This easy loaded potato soup recipe is one of the best homemade soups. Creamy and delicious, this one pot soup is fully loaded with crispy bacon, sour cream, cheddar cheese and sliced green onions.
This post was originally published in March 2020 and has been updated for content.
Potato soup is the ultimate comfort food and one of our favorite things to make on a cold day. This loaded potato soup recipe is made from scratch and only uses 7 ingredients. Plus, it's made in one pot for easy prep and clean up.
This creamy potato soup would be great with cheddar chive biscuits, Italian focaccia or spinach salad.
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🥔 Ingredient notes
- Potatoes - Russet potatoes are typically my pick when making this loaded potato soup. They are high in starch and low in moisture so they work well for blending to make a thick and creamy soup with no flour necessary. Yellow or yukon gold potatoes also work well in this recipe.
- Toppings - Crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions are our favorite toppings that load this potato soup. Diced ham, pepper jack cheese, chopped chives or crispy fried onions would also be great toppings.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Vegetarian - Omit the bacon from the recipe and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. The cheese and sour cream can also be substituted with plant based options to make this recipe vegan.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, peel and chop the potatoes into chunks and dice the onions and bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat on the stove top until crispy, then remove it and set it aside to drain on a paper towel.
Next, add the onions to pot and cook for a couple of minutes in the bacon grease until they start to soften.
Add the chunks of potato along with chicken broth or stock and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and allow the potatoes to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until creamy. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese and sour cream into the soup pot and mix until everything is well combined and the cheese is melted.
Serve this comforting soup topped with the crisp bacon, sliced green onions, and remaining shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Chop the potatoes into even-sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
- When cooking the potatoes in a broth, make sure it is done at a low boil or simmer. If the soup boils too rapidly, the liquid will evaporate too quickly and make the soup too thick.
- Using an immersion blender makes it easy to blend the soup in the pot until creamy. A counter style blender can also be used, but should be done cautiously. Start at a low speed and blend in batches. Otherwise, the steam could blow off the top and shoot hot soup everywhere.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
This loaded potato soup recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Cool the soup completely before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This potato soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup completely before heating it up. A bit of milk or cream may need to be whisked in to help the soup come back together.
Leftover potato soup that has been cooled will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
The loaded potato soup recipe is best warmed up on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
🍜 More soup recipes
If you loved this easy potato soup recipe, check out these other easy soup recipes that I know you will love too.
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Tomato and Mascarpone Soup
📖 Recipe
Easy Loaded Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ - 4 pounds russet potatoes
- ½ pound bacon
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups sour cream divided
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 2 medium green onions sliced thinly
Instructions
- Dice the onions and bacon into small pieces and set aside.
- Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat on the stovetop. While the pot is heating, peel the potatoes and chop them into chunks that are approximately 1-2 inches.
- Add the bacon to the preheated pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and allow it to drain on a paper towel.
- Add diced onions to the bacon grease and saute 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Carefully add in the chopped potatoes and chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium high to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and let the mixture cook over a low boil for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until the soup is creamy. A regular blender can be used to do this, but make sure to work in small batches and be very careful as the mixture is extremely hot!
- Once the soup is well blended, whisk in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the sour cream until thoroughly combined and the cheese is melted.
- Serve the soup topped with the crispy bacon pieces, sliced green onions and remaining sour cream and cheese.
Notes
- Chop the potatoes into even sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
- When cooking the potatoes in a broth, make sure it is done at a low boil or simmer. If the soup boils too rapidly, the liquid will evaporate too quickly and make the soup too thick.
- Using an immersion blender makes it easy to blend the soup in the pot until creamy. A counter style blender can also be used, but should be done cautiously. Start at a low speed and blend in batches. Otherwise the steam could blow off the top and shoot hot soup everywhere.
Substitutions and Variations
- Potatoes - Russet potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture so they work well for blending to make a thick and creamy soup with no flour necessary. Yellow or yukon gold potatoes also work.
- Alternative Toppings - Diced ham, pepper jack cheese, chopped chives or crispy fried onions would also be great toppings.
- Vegetarian - Omit the bacon from the recipe and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. The cheese and sour cream can also be substituted with plant based options to make this recipe vegan.
Becky L.
This delicious soup was incredibly easy to prepare and received thumbs up all around the dinner table! I don’t know why I’ve never thought to chop my bacon before I cooked it but it was a great tip that I will continue to use! I also love any excuse to use my immersion blender! Perfect soup for a cold winter day!
Amanda
Thank you Becky! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂