Potato Soup With Bacon

With a thick and creamy consistency, this delicious potato soup is loaded with extra crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced chives. It's an easy one-pot recipe that anyone can make.

overhead view of creamy potato soup with bacon

Potato Soup

4.92 from 35 ratings
Prep
15 mins
Cook
40 mins
Total
55 mins
Makes
4 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cook Bacon: Heat large pot (Note 4) over medium heat. Add bacon to pot and cook until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. When cool, crumble into small pieces.

  2. Sauté: Add onions to pot with bacon grease and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper to pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour to pot, and stir until ingredients are well-mixed, a few minutes.

  3. Simmer: Stir in water until well-mixed. Stir in milk. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer on medium-low until potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent potatoes from sticking to bottom of pot.

  4. Serve: Serve soup into bowls, and top with crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped chives (Note 5).

Nutrition

Makes 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 470 (35% from fat)  
Total Fat 18g 28%
   Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 1040mg 43%
Net Carb 53g  
Total Carb 57g 19%
   Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
   Sugars 9.5g  
Protein 20g  
Vitamin A 12% · Vitamin C 77% · Calcium 38% · Iron 14%

Photos

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Garlic. About 1 bulb of garlic. If this is too strong for you, use less garlic.

(2) Cheddar Cheese. This is used as a topping for the soup after it's made. Substitute with your favorite shredded cheese.

(3) Flour. This is used to thicken the soup, and can be substituted with your thickener of choice.

(4) Large Pot. I use a 6-quart dutch oven.

(5) Serving / Leftovers. Serve potato soup with saltines, garlic knots, cheese biscuits, and/or roasted mushrooms. Cover and store leftovers (soup separate from the toppings) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and reheat using the microwave.

Discussion & ratings

46 comments · 4.92 / 5 from 35 ratings

★★★★

I used chicken broth instead of water for more flavor. We loved it.
Like (8)

★★★★★

I made this as is and it was wonderful. The next time I substituted cauliflower to lower the carb count and added a couple of leeks and used extra sharp cheddar. And then I blended it with my immersion blender. It was also fabulous.
Like (4)

★★★★★

This is to die for! The only substitution I made was using frozen cubed hash browns instead of fresh potatoes (I was in a hurry!) Heaven in a bowl!
Like (3)

★★★★★

I made this soup for the 3rd time, each time I make it is better than the last! I subbed 1 cup of milk for cream instead and I added 1 tbs of powdered chicken bouillon. Lord! It was amazing!!
Like (3)

★★★★★

This was the best ever!!! I added carrots and broccoli and used vegetable stock instead of water. Sooo tasty! Served with fresh French bread out of the oven. The best!
Like (2)
I made this tonight! I added a bit of heavy cream with the milk extra pepper and a couple dashes of jalepeno onion powder. It was delicious!
Like (2)
Sherri Yocum

★★★★★

This is delicious! I added ground mustard and cayenne pepper, not for heat but for flavor. Thanks for a great recipe
Like (1)

★★★★★

I just made this and my kid loved it! She asked if we could have it every night. Next time I will try to add more veggies- carrots, spinach, kale, etc. as mentioned by some other reviews below. Overall, happy. I'd also like to note that I used unsweetened flax milk instead of regular milk, olive oil instead of bacon and veggie broth instead of water. Made for a perfectly vegetarian dinner on a cold night!
Like (1)
Kristina

★★★★★

This was excellent! I only used 6 cloves of garlic which was perfect!
Like (1)
Victoria

★★★★★

Oh my this was fantastic, I used red potatoes instead. It was divine!!
Like (1)

★★★★★

This is the Simplest and yet the most tasty Potato soup recipe I have made! My husband is very picky and he Really likes this version of Potato soup the Most!
Like (1)

★★★★

This is a good recipe. I substituted half n half for the milk. I added carrots and celery. I put the bacon in when I added the half n half. At the end, I added 2 Tbl spoons of real butter and a pack of Kraft reg Mac n cheese cheese powder. It was the way I like it.
Like (1)
Valentina | The Baking Fairy
This looks so comforting and delicious! I love how easy it is to make, too!
Like (0)

★★★★★

This is really good! I did use chicken broth instead of water. So delicious on a winter night!
Like (0)
Kathleen

★★★★★

Delicious! I made this without the garlic and chives and it was really good. Fixing it again this week! Easy and creamy, and a added bonus.... The husband liked it too!
Like (0)

★★★★★

It wad so good! I made it today for lunch and everyone loved it! Thank you for posting.
Like (0)

★★★★★

This was fabulous!!!! I made it with coconut milk (unsweetened) It was to die for
Like (0)
Jacqueline

★★★★★

Made this without the bacon and used olive oil to sub for the bacon grease. It worked great and still turned out very tasty!
Like (0)

★★★★★

Can this soup be made in a crockpot instead of a pot or dutch oven? It looks delicious!
Like (0)
Hi Kristen! I haven't tried making it in a crockpot, but it should be possible :) I would fry the bacon separately, and cook everything else in the slow cooker on low power until the potatoes are nice and tender. Let me know if you give it a try!
Like (0)
Britania

★★★★

Delicious!!! Made for daycare kids and it was a hit! Didn't have the garlic cloves tho... And we added carrots fresh from the garden along with potatoes and onion straight from the garden.
Like (0)
Sherri Yocum
This is delicious and so easy! I added a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of ground mustard, made the flavors pop! I served it with sour cream, bacon and chives this is a keeper. Thanks.
Like (0)