Baked potato soup is about as good as you can get in terms of comfort food in the soup category! It’s so hearty and creamy and full of flavor. This soup has all the best parts about a loaded baked potato, in a bowl you can slurp. It’s a great recipe to use if you have leftover baked potatoes, but it’s also easy enough to whip up all on the same night. Top it with all the traditional baked potato toppings of crispy bacon, sliced green onions, melty cheddar cheese, and a dollop of sour cream if you like. This is definitely a favorite of my whole family and perfect for a cozy night in!
Ingredients and Equipment
- Butter – real butter gives the best flavor here, and also combines with the flour for the thickening agent.
- Garlic– fresh garlic adds great flavor, but if you’re out, you can definitely sub in some garlic powder to taste! If using garlic powder, add it with the salt and pepper to taste. I’d start with 1/2 teaspoon.
- Flour – flour is used as our thickener. If you’re out of flour, you could certainly try combining 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with your cold milk before adding to the pot to help thicken the soup.
- Milk – low fat milk works just fine in this recipe, though I personally would skip skim milk. I generally use what we have at home, which is 1%.
- Chicken Broth – free free to use canned broth, or chicken bullion base + water or homemade if you have it!
- Potatoes – russet potatoes work best here with their high starch content. They crumble nicely and area able to soak up liquid in the soup. If you have another type of potato leftover, or in your kitchen, you can certainly sub out a different variety and it will still taste great. This step takes the longest in terms of prep time, but if your potatoes are already cooked, it comes together in under 30 minutes!
- Cheese – I prefer using a sharp cheddar for extra flavor, but regular mild cheddar works great as well. I would avoid using pre-shredded cheese in bags, as it doesn’t melt as well and might add a less desirable texture to your finished soup.
- Sour Cream – low fat or full fat sour cream can be used.
- Green Onions– thinly slice your green onions and use both the white and green ends!
- Bacon– bacon adds both flavor and texture to the finished soup. Though I call for the minimum amount of bacon needed for the recipe, at our house I just cook a full pound so we have plenty to add on top. The easiest way to prep bacon for this recipe (and always) is baking it in the oven! You can cook it at the same time as your potatoes, just add the pan toward the end of cooking time.
Instructions
This is a basic walkthrough of making baked potato soup so you can know what to expect! Scroll to the end of this article for the full printable recipe, including all measurements.
- Melt butter in a large stock pot and add garlic. Saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add flour and whisk mixture together to form a paste-like mixture.
- Drizzle in milk very slowly, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Note: This step can sometimes be problematic and even I end up with lumps sometimes! No shame in that- rouxs can be tricky and this one has less butter than normal so it’s a little harder to smooth out. I often just pull out my immersion blender at this point to smooth it all out before moving on to the next step.
- Add chicken broth and bring soup to a low simmer to thicken.
- Add in cooked baked potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Add in cheddar cheese and stir until melted and then add in sour cream, bacon, and green onions.
- Ladle into bowls and Serve with extra toppings!
NOTE: I mention in the ingredient notes above that I like to have extra chicken broth on hand. This is a thick and hearty soup- if I need to stretch it, or if it’s going to sit for a bit, I like to add extra broth. It’s very flexible that way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prep baked potato soup ahead of time? This soup will thicken quite a bit once stored, so I think it’s better made fresh. That being said, leftovers are delicious, they just need to be thinned out with additional broth.
Can any of the steps be done ahead? Yes! To save time, bake your potatoes ahead of time. They can be stored in the fridge until ready to use. This is an excellent use for leftover baked potatoes. You can also cook your bacon ahead of time and store the same way. Slice your green onions and grate your cheese. With all of those steps done ahead, this soup takes just minutes to make!
Help! My leftovers are super thick, what do I do? As mentioned above, this soup will thicken upon chilling. Just heat it up and if necessary, thin with a little extra broth until your desired consistency is reached.
Serving Suggestions
- We love serving baked potato soup with crusty bread for dipping. Because the soup itself is so hearty, it’s definitely more filling than other lighter, broth-based soups. Bread and a nice green salad work nicely!
- If you’re up for making your own bread, this super easy overnight artisan loaf is a great choice. We also love homemade Buttermilk Ranch on our salad.
Baked Potato Soup
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
Creamy, hearty baked potato soup with all the toppings! Note: The cooking time assumes your potatoes are already baked.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 1/2 cups milk
1 14oz can chicken broth (I like to have 2 cans on hand, more in notes)
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked*
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cups sour cream, plus extra for topping, if desired
1/4 cup sliced green onions, plus extra for topping
4–6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled for soup, plus extra for topping. *I always cook a full pound of bacon because we like to have lots for topping!
Instructions
*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 400 for 45-60 minutes, until a knife or fork easily pierces potatoes.
Instructions:
1. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add flour to pan and whisk to combine. It will be a somewhat crumbly paste. Slowly add milk a little at a time while immediately whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth. NOTE: At this point, if you find yourself with lumps- take the time to whisk vigorously, or use an immersion blender to smooth mixture. If all else fails, you could also place the mixture in a blender. Better to use one of these steps than to have a lumpy soup!
3. Add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a low simmer and cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Because of the milk, this mixture can burn on the bottom of the pot if you aren’t stirring pretty regularly.
4. 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. I like to do this right onto a cutting board so I can lightly smash them up.
5. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese to soup, along with salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.
6. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup green onions, and 4-6 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
7. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with extra sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Questions & Reviews
Love it. Make it all the time!
I have added cheddar cheese to soups I the past and it has curdled has any one had this problem
I know what you mean! That usually happens when the soup is at a boiling point (too hot) when the cheese goes in. Try lowing your heat and you should be able to avoid that problem.
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.
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!!
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?
This is just fantastic. Although it makes me thin maybe I should join the fit club after all 🙂
My family absolutely loved this! It came out amazing. I would just like to know if you have a crock pot version?
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!
OMGosh this was delicious. I really enjoyed this!
What is the serving size?
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.
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 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 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! 🙂