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Whether you’re looking for a new go-to soup, or just want something creamy and comforting, this Cheesy Potato Soup recipe is sure to satisfy! It is loaded with so much flavor.
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This cheesy potato soup is also referred to as loaded potato soup because it is loaded with all your favorite potato toppings. Think cheese, bacon, and scallions with a creamy savory sauce. It’s the ultimate comfort food on cold winter nights when you want to feel cozy and wrapped up in a hug. It only takes 35 minutes to prepare, but tastes like it’s been simmering for hours. We love potatoes in any form, but this soup is one of our favorites. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also easy to make!
Ingredients in this Potato Soup
- Bacon
- Onion
- Flour
- Chicken broth
- Yukon gold potatoes (russet potatoes work too)
- Half and half (to make it even thicker, you can use heavy cream)
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Shredded cheese for garnish, optional
- Sour cream optional
- Green onion for garnish, optional
What Else Can I Add to Potato Soup?
You can make this soup extra hearty with all kinds of other ingredients. We love to add:
- Ham
- Corn
- Celery
- Garlic
- Chives
- Chiles
- Chicken
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cream Cheese (Panera Bread adds this to their soup and it’s delicious!)
- Butter
- Zucchini
- Peas
Frequently Asked Questions About this Soup
For this recipe, we use flour as a thickener, but cornstarch can also be used to thicken.
For an extra creamy texture, buttery Yukon golds are the absolute best for this potato soup recipe. But, if you don’t have any on hand, red potatoes or Idaho russets will do just fine.
When we say this soup is loaded, we mean it’s stuffed with all those delicious fixings you normally pile on top of a baked potato: cheese, crispy bacon, vibrant green onions, sour cream, more cheese. You know, the works! This potato soup is wonderfully versatile that way. You can add as much or as little of these toppings as you like.
Yes, but first of all, make sure you store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Then we suggest you warm it up on the stove rather than the microwave. The microwave doesn’t heat it evenly and causes the potatoes to taste grainy. We would also recommend you use up leftovers within three days.
Because of the cream in the soup base, this soup doesn’t freeze very well. This is one soup that is absolutely best when served fresh, or reheated within a couple of days. Plus, it’s so delicious that we rarely have leftovers.
Most potato soup recipes are not gluten-free. However, for this recipe, all you need to do is swap out the flour for your favorite gluten-free brand. Everything else stays the same and we promise you won’t even be able to tell the difference.
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More Scrumptious Potato Recipes
Being from Idaho, comforting potato recipes are our love language. We have several potato classics for you to try. One of our favorites is Loaded Baked Potato Soup, which is made with actual BAKED potatoes. So yummy!
How to Make Cheesy Potato Soup
Cheesy Potato Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 quarts chicken broth (8 cups)
- 10 Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- shredded cheese for garnish, optional
- sour cream optional
- green onion for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook bacon and cut it into 1/2" pieces. Place bacon pieces in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until bacon is crispy.
- Carefully remove bacon from the pot and place on a paper towel to drain. Set aside. Pour off most of the grease from the pot but leave about 3-4 tablespoons of the grease in the pot. Do not wipe clean.
- Add diced onion to the pot and sauté until onions become soft and clear.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir well to become combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes.
- Slowly add chicken broth, whisking constantly with a large whisk to make a slurry. Bring to a boil.
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1" cubes. Add diced potatoes to the pot and reduce to medium heat. Simmer potatoes for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, stirring often.
- Add half and half and stir until well combined.
- Carefully place half of the soup in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Be careful not to overfill the blender. You may want to do this in batches.
- Add the blended mixture back to the soup pot and stir in shredded cheese and cooked bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste. If not serving right away, pour the soup into a slow cooker to keep warm until ready to serve.
- Place in individual bowls and garnish with additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or chopped green onion.
Notes
- This soup will stay good in the fridge for up to a week.
- Tastes best when re-heated over the stove.
- Do not freeze.
Do you blend only half the soup?? In step 8
I like some chunks of potatoe.
Yes, you only blend half so you are left with some potato chunks.
It doesn’t say when to add the bacon back in.
It says in step 9 to add it in with the cheddar cheese.
Easy and super tasty
Easy and tasty
I am diabetic and need to know the serving size. It says 10 serings, but not size of serving.
I appreciate the nutrional facts.
We don’t have exact serving size measurements. It is hard to determine exact serving sizes with homemade recipes.
It was good as is and the next time I made it I made changes that made it more of a loaded baked potato cross cheeseburger soup. Just added lean ground beef and a little rosemary and parsley. It was great.
Super easy and delicious. I used Velveeta cheese for a smoother texture.
Just made this! So yummy! Thank you for sharing😊
This is the ultimate comfort food for fall and winter. I have had a craving for some really great LBP soup…..and this hit the spot!! Seriously good and soooo easy to put together. Just make it!!! It is a keeper and will be in my regular rotation!! Thanks for sharing!
I use heavy whipping cream and not the half and half. I also use ham and not the bacon. I made the soup bowls out of the frozen bread dough only because I can no longer find bread soup bowls at my grocery stores. The family absolutely loves this Sunday dinner.
The best comfort food! It’s so tasty and comes out so creamy! Love it!
Such a great potato soup!! One of my favorites!