This is a super easy and delicious Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup made all in one pot! It's one of my family's favorite hearty recipes and for good reason! Creamy Yukon gold potatoes with smoky bacon and lots of cheddar cheese in every bite. It's comfort food that's ready to enjoy in less than an hour.
This Bacon and Potato Soup brings back memories of watching my kids grow up. We have five kids, my wife and I. And that's a lot of mouths to feed! But even the pickiest child of them all LOVED this recipe. And what I love is that it's made with affordable ingredients, is filling, and so delicious.
I made sure that with this recipe, you wouldn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It's definitely a busy weeknight soup, and ready in about 40 minutes. And with that, I also made sure that it's all cooked in one pot for ease.
My big secret to making it super creamy is that I take 1 ½ cups of the cooked potatoes from the pot and blend them with 1 ½ cups of the milk. This will create a pureed texture that simply makes this recipe the best comfort food you will find!
If you love a hearty soup, my Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup and Cabbage Soup are two others worth trying.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Perfect for kids and adults. I love to make a toppings bar when serving to make dinnertime interactive for the whole family.
- Restaurant-quality at home. You know that potato soup you order out that is just SO good? Well, this soup totally rivals it right at home.
- Minimal clean up! Since this is a one-pot recipe, it means clean up is one pot too.
Ingredients
- Bacon (diced): Adds smokiness. Reserve the grease for great flavor sautéing the onions. Freeze the bacon for 10 minutes to make it easier to chop.
- Red Onion (diced): Buy it pre-diced or dice it yourself.
- Golden Yukon Potatoes (cubed): I love Yukon Gold potatoes for their creamy texture.
- Garlic: Mince it fresh.
- Flour: Makes the roux to help thicken the soup.
- Basil: Adds nice herbal notes.
- Chicken Stock: Gives richness to the soup.
- Butter: Adds heartiness.
- Heavy Cream: Required for that creamy texture and rich flavor.
- Milk: To balance the cream nicely.
- Hot sauce of choice: For a kick of heat!
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Grate it fresh for the best melt and flavor.
- Cream Cheese: Adds nice creaminess with mild cheese flavor.
- Chives: A light onion topping for garnish.
Supplies and Equipment
- Knives I love - 40% off Flint and Flame using code ChefTim40
- Strainer for Potatoes
- The BEST large Measuring Cup I've found yet! It covers all the needed measurements.
- Nutribullet Blender for quick and easy clean up.
- Hexclad Large Pot <--10% off!
How to Make Cheesy Potato Bacon Soup
Step 1: Gather all your ingredients. In a large pot, start by cooking bacon until it's crispy because you must have crispy bacon for the topping part. While bacon is cooking, dice your onions, potatoes, and garlic.
Step 2: Remove bacon and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel, leaving the bacon grease in the pot. Once cooled, chop up the bacon and put it aside.
Step 3: On a medium heat, add in diced onion and cook until tender. (takes about 6-7 minutes). Add chopped garlic and olive oil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so you don't burn the garlic.
Step 4: Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and basil until it turns into a toothpaste texture to make a roux. Once the roux has reached this texture, cook for another 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste.
Step 5: Slowly add one cup of broth at a time until it becomes thick (2 - 3 cups). Then, pour in the remaining broth and butter.
Step 6: Add in diced potatoes and cook for 20 minutes until tender, not mushy. (For this step, remember the potato size I mentioned above - this is key) You want a little bit of texture to the potato. Add in heavy cream and stir.
Step 7: In a blender, add 1 ½ cups of cooked potatoes with milk and puree. Pour the potato puree into the soup. Add in hot sauce, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Cook until melted.
Step 8: Top bowls of soup with chives, bacon, and any remaining cheese or sour cream if desired.
Expert Tips
- Cut your potatoes into pieces no larger than ¾-inch and try to keep them a consistent size so that they cook at the same time. There's nothing worse than biting into a crisp, raw-inside chunk of potato. What this will do is provide an even cook all around, and the soup will turn out much better.
- Don't skip the pureeing step. Puree 1 ½ cups of cooked potatoes either by using an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the soup to a blender, pureeing, and then stirring the pureed soup back into the pot. If you want a completely smooth soup, you can puree all of it, but I prefer to have a few actual pieces of potato. I think pureeing half gives it the best taste and texture. Besides, what is a potato soup without some potato chunks?
- Remove the bacon after cooking. You want to keep it crisp for garnishing, so remove it using a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve it until it's time to enjoy.
- While you can use russet potatoes, it's best to use Yukon. They have a creamier texture when compared to russet, which makes all the difference in this soup.
Variations
There are so many different ways to change this soup. Here are some options!
- Swap the bacon for turkey bacon or sausage crumbles.
- Use a different cheese. Try pepper jack, Monterey jack, or Colby Jack.
- Add other spices. You can add some chili powder, cayenne pepper for heat, or a little cumin for warmth.
- Make it even spicier by adding diced jalapeno or serrano! Sauté it with the onion or add it on top to garnish.
Storage
Store any leftover bacon potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few minutes until warmed through.
This cheesy potato soup also freezes well and can be held in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you'd like to prepare this ahead of time, feel free to do so. The flavors will be even better the next day.
FAQs
If you used pre-shredded cheese, this may be why. Grate it fresh to avoid the powdery texture of the shredded cheese. Also, make sure you boil the potatoes long enough so they are tender.
Of course, this will make it a little lighter, but just as delicious.
It's best for quick thickening to use a cornstarch slurry. Mix equal parts cornstarch and water and stir into the hot soup. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon of each and adding more as needed.
More Easy soup recipes
Tell us how you made this recipe your own in the comments below!
Recipe
Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Bacon diced - Use grease to sauté onions
- 1 Red Onion diced
- 3 lbs. Golden Yukon Potatoes cubed
- 1 ½ tablespoon Garlic
- 3 tablespoon Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon Basil
- 6 Cups Chicken Stock
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ Cups Milk
- 1 tablespoon Hot Sauce
- 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tablespoon Cream Cheese
- Chives for topping
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients. In a large pot, cook bacon until crispy. While bacon is cooking, dice your onions, potatoes, and garlic. 1 lb. Bacon
- Remove bacon and set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pot. Once cooled, chop up the bacon and put it aside.
- In bacon greased pot on medium heat, add the diced onion. Cook until tender. Add chopped garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so you don't burn the garlic. 1 Red Onion 1 ½ Tbsp Garlic
- Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and basil until it turns into a toothpaste texture to make a roux. Once the roux has reached this texture, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.3 Tbsp Flour 1 ½ Tsp Salt 1 ½ Tsp Pepper 1 ½ Tsp Basil
- Slowly add in one cup of broth at a time until it becomes thick (2 - 3 cups). Then, pour in the remaining broth. Add in butter. 6 Cups Chicken Stock 2 Tbsp Butter
- Add in diced potatoes and cook for 20 minutes until tender, not mushy. Add in heavy cream and stir. 3 lbs. Golden Yukon Potatoes 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- In a blender, add 1 ½ cups of cooked potatoes with milk and puree. Pour the potato puree into the soup. Add in hot sauce, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Cook until melted. 1 ½ Cups Milk 1 Tbsp Hot Sauce 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese 2 Tbsp Cream Cheese
- Top bowls of soup with chives, bacon, and any remaining cheese or sour cream if desired. Chives
Video
Notes
- Cut your potatoes into pieces no larger than ¾-inch and try to keep them a consistent size so that they cook at the same time. There's nothing worse than biting into a crisp, raw-inside chunk of potato. What this will do, is provide an even cook all around and the soup will turn out much better.
- Don't skip the pureeing step. Puree 1 ½ cups of cooked potatoes either by using an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the soup to a blender, pureeing, and then stirring the pureed soup back into the pot. If you want a completely smooth soup, you can puree all of it, but I prefer to have a few actual pieces of potato. I think pureeing half gives it the best taste and texture. Besides, what is a potato soup without some potato chunks?
- Remove the bacon after cooking. You want to keep it crisp for garnishing, so remove it using a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve it until it's time to enjoy.
- While you can use russet potatoes, it's best to use Yukon. They have a creamier texture when compared to russet, which makes all the difference in this soup.
Nutrition
Recipe Video
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