Loaded Potato Soup (Better Than a Baked Potato!)
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There are soups that are just soups, and then there is loaded potato soup — which is a whole meal that happens to be in a bowl. Think everything you love about a loaded baked potato: the creamy fluffy potato, the crispy salty bacon, the sharp cheddar that melts in, the cool tangy sour cream — all of it combined into the thickest, richest, most comforting soup you have ever tasted. This is the soup I make when the weather turns cold and I need something that genuinely warms people from the inside out. Every single person who eats it asks me for the recipe. I have given it out at least a hundred times.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All the flavors of a fully loaded baked potato in soup form — bacon, cheddar, sour cream, chives
- Thick and incredibly creamy — this is not a thin broth soup
- One pot from start to finish, ready in 50 minutes
- The bacon gets cooked directly in the pot for bacon-infused flavor from the first step
- Customizable toppings so everyone gets exactly what they want
- Leftovers are even better the next day
The Secret to the Creamiest Potato Soup
The best loaded potato soup needs three things: it must be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it must have visible potato chunks, and the broth must be rich enough to taste almost like a gravy. The key is technique. First, cook a roux — flour and butter for 2 minutes before any liquid is added. This makes the soup thick and silky. Second, only partially blend — you want some smooth base but visible chunks throughout. Third, heavy cream rather than just milk for maximum richness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The soup
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon — cooked in the pot, fat left for cooking
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced + 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup butter + ¼ cup flour — this roux is what makes the soup thick
- 4 cups chicken broth + 2 cups whole milk + 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed ¾-inch
- 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp smoked paprika, salt, pepper
- 1½ cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar, ½ cup sour cream
Toppings
- Reserved crispy bacon crumbles
- Extra shredded sharp cheddar
- Sour cream dollop
- Fresh chives or sliced green onions
- Freshly cracked black pepper
How to Make Loaded Potato Soup — Step by Step
Step 1: Cook the bacon
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and crumble when cool — this is your garnish. Leave 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the pot. This fat is flavor — do not drain it all.
Step 2: Build the base and roux
Add diced onion to bacon fat. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add butter and let it melt fully. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes until smooth and slightly nutty-smelling. This roux is what makes the soup thick.
Step 3: Add liquids and potatoes
Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then milk and heavy cream. Add potatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low. Cook uncovered 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are completely fork-tender.
Step 4: Blend partially
Use a potato masher to mash about one-third of the potatoes, or an immersion blender to blend half the soup. Leave plenty of chunks — fully smooth potato soup loses its identity.
Step 5: Add cheese and sour cream
Reduce heat to LOW. Add cheddar in two additions, stirring after each until melted. Stir in sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning generously — potatoes absorb salt. If too thick, add a splash of broth.
Step 6: Serve loaded
Ladle into deep bowls. Load with bacon crumbles, extra cheddar, a generous sour cream dollop, sliced chives, and cracked pepper. Serve immediately with crusty bread or garlic bread.
Tips for the Best Loaded Potato Soup
- Do not skip the roux — 2 minutes makes the difference between thick silky soup and thin watery soup
- Cook bacon in the pot first — the rendered fat adds enormous flavor to everything that follows
- Add cheese on LOW heat — high heat makes cheese grainy and stringy
- Season aggressively — potatoes absorb salt, taste and adjust multiple times
- Partially blend — leave chunks for the right loaded potato soup texture
Variations
- Crockpot version — sauté bacon and onions on stovetop, transfer everything to slow cooker on LOW 6 to 7 hours or HIGH 3 to 4 hours
- Add broccoli — stir in 2 cups small broccoli florets in the last 5 minutes for broccoli cheddar potato soup
- Make it spicy — add jalapeños with onions, use pepper jack cheese
- Add chicken — stir in 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken with the cheese
- Make it vegetarian — skip bacon, use vegetable broth, sauté in butter, add extra smoked paprika
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerator: Store up to 4 days. Soup will thicken — normal. Reheat on stovetop over medium-low with a splash of broth, stirring frequently. Freezer: Freeze without dairy through Step 4. Add cream, cheese, and sour cream fresh when reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
My soup is too thin — how do I fix it?
Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir into simmering soup. Or mash more potatoes directly in the pot.
Why is my cheese grainy?
The heat was too high when you added the cheese. Always reduce to very low before adding cheddar. Pre-shredded cheese also has anti-caking agents — grating from a block solves this.
Can I use Yukon Gold potatoes?
Yes — Yukon Golds have a naturally buttery flavor and hold their shape slightly better. They give a more golden color. Both russet and Yukon Gold make excellent potato soup.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — skip the bacon, use vegetable broth, and sauté everything in butter. Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to compensate for the smokiness you lose from bacon.
More Cozy Soup and Comfort Food Recipes
- Easy Lasagna Soup — all the flavors of lasagna in one easy pot
- Crockpot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta — slow cooker comfort food
- Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast — legendary slow cooker dinner
- Stick of Butter Beef & Rice — the most effortless casserole ever
Loaded Potato Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
Toppings
- crispy bacon crumbles reserved from cooking
- extra shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- fresh chives or green onions sliced
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and crumble when cool — reserve for topping. Leave 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the pot.
- Add diced onion to bacon fat. Cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add butter and let it melt fully.
- Add flour. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until incorporated and smooth. The roux should smell slightly nutty.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then milk and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low. Cook uncovered 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are completely fork-tender.
- Partially blend — use a potato masher to mash about one-third of the potatoes, or use an immersion blender to blend half the soup. Leave plenty of chunks.
- Reduce heat to LOW. Add cheddar cheese in two additions, stirring after each until melted. Stir in sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning generously. Add a splash of broth if too thick.
- Serve in deep bowls topped with bacon crumbles, extra cheddar, sour cream, chives, and cracked pepper. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Cook bacon in the pot first — the rendered fat adds enormous flavor.
Add cheese on LOW heat — high heat makes cheese grainy.
Season aggressively — potatoes absorb salt.
Crockpot version: Sauté bacon and onions on stovetop. Transfer with broth, milk, potatoes to slow cooker. LOW 6 to 7 hours or HIGH 3 to 4 hours.
Storage: Refrigerate 4 days. Freeze without dairy.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating below and tell me how it turned out — I love hearing from you!
Sarah Mitchell is the home cook and recipe developer behind Kitchen Love Story, a food blog dedicated to easy, comforting recipes that real families actually love. After years of searching for simple weeknight dinner ideas that didn’t require a culinary degree or a grocery list a mile long, Sarah decided to start creating and sharing her own. Her recipes focus on accessible ingredients, straightforward techniques, and big, satisfying flavors — the kind of food that brings people together. When she’s not testing recipes in her kitchen, Sarah enjoys meal prepping on Sundays, exploring farmers markets, and convincing her family to try at least one new dish a week. She lives with her family and a very enthusiastic golden retriever who considers himself the official taste tester.
