This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.

Chunky Potato Soup combines potatoes with a mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion combo), a simple roux, crispy bacon, sour cream, and cheese. A classic soup recipe with big flavor all made in one pot!

Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Turkey Taco Soup, some delicious Creamy Wild Rice Soup, and this healthy Detox Lentil Soup any given night of the week!

A shallow bowl of potato soup with bacon and cheese on top.

Best Potato Soup

Soup Season is one of our favorites, especially because it means cooler weather. It’s time to fill our bellies with all of the warm and delicious soups.

While we love a classic potato soup, we also enjoy this Thai Sweet Potato Soup for something a little different. Give it a try!

Some members of our family make this potato soup recipe about twice a month. Looking at you, Zach and Kirsten! I’m so happy that they enjoy it as much as we do.

Why we LOVE this Creamy Soup:

BASIC INGREDIENTS – All of the ingredients needed are easy to find in grocery stores. Nothing hard to find in this basic recipe.
CREAMY AND FILLING – The roux helps to make this soup creamy and the combo of ingredients is filling. A big bowl of chunky soup and a chunk of bread is all I really need on chilly nights. Ultimate comfort food!
INEXPENSIVE – Potatoes are a cheap ingredient to cook with. I recommend buying a large chunk of cheese and shredding it yourself. Cheaper and it melts WAY better too.

Closeup of a bowl of potato soup with bacon.

What You’ll Need:

Alright, let’s talk about your grocery list. To make this soup, you will need the following simple ingredients:

Veggies: russet potatoes, yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
The Roux: fats (in this case, bacon fat and/or butter) plus flour.
Protein: bacon plus shredded cheese.
Other: chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and sour cream.
Seasonings: salt and pepper.
Toppings: additional bacon and cheese, and green onions (plus saltines if so desired).

The ingredients for the chunky potato soup.

How to make Chunky Potato Soup:

Step 1
Prep the veggies. Start by dicing the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Chop the potatoes into relatively small chunks.

Step 2
Cook the bacon. Sauté the bacon in a large soup pot (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon (place on a plate lined with paper towels) and leave about four tablespoons in the pot (or use butter in its place).

Step 3
Cook the veggies. Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot with the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds or so.

Step 4
Add the roux. Add flour to the veggies and stir for a minute or so to absorb.

The pot of the sautéed veggies with flour on top.

Step 5
Add broth. Next add the chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil, stirring to thicken. After about five minutes, add the potato chunks and a little more salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

A pot of the soup after adding the potatoes.

Step 6
Make it creamy. Once the potatoes are soft, add the milk, heavy cream, sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir well and cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until everything is melted and hot. Reserve some bacon and add the remaining to the large saucepan and stir.

The pot of potato soup with the bacon on top.

Step 7
Check seasonings. Test the soup, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Potatoes need a decent amount of salt for flavor.

Optional step. If you want to make this EXTRA creamy, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree a portion of the soup. I don’t recommend blending all of the soup so you can keep the soup chunky.

A pot of chunky potato soup with a soup ladle pulling some out.

Favorite Toppings for the Best Soup

Extra bacon
More cheese
Green onions
Freshly ground black pepper
Saltine crackers
Or bread – try some Chewy French Bread or Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread!

STORE leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days. I recommend adding portions to individual meal prep containers or soup mugs so heating up is super quick.

Overhead view of a bowl of chunky potato soup with toppings.

Recipe Tips:

Chop your potatoes pretty small (see photos) so that the soup cooks a little quicker.
You will have just enough chicken broth to cook the potatoes. If you need a bit more, add it.
You can make this soup even creamier by adding extra cheese and sour cream.
I always add seasonings in layers. Test the soup as you go and add as needed. Potatoes need salt for flavor.
If you don’t want to use the bacon grease in the soup, butter works fine too.

What to Serve with Chunky Potato Soup:

Side view of two bowls of soup with spoons.

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

xoxo ~Sue