Baked Potato Soup
Updated Oct. 24, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 6slices bacon, or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1bunch scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 2pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes, large skins reserved
- 6cups whole milk
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- ⅛teaspoon ground cayenne
- ⅛teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾cup sour cream, plus more for serving
- ¾cup freshly grated Cheddar (about 3 ounces), plus more for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
775 calories; 48 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 1664 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon (if using) until crisp, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate or cutting board. Return the pot with just 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the stove. (If there’s not enough fat, supplement with butter to total 3 tablespoons.) If making the soup vegetarian, melt butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Step 2
Over medium-low heat, sauté the white parts of the scallions and the garlic until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning the garlic. Add the potatoes, milk and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (resist the urge to heat it faster as this can lead to curdling). Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 3
As soup simmers, prepare the potato skins: Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Working in batches if needed, add the potato peels in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until crisp and golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Crumble and set aside.
- Step 4
Once the potatoes are tender, take the pot off the heat, and purée the mixture with an immersion blender if you’d like a smooth soup. (Mash with a potato masher if you’d like a chunkier soup.) Stir in the sour cream and cheese until combined, then season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with crumbled bacon, more sour cream and Cheddar and the green parts of the scallions. Top with potato peels (eat any extra as chips, dipped in ketchup and mustard).
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Gina Hamm
TEXTURE: More of a bisque texture. Next time I'll up my potatoes to 2.5 lbs for that thicker texture I'm looking for in a Baked Potato Soup. TIMING: real time- closer to a total of 1:15-1:30 total. It takes at least 30 minutes to prep the potatoes, bacon, green onions, and shred the cheese. I'm at 5,000 feet elevation and upped the simmering time from 15 to 20. And a note of caution, the milk wants to froth and boil over- keep an eye!
jen
Yum. Used one can evaporated skim milk and 2% to 4 cups and then 2 cups of chicken broth since I didn’t want to use all my milk. Also the family doesn’t know about the peels because I ate them all as I was making them. Also added Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Also it took me an hour twenty to make.
vera
Vegetarian version -- This is just too rich for us! Next time I'll take out half the potatoes before pureeing for some chunkiness. I'll follow others and use enough liquid (half milk/half broth) just to cover the potatoes, and skip the sour cream. It can be thinned out later. We passed around a "potato bar" plate with yogurt, chopped steamed broccoli, herbs, and chopped tomatoes as well as the peels, which were great!
Bobbekay
I am a bit lazy, so I actually baked the potatoes, but rubbed the skins with olive oil prior to putting them in th oven. After spoon the cooked potato out of the skins, I cut up the skins, put some olive oil on them and roasted them. They were delicious .
Nashgirl
The garnish of fried potato peels is genius. I followed the recipe exactly. Achieved surprised looks when brought to the table fully garnished. So cute fully assembled, delicious, and easy.
Alice
This is, hands down, the best potato soup I have ever had. Very flavorful! HOWEVER, I am glad I looked the recipe over before beginning. Two pounds of potatoes is not a lot… 2-3, depending on the size. When I thought about that and the quantity of milk it called for, it just didn’t seem like enough potatoes. I doubled the quantity of potatoes (thinking I can always thin it with more milk, if necessary). I am glad I increased the spuds. Otherwise it would have been way too thin. This is comfort food at its best!
Cassandra
It was quite tasty. I cheated and cooked the potatoes in chicken stock and then added heavy cream after pureeing.
Dara
This does NOT take 30 minutes! Delicious but more like 90 minutes, good grief!!!
Train Wreck
Is plush sour cream widely available? Does it come from upholstered dairy cows?
MAL
Took notes from others and added a little extra potato, added all the scallion to the sauteed veggies, swapped in two cups of veggie broth for some of the milk, used a can of condensed milk, and added regular milk to about 5-1/2 cups liquid total. I also added some grated carrot and 2 stalks of celery to increase veggie in the soup. Maybe because of the carrot there was a light golden color to the soup once partially pureed (immersion blender, quick and easy). Nice soup, will make again.
Jules
It's baked potato soup no? So why not used baked potatoes? Make the recipe as is scooping out the flesh of the baked potato to puree or not, use the baked skins in the soup and/or for topping. You're welcome.
Holly
If you are cooking for a crowd that can't take much lactose, cooking with almond milk works quite well, and also is not so heavy on the stomach. For an ideal consistency, I would recommend putting in just enough milk so that the potatoes are covered. The tip for putting in spinach at the end was also a good one!
Maureen
Too much milk, making it too thin. Added extra potatoes and still to thin for me. Have another recipe for baked potato soup that actually uses baked potatoes. Toppings are similar, but the flavor is better. Also, no herbs?
Dave
Turned out to be excellent, but all told about 90 minutes of mostly active cooking. I am not an expert cook, but know my way around a kitchen. Would make again, but not after a full work day,
Jennifer
Use three big potatoes
Lara
You really need the toppings because the actual soup is very bland. After all the effort my family agreed that a normal baked potato was better.
Teague
I made a double batch for lunch for six. Used yukon gold potatoes. I baked the bacon in the oven and then mixed the skins chopped into 1/2" pieces with a bit of the bacon fat, back in for 15 min or so at 425 on convection, stirred once halfway. Perfect crispy flakes of potato yum! I used a big yellow onion, 4 c. chicken broth (1 box) to cook the potatoes. 1 c buttermilk and 1 c heavy cream for soup and blended it. Added dill because we like it, and lots of chives. It was a big hit!
Marcie
I followed the recipe with given instructions, other than in one area. After reading other comments, I decided to up the potatoes to 3#, and was glad I did. That allowed a small bit of potato in each spoonful. I used a potato masher - not the blender. I would also add, that Yes, this does take a lot of time to make. From top to bottom, 1 hr. 15 minutes.
CA
Amazing! I followed the comment suggestions and went up to 2.5 pounds potatoes. I only had 2%milk and half and half so I used a mix of those. This is rich and not healthy, but oh so yummy!
Yammy
I used an air fryer to cook bacon, rendered fat for recipe and then used bacon fat left in fryer for crispy potato skins in a flash. I also finished with chives and some parsley for color/nutrients/color.
Jen
Good, but too thin. Used butter instead of bacon fat since I had bagged bacon crumbles I wanted to use up. Subbed in chix stock for 2c of the milk. I added a yellow onion to the scallion whites. Next time I'd bother to cook bacon to have the fat for flavor. I'd also add about 1/2 to 1 pound more potato -- or use a cup less liquid next time. I'd also make sure to use sharp cheddar, I used Colby and it wasn't sharp enough. Made the peels in the air fryer -- ate 'em up before soup was done lol.
Sarah
LOVED this method, came out absolutely perfect, so much flavor.
Cara
Rich and satisfying soup, with a really nice flavor. Notes for next time: I used 2 lb. + 2 nice sized potatoes. For liquid, use 4 cups whole milk and 2 cups broth (I scaled back based on comments and thought it needed to be a little thinner). For skins, toss them in oil and spices and put them in the oven (I didn't quite get the crispiness I wanted on the stove). I I blended part of the soup to make it thick but left lots of potato chunks. Definitely takes 1 1/2 hours with that slow heating!
jeff
As written, makes 4 - 700 calorie servings.
Jann
I have made Julia Child's Potato Leek Soup many times over the years. This recipe is probably even better and is a bit more economical. I too subbed a can of evaporated milk for some of the whole milk. The potato skins are tasty, but perhaps not worth the effort. They get lost among the other toppings.
ggilmore
Not too far off soupy mashed potatoes. We did not enjoy. Wished I’d saved myself a lot of time and just made baked potatoes. Love the crisped skins though, but I was the only one who appreciated them.
Mary Young
I did this the second time with 50/50 milk and broth. Oven roasted the potatoes, chopped very coarsely, saving some skin, left it chunky and added more spice. Also the first batch I made didn’t come out of the freezer well so while I hoped to freeze this, so far not much luck.
Martin J Ross
Baked potato soup is not made with boiled potatoes! The potatoes should be rubed with oil several times until it stops soaking in. Bake the potatoes, skin on, for 90 to 120 minutes in a very hot oven (not fan). The jackets should be thick and crisp. Cut int quarters using a bread knife and add to a blender or soup bachine. Add plenty of salt. Add an equal volume of stock such as beef, chicken or veg. I normally add sautéd garlic and an ounce of butter. Try it plain first, it's so good.
5 stars
I cut potato cubes in ¼” dice and so,it was completed much more quickly than others. Simmered potatoes in half-and-half and lots of vegetable stock and half a dozen peeled garlic cloves, parentheses everything smooth out with the immersion blender.). Used to the fresh herbs I had on hand, no cayenne so subbed in smoked paprika. All the fixings at the end were bomb. This is a very forgiving recipe and absolutely worth it if you’re looking for a warm, comforting soup.
Lee - Lee
This is more like potato milk. There is way too much liquid the way the recipe is written. Family did not eat it. won't make again.
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