white sauce in separate pan: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat, add flour and cook for 1 minute while whisking constantly. While whisking, slowly add milk and cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins thicken.
  5. Combine mixtures: Once potatoes are soft add thickened milk mixture to potato soup mixture and stir (potatoes should start breaking down into soup, if not cook a few minutes longer).
  6. Stir in sour cream: Add sour cream and mix well.
  7. Finish with toppings if desired: Ladle soup into serving bowls, top each serving with bacon or ham, cheddar cheese and green onions.

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (5) The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (6)

Helpful Tips

  • Stick with russet potatoes. They aren’t firm and waxy like the red and yellow and they’ll start to break down and make the soup creamy.
  • Measure out the ingredients. If you have too many or too little potatoes it will change the consistency.
  • Don’t add other herbs or spices. I know that can be tempting but the simple flavors are perfect here.
  • Monitor texture of potatoes as they cook. You want potatoes that are tender but not completely mushy or you’ll have mashed potato soup.
  • For extra complimentary flavors add toppings. Cheddar and bacon are the flavor pairing to potatoes.
  • Try substituting heavy cream or half and half for the sour cream. It is also such a delicious option.

Variations

  • Try adding a few large handfuls of sharp cheddar cheese right into the soup (at the end off heat) for a cheddar potato soup.
  • Up the veggies. Include others such as peas or corn.
  • Make it meaty. Add cooked sausage (ground or slices of kielbasa) to the soup. Or go with the ham or bacon option, which you can mix right into the soup as well.
  • Serve with homemade dinner rolls for dipping, making it the ultimately hearty meal!

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More Ways to Make Potato Soup

  • Cheddar Broccoli Potato Soup
  • Ham Potato and Corn Chowder
  • Instant Pot Potato Soup
  • Slow Cooker Potato Soup
  • Potato Sausage White Cheddar Soup

More Delicious Soup Recipes You’ll Love

  • Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • Vegetable Soup
  • Corn Chowder
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (8)

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Potato Soup

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One of my go-to soup recipes and a reader favorite! It's such a creamy, hearty, comforting soup. While the toppings (cheddar, bacon, and green onions) are optional I highly recommend them for that loaded baked potato style flavor!

Watch the video

Servings: 5 servings

Prep20 minutes minutes

Cook30 minutes minutes

Ready in: 50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Optional Toppings:

  • Cooked chopped bacon or chopped cooked ham, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions or chives

Instructions

  • Combine diced potatoes, carrots, celery and onions with chicken broth in a large pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (it will take about 10 minutes to reach a boil).

  • Once it reaches a boil reduce heat to medium and continue to cook about 15 - 20 minutes longer until potatoes are very soft when pierced with a fork.

  • Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat, add flour and cook for 1 minute while whisking constantly. While whisking, slowly add milk and cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins thicken.

  • Once potatoes are soft add thickened milk mixture to potato soup mixture and stir (potatoes should start breaking down into soup).

  • Add sour cream and mix well.

  • Ladle soup into serving bowls, top each serving with bacon or ham, cheddar cheese and green onions.

Notes

  • *Try substituting heavy cream or half and half for the sour cream. It is also such a delicious option.
  • Toppings not included in nutrition estimate as these are optional.
  • Note that the soup will thicken as it rests so if you happen to have left overs you can thin with a little water or milk).

Nutrition Facts

Potato Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 441Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 56mg19%

Sodium 486mg21%

Potassium 1177mg34%

Carbohydrates 54g18%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 6155IU123%

Vitamin C 16.5mg20%

Calcium 220mg22%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best Potato Soup Recipe, How to Make Potato Soup, potato soup

Author: Jaclyn

The Best Potato Soup Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

How do you make soup taste rich? ›

Add acidic ingredients.

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

What is the secret ingredient to thicken soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

What potato holds up best in soup? ›

ANSWER: Waxy potatoes or those called boiling potatoes stand up well in soups and stews. These have thin skin and are high in moisture and low in starch. Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups.

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? ›

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What can I add to soup to make it rich? ›

Adding umami-rich ingredients like tomato paste or a parmesan rind to the soup will add a deep, rich savoriness and body to the soup.

How do you thicken potato soup? ›

Cornstarch is a very effective thickener, and a little bit can go a long way. Add cornstarch to a small amount of cold water or other liquid (wine or stock) and whisk into a thick slurry. Then the slurry can be stirred into a simmering soup, a bit at a time to set the final consistency.

What ingredient can be added to a soup to make it thicker and richer? ›

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

What do restaurants use to thicken soup? ›

Corn Starch

This completely versatile starch is used in savory and sweet dishes alike: gelatinizing fruit pie fillings or thickening your hefty, stick-to-your-bones soups.

What can I add to potato soup to add flavor? ›

The Best Potato Soup Topping
  1. Shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
  2. Crispy bacon.
  3. Finely chopped broccoli.
  4. Green Onions.
  5. Sour Cream.
  6. Fresh Chives.
  7. Chili Powder.
Jan 2, 2022

Why aren't my potatoes getting soft in my potato soup? ›

It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes. Acidic Ingredients: If your soup contained highly acidic ingredients (e.g., tomatoes), it could have affected the texture of the potatoes. Acidic ingredients can slow down the softening process of potatoes.

How do you doctor up bland potato soup? ›

Your potato soup is bland? Try adding a little more salt. That's usually the answer to any issue of blandness, no matter the recipe in question. A basic Appalachian style potato soup uses only a handful of simple ingredients, leaning on milk and water and often bouillon to create the brothy soup base.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in potato soup? ›

Similarly to half-and-half, milk makes a good heavy cream substitute when it's combined with melted butter. Combine 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup melted butter for every cup of heavy cream.

How do you make potato soup not bland? ›

Cheese: I recommend a good sharp cheddar cheese here for maximum flavor. Greek yogurt or sour cream: To make the soup extra-creamy. Salt and pepper: Add in as much as you need at the end to season your soup well.

Why is my soup so tasteless? ›

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl. Start with the basics. Ensure you've added enough salt and black pepper.

What can I add to my vegetable soup to give it more flavor? ›

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

How do you make food taste richer? ›

Add hardy herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, and marjoram to dishes early in the cooking process; this way, they release maximum flavor while ensuring that their texture will be less intrusive.

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