Name: Old Fashioned Creamy Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 6 slices thick-cut bacon (cut into small 1/2-inch wide pieces); 1/2 cup onion (chopped ); 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup whole milk (warmed); 1/2 cup heavy cream; 5 cups chicken broth; 8 medium russet potatoes (peeled and cubed); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded); 1 cup sour cream

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

Nothing says comfort food like homemade potato soup! This old fashioned recipe is loaded with bacon and cheesy deliciousness!

Potato soup in a white bowl with cheese, bacon, and green onions on top.

This creamy potato soup recipe is loaded with bacon and cheesy deliciousness! Plus, the best part is it's so easy to make and cooks in only 15 minutes! You don't have to worry about dirtying up dishes either because everything is cooked in one pot...you can't beat that! This and my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup are my family's all-time favorite soup recipes and I know your family will love them too!

My family likes this soup on the thicker, chunkier side but it can easily be thinned out by adding more broth. Also, if you don't like chunky you can make it creamier by mashing up the potatoes more. That's the beauty of this recipe - it's easily altered to everyone's taste!

Close up of potato soup in a white bowl with cheese, bacon, and green onions on top.

Potato Soup Ingredients

Bacon: I recommend using thick-cut bacon for this recipe since it's easier to cut up and holds up better in the soup. Beware, once cooked you may need to hide it since this ingredient disappears quickly...especially if you have little kids or a hungry husband lurking in the kitchen!

Veggies: This recipe calls for chopped onions and minced garlic. Save yourself some time and tears by buying the frozen already chopped onions. Also, I buy garlic in a jar that's already minced mainly so I can sniff it...it smells soooo good!

Flour: Used to make a roux to thicken up the soup. If you don't have flour, you can thicken it by mashing up more potatoes until you get the right consistency.

Milk: I'm a whole milk girl - especially when cooking. It adds flavor and consistency you just can't get with skim milk but if you only have 2% that will work just fine.

Cream: My favorite! Heavy cream gets a bad rep and I'm not sure why. Add it to your coffee one day or whip up some homemade whipped cream and you will be in heaven! I could seriously drink the whole jug it's that good so of course I'm going to add it to my potato soup. If you don't have heavy cream on hand or you're needing to cut down on the fat content, half-and-half is a good substitute.

Chicken Broth: I highly recommend using plain chicken broth here to ensure your potato soup is full of flavor. Potatoes tend to absorb salt so if you use low-sodium broth, your soup will most likely taste bland.

Potatoes: Here's the star of the show! I use Russet potatoes mostly because my pantry is always stocked with them since my husband has a baked potato every night with his supper. If I'm feeling fancy though, I'll sometimes buy Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe too but either one will do.

Seasonings: Potatoes tend to eat up flavor very easily so seasonings are a must! For this recipe, salt and pepper are the only seasonings needed but you may need to add extra salt for taste.

Cheese: Since the potatoes tend to overshadow the other flavors, your cheese needs to be sharp so that it can be tasted. I recommend using sharp cheddar cheese.

Toppings: This is where you get to be artsy! A dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits, and chopped green onions or chives look and taste heavenly on top of potato soup!

How to Make Potato Soup

Cut raw bacon into small pieces and cook in a stock pot over medium heat until crispy (about 5-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate for later use. Leave bacon grease in the bottom of your pot.

Cooked bacon bits in a black strainer slotted spoon.

Add chopped onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add minced garlic and flour. Sauté 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Chopped onions and minced garlic sautéing in bacon grease in a stock pot.

Pour in warm milk, heavy cream, and chicken broth. Stir until combined.

Whole milk in a glass jar being poured into a stock pot.

Add potatoes (that have been peeled and cubed) and bring to a boil.

Turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot, to avoid soup from sticking and scorching. Once potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat.

Using a potato masher, mash up about half the potato soup so that the texture is creamy with chunks of potatoes.

Mashing up potato soup with a potato masher.

Stir in salt, black pepper, cheese, sour cream, and reserved bacon bits.

Potato soup ingredients after being poured into a stock pot.

Serve in bowls and garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, crispy bacon bits, and chopped green onions or chives. Enjoy!

Creamy Potato Soup in a white bowl being spooned out to eat.

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE, and INSTAGRAM for more delicious, down-home recipes!

Printable Recipe Card