Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a velvety, creamy, soup that is the epitome of comfort food! It’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and comes together in under an hour. Top with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and a dollop of tangy sour cream!

For more hearty soup recipes, try my creamy chicken noodle soup, jalapeno corn chowder and roasted red pepper and gouda soup!

This is seriously the best potato soup. Ever. And I don’t say that lightly. This comforting soup is the ultimate comfort food for soup season. It’s a creamy soup that’s packed with flavor, has a silky creamy texture, and is SO easy to make.

Add a dollop of sour cream on top with some crispy bacon, diced chives, green onions, and cheddar cheese – and you’ve got a hearty meal that will quickly become a family favorite.

It mixes all of the flavors of a loaded baked potato into a decadent and creamy soup that is just out of this world. When you serve this, the dinner table will be silent because everyone will be stuffing their face!

Everything is made on the stove top in one pot, so it’s easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of clean you. You will need a blender or potato masher to blend up the soup but that’s it!

Now that we’ve ironed everything out, let’s make the perfect potato soup. Let’s cook! 

Ingredients

Bacon: it’s been scientifically tested – bacon makes EVERYTHING better. We’re rendering down the bacon fat and cooking out aromatics in and then topping the soup with crispy bacon too! 

Aromatics: yellow onion, celery, carrots, fresh garlic, and garlic paste. 

Fresh herbs: thyme and rosemary for the soup and chives for garnish. Fresh herbs add so much flavor, I love added it to creamy and broth based soups like my Tuscan Tortellini Soup!

Chicken bouillon paste: believe it or not, this is the ingredient that brings all of that great flavor. 

All purpose flour: this is simply to thicken the soup so that it has a more gravy-like consistency. If you’re gluten free, you can use cornstarch. 

Russet potatoes: you’ll want to use a starchy potato like russet potatoes or Yukon golds / gold potatoes. In a pinch, red potatoes work here too! 

Seasonings: smoked paprika, onion powder, dried parsley, cayenne pepper 

Whole milk: I used Lactaid whole milk – the soup is rich enough that it doesn’t need heavy cream or half and half. However, if that’s all that you have on hand, that works too – it’ll just be super rich and creamy potato soup.

Sour cream: we’re using a little bit of sour cream in both the soup AND as a topping. Sour cream is one of my favorite toppings on a baked potato and serves just the same with this soup!

Substitutions

• For a gluten free option, use cornstarch as opposed to flour to thicken the soup.
• Don’t have any sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works beautifully here too! 
• If you don’t have any bacon in the fridge, you can use olive oil and simply top the soup with bacon bits. 

Pro Tips

• Please wash your potatoes! They’re very dirty and you don’t want any of that in your soup!
• If you don’t have a blender, you can simply use a potato masher and mash until the soup is the consistency you prefer.
• For a thinner texture, add a little vegetable broth or chicken broth. Start by adding a 1/2 cup at a time and stir to ensure it’s fully incorporated prior to adding more. 
• Season generously, but taste as you go! Because of the bacon and chicken bouillon paste, it’s easy to add too much salt. Be careful not to! Taste as you go and let your tastebuds guide you.

How to make Potato Soup

• Add bacon to a large dutch oven and saute on medium-low heat to render the fat and crisp up the bacon. Once the bacon is cooked and browned, remove the crispy bacon from the pot and leave the bacon grease behind. (Image 1)

• Increase the heat to medium heat, Add onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook until softened and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Then add garlic and garlic paste and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. (Image 2)

• Add the potatoes, thyme, rosemary, seasonings, and chicken boullion paste. Toss together and add the butter. (Image 3)

• Once the butter is fully melted, add the flour, toss to coat, and pour in the whole milk. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn, and then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. 

• Pour half of the soup into a blender (or you can use an immersion blender) and blend until creamy and smooth. Pour back into the pot and add an additional 1-2 cups of whole milk if you prefer a thinner textured soup.
• Place bacon, chives, sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream on top and serve.

What to serve with Potato Soup

You can’ beat potato soup with a nice slice of toasty French bread or soft brioche rolls and a side salad. Also, just like tomato soup, grilled cheese pairs nicely with this baked potato soup recipe too! If you’re looking for something hearty, enjoy with a cobb salad with some pan seared shrimp or roasted brussels sprouts! 

Storing

Somehow this soup is even better the next day. You’ll want to store any leftover baked potato soup in an airtight container. This is also a great recipe to keep for long periods of time in the freezer. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to thaw it out in the fridge and heat it on low on the stove until it’s warmed throughout.

​This is a great soup to store in the freezer and warm up on a cold winter day! It’s one of my family’s favorite soups, I always have some stored in the freezer for when I don’t feel like cooking!

The recipe and blog post was made in partnership with Lactaid! I received compensation and product in exchange for this work. My opinions on their products are genuine. Thanks for your continued support!

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