Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Thick, Creamy, and Cheesy)

This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is creamy, cheesy, and packed with bacon, melted cheese and fluffy russet potatoes. One bite, and you’ll know why it’s one of our family’s favorite soups—pure comfort food on a cold day.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Is it getting cold where you live?  It sure is starting to get chilly here.  As someone who lives in the South, I consider anything below 60 degrees cold!

Once winter comes and it gets super cold, I like to go into hibernation. This means I stay inside and eat as much soup as I can.

To help warm up my bones, and because I just love any and all potato dishes, I decided to make a big pot of loaded baked potato soup.

I came up with this one a few years ago with ingredients that I had on hand, and it just stuck.  It is husband and kid approved, and I really enjoy it myself.

This easy soup recipe is one of those ultimate comfort food meals that’ll have the whole family asking for seconds.

Why You’ll Love Baked Potato Soup

• Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and one pot on the stove top make it a breeze.
• Family Favorite: This loaded baked potato soup recipe is one of our favorite meals to eat in the cold winter months.
• Perfect for Cold or Rainy Days: A big bowl of soup will warm you right up.
• Great for Leftovers: Stores well in an airtight container and leftover soup tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients for Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• Large Baked Potatoes:  Baking them first brings out a deep potato flavor and helps the soup stay thick and rich.
• Bacon Grease: Adds a ton of flavor and gives the soup a signature loaded baked potato flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: The flour is used as a thickening agent.
• Milk: It makes the soup creamy and smooth. I prefer whole milk for a creamier texture.
• Green Onions: These add a pop of color and a fresh bite.
• Salt and Pepper: Go easy on the salt, but add as much black pepper as you like.
• Cooked Bacon: Crumble up your crispy bacon into small pieces and stir it into the soup and save some for the top.
• Butter: A little bit of unsalted butter adds a rich, smooth finish.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese: The cheese melts right in and makes it the best cheesy potato soup.
• Sour Cream: The sour cream adds a tangy flavor.

How to Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Bake the Potatoes: Bake your large potatoes until soft. Let them cool a bit, then scoop out the insides into a bowl. Save the crispy potato skins to make loaded potato skins to go along with the soup like I do.

Fry the Bacon: In a large pot, fry up some thick-sliced bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Set it aside on a paper towel to drain, then crumble the bacon. I like to make some extra bacon to save for topping the soup.

Reserve Some Bacon Grease: Now, don’t throw away all the bacon grease that has collected in the bottom of the pot. It is going to help flavor the soup!  You will need to keep a couple tablespoons in the pot.

Add Butter: Add a stick of butter to the bacon grease and let it melt.

Stir in the Flour: Stir in the all purpose flour to make a roux.

Whisk Flour: Whisk it really good and let it cook for a minute or two. Keep stirring it so it doesn’t get clumpy.

Add the Milk: Slowly pour in the milk, a cup at a time, stirring constantly so it stays smooth. Keep the heat on medium-low heat and stir until the soup base starts to thicken into nice, creamy texture.

Add the Potatoes: Now stir in the scooped-out cooked potatoes.

Add the Green Onions: Toss in your chopped green onions.

Add Bacon, Salt and Pepper: Add in the crushed bacon bits, a pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Add the Shredded Cheese: You can use bags of shredded cheese to keep it simple, or you can grate your own. I really like sharp cheddar cheese.

Stir in the Sour Cream: Stir in a heaping cup of sour cream.

Ways to Serve Creamy Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• With a Salad: Soup goes great with salads. You can serve it with a green side salad or my Quick and Easy Broccoli Salad.
• Alongside Potato Skins: Make some fried potato skins and top them with your extra toppings.
• With Biscuits: Serve it up with my Mama’s Buttermilk Biscuits for the ultimate comfort food.
• Lots of Toppings: Top with more green onions, a sprinkle of bacon, extra cheese, and maybe another spoonful of sour cream.

How to Store Leftovers

If there’s any left, let it cool down and pour it into an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for a quick comforting soup later on.

More Soup Recipes

• Mushroom Barley Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• One Pot Mexican Beef Soup

Print Pin

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 8 medium to large baked potatoes
• 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup bacon grease from frying bacon
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 pound cooked bacon crumbled (reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease)
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 heaping cup sour cream

Instructions

• Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.
• Stir the flour into the bacon grease to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick.
• Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon, cheese, and sour cream.. Stir well. Serve immediately.