This cheesy baked potato soup is packed full of flavor, from onions, chicken broth, cheese, potatoes, bacon, and more! It’s like all the goodness of a loaded baked potato wrapped up in a comforting and heartwarming soup.
I grew up in Idaho. Idaho has lots of potatoes. I grew up eating potatoes several times a week. I especially love baked potatoes. When I bake potatoes, I always bake extra. I love having the leftovers as they are, or repurposing them for fried potatoes, or this baked potato soup.
If you use already baked potatoes, you can have this delicious soup ready in less than 30 minutes. All you need is a little onion chopping, garlic mincing, cheese grating, and potato dicing.
This baked potato soup is creamy, rich, hearty, and so delicious. Top it with all your favorite baked potato toppings and it’s the perfect bowl of soup to warm up this fall and winter!
Ingredients Needed to make Cheesy Baked Potato Soup:
- butter
- onion
- garlic
- russet potatoes
- chicken broth
- half and half
- shredded cheese
- salt and pepper
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How to make Baked Potato Soup?
I recommend gathering all your ingredients and preparing them first. Chop them, dice them, grate them, etc. Once all your ingredients are ready and measured out, then you’ll be ready to make this soup in a jiffy.
In a large sauce pan, melt your butter over medium high heat. Then add in your onion and saute it for a few minutes until it’s nice and fragrant, tender, and translucent. Add in the minced garlic and let that cook for another minute or two.
Then add in your diced potatoes, and your broth. I like chicken broth, but you can make this dish vegetarian by using a vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Making sure the potatoes are warm throughout.
Now mash half of your potatoes. This will help thicken your soup, but don’t mash them all so that the soup stays nice and chunky. Once the potatoes are mashed, add in the green onions, half and half and cheese. Add in some salt and pepper, to taste. Stir it together and simmer it all till the cheese is melted, and everything is mixed well.
Now the soup is ready to eat. Serve it up in individual bowls, with your favorite toppings!
Tips for making Baked Potato Soup:
- If you don’t already have baked potatoes, but you still want to make this soup quickly, you can “bake” your potatoes in the microwave. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and place it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes. Keep microwaving them until they are tender.
- I like to peel my potatoes, but you can leave the peels on them too.
- You can easily make this soup vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Skip the bacon bits on top too.
- You can make this soup more hearty by adding some cooked shredded chicken or diced ham, to get some extra protein.
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup in a small stove top over low heat. If the soup gets too thick from the potatoes add in some chicken broth as needed as you reheat the soup.
Top your big delicious, hearty, warm bowl of soup with your favorite baked potato toppings. Seriously, almost anything goes. Here are some of my favorites!
Toppings for Baked Potato Soup:
- diced onion or green onions
- chives
- shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, swiss, you name it
- sour cream
- crumbled bacon
This cheesy baked potato soup is so delicious. It’s hearty, comforting, and so filling. It’s got all the great flavors of a baked potato wrapped up in a warm, comforting bowl of soup!
More potato recipes:
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Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
For the Baked Potato Soup:
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 8 baked potatoes (diced 1/2 inch pieces, about 4 lbs of potato)
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)
For Topping the Soup:
- chives
- cheese
- sour cream
- green onions
- bacon
Instructions
Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
- Prepare all the ingredients, by chopping, mincing, grating, measuring, etc.
- In a large saucepan, melt 2 TBS of butter over medium high heat.
- Add in the chopped onions and sauté them for a few minutes until they are soft and translucent.
- Add in the minced garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
- Add in the diced potato pieces.
- Pour in the broth and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Mash about half of the potatoes, leaving half of the pieces whole.
- Stir in the half and half, grated cheese and salt and pepper.
- Cook until the cheese is melted and the mixture is all smooth.
- Serve in individual bowls with additional toppings as desired.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Peel and dice uncooked potatoes
- Continue with steps 1 - 4 as above
- Add onions, garlic, potatoes, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Slightly mash half of the potatoes.
- Add half and half, and cheese and continue to cook in the slow cooker on high for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
Nutrition
This baked potato soup was originally published November 16, 2012. The photos and text were updated for more information on September 17, 2021.
Sean says
When you list “8 potatoes”, how many pounds would you estimate that weighed for you? I bought 8 russets at the grocery store today, and it was nearly 7 lbs of spuds, which seems like more than what’s needed.
Aimee says
I think about 4 pounds.
Sandi Berrett says
I made this tonight for the first time and it was delicious. The only thing I did different is use dehydrated onions, add one more cup of cheese and about 2 cups of ham cubes (my husbands request.) It was the perfect soup for a chilly fall night!