BY
Okay. Raise your hand if you remember the world before blogs. I do. At least I remember the time when I had no idea what a “blog” was. A few of my friends started writing them and I thought it was weird. And cool. At the same time.  And then I discovered food blogs. Wha?? People take pictures of their food? And put it on the internet? A whole new world of wasting time on the internet was opened up to me. I remember when my new-ish friend Kate started a personal family blog and one of the very first things she posted was a recipe for Baked Potato Soup. She had step by step pictures of all the ingredients and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It wasn’t long after that when she said to me, “Hey, we should start a blog together about recipes!” And the rest is history.
I’ve tweaked this recipe over the years and it’s one of our family favorites. The weather here in Boise has gone from scorching summer to perfectly pleasant fall overnight and I’m sooo happy about it! I finally busted out all of my fall decorations and decided it’s time for soup! (Speaking of fall, those of you who read our blog through email or google reader, you should come on over to the actual site. We’ve added lots of our favorite fall recipes in our side-bar so come on over to browse!)
The great thing is that this soup is rich and creamy and filling, but not horribly bad for you when it comes to calories. We balance out the use of cheese and bacon with skim milk and low-fat sour cream. You start with just a couple pats of butter
and toss it in a pan with some garlic. Butter and garlic cooking on the stove is one of the best smells in the world, in case you didn’t know. Someone should make a candle for that.
Then toss in some flour and low-fat or skim milk
When the soup thickens up, in goes potatoes. You can use leftover baked potatoes, or bake them before you make the soup, or use my trick- the microwave!
then add cheese and salt and pepper. Extra sharp cheddar adds great flavor, but regular plain ol’ mild cheddar works great too. One tip I have though, is to grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t work as well in things like this because it doesn’t melt as well.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in a little low-fat sour cream, some green onions, and bacon. Mmm bacon. Someone should make me a candle of that too.
To serve, top it off with some extra cheese, bacon, onions, and sour cream. And a big chunk of crusty bread isn’t bad either!
Comfort in a bowl I tell ya…
Baked Potato Soup
3 Tbs butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C milk (low fat works great)
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked*
2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 CÂ sour cream (low fat is fine), divided
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
*don’t have time to bake potatoes in the oven? Just pierce them with a fork a few times and then pop them in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute intervals until a knife easily pierces through them. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. To bake in the oven, pierce each potato with a fork and place directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.
Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.  Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. (Now, if you get to this point and don’t have a smooth liquid. Stop! Save your soup by popping the mixture in the blender, then continue.) Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.
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-Sara and Kate
looks yummy! i just made cream of potato soup for the first time this week. it was good, but i think i’m gonna have to try this recipe!
Great recipe! We gobbled this one up super quick. My husband was really impressed with my skills. Thanks.
It was pouring down rain here and a craving for Sara’s Baked Potato Soup arose. I crossed my fingers that the recipe was on here and yea! it was. Andrew’s and my stomachs say thank you!!! This is such a great comfort food.
Yum! I made this tonight, but used red potatoes and boiled them (I didn't think ahead in time to bake some potatoes!) It was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the easy, fast recipe!
Do you ever add chunks of potatoes into the soup or is it more of a creamy and not chunky soup?
You can make it as creamy or as chunky as you like. I like mine with some chunks so I leave the potatoes partially mashed.
This looks amazing. I just have a question…I have never made a rue without adding flour to melted butter and then the milk. Does this not need butter? I know this is kind of a stupid question but I am a strict recipe follower and don't want to do anything wrong :).
Corrine- not a stupid question at all! No, you don't need to start with melted butter like you would with a traditional roux. The heated flour and milk will thicken right up.
Wow….that looks very yummy!! Perfect for a cool Fall day!
My husband was just telling me about this soup yesterday (I had never heard of it), and here it is! Can't wait to try it.
Too funny! We are both on the same page today:) Yea for baked potato soup:)
I love potato soup, and knowing you, this is probably the best! I'll have to make it soon.
This looks SO good. I will make it, just as soon as I can eat dairy again. Sigh.
Oh, and I vote every time you remind me. So thanks for reminding me!
I totally voted for you guys (and it looks like you are in the lead)!!! YAY! Good luck girls!
…and thanks for all the amazing recipes!
Yum, yum, yum! I'll be making this soup this week. It's definitely fall in Utah and this is the perfect soup to kick it off! Thanks for creating this blog, I love it! And I love that you use Tillamook cheese!
This looks so yummy! I can't wait to make it! It's a perfect chilly rainy day for soup!
I love potato soup – especially when not feeling well. It's just a feel good kinda soup.
can't wait to try this (will try it next week when hubby is gonna be out of town for work for a couple of days! Yuuummm)
Now I have to search for the perfect bread recipe to go with it (thick, crusty, tasty bread….)
I LOVE this soup! It's so yummy!
Just voted! I truly hope you guys win! You have helped me so much with all things food, so thank you!
<3,
Adri
http://www.dreambookdesign.com
It is pouring here today, perfect recipe for the weather! I have been wanting a good baked potato soup recipe, I know yours will be a keeper. Thanks!
I love baked potato soup! I will definitely try this recipe out. I also have been voting for you as much as I can…love your blog!!
I grabbed some soup out of the bag powdered mix thing at the store today and now I'm wanting to go to the store and actually get the REAL ingredients…didn't know it was so easy. Thanks!
That soup look amazing! I've got a goal to try lots of new soup recipes this Fall and Winter and this one made the list 🙂
Loved it! I will never need another potato soup recipe!
When we were little, my mom would cut cheese into little chunks instead of grating it. I suspect the cleanup was easier. That's still a favorite way to eat soup. The cheese all falls to the bottom, and then you get a little cheesy surprise every now and then. Sooo yummy!
And looking at the recipe, it seems you actually DO make a roux, just not officially. You're already melting butter and garlic (yum!) and then you add the flour to that, and then the milk, right? Roux! You're geniuses!
Voting for sure. ove baked potatoes 🙂
oh heavenly…I must make this!
This looks and sounds yummy!
I'll be making it as soon as the weather is a little bit cooler. 🙂
Best wishes in the contest!
Once again, you have a smash hit! I made this for dinner last night and it is the best potato soup I've had. In fact, I'm eating some right now for breakfast!! My potatoes didn't scoop very well, so I just did chunks, with some mashed. It was so good!
I made a butternut squash and hazelnut soup the other day because it definitely feels like fall now over here in western Washington. I'll have to try this one next! 😀
How am I expected to make this and NOT make potato skins for lunch??? lol
Woooow this looks awesome! Every Tuesday when I lived in the dorms they would have baked potato soup… and that's all I would eat that day. I'm going to have to try this!
Followed all directions but the soup is watery and the sour cream is lumpy. Tastes good but doesn't look good:( and I was hoping for a creamy texture.
I had the same problem!
I'm a first time commenter, but I wanted to rave a little– in a good way. I love potato soup and so was excited to give this one a try. With all others I've made, you boil the potatoes, then do the blending. But baking them, which I did in the oven, gave SUCH a different (better) texture and flavor. This is truly the best potato soup I've ever had. I made it with the breadsticks from this site. Fabulous meal. Fabulous blog.
Natalie- something definitely went wrong because it should be nice and thick and the only lumps are the potatoes! I'm actually not sure how you'd get lumpy sour cream, lol. You might not of simmered it long enough if it turned out thin because it has plenty of thickening agents. Hopefully you can try it again and have it turn out like it should 🙂
Love your blog, and can't wait to try this recipe!
BTW, bacon candles really do exist… http://www.veryfunnygifts.com/products/manterns-candle-bacon
I don't know about the butter and garlic though – they should get on that 🙂
My husband LOVED this, super easy and very yummy. THANKS!!
I tried this last week and my family totally loved it. I added some carrots and celery to make it feel a little healthier. It was awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this last evening for a church supper. I quadrupled the recipe, which made A LOT OF SOUP, but the huge stockpot that was full when I arrived was scraped down to the last drop when I left. I received so many compliments, even the children in attendance were coming up to me to tell me how good the soup was. Thank you so much for this recipe. It truly is the ultimate comfort food, even for a crowd. And you've certainly got my vote. Again and again and again.
I absolutely adore baked potato soup. I can't wait to try this recipe out! Thank you!
My husband hates (with a capital H) anything soup or stew related, so for the last 6 years I have not made anything like them. However, we just moved back to Utah (from AZ, so I really had no problem not ever making soup…too HOT!) and it is cold out and the leaves have turned color. I promptly informed my husband that fall is my favorite season, and this time I was GOING to make some stews because they are my favorite part of fall. After much gnashing of teeth, I told him I would only make one a week. Knowing that he is a huge loaded baked potato fan, I figured this recipe would be failproof. I was right. He ate two bowls. And finished off the children's. Thanks for starting me off on the right foot and convincing my husband that not all soups are weak!
I just found out about you, I voted for you and can't wait for your recipe book to be here in march!
I made this yesterday and it is so yummy! thanks for the recipe! you're totally going to win that contest, by the way! you deserve it.
Thanks for this recipe! I made this soup for dinner last night and it was a big hit. I have to say that your trick with cooking the bacon in the oven is amazing! My husband said that was the best bacon he ever tasted!!! Can't wait for the Our Best Bites Cookbook!
I just made this tonight and it is SO GOOD!!!! Thank You for sharing, now we have a new family favorite recipe to use. YUMMY!
Holy cow! This soup was amazing! I ended up taking some over to my neighbor and she was in love as well. Thank you for all of the great recipes! So tasty!
This looks so yummy, has anyone tried freezing it?
Stephanie–It definitely doesn't freeze very well; it tends to curdle. Bummer, right?!
Oh Cruuuud! I was making this from memory and thought it was just a Tbs. of flour…good thing I checked! I was able to take some of the hot milk (even after I added the potatoes), wisk it with some flour, and thicken up the soup. WHEW.
Enjoying a bowl NOW at midnight. It just came off the stove.
I cheated on the bacon, though. Mom purchased a huge bag of bacon crumbles at Costco, so I just put a honkin handful in the soup. I also used some yellow onion with the garlic, set it aside, did the milk/flour thing, then added the onions back in when I added the potatoes.
And I left the sour cream out because EVERYTIME I add it to hot soup, it curdles. Freaks me out, so it's just a topping on this FANTASTIC soup. Yum. Yum!
Oh I also forgot to say – I used just 3 cups of whole milk along with the can of broth and it was JUST the right amount of liquid. I think any more and I'd have to add more flour (ew) or add more potatoes which would kind of be overkill since I had about 3 cups of baked potato anyhow.
Thanks so much for the recipe!!! I stumbled on it today and well my meal plan went out the door!
I made this soup for a party last weekend. It was a hit!! Thanks for the recipe. It is my new favorite potato soup.
Can you freeze this soup?
How many servings would you say this recipe makes? I'm taking it to a girls weekend, there will be 7 of us and I'm not sure if I should double it?
Maria–It doesn't freeze particularly well–it tends to curdle.
Kim–It generously serves 6-8.
I love this recipe and so does my husband. He even took the leftovers to work today for lunch…which never happens.
Kim, when I made it last night I had a bowl, my husband had a bowl and a half and I still had about a bowl and a half leftover. If your friends have hefty appetites you might want to double it or maybe make a bread to go along with it.
This is THE best potato soup recipe ever! I usually have to simmer it longer than the time stated for it to thicken (I might just need to use a higher heat), but the flavor and texture is out of this world!!! One of my 8-year-old daughter's favorite Our Best Bites recipes!
This is a good recipe, however, it's more of a Cream of Potato soup than a Baked Potato Soup. Baked Potato soups usually are thicker & richer (because they usually have heavy cream or half & half). This is a lovely cream of potato soup. I found that I did have to transfer the liquid to a blender to get out all the lumps. But that worked wonderfully. And then after I added the potatoes to the soup, I used a potato masher right into the stockpot and mashed them to the consistency that I like – leaving still little chunks of potato. It's nice to have a lower-fat version of a potato soup.
I made this for my hubby tonight for dinner. It was very good. Thank you for the recipe.
pritimovThanks for the recipe when I get back from New York I am going to give it a try. We love soup in the winter. Thank Laurie….
I made this soup. I love it-my family loved it- highly recommended and I am willing to make it again, actually craving it right now
Kerry
Do you only put 3/4 C of sour cream in the soup and then put the rest from the 1 1/2 cup for the top when you serve it?
Correct!
I LOVE this recipe!! I’m making it for the second time tonight! Thank you for sharing your cooking & baking talents with us! I’ve put in an order with my hubby to get me your cookbook for mothers day 🙂
This was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again! Mmmm, mmmm!
This was so good that ALL my children actually liked it. And thanks for the blender tip, I probably would have messed it up otherwise =)
Smiles… yes smiles, compliments and requests for seconds at our dinner table after serving this amazing flavorful and filling soup! My Husband and two sons are incredibly picky eaters and were huge fans. So glad my sister-in-law told me about Our Best Bites. It is so much more fun to cook with so many new and unique ideas to choose from. Thank you Ladies!
Just found your web site and I am very excited to try some of your recipes but I noticed that a few did not have that great option to print it out and they did not copy over well. I’m not great with computers but do you have a suggestion? Thanks, Kim
We’re working on getting the print feature on all the recipes. For now, the easiest option is to copy and paste the the recipe into a word processing document and then deleting any extra text/pics you don’t want before printing it out.
Hope that helps!
I make your Baked Potato soup for my family GF because my hubby and oldest son can’t have gluten. I start out with 4 cups of cold milk and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a cool pan, whisk them together and bring to a boil over medium heat until thick. Then I whisk in 2 cups of chicken broth and then follow the regular directions for adding the rest of the ingredients… its one of my family’s favorite meals. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
For a gluten free version I substitute gluten free baking mix for the flour and it comes out great! I love this soup!
Just make sure the flour substitute doesn’t use beans…Yuck!
Kayla, Do you think rice flour or sweet rice flour would work as well and still taste good?
This was totally delicious. The first time I made it I didn’t have enough regular milk, so I used non-fat powdered milk. it turned out so well that I’ve kept on making it that way.
I’ve tried four different baked potato soup recipes, and almost gave up because I never found one I loved. This one’s a winner! Your recipe is AMAZING!!!!! Thank you, thank you!
It’s a billion degrees outside, the middle of the summer, but I’m making this soup for the second time this week. I love the creaminess, and the flavors are amazing. Thanks so much for keeping our family in good food!
I mad this last night for dinner. When I asked my 3 yr old how it was her reply was “yummy”. I completely agree. I just have a quick question. Every year i host a cookie swap and I am thinking about making this soup to share while we visit. Do you recommend cooking it in batches or should I be able to double it and still get the same results?
You can definitely make a big batch amber. The only part that can get tricky sometimes is making the roux, so just be sure you get all of the lumps out and if you need to, put that part in the blender before you move on to make sure it’s nice and smooth.
GREAT! THANK YOU.
Oh. My. Goodness. This soup is to die for amazing!! Thank you thank you for having the best cooking website ever. I am asking for your cookbook for Christmas from my hubs. I have used a meal from you guys every day this week! Thanks again. You ladies are Cooking Goddesses 😉
Seriously yummy! Even my soup hater husband loved it (and ate TWO bowls!). Thanks! The tortellini soup is on the menu for next week and I can’t wait!
i’m making this tonight! can’t wait!!
Stumbled upon this on Pinterest and decided to give it a go tonight. Despite forgetting the chicken broth that I had on the counter, open, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME *lol*, it came out AMAZING! Will definitely make again after I highlight the line “then add chicken broth!!”
This soup is AWESOME! I’ve been making various potato soups for a few years now, and this one leaves them all in the dust. My husband is a HUGE potato soup fan and he was blown away. The only changes I made were to use 8 potatoes (didn’t weigh them, though) since I have a big family, and I didn’t add the sour cream or onions. Onions don’t fly around here, and I liked it SO much w/o the sour cream I thought, “Why add more fat?” Thank you so much!
How many servings is this?
probably about 6-8
If you happen to see this, wondering if I could use red potatoes instead of baking potatoes just because I have bags of them! Thanks so much 🙂 Put the calendar in my Amazon cart, just-in-case I don’t happen to win … must have it!
Ya that would probably be just fine Meredith. Red potatoes in general have a slightly different texture and aren’t quite as starchy, but for this recipe it would probably be just fine.
thanks Sara!! So excited 🙂
I’d eat this a few times a week if my husband would let me get away with it. I’ve actually even had good luck freezing it.
So so good! Every time now when I ask my husband what he feels like eating this week, he says your baked potato soup! Love it!
This is, without a doubt, the best soup ever! The flavor is amazing! Thank you so much!
I just made this and it was fantastic! It was the warm comfort I was looking for 🙂
I have 3 children, ages 4 and under, and a husband who are very picky eaters. So it was nice to see 4 our of 5 family members eat this up– I’m not convinced the 2 year old should count here 🙂
I also added in a handful of finely chopped shoestring carrots and realized I forgot to add the sour cream and it was still a very creamy, heavy warm soup which was perfect for the chilly air outside. Thanks so much for sharing this and I cannot wait to try more recipes!!!
We made this today, and it was delicious! I was scared that it wasn’t going to come out well because our soup took forever to thicken (we used almond milk instead of real milk, so maybe that’s why), but we just added some more flour and it was very good! 9.6/10 !
This soup was perfect. I had everything I needed which was even better! Everyone loved it, even the picky eaters! Thanks!!!
can i freeze this soup??
You can freeze anything… just put a date on it so it doesn’t stay too long. about 6 months is okay
This recipe was sooooo easy to make and delicious!! I’d recommend it to anyone! First time making this soup ever and it turned out great! I did have to blend it in the blender to get the lumps out though!
Soup was delish! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I made this for dinner last night, but didn’t have any bacon (travesty, I know!), so I used some cheese hotdogs I had in the freezer. I also substituted the sour cream with plain greek yogurt, cuz that’s what I had, and added about a 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Ya-hum-my! You girls are awesome! 🙂
I am a terrible cook and just getting started as a newlywed wife. My sister-in-law recommended your website for easy, delicious recipes and now I am hooked! I made this soup tonight and both my husband and I ate until we were sick. SO YUMMY! Thanks for the awesome recipes!
I LOVE this recipe! Question though, I’m going to make this soup for our Halloween ward party, but I would have to take it in a crock pot and I’m wondering if it would be okay sitting in a crockpot for a few hours?
It honestly can be made in about 30-45 min not including the baking of the potatoes. You could always do those the night before.
I made this tonight for my boyfriend and roomie… they both loved it… although i ended up adding onions to the butter and garlic. I also kept my potatoes chunky by cutting them with the skins on in strips on a cutting board after cooling. I also added a little cayenne pepper to the batch to give it a boost in flavor. I really liked it otherwise. Great suggestions and ideas. Saving this recipe for sure.
What is the serving size?
OMGosh this was delicious. I really enjoyed this!
Awesome! I just made this for our family of four. Everyone loved it including my 6 year old who typically won’t touch soup. It made enough for dinner tonight with leftovers for tomorrow night which is great! Thank you!
My family absolutely loved this! It came out amazing. I would just like to know if you have a crock pot version?
This is just fantastic. Although it makes me thin maybe I should join the fit club after all 🙂
This is my favorite soup ever. I’ve been making it for years from your recipe and we always have the leftovers the next day. But the leftovers are a lot less soupy and a lot more like mashed potatoes… So what is the best way to reheat it?
I just found this blog…and oh my. EVERYTHING that I tried has been a huge it. Especially this one. Too much goodness on one site.
I’m so, so happy to hear this!! Welcome!!
Can you make it a day ahead
Sure, but it will thicken once refrigerated. You’ll just need to add additional liquid to thin again.