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Creamy Potato Soup

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 55 min
  • Servings 15
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If you’re looking for the best potato soup recipe around, here’s some good news: you found it! Using just a few simple ingredients, accessible techniques, and—you guessed it—a few potatoes, you can create a superbly satisfying side, or a shareable meal that’s hearty and wholesome all on its own.

The secret? Building layers of flavors and texture that blend luxuriously and make this creamy potato soup an everyday classic that’s also a deeply satisfying dish. It’s amazing as a companion to a simple sandwich at a casual lunch, or paired with salad and bread for an elegant dinner party.

As an added bonus, this creamy potato soup recipe has a lot of room for customization. Potatoes make an amazing base for soup partly because they taste great with so many other flavors! Add or adjust ingredients as you choose to create a homemade potato soup that really tastes like home!

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Jul 9, 2024
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How to Make Potato Soup

This traditional potato soup is all about stacking layers of flavor on top of each other. And to do that, you’ll need a skillet to cook things quickly, and a Dutch oven to cook everything together slowly.

The first step will make your kitchen smell amazing. First, fry the bacon, and reserve a couple tablespoons of the drippings in the pan. Then cook the onions in the bacon fat to add a depth to the flavor. After just a few minutes, those onions will be loaded with bacon-y goodness.

Transfer the onions into your Dutch oven, toss in the 1” cubed potatoes, and pour in the broth. Once it starts to bubble, turn down the heat and let it simmer.

Back in the skillet, blend melted butter and flour in the bacon fond to create a mixture called a ‘roux’ which is a fancy word for a shortcut to making soup unbelievably thick and rich.

After you stir in the milk and add the resulting mix to the Dutch oven, you’ll start to notice the soup becoming thicker and bubbly. That’s how you’ll know it’s done!

Now it’s just a matter of spooning it up, topping it off and passing it around!

Beloved Potato Soup Toppings

Toppings are where each of your guests gets to make this dish their own. Here are some classics.

Bacon: Obviously, this potato soup recipe already has bacon, but can you ever really have too much? The crispy crumbles reserved from the early steps add a blast of salty, meaty flavor.

Green onions: For an extra crunch and a delightful burst of color.

Cheese: Sprinkle on some cheddar cheese and just watch it melt into ooey-gooey goodness.

Sour Cream: Try a dollop on top for a tangy zip and an extra boost of creamy texture.

Storing and Reheating Homemade Potato Soup?

Store leftovers in an airtight container. For best results, if possible, store the soup separate from the garnishes, to keep the cheese, bacon, and green onions from getting incorporated in the mixture.

Can I Freeze Potato Soup?

This question is a bit controversial because the soup may separate or become grainy in texture when defrosted. However, If stored properly, your potato soup recipe will taste just as good as the first time around for up to 3-4 months. Use an airtight container, and when it’s time, let your soup thaw in the refrigerator. Then, simply stir well and heat gently until it’s ready to eat!

Ingredients

  • 1 package (12 oz) bacon
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 6 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from two 32-oz cartons)
  • 2 lb baking potatoes, peeled, cubed
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup diced cooked ham
  • 1 container (8 oz) sour cream
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (10 oz)
  • 3/4 cup sliced green onions
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Steps

  • 1
    In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium-high heat 6 minutes or until almost tender.
  • 2
    In 6-quart Dutch oven, mix onion, broth and potatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
  • 3
    Meanwhile, in same skillet, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour with whisk until smooth. Cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir in 2 cups of the milk. Pour milk mixture into potato mixture. Add remaining 2 cups milk, the salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
  • 4
    Stir in ham, half of the bacon, the sour cream, 2 cups of the cheese and 1/2 cup of the green onions. Cook until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Evenly top individual servings with remaining bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/4 cup green onions.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Think outside of the bowl for serving up soup. Serve in mugs for an extra cozy feel, or hallow out a round loaf of bread to create a bread bowl.
  • tip 2
    A quick route to uniformly crisp pieces of bacon is to cut the slices crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Scrape them into the large skillet (cast-iron is an especially good pan for cooking bacon) and fry them over medium heat until deeply golden brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Type of Potatoes Should I Use?

The classic baking potato is the russet. It’s one of the most starch-filled in the world of spuds, which gives it a distinct advantage in this soup. As the potatoes cook in the liquid, the starch and the broth will combine. The result is a rich, thick base for your delicious, creamy potato soup.

Other varieties of potatoes can add their own flavor to the mix. The Yukon gold is a famously versatile option, and in a soup like this one, it will add a distinctly nutty flavor, and its signature smoothness will make for a velvety-smooth texture if that’s more your style.

How Should I Cut My Potatoes?

You’ll want to end up with 1” cubes. To achieve this, start by cutting the potato in half. Potatoes are relatively soft, which makes them easier to cut than some other veggies, but you’ll still want one of your more substantial kitchen knives at hand.

Next, cut each half into inch-wide strips, then cut those into cubes. Thicker potatoes may have to be cut into thirds first, or even quarters.

For homemade potato soup, it’s recommended that you peel your potatoes first, to get that perfectly tender bite all the way around. However, peeling is not necessary. If you prefer your potatoes skin-on, there’s no rule against it!

Can I Make This Soup in a Slow Cooker?

We haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker, but there is a genius way to use the slow cooker when serving a crowd. If you make the soup a day in advance (but don’t top the soup with the remaining bacon, cheese, and green onions). It can be reheated the next day in a pan on the stove or in your slow cooker on a warm setting for two hours. Set out the remaining toppings for everyone to choose their own! Making the potato soup in advance will actually make the flavor even more indulgent (as if that were possible!)

For a slow cooker tested variation on this recipe, try Betty’s zesty Slow-Cooker Cheesy Bacon-Ranch Potato Soup.

Nutrition

362 Calories, 25g Total Fat, 13g Protein, 20g Total Carbohydrate

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
362
Total Fat
25g
0%
Saturated Fat
14g
0%
Sodium
863mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate
20g
0%
Dietary Fiber
1g
0%
Protein
13g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
0%
0%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
0%
0%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 High-Fat Meat; 2 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • We adore this indulgent soup on a cold day with a sandwich on the side! Try our tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches with it, for an easy-yet-so- satisfying meal.
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