This loaded baked potato soup is what comfort food dreams are made of. Top off the creamy potato base with crispy bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream and green onions—it’s like having a fully loaded baked potato in a bowl, but in soup form!
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Grab your spoons, folks—soup season is in full swing! And nothing delivers cozy comfort quite like a big bowl of loaded baked potato soup. All the flavors of a fully loaded baked potato (crispy bacon, melty cheddar, and tangy sour cream) without turning on the oven or waiting for your spud to bake.
This easy potato soup recipe was inspired by a similar one my mom used to make during the harsh San Diego winters. In those days—the days of fast metabolisms and 2-hour lacrosse practices—I’d pile my bowl so full of toppings that the soup was but a shallow pond surrounding my pork fat and cheddar cheese island.
These days, I’ve learned to better appreciate the velvety potato purée underneath—the real star of the dish. With just a blender, you can customize the texture to be ultra-creamy, slightly chunky or somewhere in between. Finish it with a splash of heavy cream, load it up with toppings and hunker down for a meal that’s pure comfort in a bowl.
Long story short: If a recipe could give you a hug, it would be this one.
- Bacon: Cook until crispy, then reserve the drippings to sauté the onions and celery, which infuses the soup with so much flavor. The crispy crumbles are saved for topping each bowl.
- Potatoes: Just like a good ol’ baked potato, Russet potatoes are the best for this homemade potato soup because they break down beautifully and create that silky smooth texture. Peel and cube them into 1-inch pieces so they cook evenly.
- Chicken stock: I always start with low-sodium chicken stock so I can control the salt level later.
- Celery, onion and garlic: This aromatic trio builds the foundation of flavor for the soup.
- Butter and flour: Cooking the flour in melted butter for a minute or two removes any raw flour taste and creates a roux, which thickens the soup.
- Heavy cream and whole milk: Using a combination of both gives you that creamy consistency without making the soup too heavy.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Toppings Make the Soup
A loaded baked potato isn’t complete without bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions—and the same goes for this soup! Want to switch things up? Try swapping cheddar for pepper jack, adding a dash of hot sauce or tossing on some homemade croutons for extra crunch.
- Cook the bacon. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep ¼ cup of the bacon grease in the pot.
- Sauté the veggies. Add the onions and celery to the pot and cook until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the cubed potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Make the roux. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour and cook until pale golden.
- Whisk in the milk, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until thickened. It should be the consistency of gravy.
- Whisk the roux into the potato mixture. Cook the soup for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Blend the soup. Using a blender or immersion blender, purée the soup in batches until silky smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream, then season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, add your favorite toppings and dig in!
- I prefer to season my soups at the end to avoid over-salting. That being said, potatoes need a hearty amount of salt, so don’t be afraid to start with a teaspoon of salt and at least a few turns of fresh black pepper and work your way up based on your personal preferences.
- Make this potato soup as creamy (or chunky!) as you like. Love a silky-smooth soup? Purée the entire batch until velvety. Prefer a little texture? Just blend part of it or use a potato masher, leaving some tender potato chunks for contrast.
- To make this soup vegetarian, skip the bacon and cook the onions and celery in 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil instead, and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- No immersion blender? No problem! Just transfer about ⅓ of the soup to a regular blender and purée until smooth, then stir it back into the pot with the remaining chunky potatoes. Tip: If you’re using a stand blender, work in batches and vent the lid to prevent steam buildup (and a soup explosion!).
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers (without any toppings) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because this is a dairy-based soup, I don’t recommend freezing it—dairy tends to separate when thawed, resulting in a grainy texture.
To reheat, warm it gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If the soup thickens too much in the fridge, simply stir in a splash of milk or broth to bring it back to the perfect creamy consistency.
Serving Suggestions
This thick and comforting homemade potato soup practically begs for warm, buttery bread to scoop up every last bite! Try serving it with fluffy dinner rolls, cheddar biscuits or homemade soda bread. Roasted asparagus or a kale salad with bacon vinaigrette would also be delicious alongside this hearty soup.
And don’t forget dessert! My crew can never resist a sweet ending, so we like to follow up with kitchen sink cookies or Funfetti popcorn bars for a fun and satisfying finish.
Equipment
- hand blender or blender
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 small Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
- Sour cream, for garnish
- Sliced scallions, for garnish
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until all the fat has rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain off all but ¼ cup of the drippings.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and then add the celery and onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium and then add the cubed potatoes, stirring to combine. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the chicken stock. (The chicken stock should just cover the potatoes, so depending on your pot, you may have to add more stock.) Bring the soup to a simmer then cover the pot and cook the soup for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- In a separate medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Stir the roux constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s pale golden then whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it, stirring constantly, until it’s thickened slightly. (It should be the consistency of gravy.) Whisk the milk mixture into the potato mixture and cook the soup for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Transfer ⅓ of the soup to a medium bowl. Use a hand blender to purée the soup left in the pot until smooth (see Kelly's Notes). Then, add the reserved soup back into the pot and stir to combine.
- Stir in the heavy cream and season the soup with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, top each bowl of soup with the cooked bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and scallions.
Kelly’s Notes
- I prefer to season my soups at the end to avoid over-salting. That being said, potatoes need a hearty amount of salt, so don’t be afraid to start with a teaspoon of salt and at least a few turns of fresh black pepper and work your way up based on your personal preferences.
- Make this potato soup as creamy (or chunky!) as you like. Love a silky-smooth soup? Purée the entire batch until velvety. Prefer a little texture? Just blend part of it or use a potato masher, leaving some tender potato chunks for contrast.
- If you don’t have a hand blender, you can purée the soup in batches in a blender. Leave ⅓ of the soup in the pot and purée the rest in the blender then continue with the recipe as directed. Tip: Vent the lid to prevent steam buildup (and a soup explosion!).
- To make this soup vegetarian: Skip the bacon and cook the onions and celery in 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil instead, and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Store leftovers (without any toppings) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because this is a dairy-based soup, I don’t recommend freezing it—dairy tends to separate when thawed, resulting in a grainy texture.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Love your recipes!
What would be a measurement for the peeled and cut 6 small potatoes?
Thanks, Terry! Do you mean a measurement in cups? It depends on the size of the cut.
I look forward to making some of these recipes for my family. They all look so good! Thank you, Judy
Thanks so much, Judy!
I just found your website and I love your recipes. Being raised on a farm using a variety of fresh grown vegetables is super exciting to me. Great variety and easy to make. Thank You
I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste, Patti!
Excellent recipe! I will be making this again and again :)
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Patti!
This was excellent. Kids liked it so it’s a winner in our house! Thanks for posting it!!
So glad you all enjoyed the recipe, Debra!
I am excited to try this soup..it looks delicious!
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Brenda!
Hubby is allergic to pork – no bacon for us. I am thinking, use oil in place of bacon drippings, and add bacon bits at the end?
Definitely!
It’s odd 90% of these comments sound so similar and the times posted are so close together. Wonder if this comment will be published. Hrmm.
Hi Lanae – This was a giveaway post, per the instructions above, so readers wrote a comment to be entered to win. The giveaway is now closed.
I prepared your Loaded Baked Potato Soup today — it was really delicious!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy!
Baked potato soup is a dreamy classic. Load it up with bacon and a tasty amount of your favorite cheese for the ultimate dose of deliciousness. The more cheese, the better!
I’ve made so many recipes from your site, its hard to choose. Honestly I made this soup last night, had some for lunch just now and I’m looking forward to it many more times this fall and winter. Its delicious, I generally don’t puree my potato soup, however it gives it such a creamy smooth texture so I’ll be doing it in a few other recipes.