All the flavors you love in a loaded baked potato are found in this easy, thick and creamy soup! Loaded Baked Potato Soup is made with leftover or make-ahead baked potatoes, crispy bacon, melted Cheddar cheese, tangy sour cream and green onions or chives....yum! This is truly the best potato soup recipe I've ever tasted.
This is my family's all-time favorite comfort food soup recipe because it is so satisfying...and well, bacon, right? Although, I'll say my Shortcut White Bean and Chicken Chili and Instant Pot White Bean and Chicken Chili: Dump and Start Recipe come in a close second!
This game day recipe is also my go-to soup recipe for the fall season because I can make in stages ahead of time or all at once. It makes plenty for a game-day crowd, plus it freezes well if I happen to have any leftovers. That doesn't happen very often.
Shortcuts
- Make Ahead- Anytime I can prep part or all of a recipe ahead of time, that's a shortcut. That way I can fit in the steps when I have a few extra minutes between laundry and recipe editing. Potatoes can be baked or air-fryer-baked one or two days ahead. Bacon can be fried ahead of time (Be careful here. If I know bacon is ready-to-eat in my fridge... I'm gonna eat it!)
- Frozen chopped onions- Although I always have a basket of onions on hand, it's nice to keep chopped frozen onions in the freezer. Not only are they handy and save time chopping and washing a cutting board, it makes for tear-free meal prep!
- Bacon option- You can substitute a package of fully cooked real bacon crumbles for bacon. I never recommend fake bacon "flavored" bits in the jar.
Tip: If you do choose to stir in the Hormel bacon crumbles, I like to crisp them up in the microwave first. Place them on a paper towel. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds or until slightly crisp.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and detailed descriptions are in the printable recipe below.
- Baking potatoes- Baking potatoes are Russet and Idaho potatoes. Although these are these are the best for baking, waxy potatoes such as red and Yukon Gold can also be used.
- Bacon- I love using part of the bacon drippings to make the white sauce/roux but to save time, all butter can be used and just stir in ½ cup Hormel Fully Cooked Crumbled Bacon. Save some for topping at the end.
- Butter- Salted or unsalted will work. I do not recommend whipped tub "butter" or spread. Stick margarine is acceptable but real butter is better because of the water content in margarine.
- All-Purpose Flour- Avoid self-rising flour for this recipe since it contains leavening ingredients.
- Milk- I usually use whole milk for this recipe because its a halfway point between heaving whipping cream and 1% milk. I've made it with half-and-half and it was a bit too thick. When I made it with 1% milk, it curdled a little after thawing from freezing the leftovers. So, my preferred milk is whole or 2%.
- Chicken broth- Chicken broth or stock adds lots of flavor. All milk can be used but it tends to make the soup a little on the "sweet" side. Vegetable broth can also be used but may make the end result a little grayish.
- Salt & Pepper- For a little added flavor, garlic salt can be used.
- Cheddar Cheese- This flavorful, easy-to-melt cheese is both stirred in the soup and sprinkled on top.
- Sour Cream- An important ingredient in a loaded baked potato, so it is with this soup! It adds just a bit of tanginess. You'll want to stir it in at the end, though. Too much heat may cause it to curdle slightly. If you don't love it, leave it out. It'll still be yummy.
- Toppings- Load up your potato soup with all or some of these: extra bacon, green onions, chives, jalapeno peppers, avocado or whatever you would put on your baked potato.
How to make this easy potato soup
Detailed directions are in printable recipe below.
- Bake the potatoes the day before or while you prepare the white sauce (Bechamel- fancy for white roux).
- Scoop out the cooked potato with a spoon.
Hint: Don't throw out those potato skins! My friend, Stacey Little, over at SouthernBite.com has this yummy recipe for Pulled Pork Potato Skins I'm dying to try!
- Be sure to scrape the potato down to the skin to save every bit you can! Technically, you could actually just chop up the whole potato, especially if you choose a waxy potato like Yukon Gold. Chop or mash the potatoes into pieces as big or small as you like.
- Cook the bacon in the large pot if frying your own bacon.
- Make the white sauce/roux with bacon drippings and butter, onion, milk and broth stirring constantly.
- Stir in the baked potato pieces, part of the bacon, salt, pepper, part of the cheese, and sour cream. Stir over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with remaining cheese and bacon and desired toppings.
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Hint: The soup will thicken even more overnight. To thin it out, just add a little bit of milk or broth when reheating it.
Substitutions & Variations
- Whole milk and 2% is best but 1% and half-and-half can also be used. Evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk) could also be used but I'd add water to a ratio of 3:1, milk to water.
- Garlic salt can be used for salt. To make your own for this recipe combine ½ teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Don't want to chop onions or buy frozen onions but like the onion flavor? Stir in ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- See INGREDIENTS above for potato substitutions.
Can I bake the potatoes in the air fryer?
Yes, I bake them all the time in the air fryer when I make my Air Fryer Baked Potatoes with BBQ Pulled Pork.
Preheat your air fryer to 375F degrees for 3 minutes. My ROAST setting is 375F.
Wash and dry the potatoes. With a the tines of a fork, poke holes evenly all over the potatoes about ⅛-inch deep. About six times is plenty.
Rub about 1 teaspoon olive oil or your favorite oil all over each potato. Carefully place them in the air fryer. Cook them at 375F on ROAST or AIR FRY for about 35 minutes, depending on the size of you potatoes.
Carefully remove the potatoes with tongs onto a cutting board. Let them stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
Pro tips
- To help prevent lumpy gravy or white sauce in any recipe, microwave the milk until lukewarm. Ice cold milk hitting hot roux or sauce doesn't help the situation.
- Another key to lump-free sauce is keep the heat on low until after the flour is stirred in.
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Other easy soup recipes you will love
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
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Ingredients
- 5 large baking potatoes or 10 small potatoes (about 2.5 pounds)
- 8 slices uncooked bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole or 2% milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ cup sour cream
- Optional toppings: Green onions, chives, sour cream, avocado, jalapeno peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Wash potatoes; prick several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender; let cool.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the pot and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon in the pot.
- Add butter to the bacon drippings or if not using bacon, add ¼ cup butter. Melt butter and add onions. Cook onions, stirring often, until soft. The onions will deglaze the bacon drippings from the pan.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Make sure the butter mixture is not bubbling. Gradually stir in the flour until smooth. Return the pot to medium-low heat. Cook the flour mixture for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low or remove the pot from the heat.
- Gradually stir in the milk and broth, whisking constantly. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until slightly thickened. See NOTE to avoid lumps. Add salt and pepper. Soup will thicken even more when potatoes and cheese are added.
- Cut each baked potato in half lengthwise and scoop out potato with a spoon. Reserve potato skins for Baked Potato Skins or discard.
- Chop potatoes on a cutting board or slightly mash potatoes in a bowl. I like to keep chunks of potatoes but some like them mashed. Add potatoes to the soup in the pot.
- Bring mixture up to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly just until potatoes are thoroughly heated.
- Crumble bacon. Stir in three-fourths of the bacon, 6 ounces of shredded cheese and sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and soup is thoroughly heated.
- Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese. Add other toppings as desired.
Notes
- To help prevent lumpy gravy or white sauce in any recipe, microwave the milk until lukewarm. Ice cold milk hitting hot roux or sauce doesn't help the situation.
- Another key to lump-free sauce is keep the heat on low until after the flour is stirred in.
Mary Ann Galligan
This soup sounds delicious. I printed it and plan to make it but I have a stomach problem that makes me have to go on the cautious side with anything with dairy. Do you have any alternate suggestions i might try in place of the dairy milk,
Thank You,
Mary Ann Galligan
Evening Shade, AR
gritsandgouda
I understand that dairy is an issue with many people. My suggestion in the recipe notes to replace even more of the milk with chicken broth is my first thought. Secondly, lactose free milk like Lactaid should work nicely if it's lactose that bothers your stomach. I have not tried it with any of the nut milks, but since they are not really milk at all, they tend to be on the sweet side. As I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, I'm afraid those are my suggestions. I do hope you can try it!