Loaded Baked Potato Soup transforms your traditional baked potato with all the fixings into a thick, creamy hearty soup! This comforting soup, packed with signature flavors, will warm you all the way down to your bones!
Making easy soups is a go-to in our house. Creamy versions like this Creamy Zucchini Soup to hearty, healthy versions like this Chicken Vegetable Soup to light quick versions like this Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup are a few of many favorites of ours.
If you’ve ever had a baked potato, I’m sure you can imagine how turning it into a delicious bowl of soup would be an instant family favorite. It’s an easy recipe made with simple ingredients that are perfect for cold days, slow days, or days when you just need a quick go-to meal that everyone is sure to love.
This homemade budget-friendly soup is thick and creamy but no heavy cream is actually used in this recipe! It gets its heartiness from the potatoes, milk, and sour cream, which gets added to the chicken broth. The bacon and cheddar give it a nice sharp and smoky balance which rounds out the creamy texture. It’s a bowl brimming with flavor and definitely beats anything from a can!
Serve with a side of crusty bread or a nice light salad. Have your favorite toppings laid out, like some extra bacon, cheese, or sour cream, for everyone to be able to choose their own. Load it up and serve it hot. This ridiculously tasty soup is satisfying and filling, but you’ll still want seconds!
How to Make Easy Potato Soup
To begin, cook your bacon (in a skillet or baking bacon in the oven will work) and peel and cut the potatoes. Russet potatoes are best because they are starchy and create the great creaminess. Once you cook the bacon transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the grease and reserve the fat. Then crumble the bacon into little pieces and set aside.
Add bacon grease or butter and the onion to a Dutch oven or soup pot. Cook until the onions are tender, stirring often. I am not sure if there is a better smell than the aroma you’re getting right now!
Add garlic and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
Add in the chicken broth, milk, and flour and whisk until it’s well combined. Stir in the potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a slight boil.
Reduce the heat, cover slightly and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in shredded cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 of the bacon. You’ll know your desired consistency, so if you think it is too thick add more milk as needed.
Garnish with all the things! This soup is best served immediately. Enjoy!
Topping Suggestions for Baked Potato Soup
- Bacon crumbles
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Green onions
- Chives
- Bite-size pieces of avocado
- Corn niblets
Tips & Variations
- For added convenience and quicker prep leave the skin on the potatoes and use pre-cooked bacon.
- To make this a gluten-free version use gluten-free flour.
- If the sauce is too thick you can use milk or chicken broth 1 tbsp at a time.
- Alternatively, if the sauce is too thin, you can mix in 1 tbsp of flour in 2 tbsp of cold milk and add that to the soup.
- For a creamier soup, you can swap out the low-fat milk for whole milk or heavy cream.
- Some people enjoy adding mashed potatoes to their soup, so feel free to add some in for added texture.
- Freshly grated cheese is my preference and recommended, but pre-packaged will also work.
- To make this a low-calorie option, use fat-free milk and do not add any sour cream, cheese, or bacon into the soup. Instead, add them as toppings only in the desired amount.
Storage Tips
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. I do not recommend freezing it since it has milk and cheese in it. Reheat on low in a pot on the stovetop. Stir it often to prevent sticking, as it happens with starchy soups.
Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 bacon slices cooked and crumbled
- 2 tbsp bacon grease or butter
- 1/4 cup onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream or more if desired
- Fresh chives sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium high heat for 7-8 minutes or until crispy and brown. You can also bake the bacon in the oven while cutting the potatoes.
- Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease. Once cooled, crumble the bacon into small pieces. (I use my handy kitchen shears to cut mine into pieces) Add reserved bacon grease or butter to a Dutch oven or soup pot and add in onions.
- Cook for approx. 3-5 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring often.
- Then add in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add in chicken broth, milk and flour and whisk until combined well.
- Stir in potatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a slight boil.
- Reduce heat, cover slightly and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of the bacon
- If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately. Garnish individual bowls with additional cheese, sour cream, green onions and bacon, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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