Best Loaded Potato Soup
Creamy potato soup recipe fully loaded with your favorite baked potato toppings! The ultimate comfort soup!
Watch me make this Loaded Potato Soup from start to finish!
The Story
I’m a resolutions girl! I love making (and breaking) them! As cliche as it sounds, this year, my only goal is to simply enjoy life. No pressure. No intense hustling and grinding. I want to just “Be” and let God guide whatever I’m supposed to be doing or having. Doesn’t that sound so peaceful and easy? I think so.
It’s crazy how hyper-focused I can get with work and lose track of the things that really make me happy: Creating, family, nature, laughing, …simplicity in all things.
Yep, I’m getting back to that. Cooking is one of my favorite ways to create which is probably why food blogging for over 10 years feels like I just started. It’s just so fun to make and share things you create.
Hey, thanks by the way! You guys have been rocking with me for a long time and I really appreciate you being on this journey with me!
Ok, I feel myself about to get all sentimental and write a novel when I know most folks just wanna go straight to the recipe (Hey, I hear ya!) so let’s just cook, shall we!
January is HERE!!! This month is always soup month in my house. I’m not sure why that is. Probably because the weather is so cold here and soup is such a great way to use up leftovers after that New Year’s fridge and freezer purge. Not to mention I can throw in all kinds of veggies and the kids won’t say a thing!
So to kick off soup month I’ve got a creamy, classic, loaded potato soup recipe that’s our favorite! Step-aside lasagna soup! Bring on the comfor it potatoes!!!
I love a soup with toppings and this one really fits the bill! It’s so hearty and everyone can customize it just the way they like! Or simply enjoy it plain!
What is potato soup?
It’s pure comfort food (after these past couple of years, we deserve this!). If you love loaded baked potatoes but have never had potato soup before then get ready to fall in love! Potato soup is like eating a loaded baked potato in soup form. It’s so creamy and filling! It consists of mashed potatoes (I like to leave a few chunks of potato), onion, celery, and garlic in a creamy soup base made from cream cheese, chicken broth, and milk. This soup is good all by itself but it really comes to life when you add on all of your favorite baked potato toppings!
What potatoes to use for potato soup?
That’s a good question and really you can’t go wrong with using your favorite: red, golden, or russets work great. I use to make my potato soup with russet potatoes but now I’m all about Yukon gold potatoes! They have such a buttery flavor and I love the texture!
Potato Soup Ingredients
One thing that I love about this potato soup recipe is that it has such simple ingredients. It’s the BEST soup to serve when you want to feed a crowd with a soup bar! It reheats well too! Here’s what you’ll need to pull this soup off.
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Onions
- Celery
- Garlic
- Butter
- Chicken broth
- Flour
- Milk
- Cream cheese
- Spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder)
- Toppings (bacon, broccoli, cheese, sour cream, green onions, chives, sour cream)
How to make Potato Soup…in a nutshell!
- In a large pot, melt butter and add onions and celery. Cook until tender and then add in garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add in peeled and diced potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and cook until potatoes are very tender. Turn heat to low. Using a potato masher, gently mash the potatoes, leaving very small chunks.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the remaining butter and add flour. Stir until flour is golden and then add in cream cheese and 1 cup of milk, stirring until creamy.
- Slowly pour in the remaining milk and simmer over medium heat until thickened and creamy.
- Pour milk mixture into potatoes and stir.
- Season soup with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Bring to a simmer and stir until soup is combined and cream cheese has completely melted.
- Ladle into bowls and add toppings.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container
The Best Potato Soup Topping
Whatever you like on your baked potato will usually work in potato soup! Here are a few of my favorite toppings for this potato soup recipe:
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Crispy bacon
- Finely chopped broccoli
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Chives
- Chili Powder
Tips On How to Make the BEST creamy potato soup
1. Use Golden potatoes- They have such a natural buttery flavor.
2. Add cream cheese– Cream cheese really creates a smooth base and the tanginess compliments potatoes so well.
3. Add seasoning- Once your soup is done, you’ll need to taste and add enough seasoning to your liking. Be careful though, not too much if you’re also going to be adding on lots of toppings! I like to keep it simple with seasonings and just use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sometimes chili powder and chives.
What to serve with potato soup?
Potato soup that’s loaded is a complete meal on its own! If you want to add some sides go with some buttered & toasted french bread and a simple green salad!
FAQs
Can I add other ingredients to my soup base? Sure can! Besides onions, celery, and garlic, you can also add carrots, corn, or or fresh herbs.
Can I make this potato soup in a slow cooker? You sure can! Stay tuned for my slower cooker potato soup recipe.
Can I use an immersion blender to break up the potatoes? Yep! If you want this soup to be completely smooth, you can use a blender. I don’t find it necessary as the potatoes break down easily with a regular potato masher.
Does this potato soup recipe reheat well? Yes, it does! You may need to add a little milk or chicken broth to thin it out if it’s too thick.
I don’t want to use flour, how can I thicken the soup without flour? You can skip the flour and rely strictly on the mashed potatoes and cream cheese to provide thickness. Also subbing out some of the milk with heavy cream (or reducing the milk) will also create a thicker soup base.
I hope that you guys enjoy this soup as much as we do! Happy New Year!!
Get the Recipe: The Best Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¾ cups yellow onions, finely diced
- ½ cup celery, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (peels & diced) about 6 cups, see note
- 4 cups savory chicken broth, (I use Better Than Bouillon brand)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4-8 oz cream cheese ( I use 8 oz), (room temperature)
- 3 cups whole milk, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 teaspoon chives, finely chopped , (optional)
TOPPINGS
- Bacon, chopped
- broccoli, finely diced
- sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- green onion, sliced
- sour cream
- chili powder
Instructions
- Prepare your toppings and set them aside.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large pot and add onions and celery.
- Cook until tender and then add garlic, cooking until fragrant.
- Add in diced potatoes and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Mash the potatoes up using a potato masher. Turn heat to low.
- Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, melt the remaining butter (3 tablespoons) over medium heat.
- Stir in the flour and cook until flour is golden.
- Add in cream cheese and about 1 cup of the milk.
- Stir until cream cheese has melted and mixture is creamy, and then stir in remaining milk until combined. (If you can't get all the cream cheese to melt, don't worry, it will meltdown in the next step)
- Add the milk mixture into the potato mixture.
- Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. (Add more milk or broth if desired)
- Taste and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Ladle into bowls and add desired toppings.
- Serve immediately.
This was the best easy to make homemade potato soup I ever made. I made this for a Church function, and everyone loved it.
This recipe was so good!! Even my two year old liked it and had seconds! I didn’t have any cream cheese so I substituted Greek yogurt and sour cream, and ended up adding a little extra seasoning to make up for it. Next time I’ll make sure to get cream cheese as I think it’ll be even better. All of the recipes I’ve made from this site have been KNOCKOUTS!
This. Is. Wonderful. The only thing I left out was the celery and it was not missed. This soup did not last a day! Thank you!