This hearty and delicious loaded potato soup recipe is perfect for a cozy night in. With simple ingredients and easy instructions, anyone can make this comforting dish in no time.
This soup is full of tender chunks of potatoes, sweet onions, crisp bacon, and chopped chives, all in a creamy, cheesy broth with a little sour cream. I love to serve this creamy soup with ham and cheese sliders or pigs in a blanket.
Warm up on a chilly night with this delicious one-pot loaded potato soup recipe. It’s easy to make and packed with comforting flavors like bacon, cheese, and herbs. This soup is a favorite in our house and a frequent request from my son. This is comfort food at its best.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Bacon: Preferably smoked and nitrate-free if available.
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted
- Seasonings: Ground cayenne pepper, fresh chives, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- Chicken broth: Use low-sodium or chicken stock
- Milk: It is best to use whole or 2%
- Cheese: You can use sharp cheddar, white cheddar, or smoked cheddar
- Sour cream: Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture
How to Make Loaded Potato Soup
This is just a summary version of the recipe. For ingredients and full directions, see the recipe card below.
Brown the chopped bacon in a heavy pot. Transfer the bacon to a plate. Add the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook until the onions are tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and cayenne pepper, cooking for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
Melt butter in the pot. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth in several increments. Add the cooked vegetables back to the pot and simmer until fork-tender. Stir in both shredded cheeses until melted. Stir in the bacon, sour cream, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Bacon is much easier to chop when partially frozen, so toss it in the freezer about an hour before preparing the soup.
- Don’t add the bacon and sour cream until the end, as you want the bacon to stay crispy and the sour Cream not to curdle.
- Top with chopped crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.
Serving Suggestions for Loaded Potato Soup
We love to serve it with a garden salad or marinated cucumbers with red onion to balance out all those carbs. If we are in the mood for pure comfort, we go for beer bread or homemade cornbread.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best potatoes for this soup are Russets. I know I say don’t use Russet Potatoes in soup because they will start to break down. There is an exception to every rule, and in this particular case, you want the potatoes to break down slightly into the soup, creating an ultra-creamy texture.
The heat causes the protein and water in the sour cream to separate. It is best to warm the sour cream first. To warm the sour cream, take the soup off the heat and temper the sour cream by mixing small amounts of hot soup with it before adding it to the pot.
More Soup Recipes
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 4 large Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2½ cups whole milk or 2% milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat, brown the bacon. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon from the pan reserving the grease. Add enough butter to make 2 tablespoons of fat. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions to the pan cooking for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and the cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Using a slotted spoon remove the potatoes, onions, and garlic to a bowl or plate, reserving any fat in the pan.
- Melt enough butter to make 4 tablespoons of fat. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk in several intervals alternating between the two.
- Add the potatoes, onions, and garlic back to the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Whisk in both shredded cheeses until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon, sour cream, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Bacon is much easier to chop when partially frozen, so toss it in the freezer about an hour before preparing the soup.
- Don’t add the bacon and sour cream until the end, as you want the bacon to stay crispy and the sour Cream not to curdle.
- Top with chopped crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.
Nutrition
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Shelly
This loaded potato soup was really good!! Simple ingredients but full of flavor. It was easy to make and perfect for a slightly cool evening.
Amanda
We are heading to the season where I start to crave homemade soups, I am always looking for new recipes to try. This sounds so tasty and what is there not to like definitely making this one
Jen
I love baked potatoes and this loaded potato soup was delicious! This wil be on our rotation list this fall and winter.
Karen
The soup was soooo delicious…I love potato soups but never had anything like this…It was that good. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe, perfect for fall.
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Karen!
Laurie Lynn
Delicious and comforting soup. I love the addition of the chives and the bacon pieces. This is a new favorite.
Jessica
This loaded potato soup is a staple in our household, and this recipe is delicious! Thank you for sharing such a terrific soup recipe.