This Baked Potato Soup has a thick and creamy broth that’s loaded with bacon and chives, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and smooth potatoes. It’s the ultimate comfort food and so easy to make!
Be sure to try my Cream of Broccoli and Sausage Potato Soup recipes next!
Baked Potato Soup
Welp, this should have been the first recipe that I ever made on the blog. It’s the ultimate comfort food, and quite possibly my new all-time favorite soup recipe. (And I’m critical when it comes to my soups.)
I love that it encompasses everything that I love about a loaded baked potato. Bacon, chives, cheese, butter, the works.
I have some handy PRO Tips that you’ll want to check out too, but first take a look at how easy it is to make:
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cut the bacon into squares and cook low and slow until crisp. Meanwhile, submerge diced russet potatoes in 1 inch of water. Add salt and boil gently for about 20 minutes or until fork tender.
Drain the potatoes. Gently mash and set aside.
Leave 1 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Stir in flour, mix and cook for 1 full minute to cook off the raw flour taste.
Add the chicken broth, then the half and half. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the potatoes. Mix in the sour cream and some pepper.
Remove from heat. If desired, blend with an immersion blender or transfer it to a blender in batches. (I prefer to do this for a creamier and smoother consistency.)
Gradually sprinkle in the shredded cheese. Stir until combined. Add the bacon and chives and serve! Note that the soup will continue to thicken as it stands.
Pro Tips
- Cheese: Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese is my brand of choice as it has great flavor and melts smoothly. Aged/crystalized cheese won’t melt well, aim for a soft consistency!
- Avoid using bagged shredded cheese, as it contains cellulose which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly.
- Milk may be used instead of half and half, just note that the broth won’t be quite as thick. Microwave the milk for 45 seconds prior to adding it to avoid curdling.
- Plain Greek Yogurt can be used instead of sour cream..
- Cook the potatoes separately in water instead of in the soup. It’s not only a time saver as they can cook while the bacon cooks, but it also removes a bit of excess starch which prevents the soup from becoming gluey.
- If preferred, you can use an immersion blender to further blend the soup. It will appear thinner at first, but will continue to thicken upon standing. (Get one on Amazon here.)
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 36!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4-Quart Dutch Oven– This is the perfect size for this soup. This one is high quality and you’ll have it forever. (I use one almost every time I cook!)
- Box cheese grater – I always shred cheese from a block in my recipes. It melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Garlic Twister– it’s much more flavorful to mince fresh garlic. This twister does it in seconds and is easy to clean and store.
- Soup Bowls –(I love these!)
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
Try These Next
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Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, equal to 2 lbs.
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 ½ cups Chicken broth
- 2 cups half and half
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/8 cup chives, finely diced
Instructions
Prep Work
- Shred the cheese from a block, measure out the sour cream and half and half. Let them all sit out at room temperature.
Cooking Instructions
- Cut the bacon into 1-inch squares with kitchen shears. Cook in a large pot over low heat, rotating occasionally. They’ll overlap at first but will shrink down as they cook. Remove and set aside once crisp. Leave 2 Tablespoons of drippings in the pot.
- While the bacon cooks, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Add to a stock pot and cover the potatoes with 1 inch of water. Add the salt and boil gently for 20 minutes or until very fork tender. Drain, then gently mash. Set aside.
- Add the diced onion to the pot with the bacon drippings and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and butter and cook 1 more minute.
- Whisk in flour, use a silicone spatula to stir as the flour cooks for 1 full minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add the chicken broth. Use a silicone spatula to loosen any bacon remnants from the bottom of the pot, this will add flavor.
- Slowly add the half and half. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Stir in the potatoes, then mix in the sour cream, and pepper.
- Remove from heat. If desired, blend with an immersion blender or transfer it to a blender in batches. (I prefer to do this for a creamier and smoother consistency.)
- Gradually sprinkle with shredded cheese and stir until combined. Make sure the base of the soup isn’t too hot or the cheese won’t melt creamy and smooth. The soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
- Garnish with chives and bacon, serve!
Notes
- Cheese: Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese is my brand of choice as it has great flavor and melts smoothly. Aged/crystalized cheese won't melt well, aim for a soft consistency!
- Avoid using bagged shredded cheese, as it contains cellulose which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly.
- Milk may be used instead of half and half, just note that the broth won’t be quite as thick. Microwave the milk for 45 seconds prior to adding it to avoid curdling.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 36!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe makes about 2.5 quarts of soup, or 10 cups. Each serving is just over a cup.
Made this tonight for son who had a pretty big filling done on his chewing side.
RAVE reviews all around!!
Basically, the 110% difference from all of the batches of baked potato soup I’ve made in the past: BOIL THE POTATOES SEPARATELY!
My BPS in the past always comes out a bit glue-ey… super thick and a bit sticky.
Now I know- boil the potatoes separately! 😋
I’m so happy your son was able to enjoy this soup after getting his filling done!😃 Boiling the potatoes separately is so key, I’m happy you found it helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
OMG! My new favorite soup.
I’m so happy to hear that Deb! It’s my favorite soup too and I can’t seem to keep it in the house, it just goes so fast!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Could you please tell me what the half + half is. Thankyou.
Half cream, half milk 🙂
Very good. I added celery salt, ground sage, and table salt to taste.
Thanks so much for the review Stephanie! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the Baked Potato Soup! It’s always great when you can tweak some seasonings to your preference!
I made this last night just as the recipe is written and it was delicious!! A huge hit even with the picky man child! LOL! It’s even better the second day so it would be a perfect dinner to make a day ahead! Definitely going in my book of favorites!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I have a picky man child too! I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for the review!
Finally! A baked potato soup recipe I love! I have tried a LOT of recipes, and none have been quite right. I never like the taste of soup where the potatoes cook all day because they always got mushy and starchy. And the cheese did not always melt well. She has some science behind the recipe and it turns out delicious. This is a keeper for sure. Thanks!!
I’m so happy to hear you say that, Beth! I took all of those things into account when I came up with the process for this, wanting to make sure that the potatoes weren’t too “gluey”, etc. So I appreciate that YOU appreciate it! haha! Thank you so much! -Stephanie
Could I cook the potatoes in the instant pot? If so, how long would I do it for?
Yes you can! Submerge the sliced potatoes in water without going over the max line. Pressure cook for 10 minutes and then flip the quick release valve to let the steam escape. Open, drain, then mash. 🙂
Very easy to make and full of flavor. I did save some potatoes back, used my immersion blender and then added the chunk potatoes back in for added texture. We LOVED this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit!😃 Thanks so much for the review!!
Another great recipe!!! Easy and delicious.
Hey Amelia! I’m so glad that you loved it! You’re the best, thank you so much for the review!! ❤️🙌🏻 -Stephanie
Made this amazing soup this week and it was so tasty! I added extra veggies, a shallot, and some cayenne pepper for a kick. Such a great recipe and bowl of soup. Even my hubby (who doesn’t love soup) ate multiple bowls. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for the review Brook! It’s great to hear even your non soup loving husband enjoyed it!😍