Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Name: Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 8 strips bacon (cut into small pieces); ¾ cup sweet onion (diced); 2 teaspoons salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon white pepper; 1 teaspoon dried parsley; ½ teaspoon fresh thyme; 2 teaspoons garlic (minced); ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups whole milk; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth; 4 heaping cups russet potatoes (about 4 large, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces); ½ cup cheddar cheese (shredded); optional toppings: bacon pieces (scallions, shredded cheddar cheese)

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There's nothing better than enjoying a warm bowl of creamy loaded baked potato soup on a cold night – comfort food at its best! This recipe takes a classic soup to the next level. It's made with simple ingredients, packed with flavor, comes together easily in one pan and is done in 40 minutes!

In This Post

Tell Me About This Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Ingredients
Let's Walk Through the Steps
Success Tips
FAQ
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This loaded baked potato soup is just what the doctor order when it's cold outside and you're craving something warm and comforting. Thick, creamy, and hearty, this loaded baked potato soup satisfies the taste buds and warms you from the inside out. Even non-soup lovers agree!

While this should have been the first recipe I ever made, here we are. It's here now – that's all that matters. The ultimate comfort food and easily a favorite soup recipe. It's a next level loaded baked potato in soup form!

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP > loaded baked potato. I said what I said.

Tell Me About This Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Texture: Insanely creamy. Nothing better.
Flavor: There's so many levels of flavor in this loaded baked potato soup thanks to it being a one pan recipe. Each step layers on more flavor – that's why cooking the bacon in the pot is key.
Ease: Overall this recipe is pretty easy. A life savor when you have hungry kids at your feet or a busy night. Plus, it's an excellent make-ahead freezer make— prepare everything in advance and freeze it. When you're ready to serve, thaw overnight and warm on the stovetop or microwave! I love using these Souper Cubes to freeze individual servings.
Time: There's minimal prep time, about 10 minutes, for this recipe. Set aside another 30 minutes for the cook time. Music to my ears!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup Ingredients

Bacon: Bacon adds tremendous flavor to this soup. Cooking the bacon in same pot and using the rendered fat as the flavor base, perfection! These are also used to top the soup. I prefer a thick cut bacon, like WRIGHT bacon – not sponsored, just truly love it!
Onion: A little diced onion makes for a great flavor base.
Garlic: Measure with your heart, garlic adds flavor.
Spices: This recipe uses classic spices, most likely all you have in your pantry like salt, pepper, dried parsley, and white pepper. In addition there's fresh thyme.
Flour: Flour creates the roux. If you're not familiar with a roux, pronounced "roo", it's a way to thicken things like gravy, sauce, macaroni and cheese or soup! Making a roux is very simple with equal parts butter and flour, letting it cook down and then adding the liquid (in this case, the chicken broth, milk and heavy cream.)
Potatoes: This recipe uses russet potatoes but you can what you have on hand, I've used a combination and cut them into similar size pieces.
Milk & Heavy Cream: These both create the "creaminess" for the soup just like the creamy chicken and rice soup. For best results, use whole milk. If you don't have heavy cream you can use more milk.
Chicken Broth: You can use vegetable or chicken broth, either will work. Make sure they are low-sodium, otherwise reduce the salt by 1 teaspoon and taste at the end. It's always easier to add salt later.
Cheese: Grab that sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor. Tillamook is a house favorite here – again, not sponsored, truly love it!
Scallions:

Let's Walk Through the Steps

It may look like a lot of steps but don't worry, this loaded baked potato soup comes together easily. As always, I recommend reading through the recipe instructions below prior to starting.

Prior to beginning, make sure the bacon is cut into small pieces (pictured above) with kitchen shears. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the bacon, placing on a paper towel lined plate, leaving the bacon grease in the pot.
Add the onion, salt, black pepper, white pepper, dried parsley, and fresh thyme to the pot. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
Make the roux: Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour is combined, about 1 minute. It will be a thicker mixture.
Slowly stir in the chicken broth, scrapping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot – that's flavor! Then, add the milk, heavy cream and potatoes. Give it a stir and increase the heat to high until a simmer. Reduce to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes break apart with a fork easily. Remove from the heat.
Add the soup to a blender and blend until desired consistency. Add back into the pot and stir in the cheese. See recipe notes for instructions for different texture options.

Success Tips

This soup recipe is easy but I want you to be setup for success – here's a few tips to make sure you get the best results.

Use the rendered bacon fat. Seriously, use it. This is a comfort soup recipe, so enjoy it! Cooking the bacon in the pot and using the rendered fat gives the soup incredible flavor.
Cook the flour out of the roux. The roux is key to thicken the soup but you want to make sure the flour "taste" is cooked out before adding the remaining ingredients. Letting it cook for about 1 minute does the trick.
Grab that heavy cream. Using a combination of milk and heavy cream gives the soup an incredible creaminess. While you can substitute the heavy cream with milk (I've done it and it's still delicious), the heavy cream takes it to the next level!

It's true when I say that this is the ultimate loaded baked potato soup recipe!

FAQ

What is loaded potato soup made of?

The typical loaded potato is made with bacon, butter, flour, milk, chicken broth, and potatoes. Some recipes, like this one, add in onion, scallions, cheddar cheese and additional spices to enhance the flavor.

How do you thicken loaded baked potato soup?

Most loaded baked potato soup recipes use a roux, cornstarch or slurry to thicken the soup.

Which potatoes hold up best in soup?

For soup recipes where you want the potato to remain the rough shape, go for the "waxy" potatoes also known as "boiling potatoes" (essentially non-russet potatoes.) For soup recipes where you want them to break down a bit or blending, grab your russet potatoes like you would for classic mashed potatoes.

What goes good with loaded potato soup?

This is a loaded question. A loaded baked potato soup is heavy so most like to pair it with something lighter like a salad or vegetables. However, there are some that pair it with a classic grilled cheese.