Hearty Old Fashioned Potato Soup - Cheerful Cook (2024)

This Old-Fashioned Potato Soup delivers a bowl full of hearty satisfaction, perfect for any meal.

With russet potatoes, cheddar cheese, and bacon all working together, you'll wonder why you didn't make this soup sooner. Like our Loaded Sweet Potato Soup, it's topped with crispy bacon and cheese.

Best of all, from start to finish, it'll take you less than 45 minutes to prep, cook, and serve.

Related Recipe: Easy German Potato Soup With Sausage

Why You'll Love This Old-Fashioned Potato Soup

EASE. This is a really easy homemade potato soup recipe that only requires simple, everyday ingredients. You'll likely need to do some fridge and pantry shopping. And this soup is a One-Pot Meal!

FLAVOR AND TEXTURE. Creamy, rich, and delicious. Customize the texture to your liking. One option is to run the immersion blender until the soup is perfectly smooth.

TIME. Ready to be served in less than 45 minutes. This soup is pure comfort food and can easily be put together even on busy weeknights.

LEFTOVERS. This homemade soup is everyone's favorite because it reheats well and tastes great on days two and three.

Ingredients

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

BACON – Starts off the cooking and adds a layer of savory goodness.

POTATOES - Russet potatoes are a starchy potato variety, making them a great choice for this soup.

ONION - Yellow onions or sweet onions work well for this soup.

GARLIC - When minced garlic is sauteed, it adds a light, nutty flavor to the dish, which I really enjoy. If you don't like garlic, you can skip it.

BUTTER – Adds a touch of creaminess. And as always, I recommend using unsalted butter.

VEGETABLE BROTH - Adds a lot of flavor to the soup.

MILK - Makes the soup creamy but not too heavy.

CHEDDAR CHEESE- shredded

NUTMEG - When adding nutmeg, remember that a little bit goes a long way. Nutmeg is a delicious spice with sweet, woody, and lightly nutty notes. It's very commonly used in many German Recipes.

SUGAR - A bit of sugar helps tie all the other flavors together.

How To Make An Old-Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe

Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

1. FRY - Use a soup pot (or Dutch Oven) to fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Add butter to the bacon drippings.
2. SAUTE - Add the potatoes, onions, garlic, sugar, nutmeg, and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. DEGLAZE - Add milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. BLEND - Add two-thirds of the Cheddar cheese. Use a hand mixer and blend the soup until smooth. If desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. GARNISH - Serve immediately and top with remaining Cheddar cheese and crispy bacon.

Recipe Success Tips

CHEDDAR - Avoid store-bought, shredded Cheddar cheese. Packaged shredded cheese has unwanted fillers and additives.
Instead, grate an 8-ounce piece of cheese. It makes for a creamier soup and is less expensive.

SCALLIONS - A few sliced scallions add a delightful bit of extra crunchiness.

DAIRY. This old-fashioned potato soup is made with milk. But you could also use some heavy cream for added creaminess.

TIME-SAVING TIP. You don't need to peel the potatoes. Wash and scrub them well. You can also use this produce cleaner to make sure your potatoes are squeaky clean.
And the potato skin is full of flavor. So why do I peel the potatoes in this recipe? My husband prefers peeled potatoes. 😉

The Right Type Of Potatoes. For this recipe, you'll want very starchy potatoes. Russets potatoes, with their mealy texture, are perfect for this recipe.
You could also use Yukon Golds for this recipe. But you'll want to avoid using waxy potatoes such as new potatoes, fingerlings, or baby potatoes.

Leftovers

This homemade Old-Fashioned Potato Soup will stay in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend this airtight container to store the soup.

FREEZE - Unfortunately, this potato soup does not freeze well.

More Easy And Delicious Soups

MUSHROOM SOUP - made from fresh and dried mushrooms

Hungarian Goulash - a hearty European beef stew recipe

SHRIMP CHOWDER - easy and outrageously delicious.

TOMATO SOUP - flavor, flavor, flavor, and just 4 ingredients

CHILI - comfort food in a bowl

CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP - a soup made with simple ingredients but big, bold flavors