Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Delicious creamy and flavorful loaded baked potato soup recipe for family dinners during fall and winter.

This potato soup is made with crispy bacon, aromatic onions and garlic, creamy salty broth, tender mashed potatoes, and loads of gooey cheese.

My family enjoyed it when I made this simple potato soup and being the one who had to cook it, I can say, it is very easy and just so forgiving.

It is really hard to mess it up and it has all the flavors of classic loaded potatoes with cream, cheese, and crumbled bacon but in a soup form. Very comforting and that’s what I like about it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Family favorite and simply a good cozy soup made with pantry staples.
• Easy weeknight dinner on a budget yet tastes and looks as good as things served at the restaurant.
• Makes great leftovers and a double batch can work for meal prep for the whole week.
• A one-pot meal that takes very little time to make and is one of my favorite things and it is the ultimate comfort food.
• Homemade always tastes better, but it is quite similar to Newk’s potato soup.

Ingredients Notes

• Bacon. Depending on what texture you prefer you can use regular bacon – it will be nice and crispy or thick-cut bacon so you can really bite into pieces and get that nice salty smokey flavor. Save up some extra bacon for garnish chopped in small pieces. Pork or turkey bacon works fantastically. You can use bacon bits too – but make sure they are real bacon. The artificial ones give a bad flavor.
• Unsalted butter
• Onion + Minced garlic or garlic powder
• All-purpose flour will help to thicken the soup.
• Low-sodium chicken broth makes a great soup base with tons of flavor and yet less salt than regular broth or chicken stock, which makes it a bit healthier. You can also opt for vegetable broth.
• Russet potatoes. Peel potatoes and cube them to make them cook faster. Don’t have to be perfect cubes, we will mash potatoes anyway. Russet potatoes are my go-to choice, but you can swap them with Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes.
• Whole milk. Milk adds creamy flavors without thickening the soup base. If you want it thick (note that we are using flour anyway so the soup will be quite dense), you can also add heavy cream in addition to milk or even a block of softened cream cheese.
• Shredded cheddar cheese is a classic. As always, better to buy a block and grate fresh at home. Save some additional cheese for topping, if you want.
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Green onions or chives, chopped for garnish 

Kitchen Equipment

• Dutch oven or soup pot
• Potato masher or immersion blender
• Slotted spoon

How To Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup

1: Cook Bacon

1. Working over medium heat, cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crispy. You can use some olive oil to cook bacon.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pot.

2: Make The Soup Base

1. Add the butter to the hot bacon grease, then add the chopped onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
2. Stir in the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir well to coat. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Slowly stir in the chicken broth, stirring constantly while pouring to prevent lumps.

3: Add Potatoes

1. Add the cubed potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender all the way.

4: Mash Potatoes

Once the potatoes have softened, use a potato masher to break up some of the potatoes to the desired consistency. This will thicken the soup and give it more texture. You can leave them mostly whole if you want a chunkier soup.

5: Add Bacon And Cheese

1. Stir in the milk, bacon, and cheese. Continue cooking until the cheese has melted. The soup should be creamy.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Top with chopped bacon, shredded cheese, and chives, and add sour cream when ready to serve. If cooking the soup for storage, don’t add the toppings, sour cream, and chives right away, only for serving.

I love this soup with some bread!

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Loaded baked potato soup is not good for freezing.

Substitutions & Variations

• No time to pre-cook potatoes? Use frozen hash browns! You can even use leftover mashed potatoes from the day before.
• The crock pot version works with both potatoes and hashbrowns. It is an amazing dump-and-go recipe. Simply load potatoes, broth, and seasonings in your slow cooker and cook until potatoes are tender, around 4 hours on high or 8 hrs on low. Mash potatoes, and stir in cheese, bacon, and cream.
• Spice things up with red chili pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, sharp cheddar cheese, or Pepper Jack.
• If you have young freshly harvested potatoes, you can leave the skins on. Otherwise, you can also make skin crisps and use them as a topping.
• Try making this easy soup recipe with some extra cheese, different types of potatoes, minced yellow onion, or other delicious toppings.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Loaded Potato Soup

• If you want creamy soup but still some pieces of diced potatoes, you can blend or mash only half of the potatoes.
• Yukon gold potatoes take longer to cook.
• Do not overblend. It makes the whole soup gluey and slimy.
• You can pop the potatoes in the microwave for 10-15 minutes depending on the size to reduce the cooking time. You can also bake whole potatoes with skin (well, the recipe does say loaded baked potato soup) and then scoop the insides.
• If serving new guests, do not add all the toppings at once but rather serve crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, more cheese, etc in small bowls so everyone can pick and choose.

Popular Questions

How Do You Thicken Loaded Baked Potato Soup?

An easy way to make potato soup thicker is to whisk in some regular flour. You can also mash or blend cooked potatoes and it will bulk up the soup base thanks to the natural starch in potatoes. Adding cheese will also thicken the soup as the cheese will melt and make it gooey.

Which Potatoes Hold Up Best In Soup?

Russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes are the two best choices to make creamy potato soup or leave them as chunks. They don’t get mushy, hold the shape, and are tasty.

What If My Baked Potato Soup Is Too Thick?

Not to worry, you can reheat it with some broth or milk until you get the desired consistency. It is normal for the soup to thicken overnight.

If you love this cozy soup recipe, you’re going to love these other great soups too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Potato Recipes

Smoked Potatoes

Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

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