Loaded Potato Soup Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you’re looking for comfort food, turn your attention to this easy creamy loaded potato soup. With smoked meat, cheese, cream, and potatoes, this soup is super rich and flavorful.

Spoonful of loaded potato soup.

This loaded baked potato soup is going to be a hit in your household. First, it’s easy to make and ready to eat in just 40 minutes. It’s also loaded with yummy ingredients like potatoes, cheese, and smoked meat. Add in some heavy cream and you have a family-friendly meal that’s creamy, hearty, flavorful, and filling. Serve your loaded baked potato soup with some warm cornbread to soak up all the indulgent leftovers in your bowl. 

Keep reading as I share lots of suggestions below on substitutions and additions to make this easy loaded potato soup recipe suit you and your family as well. 

If you’re on the hunt for more comforting soup recipes, check these out: taco soupchicken noodle souptomato basil soupItalian sausage soup, and French onion soup.

Ingredients for loaded potato soup.

Recipe Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium russet potatoes
  • Instant potato flakes (I go with just plain ole dehydrated potatoes by Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flakes without all the additives. I get them on Amazon if I have trouble finding them in the store).
  • Heavy cream
  • 2 cans of chicken broth
  • A small yellow onion
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Smoked meat
  • Salt and pepper

Add broth to soup pot.

To begin with, pour your broth into your dutch oven or soup pot and put it over medium heat.

Peel and dice potatoes.

Peel and dice your potatoes.

Peel and dice onions.

Dice your onion.

Add ingredients to soup pot.

Add the vegetables and the smoked meat to your broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. However, stay on the light side because we will season it again right before serving.

I’d add about 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt now and maybe 1/8 of a teaspoon of pepper.

Bring soup to a boil.

Bring that just to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until you have tender potatoes.

This will take about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how big your chunks of potato are.

Add instant potato flakes.

Now add in your potato flakes and stir that up.

I love instant potato flakes as thickeners for soups and stews and making the crust to my Mama’s Taco Casserole. I don’t use them for mashed potatoes though. My Grandmother’s mashed potatoes were just too good.

Add cheese and cream.

Now add in your cheese and pour in your heavy cream.

Cooked potato soup.

Stir that up and cook for just a few minutes until heated through.

Add toppings to your potato soup.

Top your loaded baked potato soup with your favorite toppings, such as:

  • Chopped green onion, scallions, or chives
  • Your favorite fresh herbs
  • Crumbled bacon bits 
  • Shredded cheese (I like mild or sharp cheddar cheese).
  • Sour cream
  • Diced avocado
  • Cooked corn kernels
  • Croutons

As always, serve to someone you love, yourself included.

Storage

Store potato soup leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container or a freezer-safe Ziplock bag for up to three months. Once thawed, reheat leftovers in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

  • There are quite a few substitutions you can make for this loaded potato soup. Let’s start with the potatoes. If you don’t want to peel and dice the potatoes, just grab a 32-ounce bag of frozen cubed hash browns. You know what, the shredded ones will work just fine, too!
  • Now, I think the heavy cream gives this dish a rich and delicious flavor so it is my favorite to use. As a substitute though, I suggest canned evaporated milk, because it also has a very rich flavor that you just won’t find in regular milk.
  • For the chicken broth, I actually usually don’t use chicken broth but I bought it special just for this tutorial – because I love you that much! Normally, I’d toss in a few chicken bouillon cubes with some water. The package usually says one cube per cup of water but I usually add an extra cube or two for more richness. I buy them in bulk at Sam’s and they save a lot of money over buying chicken broth. You can also use homemade broth or vegetable broth or stock – whatever cranks your tractor.
  • Other additions you can easily add to this loaded potato soup recipe: garlic powder or a little minced garlic would be great. Some fresh or dried parsley would be a good addition, too. You might even want to add additional vegetables and just change it to a creamy veggie soup at this point.
  • Any type of smoked meat will work in this recipe, like smoked pork chops, smoked turkey, diced ham, bacon, or smoked chicken breast.
  • If you don’t mind a bit of heat, a 1/4-teaspoon of ancho chili powder is a great addition to this recipe.

Bowl of loaded potato soup.

Recipe FAQs

What are the best potatoes to use in soup?

I use russet, but you could also use Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes. If you opt for the latter, you can leave the skin on.

Can I make potato soup in the slow cooker?

Yes, you can! What you’ll want to do is add all the ingredients except the cheese and cream to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. Then stir in the cream and cheese and continue cooking in the slow cooker for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

You may also like these comforting potato recipes:

Greek Potatoes With A Twist

Country Chowder

Broasted Potatoes (Seasoned, Smothered, & Covered Options)

Freezer Mashed Potatoes

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe

Garlic Mozzarella Mashed Potatoes

Loaded potato soup.

Loaded Potato Soup

If you're looking for comfort food, turn your attention to this easy creamy loaded potato soup. With smoked meat, cheese, cream, and potatoes, this soup is super rich and flavorful.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potatoes
Servings: 4
Calories: 519kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken broth 2-16 ounce cans
  • 4-5 russet potatoes washed, peeled, and cubed
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup instant potato flakes
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 cup smoked chopped ham or your favorite smoked meat
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Pour broth into a dutch oven or soup pot and put over medium heat.
    4 cups chicken broth
  • Peel and chop onion and potatoes.
    4-5 russet potatoes, 1 onion
  • Add vegetables to broth along with the ham. Season to taste (about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper).
    4-5 russet potatoes, 1 cup smoked chopped ham, salt and pepper to taste, 1 onion
  • Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Remove lid and stir in potato flakes.
    1 cup instant potato flakes
  • Add in cheese and cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until just heated through.
    1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup whipping cream
  • Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.
    salt and pepper to taste

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

This is from one of our readers. Thank you Sherri!

Similar Posts

217 Comments

  1. I’m from Christys’ area too, I’m so looking forward to cool days and even cooler nights, being able to sit on the front porch and enjoy sitting there , decorating the house for fall and putting mums in the yard, in all thier beautiful colors, I love theFall and Spring my favorite seasons, Love watching the trees changing into thier fall colors , Love it when the trees are Bright blazing colors, although they mat not put on a show for us this year. I will wait untill it tuns cool to make the potatoe soup, it is different than the one I make , but sounds very good. Come on in Fall, I’m hoping we get a fall not just a few days then winter.

    1. Shelia,
      You could be my twin. All the things you listed are my favortie things about fall(except the leaves, we dont get that in Texas) I love to decorate for fall and Halloween, Thanksgiving. Love some potato soup. Wish it would cool off here 100+, ouch.
      Virginia

  2. There is nothing better than a wonderful hot soup on a cool or cold day. Here in the northwest we get a lot of those days. It just doesn’t snow here too often though. Today is a good day to make soup. Thanks for the recipe

  3. Oh Kim!!! Firstly – War Eagle!!!!! LOL I’m in central Bama and am dying for a fire in the fireplace with the ballgame blaring through the house and some cooler weather!!! Let’s be done with the heat already!!!

    Get to the store and buy that fabulous cream!!!! Makes a potato soup (and grits, for that matter!) sooo yummy!!!!!!

    I’ve personally been craving chili and potato soup! This is a little different than my normal Paula Deen recipe here with the yummo shrimp ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/potato-soup-with-shrimp-recipe/index.html) so I think I’m gonna have to come up with some combination, because hubby (the Bama fan – lol) will never let me leave out the shrimp!

    Thanks Christy for this fabulous recipe and I’m off to do a cool weather dance or something – lol!

  4. I’m with you, Christy. Can’t wait for fall! I love those first few weeks (or days, sometimes that’s all we have!) when the air seems cleaner & crisper. Everything just feels brand new in the fall, sky is bluer, colors are deeper. There’s nothing specific…all of it together just lifts my spirits!
    I’m a soup person so I hope you’ll keep cranking out those soup recipes…any good recipes for old-fashioned chicken soup? I love the classics!
    Thanks for the potato soup recipe!

  5. Oh wow – fall is just one month away – the autumn equinox falls on September 23 girls, so keep your sweaters hanging by the back door, it will be here before you know it. Talking about the potatoe soup has got me hungry for our favorite soup – Chicken and Rice. We love having that when the weather turns cool. I’ve already made one of our favorite winter time dishes, so I guess I really just skipped over fall completely when I made Sausage Casserole last week. We are still enjoying our okra and tomatoes from the garden – though they are winding down. I know this summer has been a roaster, but it has really zoomed by – just like all the other seasons do when you are 60 years old. Oh well, I’m just that much closer to Heaven, so nothing to complain about there!

  6. I love home made potato soup. I have a similar recipe but I do not use the chicken stock or bouillon. I use a ham bone that I cook up (until tender HA HA) then flake off the meat. I cook a huge pot of potatoes then mash half to use as the thickener and do not use potato flakes. I make soup all year round. We don’t get the high temperatures that you do but it gets hot enough. I just don’t pay attention to the heat and spend many days glistening. Regardless of the heat, I turn on the oven or use the stove top… soups, chili, stews, casseroles…
    drives the neighbours nuts to smell it simmering.
    This time last week I was walking on a glacier at the Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta, Canada. I would have done anything for a nice warm bowl of potato soup but instead had to settle for a coffee.
    I love the Fall – colors, smells, sounds of leaves crunching under foot as we go for a walk in the woods, fresh cut hay… I picked 2 gallons of berries (chokecherries) yesterday so will now be making fruit syrup and jelly. This is the first of the fall canning/preserving process and will be doing it for many weeks to come. Then once Fall really gets here it will be time to preserve all the stuff from the garden that hasn’t been devoured up til now. This year we have an over-abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, turnips and zucchini.
    It will be way too much for me to preserve so I think the local food bank and senior citizen centres will be getting a large delivery.
    I can’t really imagine the heat you are going through. We only get one or two days a year that hot then it storms like crazy, very very bad wond storms, a few tornados then it is very humid for days and we certainly all “glisten”
    Lunch time – soup time – home made chicken vegetable and cheese biscuits.
    Take care all

  7. This sounds delicious. I think our fall weather in NC will be here soon (sending message to the Powers that rule those things). LOL Can’t wait to try this recipe. Love your website even though I’m a Grandmother who owns almost too many cookbooks. Is that possible? Hugs,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe or Post Rating