Here’s a rich, creamy, classic Baked Potato Soup recipe—comforting, hearty, and loaded with all the good stuff like bacon, cheese, and sour cream.
🥔 Baked Potato Soup
⭐ Serves: 4–6
⏱ Total Time: ~45 minutes
🧾 Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 4 large russet potatoes (baked, cooled, peeled)
(Shortcut: microwave or air-fry if needed)
Soup base
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 2 cups whole milk (or half-and-half for richer soup)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional but great)
- ¼–½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
Toppings
- Shredded cheddar
- Chopped chives or green onions
- More bacon
- Sour cream
- Black pepper
🍲 Instructions
1. Prepare the potatoes
- Bake potatoes at 400°F (205°C) for 50–60 minutes until soft.
- Peel (optional) and roughly chop or mash.
(Leave some chunks for texture.)
2. Cook the bacon
- In a large pot, cook chopped bacon until crispy.
- Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; leave 2–3 tbsp of the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Sauté aromatics
- Add onion to the pot and cook 3–4 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
4. Make the roux
- Add butter and stir until melted.
- Sprinkle in flour and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add broth + milk
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth.
- Add milk (or half-and-half).
- Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Add potatoes
- Stir in chopped baked potatoes.
- Simmer 10–15 minutes, breaking some potatoes down to thicken the soup.
7. Finish the soup
- Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
- Add sour cream.
- Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme.
- Simmer 2–3 more minutes (don’t boil).
8. Serve
Ladle into bowls and top with:
- Cheddar
- Crispy bacon
- Chives/green onions
- Extra sour cream
✨ Tips & Variations
- Thicker soup: Mash more potatoes or add 1 more tbsp flour to the roux.
- Chunkier soup: Add an extra baked potato at the end.
- Lighter version: Use milk only, reduce cheese, skip bacon.
- Loaded version: Add ½ cup cooked ham or sausage.
- Gluten-free: Replace flour with 1–2 tbsp cornstarch mixed into cold milk before adding.
If you want, I can make:
🥔 A crockpot version
🥓 A bacon-heavy “loaded” style
🌱 A vegetarian or dairy-free version
Just tell me!
