This Old-Fashioned Creamy Potato Soup Tastes Like the Kind Grandma Used to Make

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Thick, comforting, and made entirely from simple ingredients you probably already have. This potato soup is the kind of thing you make on a cold evening when you want something warm and filling with minimal effort — creamy from the blended potatoes, rich from the butter and cream, and endlessly toppable.

Thirty-five minutes and one pot.

Ingredients

• 2.2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced (1 kg)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter (30g)
• 3 cups chicken stock (750ml)
• 1 cup milk or cream (240ml)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Optional Toppings

• Crispy bacon
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped spring onions or chives

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Soften the Onion

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté gently for 5–7 minutes until soft and translucent. A properly softened onion gives the soup a sweeter, more mellow base.

Step 2: Add Potatoes and Stock

Add the diced potatoes, chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

Step 3: Simmer Until Tender

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender — a knife or fork should slide through without resistance.

Step 4: Blend Partially

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup partially — leaving some chunks of potato for texture. The blended potato thickens the broth naturally into a creamy, cohesive soup. If you prefer it fully smooth, blend until silky. If you prefer a chunkier result, just mash a portion of the potatoes with a fork instead.

Step 5: Add Cream or Milk

Stir in the milk or cream and heat through gently over low heat. Do not boil — high heat after adding dairy can cause it to split or curdle. Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.

Step 6: Serve with Toppings

Ladle into bowls and finish with your toppings of choice — crispy bacon, shredded cheddar, and spring onions are the classic combination. Serve with crusty bread on the side.

Pro Tips

Dice the potatoes evenly. Uniform pieces cook at the same rate. Large and small pieces together means some will be perfectly tender while others are still firm. Aim for roughly 1-inch cubes throughout.

Partially blend for the best texture. Fully blended potato soup can become gluey if overworked. Partially blending — leaving some chunks — gives you a thick, creamy consistency with real potato texture in every bowl. It’s the sweet spot.

Don’t boil after adding the dairy. Milk and cream added to a vigorously boiling soup can split or take on a grainy texture. Always reduce to low heat before adding and warm gently.

Use cream for a richer result. Milk gives a lighter, leaner soup. Cream gives something noticeably richer, thicker, and more indulgent. Either is right — it depends what you’re in the mood for.

Season generously. Potatoes absorb a lot of salt. Taste after blending and after adding the cream — you’ll almost certainly need to adjust at both stages.

Variations & Customizations

• Loaded baked potato soup — Go all in on the toppings. Crispy bacon, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and chives. This is the version that gets requested by name.
• Add roasted garlic — Roast a whole head of garlic at 400°F for 35 minutes and squeeze the soft cloves into the pot before blending. It adds a deep, mellow garlic flavor throughout.
• Make it vegetarian — Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock. No other changes needed.
• Add leeks — Replace half the onion with a sliced leek. Leek and potato soup is a classic combination that adds a more delicate, slightly sweet flavor.
• Add cheddar into the soup — Stir 1 cup of shredded cheddar directly into the hot soup after blending and before adding the cream. It melts in and gives you a cheese-loaded potato soup base.
• Spice it up — Add ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne to the pot with the potatoes for a subtle smokiness or background heat.

Storage & Reheating

Method	Details
Fridge	Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The soup thickens significantly when cold — add a splash of stock or milk when reheating.
Reheating	Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring regularly. Add extra liquid as needed to loosen.
Freezer	Freeze for up to 2 months. Note that the texture may change slightly after freezing due to the dairy — it can become slightly grainy but is still good after a vigorous stir during reheating. For best results, freeze before adding the cream and stir it in fresh after reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this vegetarian?

Yes. Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock in the same amount. The soup tastes just as good — the potato and cream carry the flavor well without needing a meat-based stock.

Can I use cream instead of milk?

Yes, and it makes the soup noticeably richer and thicker. Heavy cream gives a more luxurious, restaurant-style result. Whole milk gives a lighter soup that still has a good body from the blended potato.

How do I make it thicker?

Blend more of the soup — the blended potato is what thickens the broth. For an even thicker result, blend fully until smooth. Alternatively, scoop out some potato chunks, mash them separately, and stir them back in.

My soup is too thick. How do I fix it?

Stir in extra stock or milk a splash at a time until it reaches the right consistency. Potato soup thickens significantly as it sits and cools — thinning it when reheating is completely normal.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes. Add all ingredients except the milk or cream to the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 3–4 hours until the potatoes are completely tender. Blend partially, stir in the cream, and serve.

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