This rich and creamy loaded baked potato soup gives you all of your favorite baked potato flavors packed into a comforting and warming meal!
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Soup is an ideal winter meal. It can be paired with a salad or another veggie side for an easy and light everyday meal. And this soup is comfort food in a bowl!
Contents:
Recipe Highlights
- Common ingredients. This soup uses mostly pantry staples so you probably already have many of the ingredeints.
- Small batch. This recipes makes 3 large servings or 4 smaller servings. If you are serving a bigger crowd you can easily double the recipe without needing to make any signifcant modifications.
- Cozy, comfort food in a bowl. This creamy soup is warm and comforting, making it perfect for any chilly day. And it's chock full of flavor from traditional baked potato ingredients!
Key ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Bacon: Any type of bacon will do, as you are just using it as a topping. If you prefer turkey bacon, that works as well, however, I don't recommend you cook it in the pan. I'd precook it and then follow the instructions in the recipe card for using precooked bacon.
- Chicken broth: I normally use chicken broth in most soups because that's what I keep in my pantry, but if you want to make make this soup vegetarian you can substitute veggie broth (and skip the bacon too!)
- Milk: The recipe calls for whole milk, however, you can subsitute 2% milk. Your soup will be just a bit thinner.
- Potatoes: You'll need a couple of plain, russet potatoes. Two or three, depending on the size of the potaotes.
- Cream cheese: You'll want full-fat, block style cream cheese.
- Cheddar cheese: I almost always recommend grating your own cheese as bagged cheese usually contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as smoothly as freshly grated.
- Spices: celery salt, ground pepper
- Pantry staples: butter, all-purpose flour, chicken broth
How to make potato soup
INGREDIENT PREP
- Cut the cream cheese into at least four pieces and let it soften at room temperature while you prepare the soup
- Chop the bacon and onions
- Peel and chop the potatoes
- Grate the cheddar cheese
Cook the bacon: To make this a one-pot recipe, you can cook the bacon in the dutch oven before making the soup. I chop the bacon up first so it cooks faster. If you happen to already have cooked bacon, you can skip this step.
Saute the onions: If you skip the first step you'll need to add a bit of additional olive oil to the pan to compensate for the lack of bacon fat.
Make the roux: The classic combination of butter and flour is the key to a thicker soup.
Boil the potatoes: Next you'll add the chicken broth and chopped potatoes, then bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for a bit so the flavors combine.
Finish the soup. Mash the potatoes slightly then add the cream cheese and shredded cheddar. Let the soup continue to cook until the cheeses are melted.
Garnish and serve: Divide the soup between bowls and top with the crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions.
MAKE-AHEAD TIP
You can make this soup ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for about 4 days. See the instructions below for the best way to reheat this soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze this soup?
Normally, I'm a fan of freezing soups for quick reheating later, however, potato soup does not freeze as well as other soups so I don't recommend it for this recipe.
How do I reheat this soup?
The best way to reheat this soup is in a pot on the stove over low heat. You may need to add a bit of additional broth as the soup will thicken up from starch while it's in the fridge.
Tools you'll want for this recipe
5-quart dutch oven – This is the perfect size for most kitchens. I personally prefer a coated cast iron dutch oven.
Potato masher – This is my favorite potato masher! It works for mashing a number of different things and it leaves you with a good, not too mushy texture.
Serving Suggestions
For a light meal, I'd pair this soup with a chopped kale salad for some greens. For a heartier meal, you could pair it with these Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sliders or this Baked Chicken Milanese.
More soup recipes
If you are looking for more winter soup recipes check out these reader favorites:
- Tuscan White Bean Soup. A long-time reader favorite combines white beans, sausage and kale for a hearty soup.
- Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Sticks. This is the ultimate comfort food meal!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup. This soup is great for busy days since you can start it in the morning and it will be ready by dinner time!
Looking to make your meal prep a little easier?
This free checklist will help you assemble a well-stocked pantry so you have the basics on hand for many different recipes.
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Small Batch Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 20 ounces chicken broth
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 ounces cream cheese, block style
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onion
Instructions
- Soften the cream cheese. Cut the ounces cream cheese into at least 4 pieces and let it soften at room temperature while you prepare the soup.
- Cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a large dutch oven and heat to medium high. Cook until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Saute the onions. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the celery salt and pepper and saute for 30 seconds.
- Make the roux. Add the flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly adding the milk and whisking until smooth.
- Cook the potatoes. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mintues or until potatoes are very tender.
- Finish the soup. Once the potatoes are tender, use a potato masher to slightly mash them while still in the pot. Stir in the cream cheese and ¼ cup of the grated cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 minutes or until the cheeses are melted.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the cooked bacon, cheedar cheese and green onions.
Patricia Ruscio
I never thought of putting in cream cheese. This is going on my dinner table tonight!
Thanks,
Patricia
Urban Foodie Kitchen
I hope you enjoyed it!
Jaime
This soup is delicious! Best recipe I have found. Not too rich and well-balanced flavors. Only thing I changed was to add more flour and some cornstarch because I like my soup a little thicker. May have added just a little extra cheese too! I am from Wisconsin!
Kathryn Rudey
Thanks Jamie - so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Jerelle
Could you use a crockpot instead?
Kathryn Rudey
Hi Jerelle -
In theory, most soup recipes can be made in a crockpot however, I have not tested this one in a crockpot so cannot say for certain.