Best Potato Soup Recipe

My husband goes CRAZY for this loaded potato soup! You can’t beat the creamy rich broth with tender bites of potato and loaded with cheese and bacon.

Potato soup is the ultimate comfort food and one of the few soups I can eat all year long – even on the hottest days of summer.  Oh, who are we kidding.  I eat all the soups all year long. Make this with some garlic knots for sopping up every last drop!

Potato Soup

Potato Soup Ingredients

• Russet Potatoes – Russet potatoes are what give this soup its distinctive baked potato flavor. Any kind of diced potatoes can be used in a pinch though, including red or gold potatoes.
• Yellow Onion – I love a mild sweet yellow onion.
• Garlic – Fresh is great, but if you don’t have it on hand go ahead and use jarred/pre-minced garlic.
• Chicken Stock or Broth – You can make your own chicken stock, purchase it at the store, or use a chicken bouillon cube or paste. If you’d like to keep this vegetarian, use vegetable stock.
• Cream Cheese – Make sure you bring the cream cheese to at least room temperature before trying to incorporate it into the soup otherwise it will not blend well.
• Seasoned Salt – Lawry’s is what we typically use, but if you have a favorite, then by all means try it out!

Optional Garnishes

Crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream or Greek yogurt. I like to cook the bacon in the oven ahead of time, but some folks actually like to cook the bacon in the soup for extra bacon flavor. Alternatively, you could add a 1/2 teaspoon of bacon grease, or a cup of cubed ham.

How Do You Make Potato Soup

⭐ First, add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning, and chicken stock to slow cooker.

⭐ Then, cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours, until potatoes are tender.

⭐ Next, add the softened cream cheese and puree soup with an immersion blender or food processor.

⭐ Finally, top with your choice of garnishes, salt and pepper to taste & enjoy!

Potato Soup With No Heavy Cream

Our Potato Soup is made with cream cheese instead of heavy cream, which gives a rich full and super delicious flavor.  A crock pot loaded baked potato soup without heavy cream isn’t easy to find but, we’ve done it and done it well here.

This recipe is my husband’s absolute favorite and if I dare ask what he’d like for virtually any special occasion, it’s this (and a cookie cake)!

Preparation

Should you peel the potatoes for potato soup?

No, you really don’t need to peel the potatoes. A chunk of potato tastes the same with our without the skin so why add the extra work. And bonus, the peel contains vitamins, minerals, and extra fiber!

How do you thicken potato soup?

My favorite way to thicken the soup is just to blend about half of the potatoes after it’s cooked.  You could also pour in some extra mashed potato flakes, or stir in a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water when it is simmering.

Can you make potato soup ahead of time?

You can prepare this dish a day or two in advance.  For best results, you’ll want to stir the cream cheese in right before serving. I like to heat the cream cheese separately with a little bit of water or milk (this can be done in the microwave), then stir the liquidy cheese into the soup.

If you need to make the soup in its entirety ahead of time, that’s fine too, just be aware that there could be some separation.  Heating and stirring gently should remedy this.  Try not to boil.

Leftovers and storage

How long does potato soup last in the fridge?

The soup will keep 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator. Allow the leftovers to cool until no longer hot, then store in a sealed container. If the soup is kept at room temperature for more than two hours, the leftovers should be discarded.

Can you freeze potato soup?

Yes, you can freeze this, we always freeze half for another day! Reheat in a soup pot on medium high heat, stirring regularly. If you cook over medium heat, make sure it does not come to a hard boil or the texture may change.

The soup will last several months when stored in a sealed container at a temperature consistently below freezing.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for best results.

Nutrition

Is potato soup good for you?

That wholly depends on what diet you’re following.  Unlike many potato soups, ours does not use flour as a thickening agent, so it’s totally grain and gluten free. If you’re vegetarian you can sub the chicken stock for vegetable stock and skip the bacon.  And if you’re strict paleo, try substituting a thick cashew cream for the cream cheese!

How can you make potato soup healthier?

You can definitely lighten up this soup with a few easy shortcuts.

• Skip the pork bacon and top with turkey bacon instead.
• Use light cream cheese and light shredded cheese to top.
• Swap a dollop of sour cream for a dollop of 0% Greek yogurt.
• Replace half the potato with cauliflower florets.

Try our broccoli and cheese soup recipe too!

Potato Soup Variations

🟢 Make it spicy potato soup by adding chili flakes, or a couple tablespoons of sriracha sauce.

🟢 Go vegetarian by swapping the bacon for mushrooms (or just skipping them completely).

🟢 Do a light potato soup version with light cream cheese, low fat cheddar, and turkey bacon.

🟢 Give it some Mexican flair by stirring in a packet of taco seasoning.

🟢 Prepare it lower carb by swapping half the potato for cauliflower!

Frequently asked questions

What slow cooker do you use?

This is the slow cooker I use (and it’s a tight fit): Crock Pot 7 Quart Slow Cooker.

You could also use this super fantastic 6 quart instant pot.  On pressure cooker mode (15 minutes manual), or on slow cooker mode. Just use a little bit less liquid so it all fits! Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

What immersion blender do you ouse?

This is the immersion blender I use and it’s probably my favorite kitchen gadget: Cuisinart Immersion Blender.

Can you make potato soup on the stove top?

You can make potato soup on the stove-top.

Can I use fat free cream cheese?

You can use regular or low fat cream cheese, but we do not recommend fat-free.

Is that too much garlic?

No, I don’t think it’s too much garlic.

Is that too much onion?

No, I don’t think it’s too much onion.

Complete your meal with our recipe suggestions

Often times I’ll throw in some pre-cooked chicken breast at the end to make it a full meal. You can absolutely serve the potato soup as a meal on it’s own but we also like it alongside this delicious meatloaf recipe and some peanut butter cookies.

Or if you’re feeling ambitious, make some bread bowls with our easy French bread recipe or no knead beer bread!

More Yummy Soup Recipes

• Corn Chowder 
• Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
• Cabbage Soup
• Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Soup
• Slow Cooker Tuscan Tortellini Soup
• Split Pea Soup for the Crock Pot
• Check out all our soup recipe ideas!

More awesome potato recipes

• Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
• How to Bake a Potato
• Easy homemade potato salad
• Easy Mashed Potatoes
• See all our easy potato recipes!

Amazing instant pot recipes to try next

• Instant pot Italian sausage soup
• Instant pot bbq ribs
• Instant pot broccoli cheese soup
• Crack chicken in the instant pot
• See all our instant pot recipe ideas!

Suggested tools

• 7 quart slow cooker – this is the perfect sized slow cooker for a large family or for feeding guests!
• Immersion blender – likely the most used kitchen tool in my entire home, I break our stick blender out almost every day.
• Giant soup bowls – I feel like these need no introduction.  I love a big bowl.
• Large glass measuring/pouring cups – it took me way too long to invest in decent measuring tools!
• Stainless steel measuring spoons – love that these won’t melt in the dishwasher.