Published: January 30, 2022
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Is there anything better than loaded baked potato soup on a cold winter evening? This creamy, comforting baked potato soup is made with simple ingredients and loads of cheese and is topped with crumbled bacon, green onions, and of course, more cheese!
For more amazing soup recipes, look no further than my popular posts for Easy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup, Sausage and White Bean Soup and Pumpkin Soup.
Guys I cannot think of a soup I’m loving more right now than this loaded baked potato soup. It’s so easy and requires nothing fancy. I used russet potatoes, store-bought broth, pre-shredded cheese, butter, some milk, garlic, an onion, and a few more easy-peasy ingredients you probably already have in your fridge or pantry. Plus, it’s kid-friendly and freezes great!
How to Make This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Russet potatoes – I choose potatoes on the large side for this soup, but you can also use Idaho, Yukon, red, or fingerling (but you’ll need a lot of the littler potatoes).
- Butter – I use unsalted butter then add more butter later, to taste. If you use salted butter, be sure not to go overboard salting later.
- Garlic – Jarred, minced garlic is fine here. But you can also chop your own.
- Yellow onion –I like the flavor of yellow onions, but you can use any onion you have on hand.
- Chicken broth – Here, I also choose a well-known chicken broth brand and I tend to buy the low-sodium variety because I can always add that salt in later, if needed.
- Salt – Any fine-grain salt is good here, just salt to taste.
- Milk – I use fat free half and half, but you can use any milk you like. The more fat the milk contains, the more creamy your soup will be.
- Shredded white cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese – I prefer to grate my own cheese from a block – it blends up much more smoothly.
- Cracked black pepper – This is to taste. I like to grind my own pepper because I find that fresh, cracked black pepper tastes best.
- Green onions – These are for garnish. I like the flavor but you can also skip these if you like.
- Bacon – Cook your own bacon and crumble it or just buy bacon bits/crumbles and save some time (and mess!).
Step By Step Directions
- First, take out a large pot and put it on a burner over medium high heat, and to it add the butter to melt. Then, add the minced garlic, stirring for about 1-2 minutes, or till very fragrant.
- Next, add the onions and stir, followed by the potatoes, the chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Bring the veggies and broth to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Now, stir in 4 more cups of broth (or 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of milk).
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender) till smooth.
- Finally, stir in the shredded cheeses, until they are melted into the soup. Taste, add salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls and be sure to add plenty of additional cheese, bacon, and green onions. Enjoy!
Why This Recipe Works
Delicious use for potatoes – Don’t we all have a few russet potatoes lying around that we don’t know what to do with? Even potatoes that might seem to be not at their peak would work great in this soup.
Great leftovers – This loaded baked potato soup is great the next day and the next and the next! I could eat it just about every day to be honest!
So fast – Be sure to cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces, that’s the key to getting them to cook fast. Even with chopping and blending you can still have this baked potato soup ready for dinner in under an hour!
Customizable – You can really use any potato you have on hand or even a mix of potatoes if that works best. Add your favorite cheeses, different toppings – you name it!
Are Baking Potatoes Good for Soup?
Some might argue with me that the best potato is not a russet or Idaho for soup. But I would argue that it’s just perfect, especially since they are the type of potato most people happen to have on hand, and no one likes an extra trip to the store. The key in using these types of potatoes I this loaded baked potato soup is the blending. Once the potatoes are blended up with the milk and broth, the texture is just perfect and creamy.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use any kind of potato you like. I’m also a fan of Yukon or red potatoes in this kind of potato soup recipe. Your call!
How Do I Thicken My Baked Potato Soup?
Depending on the milk you used (or if you used milk at all), you may find that your soup isn’t the consistency you wanted. In that case, make a slurry to thicken it up. Here’s how: Add one cup of cold water to two tablespoons of corn starch in a small bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Then, slowly pour the slurry into the soup, stirring it in as you pour. Turn the heat up on the loaded baked potato soup to boiling. Let it boil for about 1 minute and watch as your soup magically starts to thicken.
Or, if you’re a cheese lover (raising my hand here), you can also use more cheese in to melt into the soup and thicken it. Or use both: a slurry then the cheese.
How Do You Keep Potatoes from Getting Mushy in Soup?
I have a few solutions for mushy potatoes:
- First, don’t overcook them. If you’ve cut them up into 1-inch cubes, then cooking them as instructed in the broth for 12-15 minutes or until just soft, then they should be fine.
- Cook them in the broth. They will absorb the broth as they cook and will blend up smoothly just the same as if you cooked them in water. Plus, even if you drained off the water from the potatoes after cooking the in it, you could still end up with thin, runny soup because of the extra water in the potatoes.
- You’re using old potatoes. Potatoes will last awhile if stored in a cool, dark place, but if your potatoes are shriveled or have lots of sprouts growing off them, it’s time to toss those into the compost and get new potatoes before making this loaded baked potato soup.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Personally, I love the flavor combination of the white cheddar with sharp cheese or even extra-sharp yellow cheddar. Using the cheeses as instructed will require about half of a block of cheese for each kind – if you’d like to use only one kind, I recommend sharp cheddar.
- Did you know that pre-shredded cheese has an additive in it that keeps it from caking together in the bag? Because of this, pre-shredded cheese won’t want to cream together in your soup either. That’s why I recommend that you grate the cheese yourself using a box grater. This ensures a smooth, creamy soup.
- For milk, I prefer to use fat free half and half. However, you can use any milk you like, from 1% heavy cream, to skim. But please note that the higher the fat content in the milk, the richer and creamier your soup will be. So, while skim milk might have less fat, your soup will also be thinner.
- When it comes to bacon, you can either cook and crumble the bacon yourself, or for a timesaving (and mess-saving) tip, just use real bacon bits. I like to purchase the ones that look a little on the undercooked side (some look very well done, don’t get these ones) and microwave them for 20-30 seconds to crisp them up!
More Recipes Like This
Did you make this super easy, fully loaded baked potato soup recipe? FANTASTIC! Please rate the recipe below!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe
Instructions
In a large pot over medium high heat, melt the butter. Stir in garlic 1-2 minutes til very fragrant.
Stir in onions, followed by potatoes, chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes until potatoes are very soft. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir in 4 cups broth, or 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of milk.
Blend with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender) til smooth.
Stir in shredded cheeses until melted. Taste, add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in individual bowls and add plenty of additional cheese, bacon, and green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to grate the cheese yourself using a box grater, I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese as it does not melt as well as freshly grated cheese.
The milk: I used fat free half and half. You can use any milk from 1%-heavy cream, note that the higher your fat content, the richer and creamier your soup will be (ps: that’s a good thing in my book).
The bacon: You can either cook and crumble the bacon yourself, or for a time-saving (and mess-saving) tip, use real bacon bits. My favorite trick is to buy ones that look a little on the undercooked side (some look very well done, don’t get these ones) and microwave them for 20-30 seconds to crisp them up!
Nutrition
Calories: 456 kcal, Carbohydrates: 52 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 18 g, Saturated Fat: 11 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 62 mg, Sodium: 2211 mg, Potassium: 1413 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 613 IU, Vitamin C: 33 mg, Calcium: 432 mg, Iron: 3 mg
