This creamy potato soup recipe is by far one of my family’s favorite homemade soups. Loaded with potatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese and cream!
Every once in a while, I’ll get a phone call from our daughter or one of our other six children asking for a particular recipe, like this homemade Creamy Potato Soup.
It’s absolutely no exaggeration when I say “My family loves this soup!”

Creamy Potato Soup Recipe
There’s nothing that screams “comfort food” quite like a bowl homemade creamy potato soup, at least for my family. Well, maybe White Chicken Chili or even homemade Chili, but this creamy potato soup is certainly a family favorite.
You could call this soup “Loaded Baked Potato Soup” or “Loaded Potato Soup” or “Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese“, but we simply call it Creamy Potato Soup. This soup recipe contains potatoes, onions, bacon, sour cream, milk and chicken broth. Doesn’t it just sound rich and savory and full of comfort food goodness?
My family sure thinks so!

Creamy Potato Soup
This creamy potato soup is easy to make and a family favorite soup on those cold winter nights (or really just about any night).
Ingredients
- 6 slices of bacon
- 3 tbsp bacon grease (Or can use butter)
- 1 cup white or yellow onions diced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk whole
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2-1/2 lbs potatoes peeled and cubed (about 6)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cut bacon up into ½” pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors. Add cut-up bacon to large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until brown and crispy, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pot.
- Peel and cube potatoes into bite-sized pieces while the bacon is cooking. To keep the potatoes from browning, keep covered in a bowl with cold water until ready to use.
- Drain all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the stockpot. Add the diced onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or just until soft. Stir in the garlic and saute just until fragrant (about 1 minute). Whisk the flour into the onion mixture and cook for just an additional minute, stirring frequently. Whisk in the broth, milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Drain the potatoes and add to the pot, stirring well.
- Continue cooking until the soup just reaches a simmer. You do not want the soup to boil, just simmer. Once the soup starts to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, just until potatoes are soft, stirring often to prevent scorching. Once the potatoes are soft (fork soft), add the shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and bacon. Stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper, as needed.
- When ready to serve, top with additional shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 797mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g
Creamy Potato Soup Tips
To be honest, this recipe calls for 2-1/2 lbs of potatoes, but I typically make 5 lbs of potatoes at a time. My family likes the soup loaded with potatoes. So, feel free to add more potatoes. Just make sure you have enough chicken broth, cream and milk.
You can also easily double this recipe (which I do all the time!).
Sometimes, I even use a potato masher to mash up some of the potatoes, which helps to thicken the soup even more. Or you could carefully add a couple of cups of soup to a food processor or blender, blend it up until it’s creamy and then stir back into the soup.
This soup also uses a lot more salt than you might think. So, be sure to taste and add more salt as needed for your taste preference.
More Recipe Ideas
If you liked this Creamy Potato Soup Recipe, you might also like these other recipes from The Birch Cottage:

This Creamy Potato Soup recipe is “what’s for dinner” many nights during the cold winter months here in Ohio. Sometimes, we even splurge and have it in the summer. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Til next time…
