This hearty and delicious loaded potato soup recipe is perfect for a cozy night in. With simple ingredients and easy instructions, anyone can make this comforting dish in no time.
This soup is full of tender chunks of potatoes, sweet onions, crisp bacon, and chopped chives, all in a creamy, cheesy broth with a little sour cream. I love to serve this creamy soup with ham and cheese sliders or pigs in a blanket.
Warm up on a chilly night with this delicious one-pot-loaded potato soup recipe. It’s easy to make and packed with comforting flavors like bacon, cheese, and herbs. This soup is a favorite in our house and a frequent request from my son. This is comfort food at its best.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- Bacon: preferably smoked
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Onion: sweet yellow is best
- Garlic: fresh is always best
- Seasonings: ground cayenne pepper, fresh chives, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- Chicken broth: low sodium or chicken stock
- Milk: whole or 2%
- Cheese: sharp cheddar, white cheddar, or smoked cheddar
- Sour cream: full-fat
How to Make Loaded Potato Soup
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and full directions.
- Brown the chopped bacon in a heavy pot. Transfer the bacon to a plate.
- Add the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook until the onions are tender.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and cayenne pepper, cooking for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
- Melt butter in the pot. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Whisk in the milk and chicken broth in several increments. Add the cooked vegetables back to the pot and simmer until fork tender.
- Stir in both shredded cheeses until melted. Stir in the bacon, sour cream, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation Tips
- Bacon is much easier to chop when partially frozen, so toss it in the freezer about an hour before preparing the soup.
- Don’t add the bacon and sour cream until the end, as you want the bacon to stay crispy and the sour Cream not to curdle.
- Top with chopped crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve it with a garden salad or marinated cucumbers with red onion to balance out all those carbs. If we are in the mood for pure comfort, we go for beer bread or homemade cornbread.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best potatoes for this soup are Russets. I always say don’t use Russet Potatoes in soup because they will start to break down. Well, there is an exception to every rule, and in this particular case, you want the potatoes to break down slightly into the soup, creating an ultra-creamy texture.
The heat causes the protein and the water in the sour cream to separate. It is best to warm the sour cream first. To warm the sour cream, take the soup off the heat and temper the sour cream by mixing small amounts of hot soup with it before adding it to the pot.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted
- 4 large Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 ½ cups whole milk or 2% milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat, brown the bacon. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the pan reserving the grease. Add enough butter to make 2 tablespoons of fat. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions to the pan cooking for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and the cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Using a slotted spoon remove the potatoes, onions, and garlic to a bowl or plate, reserving any fat in the pan.
- Melt enough butter to make 4 tablespoons of fat. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk in several intervals alternating between the two.
- Add the potatoes, onions, and garlic back to the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Whisk in both shredded cheeses until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon, sour cream, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Bacon is much easier to chop when partially frozen, so toss it in the freezer about an hour before preparing the soup.
- Don’t add the bacon and sour cream until the end, as you want the bacon to stay crispy and the sour Cream not to curdle.
- Top with chopped crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.
Nutrition
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Kris
This soup is delicious! I added a few extra potatoes to this recipe, blended them with an immersion blender and added them back to the soup. I also thinly sliced several stalks of celery, cut up then sautéed some mushrooms (had both on hand and needed to use them), and added them both.
This is a very creamy and tasty potato soup! Thank you!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Kris! Thanks for the tips!
LeRae
Delicious 😋
kushi
Creamy and delicious potato soup recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Kushi!
Andrea L
This hearty, comforting and fabulous soup is perfect for a weeknight meal. My family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Andrea!
Shelby
Ohh one of my all-time favorite foods turned into a comforting soup! This was absolutely delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Shelby! I am so glad that you liked it!
Kim
So hearty and creamy. Comfort food at the highest level!
Chenee
Hands down the best loaded potato soup ever. I could eat this every single day and never get tired of it!
Beth Pierce
Me too, Chenee!
Donna
Best I ever had !
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Donna!
Laurie H
Yum! This was such a deliciuos soup. We are year round soup lovers so I am so glad that I found this. It is a new favorite.
Rob A
I love this soup. It has become a favorite of mine since you first posted it. I think I have made it at least twenty times. I have shared it with my friends and family over the years and they love it too!
Beth Pierce
I am so happy that they like it!
Olivia T
Mmm, this soup is so yummy! Potatoes, bacon, and cheddar make such a great soup. I am so glad that I tried your recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Olivia! I am so glad that you like the soup.
Catherine Kay
I love creamy soups. This one wss great! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie Larson
My family loves sitting down to a bowl of this loaded potato soup. A perfectly creamy & cheesy base and I love the addition of bacon.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Stephanie! We love it too!
Alicia
I added some instant mashed potatoes to my soup to thicken it up and it worked perfect without having to add anything else extra (or more dishes lol) to the recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip, Alicia!
Meg
This is easily one of our favorite new recipes. I have found if I use 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 1/2 cups milk, it really enhances thr creamy factor. I also add a bit of mexican chicken bouillon powder in with the cayenne and WOW!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Meg! So glad that you liked the potato soup.