Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Can we just take a moment to appreciate loaded baked potato soup? Everything wonderful about a loaded baked potato — the creamy potato, the melty cheddar, the crispy bacon, the cool sour cream, the chives — transformed into a cozy, comforting bowl of soup. It is genuinely one of the most satisfying things you can eat when it is cold outside and you need something warm and filling.
This Loaded Baked Potato Soup has been a cold-weather staple in our house for years. It is thick, incredibly creamy, and loaded with toppings in the best possible way. And it comes together in under an hour, which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner when you want something that really hits.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
Method
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving about 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pot.
- Add onion to the bacon fat and cook 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then milk and cream. Bring to a simmer while whisking.
- Add diced potatoes and bring back to a simmer. Cook 15-20 minutes until potatoes are completely tender.
- Using a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes in the pot to thicken the soup to your preferred consistency.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheddar and sour cream until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with reserved crispy bacon, extra cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, and fresh chives.
Notes
The Bacon Base Makes Everything Better
We start by cooking the bacon right in the pot, then building the whole soup in that same pot using the bacon fat as the cooking fat. This infuses every layer of the soup with that smoky, savory bacon flavor right from the start. It is one of those cooking moves that is almost too simple for how much impact it has.
Getting the Texture Right
The best loaded baked potato soup has a thick, creamy base with some chunks of potato remaining. After the potatoes are cooked through, I use a potato masher right in the pot to mash some of them while leaving others intact. It gives you that perfect soup texture that is neither completely smooth nor just brothy. You can customize it to be as chunky or smooth as you like.
Tools That Make Soup Season Easier
A good heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot is a worthy investment if you make soups regularly. I use mine constantly from fall through spring and it just distributes heat so much more evenly than a thin pot. A 5-quart Dutch oven is the perfect size for this recipe and handles everything from soups to braises. Also, a sturdy potato masher does the job here much faster than trying to use a spoon.
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The Toppings Are Half the Fun
Do not skip the toppings. The contrast between the hot creamy soup and the cold sour cream, the salty crispy bacon bits, the sharp cheddar that melts into the soup as you stir, the fresh chives — that is what makes this dish. Set up a little topping station when you serve it so everyone can customize their bowl.
Make Ahead and Storage
This soup keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 4 days and actually gets better the next day as the flavors develop. Reheat gently over medium-low heat and add a splash of broth or milk if it has thickened too much. It also freezes well — just freeze without the dairy toppings and add those fresh when serving.
The Perfect Cold Weather Bowl
Loaded baked potato soup is the kind of recipe you come back to again and again throughout fall and winter. It is crowd-pleasing, deeply comforting, and genuinely delicious. Bookmark this one now and make it the next time you need a cozy bowl of something wonderful.
Enjoy! xo, Pam
