THE BEST Potato Soup recipe is incredibly creamy, slightly chunky and irresistibly flavorful! This old fashioned recipe has been passed down through my husbands family for generations. It’s easy to make in under an hour and you can easily double the recipe to save some for later!

potato soup in bowls topped with shredded cheese and chopped parsley

When it comes to potato soup, people are usually either on team creamy or team chunky. Lucky for you, I have the perfect recipe that combines both! Yes, I know what you’re thinking, how is that possible? But I promise that this potato soup recipe is both incredibly creamy and also contains small chunks of potatoes.

There are three secrets that make this potato soup both creamy and chunky.

  1. The potatoes are diced into very small cubes. This allows some of them to break down in the soup for creaminess, and some of them will stay whole for chunkiness!
  2. Adding a roux towards the end will help thicken the soup to make it creamy!
  3. The soup is cooked down on the stove and never blended, which keeps it chunky!

This combination of a creamy, velvety soup with small chunks of potatoes, makes this THE BEST potato soup recipe! It’s been passed down for generations in my husbands family. They make it every year on Christmas eve. His Mom was the first one that made this soup for me, many years ago, when I spent my first Christmas at their house.

Since then, we’ve been making this soup every Christmas Eve, and throughout the rest of the year. Anytime I’m looking for a big bowl of comfort food, this easy potato soup recipe is on my must-make list. I consider myself a potato soup snob, and I can tell you that I’ll never make another potato soup recipe again! The taste and texture of this recipe truly is THE BEST!

Table of contents

potato soup ingredients

Ingredients

  • Russet potatoes – I do not recommend using another potato for this recipe. This is the only potato we’ve ever used to make this recipe over the years and it works perfectly every time. The starch content can vary a lot from potato to potato, which is why I don’t recommend making any substitutions. Using a different type of potato will change both the flavor and consistency of the soup.
  • Chicken broth – if you want to make the recipe vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth instead. I do not recommend using water, as the broth adds a lot of flavor to the soup.
  • Salt
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Tabasco – or your favorite vinegar-based hot pepper sauce.
  • Half and Half – or milk. The half and half will make the soup more creamy and is my go-to for this recipe. But you could also use 2% or whole milk, or a combination of milk and half and half, depending on the level of creaminess that you would like. For an extra creamy soup, use a combination of heavy cream and half and half.
  • Unsalted butter
  • Flour
  • Parsley – feel free to use fresh or dried parsley.
  • Swiss cheese – my husband Kurt says that this soup is not complete without the shredded Swiss cheese on top. And I’d say that I have to agree. The Swiss cheese adds a slightly sweet and nutty flavor on top of the soup that really ties it all together!
collage of images showing how to make potato soup

Step by step instructions

  1. Peel the potatoes and dice them into small cubes, about 1/4 inch in size. Add the potatoes to a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the chicken broth and salt, then bring to a boil.
  2. Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, then add diced onions, celery and a few dashes of Tabasco.
  3. Stir everything together, cover the pot and reduce the heat on the stove to low. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
  4. After this cooking time, the potatoes should be nice and tender. Remove the lid and add the half and half.
  5. Place a separate small saucepan on the stove over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted, add flour.
  6. Whisk the flour and butter together constantly to make a roux. Once the roux is golden brown and smooth, add it to the potato soup and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
  7. Simmer the potato soup over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches your desired consistency. I usually let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Once the soup reaches your desired consistency, add parsley and salt.
  8. Stir the parsley and salt into the soup, then ladle the soup into bowls. Once the soup is in the bowls, top it with shredded Swiss cheese and fresh chopped parsley, if you’d like.
spoon dipped into bowl of potato soup topped with shredded swiss cheese

Tips and tricks

  • To make this soup vegetarian, simply swap the chicken broth out for vegetable broth.
  • To make this soup gluten free, instead of using traditional wheat flour to make the roux, use a gluten free flour blend or cornstarch. The other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
  • To make loaded baked potato soup, swap out the swiss cheese and parsley on top of the soup, and replace it with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, cooked pieces of bacon, a dollop of sour cream and diced green onions.
  • To double the recipe, simply hover over the “servings” in the recipe card below and change it from 6 to 12. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to double the recipe. You’ll want to use a large stock pot, or dutch oven, if you’re doubling the recipe.

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I make this soup with no chunks?  Yes, if you’d like 100% creamy potato soup with no chunks, use an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients of the soup together in the pot before serving. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour the soup from the pot into a large blender or food processor and blend the soup until it’s smooth.
  • How do you thicken potato soup? The roux is used to thicken the potato soup. This is a very thick soup. If you’d like to make it thinner, you can leave out the roux
  • Do I have to peel the potatoes? I highly recommend peeling the potatoes for this potato soup recipe. Otherwise you’ll have pieces of potato peels floating around in the soup and it will ruin the smooth, creamy texture.
  • How long will it last in the fridge? Leftover potato soup will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, stored in an airtight container. It’s delicious reheated on the stove, or in the microwave and topped with a little fresh grated Swiss cheese. I usually double the recipe, so we can eat leftovers for a week. It’s that good!
  • Can you freeze potato soup? I do not recommend freezing potato soup. Dairy-based soups tend to separate when frozen and will loose their creamy texture. Not to mention that potatoes are like sponges and they will try to soak up all of the liquid, which will result in the potatoes becoming grainy. The texture is one of the best parts about this soup and freezing it will unfortunately ruin that luxurious, creamy texture.
potato soup in pot with ladle in the soup

What to serve with it

We always serve this soup with a crusty baguette, or another bread to dip in the soup. This is a must in my book! Then sometimes we’ll add a salad on the side or roasted veggies. It’s really delicious with any of these tasty recipes!

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Potato Soup

THE BEST Potato Soup recipe is incredibly creamy, slightly chunky and irresistibly flavorful! This old fashioned recipe has been passed down through my husbands family for generations.
Servings: 6 people
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • 1-3 dashes Tabasco
  • 3 ½ cups half and half, or milk
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes and dice them into small cubes, about 1/4 inch in size.
  • Add the potatoes to a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat.
  • Add the chicken broth and 1 teaspoon salt, then bring to a boil.
  • Cook for 10 minutes, then add the onions, celery and tabasco.
  • Stir everything together, cover and reduce the heat to low.
  • Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and add the half and half.
  • Place a separate small saucepan on the stove over medium heat and add the butter. 
  • Once the butter is melted, add the flour.
  • Whisk the flour and butter together constantly to make a roux.
  • Once the roux is golden brown and smooth, add it to the potato soup and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
  • Simmer the soup over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired consistency. For me, this is usually about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in the parsley and additional 1 teaspoon salt before serving the soup.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with the shredded swiss cheese and additional fresh chopped parsley, if you’d like.

Notes

  • Dairy options – half and half will make the soup more creamy and is my go-to for this recipe. But you could also use 2% or whole milk, or a combination of milk and half and half, depending on the level of creaminess you’re searching for.
  • Potatoes – I do not recommend using another potato for this recipe. Russet potatoes are the only potato we’ve used to make this recipe over the years and it works perfectly every time. The starch content can vary a lot from potato to potato, which is why I don’t recommend making any substitutions. Using a different type of potato will change both the flavor and consistency of the soup.
  • To make this soup vegetarian, simply swap the chicken broth out for vegetable broth.
  • To make this soup gluten free, instead of using traditional wheat flour to make the roux, use a gluten free flour blend or cornstarch. The other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
  • To make loaded potato soup, swap out the swiss cheese and parsley on top of the soup, and replace it with shredded cheddar cheese, cooked pieces of bacon, a dollop of sour cream and diced green onions.
  • To double the recipe, simply hover over the “servings” in the recipe card above and change it from 6 to 12. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to double the recipe. You’ll want to use a large stock pot, or dutch oven, if you’re doubling the recipe.
  • Leftover potato soup will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, stored in an airtight container. 
  • I do not recommend freezing potato soup. Dairy-based soups tend to separate when frozen and will loose their creamy texture. Not to mention that potatoes are like sponges and they will try to soak up all of the liquid, which will result in the potatoes become grainy. The texture is one of the best parts about this soup and freezing it will unfortunately ruin that luxurious, creamy texture.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 536kcal (27%)Carbohydrates 60g (20%)Protein 16g (32%)Fat 27g (42%)Saturated Fat 17g (85%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 84mg (28%)Sodium 1231mg (51%)Potassium 1425mg (41%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 3g (3%)Vitamin A 1077mg (22%)Vitamin C 27mg (33%)Calcium 342mg (34%)Iron 3mg (17%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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