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Creamy Potato Soup

Bacon, garlic, leeks and plenty of cheese add huge flavor to this classic, creamy potato soup recipe.

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    creamy potato soup with leeks, bacon , green onions and white cheddar cheese

    Psssst…the Absolute Best Potato Soup Recipe Is Also One of the Easiest

    Ultra creamy and extremely savory, this bacon-loaded, cheesy potato soup recipe is what we turn to when we need to be warmed up on a cellular level. Old-fashioned potato soup is rib-sticking comfort food at its very simplest and very best, and our recipe doesn’t mess with anything that you love about this gloriously filling, seriously hearty soup. All we’ve done is punch up some of the flavors that are already classic—salty bacon, rich heavy cream, and sharp white cheddar stirred in at the end ensure that this cream of potato soup is anything but bland. Come in from the cold and dive into a big bowl of thick, creamy potato soup.

    ingredients laid out for creamy potato soup with leeks, bacon, chicken stock, butter, flour, cheddar cheese, garlic, salt

    Classic Potato Soup Ingredients, Plus A Few Extras

    In place of regular yellow onions, leeks make for a sweet, earthy base for our potato soup recipe. We love how delicate they are, and how they let the creamy, starchy flavor of potatoes shine—after all, this soup is nothing if not all about how much we all love potatoes, right? In addition to salt and pepper, here are all of the ingredients you’ll need to make our potato soup recipe:

    • Bacon
    • Butter
    • Leeks
    • Fresh garlic
    • All-purpose flour
    • Russet potatoes
    • Broth
    • Whole milk
    • Heavy cream
    • Sharp white cheddar cheese. The sharper the better! You only need a little, so if you can spring for something really sharp and salty, your potato soup will be that much more delicious.
    bacon pieces cooking in a soup pot
    leeks and garlic cooking in butter and bacon fat in a soup pot
    leeks, butter, chicken stock, potatoes, milk, salt and pepper in a soup pot
    leeks, butter, chicken stock, potatoes, milk, salt and pepper in a soup pot

    How Do You Make Potato Soup Thicker?

    Different recipes use different tricks to make potato soup thick and creamy, and we basically use all of the tricks to make sure that this potato soup recipe results in a super satisfyingly thick and rich soup that’s almost chowder-like in texture. Here’s what gives our cheesy potato soup its heft:

    • Butter + flour. Also known as a roux—a classic technique for thickening soups and sauces. When you sprinkle the flour over the butter in our recipe, it’ll be along with the leeks, but the viscous magic will happen nonetheless.
    • Heavy cream. Duh—always a sure fire way to get that absolutely rich, heady texture we really crave from cream of potato soup.
    • Cheese. Lots of people simply finish their potato soup with a sprinkling of cheese on top at the very end. Well, we say that’s a missed opportunity! Not only does the cheese melt into the soup and thicken it, but it adds a ton of sharp, salty flavor.
    • Potato starch + blender. Potatoes are hefty all on their own, of course, and puréeing some of them (but not all) helps to make the cream-laden soup extra dense and hearty.
    homemade potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese in a soup pot
    old fashioned potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese, leeks and green onions in a soup pot

    How Do You Make Potato Soup From Scratch?

    1. Fry the bacon pieces and set them aside, but leave the bacon fat in the pot. Seriously, leave it there.
    2. Melt the butter into the bacon fat. Have zero regrets! Live a little! Sauté the leeks and garlic in that butter-bacon fat mixture.
    3. Roux time! Stir some flour into the mix and let it cook for just a minute.
    4. In go the potatoes, broth, milk and heavy cream.
    5. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
    6. Use an immersion blender to purée about half of the soup. Or, you can carefully transfer about half of the soup to a blender and purée it, then add it back to the pot.
    7. In go the bacon, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melty.
    8. Serve!
    creamy potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese, leeks and green onions in a soup pot

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Creamy Soup Recipes To Try

    loaded potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions in a bowl
    loaded potato soup with bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions in a bowl

    Is Potato Soup The Ultimate Sweater Weather Food?

    Clearly, yes. At least, we’re convinced. If you make our potato soup recipe, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

    Creamy Potato Soup

    • Serves: 8
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories: 253

    Ingredients

    • 6 pieces bacon, diced
    • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
    • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and 1-inch diced
    • 4 cups Chicken stock
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • ½ tsp Pepper
    • ½ cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
    • Green onions for topping

    Method

    1. In a medium sized pot cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon (reserve bacon drippings) onto a paper towel lined plate, set aside.
    2. In the same pan melt the butter in the reserved bacon drippings. Stir in leeks and garlic and cook until leeks are softened, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over leek mixture and stir until incorporated, about 1 minute.
    3. Add in potatoes along with chicken stock, milk and heavy cream. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes until potatoes are very soft.
    4. Add half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (alternatively use an immersion blender to blend half of the soup in the pot). Return soup to the pot along with bacon, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
    5. Serve warm topped with green onions, freshly ground pepper and a little extra cheese.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories253
    • Protein8 g
    • Carbohydrates29 g
    • Total Fat12 g
    • Dietary Fiber2 g
    • Cholesterol35 mg
    • sodium261 mg
    • Total Sugars5 g

    Creamy Potato Soup

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Grace

      Love this recipe! Do you think it would do well in the freezer? Cooking for one and didn't cut it in half.

      We haven't tried it but it would probably do fine! Thaw completely and reheat slowly to avoid the cream separating.

    • Ronni

      When you get done and put the soup in leftover containers and put it in the refrigerator will it get thin in texture? And if it does then what ?

      Hi Ronni, it shouldn't get thin in texture. If it separates at all just slowly reheat, stirring often.

    • Kalin Nelson

      hi! i was wondering if it would be possible to substitute the leeks for onions, and if so, how much? thanks so much

      You could. We would recommend 1 - 1.5 medium onions.

    • Sandy A.

      Wonderful recipe! Chose to use leftover T-day heavy cream. Tried with our first ever pressure canned potatoes & first ever vacuum sealed frozen potatoes so went together super quick! Used gouda & havarti cheeses instead of Cheddar. This recipe will be a regular!

      Thanks Sandy, so happy you enjoyed it!

    • Kelly Baker

      I've made a few different potato soup recipes, and this has been by far my favorite! Such a great comfort food :)

      Thank you Kelly! We are so happy that you loved this one!

    • Christina Towler

      I've made this recipe countless times, it's definitely a family favorite. So good!

      Thanks Christina, so happy to hear it!

    • Taylor

      Soup was incredible!! Perfect consistency and reheated well too!

      Hi Taylor, so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Jessica

      I cannot rant and rave enough about this soup!! It was hands down the best soup I have ever made. My picky father even liked it! Even better, it reheated so well in the microwave the next day as left overs! I would not change a single thing. It was wonderful and I will be making this for my family for the rest of my life!! 10/10 (and I never leave food reviews so you know it must be good!)

      Yay! Thanks for taking the time to let us know! So glad you loved it!