Loaded Potato Soup

Loaded Potato Soup is rich, creamy, and hearty, the very definition of comfort food in a bowl. Made with simple ingredients like potatoes, bacon, and cheese, it’s a filling and satisfying meal that comes together with ease. Perfect for cold days when only something warm and cozy will do.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Hamburger Potato Soup or this Cheddar Garlic Herb Potato Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Made with simple, everyday ingredients, this recipe is easy to prepare and full of comforting flavor. Each bowl has tender potatoes, crispy bacon, melted cheese, and green onions, bringing all the goodness of a loaded baked potato in soup form. It also stores well in the fridge or freezer, making it a great option for meal prep and quick weeknight dinners.

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Ingredient List

For the Soup Base:

• 6 medium potatoes, cut into cubes and cooked (Yukon Gold or Russets work beautifully)
• 8 thick-cut bacon slices
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (plus more to taste)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium or no salt added)
• 2 cups half-and-half

For the Toppings:

• Sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• Green onions, finely chopped
• Extra bacon bits

Why These Ingredients Work

Yukon Golds cost more but they’re worth it because they get creamy without falling apart completely. I used regular russets once and half of them dissolved into nothing while the other half stayed rock hard. Made no sense.

The bacon fat thing sounds gross but it’s not. My dad always did this and I thought he was just being cheap, but turns out he was right. It makes everything taste better without being obvious about it. Half-and-half is the only thing that works here – heavy cream is too much and milk is too wimpy. Learned that after several failed attempts.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Large colander
• Wire whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Medium skillet (for the bacon)

How To Make Loaded Potato Soup

Step 1: Prep Your Potatoes

Cut your potatoes into chunks about the size of a grape. Boil them in salty water until a fork goes through easy, maybe 15 minutes. Don’t overthink it. Drain them and set them aside. You could roast them if you want to show off, but boiling works fine and I’m usually too hungry to wait an extra 30 minutes.

Step 2: Bacon Time

Cook your bacon until it snaps when you break it. Seriously, nobody wants chewy bacon in their soup. Crumble it up and save exactly 2 tablespoons of the grease. I used to save more thinking it would taste better, but it just made everything oily.

Step 3: Start Building Flavor

Put that bacon grease in your soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it stops looking raw, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic for maybe 30 seconds until it smells good. Don’t walk away during the garlic part because it goes from perfect to burnt in about two seconds.

Step 4: The Flour Situation

Throw in your herbs and seasonings first, then the flour. Stir it around for a minute or so. It’s gonna look like paste and smell weird, but that’s normal. This is what makes the soup thick instead of just potato water.

Step 5: Add the Liquids

Pour the broth in slowly while whisking like crazy. I cannot stress this enough – slowly. Fast equals lumps and lumps suck. Once that’s smooth, add the half-and-half and let it come to a gentle boil. Not crazy bubbling, just gentle.

Step 6: Potato Addition

Add your cooked potatoes and let everything hang out together for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir it occasionally so nothing sticks. The soup will get thick on its own. Add half the bacon bits and taste it. Fix the salt and pepper now because this is your last chance to make it perfect.

Step 7: Serve It Up

Put it in bowls and dump the good stuff on top – cheese, bacon, green onions. The cheese melts into the hot soup and makes everything look fancy even though you basically just threw ingredients in a pot.

You Must Know

Cook the Potatoes First: I used to just dump raw potatoes in and hope for the best. Bad idea. They never cook evenly and the soup takes forever. Pre-cooking them means they’re perfect every time.

Personal Secret: Before I add the potatoes to the soup, I mash about a quarter of them with a fork. My aunt taught me this after I complained that my soup was never thick enough. It makes all the difference for texture.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Whisk your broth in gradually or you’ll hate yourself later when you’re trying to fish out flour lumps. If you mess up and get lumps anyway, just blend a cup of the soup and stir it back in. Take your half-and-half out of the fridge early so it’s not ice cold when you add it. Cold dairy plus hot soup sometimes equals disaster.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

I’ve thrown frozen corn in this when I had it – really good combination. My brother adds jalapeños and uses pepper jack instead of cheddar. I’ve stirred in cream cheese when I was feeling fancy. Fresh chives instead of green onions work too. Basically, add whatever you have and it’ll probably be fine.

Make-Ahead Options

Make everything but stop before adding the half-and-half. Stick it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you want to eat it, just heat it up and add the cream then. Actually tastes better after sitting overnight because the flavors have time to get friendly. You can freeze it without the dairy for months.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Keep the heat low once you add the cream or it’ll curdle and look gross. When reheating leftovers, go slow and stir a lot. A little separation is normal – just stir it back together. If you want it completely smooth, blend half before adding the bacon back, but I like the chunky bits.

Serving Suggestions

Get some crusty bread for dunking. That’s basically mandatory. I usually make a salad too because all that cream and bacon needs something fresh to balance it out. For parties, I’ve served it in hollowed-out bread bowls which is extra work but people love it.

How to Store Your Loaded Potato Soup

Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days in whatever containers you have. Reheat slowly over low heat, stirring frequently. If it’s too thick, add some broth or milk. Freezes for months, though the texture gets a little weird – just stir it well when you reheat.

Allergy Information

Has dairy and gluten, obviously. For dairy-free, use canned coconut milk instead of half-and-half and skip the cheese or use fake cheese. For gluten-free, use gluten-free flour or cornstarch mixed with cold broth first.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Is It Better to Thicken Soup With Flour Or Cornstarch?

Flour works better here because it cooks with the fat first, which prevents lumps and tastes better. Cornstarch makes things slimy if you use too much, and you have to mix it with cold liquid first which is annoying.

Can I use different types of potatoes?

Yukon Golds are best, russets work okay. Don’t use red potatoes – they stay too hard and won’t help thicken anything.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Do the bacon and onion part on the stove first. Then put everything except the half-and-half in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. Add the cream in the last 30 minutes.

How do I prevent curdling?

Low heat after adding dairy, and let your half-and-half warm up to room temperature first. Don’t let it boil hard once the cream’s in.

Can I make this lighter?

Use regular milk instead of half-and-half, use less bacon, add more vegetables like carrots or celery.

This soup has gotten me through more broke weeks and cold nights than anything else I know how to make. Hope it does the same for you.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me if you screwed anything up or made it better somehow. I’m always learning new tricks.