Easy Potato Soup – Full of tender potatoes, smoky bacon, carrots, and a flavorful broth all done in one pot, and then we thicken it with a roux made separately. It’s so easy and so rich and flavorful, you’re going to love making this homemade potato soup all winter long!
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It’s that time of year when my soup pot takes its permanent place on my stove, at least for a few months!
As soon as there’s a chill in the air, I can’t help but get excited for soup season. I enjoy the classics like Instant Pot beef and barley and chicken noodle soup just as much as Potato leek and bacon soup as well as baby bella mushroom and potato soup!
I love all kinds of warm and cozy soup recipes, but there’s something extra comforting about a thick and hearty recipe for homemade potato soup, don’t you think?
This creamy potato soup is such an easy soup to fall back on because I know everyone loves it. Your family will too!
What Goes in Creamy Potato Soup?
- Bacon: Chop your thick bacon into small strips. Once it’s cooked we’re going to use some of the leftover grease to sauté the veggies for extra flavor!
- Chopped Onion & Garlic: We begin layering flavors, starting with onion and garlic which is the start of any great soup or sauce recipe.
- Potatoes: You’ll need about 2 lbs of potatoes. Make sure to scrub them clean and cut them into cubes. I use golden potatoes because I like the creaminess of them when they’re cooked.
- Carrots: Peeled and diced, the carrots add texture as well as color. They also always go well with potatoes.
- Chicken Broth: I prefer to use a broth instead of water for that bit of extra flavor, but water works just as well. I have a great homemade chicken broth recipe I usually keep on hand for times like these, but when I don’t, store-bought is a great alternative.
- Sea Salt: Brings out the flavors of all the ingredients in the potato soup.
- Cayenne Pepper: For a kick!
- For the Roux: Butter, all-purpose flour, whole milk, salt, and pepper.
- Parsley: Adding parsley helps to brighten up the soup with the flavor of fresh herbs. It’s a great way to cut through the starch.
- Garnish: Shredded cheddar cheese and finely chopped chives or parsley.
How to Make Potato Soup
Step 1: Sauté the bacon in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease in the pot and discard the rest. To the same pot, add the chopped onions and sauté for 5 minutes then add the garlic to sauté for 1 more minute. Stir a few times.
Step 3: Add the potatoes, diced carrots, salt, cayenne pepper and broth to the pot. The broth should just barely cover the potatoes. Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through.
Step 4: Use a potato masher to mash your potatoes to your desired texture. If you want a completely smooth consistency, you can use an immersion blender. Just don’t overdo it, or your potatoes can become gluey.
Step 5: In a separate saucepan, you’re going to make a thick sauce, otherwise known as a roux. Start by melting a stick of butter over medium heat. Once it is melted, whisk in the flour for a couple of minutes until it’s combined with the butter. It should look like a paste and have a slightly nutty aroma.
Step 6: Slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly until all of the milk has been added. Season with salt and pepper and add parsley, bring it to a boil. Again, keep stirring until smooth. Once boiling, remove it from the heat.
Step 7: Mix the thick sauce into the soup until completely combined. Once it starts boiling, remove it from the heat.
Ladle soup into soup bowls and serve garnished with cheddar cheese, bacon, and chopped parsley or chives. Complete your meal with a light dinner roll or a refreshing salad and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- No need to discard the rest of the bacon grease. You can also pour it into a mug and let it cool at room temperature until solid. It will keep for a while to be used to cook and sauté ingredients in plenty of other recipes for added flavor. Replace butter or oil when needed!
- Soup consistency. Once the potatoes are mashed and cooked, they will thicken the soup on their own. If you’re not interested in making it any thicker, you can choose to leave out the roux completely.
- To make it a loaded potato soup, serve it with all the fixings! Bacon, chives, sour cream, cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, you name it. Whatever you put on a loaded baked potato, add it to your soup!
- The soup will continue to thicken as it cools. When you reheat it, you may need to add a splash of milk or broth to loosen it up again.
- Keep leftover potato soup stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FAQs
What can I use instead of bacon?
If you don’t have any bacon, this is a great potato soup recipe to make during the holidays to use up any leftover ham! Diced ham is great in potato soup and all you need to do is replace the bacon grease with butter when cooking the veggies.
You could also use turkey bacon, or no meat at all for a vegetarian potato soup recipe.
Do you have to peel potatoes for soup?
Not at all! I love keeping the skin on, especially because I don’t use Russet potatoes in this recipe. The golden potatoes have a thin, delicate, completely edible skin, so there’s no need to peel. It’s up to you!
Can I leave out the cayenne pepper?
Of course! My family loves a bit of spice in almost everything, but if you’d rather it mild, feel free to leave it out altogether.
How to make potato soup gluten-free?
The easiest way to do that is by skipping the roux. It’s made with flour (although you could try making it with gluten-free all-purpose flour).
If you want to add a bit of creaminess to your soup, try adding Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
Easy Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon cut into tiny pieces
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely copped
- 4 cups golden potatoes about 2 lb, skin washed and cut into cubes
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 cups chicken broth homemade or use water, more if needed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped, more for garnish
For Garnish
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Into the pot add bacon and saute over medium heat until browned, stirring few times, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer onto a plate lined with paper towel.
- Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon grease inside the pot then add 1 chopped onion, saute for 5 minutes, stirring few times. Next add garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring few times.
- Now, add 4 cups of potatoes, 2 diced carrots, chicken broth (the broth should barely cover the potatoes), salt and cayenne pepper. Bring it to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked thru. Using a potato masher mash the soup to your desired texture.
Thick Sauce
- While soup is cooking, in a sauce pan melt 1 stick of butter, once it is melted add 1/2 cup of flour, stir until everything is combined for 1-3 minutes.
- Next, slowly pour in milk, a little bit at a time, stirring continuously with a whisk. Once you whisk in all of the milk, season with salt and pepper and add parsley, bring it to a boil, stirring continuously. Once it starts boiling remove from the heat.
- Add the thick sauce to the soup and give it a good mix, once it starts boiling remove from the heat and serve with cheddar cheese, bacon and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Q. Do YOU like this Creamy Easy Potato Soup Recipe?
Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you!
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
Thanks for the great recipe!!!
You are welcome, Ali! 😀