Potato Soup Recipe

This potato soup recipe is simply the best! There’s nothing better on a cold day than a bowl of this creamy soup loaded with your favorite toppings.

Looking for more soup recipes? Try Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup or Butternut Squash Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Potato Soup Recipe

• Creamy and Comforting. This potato soup has a luxurious creamy texture, yet it’s made without milk or cream. Puree the soup until it’s completely smooth for the creamiest texture, or, if you prefer a chunky potato soup, partially puree it, leaving some bigger chunks of potatoes.
• Simple Ingredients. Made with potatoes, onion, garlic, butter, cheese and seasonings, this homemade soup is as easy to make as it is delicious.
• Toppings! Many of your favorite baked potato toppings are also perfect for serving on top of potato soup. Set out dishes of shredded cheddar cheese, cooked bacon crumbles, sliced green onions and sour cream, then let everyone add their toppings to their bowl of soup. This is a one pot meal that your family will request again and again.

Ingredients

• Butter: Adds richness to the soup.
• Onion and Garlic: These aromatic ingredients add add depth of flavor.
• Seasonings: You’ll need fresh or dried thyme, salt and pepper.
• Broth: Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup. I recommend low sodium broth so that you can better control the amount of salt.
• Potatoes: Use either gold potatoes or russet potatoes.
• Cheddar Cheese: For added flavor. If you need a dairy-free recipe, omit the cheese and use olive oil instead of butter.

How to Make Potato Soup

Sauté the onion in butter in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot.

Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in the broth, potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup, covered, until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the thyme stems if you used fresh thyme. Most of the leaves will have fallen off in the soup. If you used dried thyme this step isn’t necessary.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or countertop blender.

Stir in the shredded cheddar. Then serve, with toppings as desired.

Make Ahead and Reheating

• Make Ahead: This soup reheats well and can be stored for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• To Freeze: The texture of potato soup may be somewhat different after freezing and reheating, but if that doesn’t bother you you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
• To Reheat: The soup will thicken up over time, so you may wish to stir in some extra broth when reheating. Reheat over medium-low heat in a covered saucepan on the stove, stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestions

• Make a batch of Homemade Croutons to top bowls of soup.
• Try my favorite Cornbread Recipe, or make a batch of Dinner Rolls.
• Add a simple Kale Avocado Salad or Arugula Salad to round out the meal.

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5 from 4 ratings

Potato Soup

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Quick to make with simple ingredients, this potato soup recipe is sure to become a family favorite! It's best served with lots of toppings – try it with shredded cheddar, green onions and bacon.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth, plus up to ½ cup more as needed if soup is too thick
• ▢ 2 ½ pounds gold potatoes, such as Yukon gold, or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
• ▢ Optional, for serving: crumbled cooked bacon, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, as desired

Instructions

 

• Heat the butter in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat until melted. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
• Stir in the broth, potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
• If you used fresh thyme, remove the thyme stems and discard. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or by transferring it in batches to a countertop blender. You can puree it until fully smooth, or leave some chunks of potatoes, depending on your preference. For the creamiest soup, puree until completely smooth.
• Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese. Serve soup with toppings as desired.

Notes

• I recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese that you buy at the grocery store is often coated in an anti-caking agent and thus doesn’t melt as smoothly.
• Leftover soup may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When reheating, stir in a little extra broth as needed since this soup tends to thicken up over time.

Calories: 276kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 879mg, Potassium: 860mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 626IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 168mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course, Soup

Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

Recipe originally published October 2018. Retested, improved and updated October 2023.