Creamy Baked Potato Soup (Print Version)

Velvety blend of potatoes and sharp cheddar with crisp bacon and fresh chives for warm comfort.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Potatoes

01 - 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

→ Meats

02 - 6 slices bacon, chopped

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 1 medium onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for serving

→ Soup Base

06 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 3 cups whole milk
08 - 1 cup chicken broth
09 - 1 cup sour cream

→ Cheese

10 - 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving

→ Seasonings

11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add diced potatoes and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
02 - In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot.
03 - Add diced onion to the bacon grease and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
04 - Sprinkle flour into the pot, stirring constantly to form a roux. Cook for 2 minutes.
05 - Gradually whisk in milk and chicken broth, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened.
06 - Add cooked potatoes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, gently mashing some potatoes in the pot to achieve a chunky texture.
07 - Lower heat and stir in sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Cook until cheese is fully melted and soup reaches a creamy consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with reserved bacon, extra cheddar, and fresh chives. Serve warm with crusty bread or toasted baguette slices.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, but tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • The bacon-cheese-potato trio is basically edible nostalgia, the kind of thing that makes people close their eyes when they take a spoonful.
  • One pot, mostly hands-off—perfect for when you want comfort without the stress.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roux step—it's what transforms thin potato water into actual soup with body and richness.
  • Add the sour cream off heat or at very low heat, because high temperature can break it and make it look curdled, which tastes fine but looks sad.
  • Taste before you serve, because every potato variety is different, and you might need more seasoning than the recipe suggests.
03 -
  • Dice your potatoes small and even—they cook faster and break down more uniformly, making the soup creamy without requiring extra blending.
  • Taste as you go, especially with the seasoning, because a potato soup that's under-salted tastes like nothing, but one that's over-salted is aggressively salty with no coming back.
  • If the soup breaks or curdles, strain it through a fine mesh and start over with fresh broth and sour cream—I've done this twice and it's always salvageable.
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