Loaded Potato Soup

Thick, creamy loaded potato soup topped with all the fixings! This quick and easy one-pot recipe is a cold weather staple!

It’s a classic just like our chicken noodle soup, minestrone soup and tortilla soup. With all the flavor of a loaded baked potato, this recipe has cheese, sour cream bacon and more to make it a family favorite. 

Baked Potato in Soup Form

This recipe is one we’ve been making for the past 5 years, and I still LOVE it! It was one of the very first savory recipes I posted here on the blog, and it was pinned like crazy! If you’re looking for a quick, easy, filling soup, look no further.

It only requires a handful of simple ingredients and takes about an hour to make (most of that time is just waiting for the potatoes to cook).

The thing I really love about this soup is that its thick, cozy and comforting without using heavy cream. Instead, you let the potatoes cook until they’re tender and begin to break down. That way you still have chunks of potato but you also have a nice chowder-like consistency. 

It has all the flavors of delicious baked potatoes but in a creamy soup form!

In a large pot (or Dutch oven) set over medium-low heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the potatoes (we prefer Russet), season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and begin to break down.

Pour in the milk and chives, cook for 5 minutes, then add the cheese. Once the cheese has fully melted, stir and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with your favorite toppings.

SLOW COOKER VERSION: If you want to make this in your crock pot, just make as directed until your mixture comes to a simmer. Pour this into your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours then continue the recipe by adding the milk, chives and cheese. Cook an additional hour.

Another thing I love is all the fixings! Just like our loaded twice baked potato, this soup is topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon and chives. You can totally customize the TOPPINGS to suit personal tastes, but I’m kind of a fan of the classics.

If you want to make the recipe and KEEP WARM in a slow cooker, that is perfectly fine. Just keep on WARM (or on LOW). It works great for parties or holidays.

This recipe is CREAMY as is, but you can add whole milk or even 2% milk to this soup for added creaminess.  

To STORE this soup, just place in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 days. We reheat this on the stove and add a bit more milk if needed if the recipe is too thick. We don’t think this recipe is great when FROZEN because the potatoes get a weird texture. 😉

Our favorite SIDES to go with this soup include: cornbread, rolls or bread to go along with it, any leftovers are devoured the next day. It reheats really well!

If you’re on the hunt for a good potato soup recipe- this is it! I know we’ll be enjoying it all fall/winter long!

For more recipes, check out:

• French Onion Soup Stuffed Potatoes
• Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
• Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
• Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

6 servings

Loaded Potato Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Thick, creamy loaded potato soup topped with all the fixings! This quick and easy one-pot recipe is a cold weather staple!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 tsp. kosher sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 ½ c. whole milk
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped chives
• 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Toppings:

• Chopped chives (about 2 tablespoons)
• Chopped bacon (about 5 slices)
• Sour cream (about 1/4 cup)
• Grated cheddar cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1. In a large pot (or Dutch oven) set over medium-low heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the potatoes, season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
2. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and begin to break down.
3. Pour in the milk and chives, cook for 5 minutes, then add the cheese. Once the cheese has fully melted, stir and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
4. Serve with additional chives, bacon, sour cream and cheese.

All images and text ©Life Made Simple.