Baked Potato Soup

My creamy homemade Baked Potato Soup recipe is loaded with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and tender russet potatoes for the ultimate comfort meal.

Ready IN

1 hr 25 mins

Servings

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By Lauren Allen

January 23, 2026Updated:June 25, 2026

We make this potato soup all winter long.

This cozy potato soup is thick, creamy, and loaded with texture from the chunky potatoes and bacon bits. Plus, everyone gets to customize their bowl with toppings, which makes it perfect for feeding a crowd or picky eaters.

But my favorite part of this baked potato soup recipe, in particular, is saving the potato skins to make crispy potato skin chips that act as edible spoons for dipping. They’re so delicious!

Try my other soup recipes, like Potato Leek Soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Homemade Chili, Ham Bone Soup, and Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup!

How to Make Baked Potato Soup

Bake Potatoes and Cook Bacon: Start cooking the bacon halfway through the potato cooking time. Let the baked potatoes cool until you are able to handle them. Cut in half, lengthwise and scoop out most of the potato flesh. Cook bacon until crispy then remove some bacon grease and crispy bacon.

Sauté Veggies: Melt butter then sauté leek and celery until tender. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds then sprinkle in flour and slowly pour in chicken broth. Add cooked potato flesh and break up with a wooden spoon. Add milk and season with salt and pepper. Cook until warmed through.

Blend: Use an immersion blender to gently puree half of the soup until you get the right texture (don’t over-blend it or the potatoes will get a “gluey” texture. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.

Serve: Top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives. Serve with crispy potato skins for dipping.

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.

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Baked Potato Soup

Lauren Allen

Time

1 hr 25 mins

(Prep 10 minsCook 1 hr 15 mins)

Servings

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 15 mins

Total Time

1 hr 25 mins

Servings

ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for topping
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons butter
1 leek, white and light green part, diced (or 1/2 of a medium onion, diced)
1 rib celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, more to taste

For Toppings

Sour cream
Diced fresh chives

Instructions

STEP 1

Add potatoes to a large baking tray and poke a few times with a knife or tines of a fork. Coat in a drizzle of oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

STEP 2

Shred cheese and allow to sit at room temperature while you prepare the soup.

STEP 3

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out potato flesh and place potato skins on baking sheet.

STEP 4

Drizzle skins with more olive oil, a little more salt and pepper, and broil for a few minutes, until crispy.

STEP 5

When potatoes are halfway through cooking, add bacon to a large soup pot over medium heat and cook until the fat is rendered and bacon is crispy (8 to 10 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove some bacon grease.

STEP 6

Add butter to pan and allow to melt, then add leek and celery. Sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine, for 1 minute. Slowly add chicken stock and chicken bouillon paste, while stirring.

STEP 7

Scoop potato flesh into soup pot, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add milk and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until warmed through.

STEP 8

Use an immersion blender to gently puree about half of the soup until you get the texture you want. Don’t overdo it—you don’t want the potatoes to get “gluey” in texture. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.

STEP 9

Serve topped with extra shredded cheddar cheese, a big spoonful of bacon, sour cream, and a sprinkle of chives. Serve with crisp potato skins for dipping.

Note

Yield: 8 to 10 cups. Serving Size: About 1 1/2 cups

STEP 11

Calories: 449 kilocalories, Carbohydrates: 53 grams, Protein: 22 g, Fat: 17 g, Saturated Fat: 10 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Trans Fat: 0.2 g, Cholesterol: 46 milligrams, Sodium: 1358 mg, Potassium: 1205 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 751 international units, Vitamin C: 15 mg, Calcium: 279 mg, Iron: 3 mg

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