Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
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Cold nights are made better with this creamy, delicious, and easy to make Loaded Baked Potato Soup! Yukon gold potatoes, baked, peeled, and chopped with applewood smoked bacon, milk, lots of cheddar cheese, green onions, and sour cream. It’s so simple, but oh so cozy and warming. Each bowl is then finished with extra cheese, green onions, bacon, and a dollop of sour cream…because you can never have too much! Every bite tastes just like a loaded baked potato, but in delicious soup form. Serve at dinner for a meal the whole family will love or even at lunch to keep warm during these colder months!
About The Recipe
I am SO ready for soup season. With the weather cold, there are a few things that I automatically reach for. Blankets, sweaters, a cozy movie, a mug of mulled wine, and big bowl of soup. It’s just the perfect combination. Especially when you have this baked potato soup!
It’s just the perfect combination of flavor, creaminess, all while being very filling. So. GOOD.
My mom has been making this exact recipe since I was a kid. It’s always been one of my absolute favorites! So, when we were discussing what recipe to share today, we couldn’t help but grab our go-to.
The original recipe is written on a very small and blue piece of paper. There are notes like a millions notes all over it from my mom making adjustments over the years! It’s almost impossible to read, but that’s when you know a recipe is good.
For me, this soup is the definition of comfort. It brings back so many memories! Plus, it just tastes like a really good baked potato. There is absolutely nothing better!
Annnnd while this may not be the healthiest soup recipe on our blog, the flavor is unmatched.
It’s creamy with chunks of potato that just melt in your mouth, a touch of salty/smokiness from the applewood smoked bacon, cheesy without being greasy, and just enough green onions to give it a wonderful undertone. Every bite always leaves you wanting more!
What is Baked Potato Soup?
Baked potato soup is a simple roux/milk based soup that consists mainly of chopped baked potatoes, bacon, sour cream, and cheese. Each recipe has different variations, as you can really add anything that you like to this soup, but for our recipe, we decided to keep things classic!
Reasons You Will Love This Baked Potato Soup
- It’s so much easier to make than you might think.
- FULL of flavor!
- A crowd pleaser.
- Perfect for colder Fall and Winter nights.
- Tastes just like a baked potato.
Equipment Needed
- Sheet Pan
- Fork
- 8 Quart Pot
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Applewood Smoked Bacon
- Salted Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Whole Milk
- Green Onions
- Yellow Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
How To Make Baked Potato Soup
Step 1: Bake the potatoes
Wash and dry the potatoes and prick all over with a fork.
Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Sauté bacon
Cut the bacon into ½ inch pieces. Sauté over medium heat until crisp. Drain thoroughly. Set aside.
Step 3: Peel potatoes
Once the potatoes are cooled, peel away the skin. Chop into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
Step 4: Make the roux
In an 8 quart soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Reduce heat to medium low and continue whisking for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add milk and potatoes
Add milk, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.
Once all milk has been incorporated, add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, about 5 – 10 minutes.
Step 6: Add rest of ingredients and cook
Stir in bacon and green onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the cheese and stir until melted.
Stir in sour cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.
What Potatoes To Use For This Soup
The best potatoes, in our opinion, for baked potato soup is Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes. They taste the absolute best in this soup. We found that baking potatoes are too starchy, bland, and they don’t really add anything to this recipe.
How To Store
Once this soup is made and has had time to cool, it can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. We do not recommend freezing this soup, as we’ve often found ours becomes grainy and doesn’t reheat well if frozen.
Substitutions
- Red potatoes can be used in place of Yukon Gold.
- Your preferred bacon can be used in this recipe. Applewood smoked is our favorite!
- Chives can be used instead of green onions, if desired.
- White cheddar cheese can be used, but it may change the flavor of this soup slightly.
- This recipe can be made vegan if made with soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk that’s not sweet), vegan cheddar cheese, vegan sour cream, and your favorite vegan bacon.
- You can also make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour such as your favorite all-purpose flour, arrowroot starch, sweet white rice, or potato starch. We recommend using Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, as it is a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour.
Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Classic Red Bean Chili, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, French Onion Soup
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip pricking the potatoes before baking!
- Baking times on the potatoes may vary on size, shape, and how your oven bakes. Use a fork to poke into them to test if they’re tender. If the fork pokes through easily, the potatoes are done!
- The bacon is easier to cut if it’s cold.
- Be careful to not burn the roux. Whisk continually as it cooks.
- Be sure to add the milk slowly, about 1 cup at a time, while whisking constantly!
- Once you add the potatoes to the milk mixture, it will thicken slightly as it cooks. The times may vary, but it typically takes 5-10 minutes.
- You can add almost anything to this soup to suite your tastes. We love to sauté some mushroom and add to the top of our bowls!
When you make this Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 pound applewood smoked bacon
- ⅓ cup salted butter
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 7 cups whole milk
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper,, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° F.
- Wash and dry potatoes.
- Prick all over with a fork.
- Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 1 – 1 ½ hours, until tender.
- Set aside to cool.
- Cut bacon into ½" pieces.
- Sauté over medium heat until crisp.
- Drain thoroughly. Set aside.
- Peel potatoes.
- Cut into 1" dice. Set aside.
- In an 8 quart soup pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour until smooth.
- Reduce heat to medium low and continue whisking for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add milk, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.
- Once all milk has been incorporated, add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, about 5-10 minutes (depending on how your stovetop cooks).
- Stir in bacon and green onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add cheese and stir until melted.
- Stir in sour cream.
- Heat through.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Notes + Tips!
- Red potatoes can be used in place of Yukon Gold.
- Your preferred bacon can be used in this recipe. Applewood smoked is our favorite!
- Chives can be used instead of green onions, if desired.
- White cheddar cheese can be used, but it may change the flavor of this soup slightly.
- This recipe can be made vegan if made with soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk that’s not sweet), vegan cheddar cheese, vegan sour cream, and your favorite vegan bacon.
- You can also make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour such as your favorite all-purpose flour, arrowroot starch, sweet white rice, or potato starch. We recommend using Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, as it is a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour.
- Don’t skip pricking the potatoes before baking!
- Baking times on the potatoes may vary on size, shape, and how your oven bakes. Use a fork to poke into them to test if they’re tender. If the fork pokes through easily, the potatoes are done!
- The bacon is easier to cut if it’s cold.
- Be careful to not burn the roux. Whisk continually as it cooks.
- Be sure to add the milk slowly, about 1 cup at a time, while whisking constantly!
- Once you add the potatoes to the milk mixture, it will thicken slightly as it cooks. The times may vary, but it typically takes 5-10 minutes.
- You can add almost anything to this soup to suite your tastes. We love to sauté some mushroom and add to the top of our bowls!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
– Still Hungry? –
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This is the potato soup I always do. We love it. I’ve gotten to where I use the steam and mash frozen potatoes and they work perfectly. Just zap them ten minutes in the mw. And plop them in as usual. I use 2-3 bags
I have never made loaded baked potato soup, but I am looking forward to doing it. I love to find new simple recipes and make them for my family. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Jeanie! We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! It’s a staple in our kitchen once the weather gets cold. Please let us know if you have any questions! x, Caylie
I make this soup all the time and it’s delicious! I double the recipe in a 16 quart stock pot and it freezes well. I do not bake the potatoes in the oven. But instead, I leave the skins on because it adds more flavor (I use red skin potatoes) and I cook the cubed potatoes for about 15 minutes in the pot with all of the other ingredients. The starch from cooking the potatoes thickens the soup so you don’t need make a roux with the butter and flour. If you want it thicker at the end, you can just make a slurry with corn starch and water to thicken it. Saves a lot of time and steps!
Hi Karen! Thank you for making our recipe! We love that you found a way to speed up the process to make this soup. While it’s technically no longer a baked potato soup, that sounds like it would work great for busy weeknights or holiday rushes! Definitely sounds like a delish potato soup and we hope you find more yummy recipes on our blog to make! 🙂 Xo, Caylie
So, you’re adding raw potatoes to the milk mixture?
Hi Lynne! No, we didn’t. The potatoes are already baked before put into the soup. Let me know if you have any other questions! Xo, Caylie.
Yummy, really looks amazing and easy to prepare too.
Thank you for sharing
Hi Mary! Thank you!x