This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a soup that eats like a full meal with bites of potatoes, bacon, sour cream and cheddar cheese!
This soup is creamy and filling, hearty enough to be the main dish! It’s perfect if you want soup but don’t want to feel like you drank broth for dinner.
A real sticks-to-the-ribs kind of meal, it’s full of flavor, bacon being one of my favorites! And it reminds you of all the best baked potatoes you’ve ever eaten! Chock full of sour cream, green onions, bacon and cheese!
Make a loaf of crusty sourdough bread to serve alongside it and you’ve got yourself the perfect fall or winter meal!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Ingredients
Potatoes: Russet or Idaho Potatoes work well in this recipe. You can make baked potatoes ahead of time and cut into bite-sized pieces. Or you can start with raw potatoes, chop them up and then boil them for a short time before adding them to the soup.
Butter: salted or unsalted. Used to make a roux. You can replace some of the butter with bacon grease, but swapping out too much will affect the flavor of the soup.
Flour: All purpose flour to make a roux.
Milk: Any milk should work. I use 2%. This makes the soup nice and creamy.
Chicken Broth: Use canned broth, homemade broth, or water and chicken bouillon.
Green onions: Buy them fresh or slice and freeze until you’re ready to make this soup.
Sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese: Mild or sharp, it’s up to you! I recommend shredding from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with cornstarch to keep it from sticking to itself and can make the soup thicker than it would be otherwise.
Bacon: Crumbled and sprinkled on top of the soup for serving.
If you fry the bacon in your soup pot, not only do you not have to clean the pot before cooking the soup, but you can also save some bacon grease to use in place of some of the butter. I don’t recommend replacing all of the butter with bacon grease because the flavor of the soup will be very different.
Cooking Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Cook the Potatoes
For best results, bake potatoes in the oven or microwave. Remove the skin and chop into 1/2″ cubes.
Alternatively, peel and dice raw potatoes. In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 8 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain and set aside until ready to add to the soup
Cook the Bacon
Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Fry over medium-high heat in a deep soup pot. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Pour off bacon grease and save for frying eggs or cooking with later.
Make the Roux
In the same deep pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Slowly add milk, a bit at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate the milk into the roux. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Cook the Soup
Add potatoes and green onions. Return to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in freshly shredded cheddar cheese until melted.
That last step is my favorite! I love watching the pale, creamy soup turn golden and cheesy!
Serving Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Sprinkle crisp bacon crumbles over the top and serve with a side of Sourdough Bread to complete the meal!
Storing Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Store, covered, in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
Can I Freeze Potato Soup?
No, unfortunately this soup does not freeze well. Potatoes become mushy and watery after freezing. If you have leftovers, it’s best to eat them soon after cooking.
Cooking tips:
Preparing the potatoes: Baking potatoes makes them lighter and fluffier. While you can boil the cubed potatoes, it makes them a bit denser and grainier. I recommend baking.
Cooking with milk: Always heat milk or milk-containing sauces on medium heat or lower.
Making a roux: Cook the flour for at least 1 minute until the raw flavor of flour is gone.
Adding liquid to a roux: Adding liquid bit by bit keeps your sauce or soup from becoming grainy or lumpy. Add a small amount at a time and stir until the free liquid is completely incorporated into the roux mixture.
Cooking with shredded cheese: It’s best to shred your own cheese from the block when adding cheese to a sauce made from a roux. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with cornstarch to keep it from sticking to itself. The cornstarch will thicken the sauce more than the recipe intends.
Happy Cooking!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Equipment
- deep soup pot
Ingredients
- 4 large baked potatoes, cubed to about ½"
- 12 slices bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces (about ¾ pound)
- ⅔ cup butter
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 6 green onions, sliced (green parts only)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel and cube baked potatoes.
- In a deep soup pot, cook bacon pieces over medium-high heat, stirring often until browned and crisped to your liking. Remove, drain and set aside. Remove bacon grease and save for another time.
- In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour to create a roux. Cook 1 minute.
- Add milk a bit at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate into roux.
- Gradually add broth, stirring constantly to incorporate.
- Stirring frequently, bring soup to a low boil. Add potatoes and green onions. Return to boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Stir in shredded cheese until melted.
- Sprinkle bacon over individual bowls of soup before serving.
Notes
- Use leftover baked potatoes or bake potatoes the day before to cut down on prep time.
- Don’t want to bake your potatoes? Peel and cube raw potatoes, cover them with cold water and boil for only 8 minutes. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
- Pour excess bacon grease into a small glass jar to save for future cooking. Store in the fridge for 3-6 months.
- Bacon drippings can be used to replace up to 3 Tablespoons of butter. Replacing too much of the butter alters the flavor of the soup.
- Be sure to cook the roux for at least 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour flavor.
- Freshly shredding cheddar cheese from a block is recommended. Pre-shredded cheese has cornstarch in it to keep it from sticking to itself. This can cause your soup to be too thick.
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup pairs very well with a loaf of Sourdough Bread.
This soup pairs well with Sourdough Bread. Follow the link to the easy recipe!
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