Winter weather means soup. For my family, soup usually means something extremely hearty that sticks to your ribs and will keep you warm through a cold night on the Great Plains. (which, if you’ve never experienced it, can be very cold indeed!) For me the king of all rich and hearty soups is potato soup and this is my take on it.
This soup is hearty and filling. It’s incredibly thick, sumptuous, rich and warming. It’s slightly thicker than most potato soups and the bacon adds a certain richness to the earthy flavor of the potatoes that I don’t think ham quite accomplishes, though it’s the more traditional addition to this dish.
A warning, though. If you’re looking for something light, this ain’t it. There’s enough cream and butter in this recipe to make staunch dieters cower in fear, and your cholesterol levels may never be the same again. Having said this, I only recommend this dish as an occasional treat. One to be savored when the weather is chill and the nights are long. It’s not every day fare, it’s comfort food at the highest level, with the calorie count to match.
This recipe makes enough to serve about eight people, but don’t worry about scaling back if you’re only serving one or two. It freezes extremely well and can be kept sealed in the chill chest for three to six months in airtight containers. That way it’s just waiting for you the next time the weather gets seriously chilly and you’re in need of a wintertime booster shot of soothing warmth.
- 1/2 lb (1/2 package) thick cut pepper bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
- 2 - 3 tbsp. Bacon drippings
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 lbs. russet or red potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
- 32 oz. chicken stock (approximate)
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- 1/8 lb (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook bacon using preferred method until crisp. (I bake thick cut bacon on a cooling rack over a sheet pan so that it remains flat). Allow to cool and chop or crumble into small pieces. Reserve several tablespoons of drippings. (add more bacon drippings if onions look dry. This will depend on the size of your pot and particular onion.)
Place a large soup pot or heavy casserole over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp. bacon drippings and cook onions, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often.
Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes. When everything is sizzling nicely, add enough stock to just cover potatoes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
Mash potatoes roughly with a potato masher. Scoop out about half of the remaining mixture and puree in a blender (in batches!) or food processor. (Or if you've got an immersion blender, go for it with that.) Make sure to leave a good bit of the potatoes chunky, for texture.
Add butter and heavy cream. Stir to combine well. Taste for seasoning and add more stock if soup is too thick for your liking. When the consistency is right for you, stir in bacon and bring to just a bare simmer, stirring often.
Serve hot. Garnish with additional crumbled bacon and some chives or green onions.
Share and Enjoy!
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
I wish I’d had some fresh parsley on hand for a garnish. Lacking that, the onions and bacon did just fine.
Expect to see a few variations on this recipe over the winter. It’s really my basic potato soup recipe. There are many more ways to mix this one up for something completely unique!
Links to other recipes like this:
- Potato Soup with Bacon and Vegetables, from European Cuisines
- Hearty potato Soup with crumbled Turkey Bacon, from The Good Eatah
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup, from bitchincamero
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My name is Jerry Russell, and I'm a blogger. Since 2007 I've been writing about food and recipes at 
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
Jerry, great photo of a wonderful soup. These off-white soups are hard to capture despite how tasty they are.
Thanks peter! The secret to an off-white anything is a dark bowl or plate. Gotta have contrast!
Great picture Jerry! That soup looks great and next time I get my hands on 5 lbs of potatoes I will definitely be making this!
Hey mang,
Considering the addition of bacon, I wonder what a squeeze of fresh lemon would be like? Huge fan of the citrus!
I need to do more soup, but not today. It’s going to be 70 + with breezes. Mebbe this weekend!
Biggles
Thanks jerry, Its nice looking in picture. But after seeing this I cant control myself to prepare and Eat.
This sounds like it would be good on a cold snowy Kansas night. They’ll be here soon enough.
Judy,
You don’t have 5 lbs lying around? Wow. Must be the Southern boy in me. I never have less than a 10 lb bag of russets at the ready.
Biggles,
I dunno ’bout the lemon… Mebbee would be good. Why not make it and let us know when and if the weather in the Bay area cools down a bit?
Johanna,
It warmed us up on one of our cooler nights. Of course, It’s not bad cold on a warm afternoon, either.
this looks so good!
Hi Jerry,
I just found your site when looking for a yummy potato soup recipe. I absolutely love your blog, pictures, writing style, and best of all – the soup was delicious! It is just starting to dip down into the winter temps where I live and this was the perfect comfort food! I look forward to some more culinary inspiration from your site…so keep ‘em coming!
Jerry, thanks for the link back to our site!
Love the garnish on your soup, BTW. :)
Stop in and check up on us — we’re having our annual Irish recipe festival and breaking in a new camera. ;)
Best! ECL
Hi Jerry,
I saw your recipe for creamy potato and bacon and it looks great, this winter I’m gonna make this recipe for my son and I-can’t wait to make and try it(I really love bacon) thanks for having this recipe available for me to try. Thanks again outlw811
I made this tonight and it was amazing, thanks for posting!!!
where’s the recipe?? All i get is comments….
A little Blue Stilton cheese is divine sprinkled on a bowl of this soup, not sure how easy it is for you folks to get on that side of the pond but I guess any very strong, crumbly blue cheese would work.
lemon makes it, try it – squeeze a half lemon for acid and sprinkle popcorn on top…YUM
My husband is a picky eater. I want to make a creamy potato soup/chowder. He doesn’t like onions unless it is soo finely chopped that he doesn’t even know it is there. Like he can have onion powder. So can i substitute onion powder? Also pepper he isn’ t a fan.
Any ideas…thanks
@Colin,
Thanks for the tip!
@lambchop
I hadn’t thought of that… I’ll give it a shot next time I make this
@jaylene
I don’t know that I’d use onion powder, but you could grate the onion… After a while cooking it will simply dissolve, but the flavor will be more potent so use a littl less. Pepper is entirely up to your tastes!
I’m doing a 30 day “Living off the Land” challenge where we eat from our pantry and deep freezer almost exclusively. With 10lbs of potatoes staring at me I googled and up came this delicious recipe. I’ll be adding it to my list of recipes this week with a link to your page. Love your site, I have a feeling I’ll be back often!
i was looking for a base for a potato bacon soup, one that was rich & held lots of flavor and stumbled upon this recipe of yours.. it’s perfect. i roasted some carrots and added them to the pot when preparing the potatoes.. then grated about a cup of aged 2 year old white cheddar and added that as well… a bay leaf also added a little extra flavor…when serving i added a drizzle of good olive oil… this was perfect on a cold winter day.
thanks so much.
Thanks for the recipe made it tonight it was great added some carrots and celery it was great .
I used this recipe to feed 75 teenagers and 25 adults outside on a camping activity. It was a big hit for everyone! I just doubled the recipe and had others help make several batches. Gourmet taste for the adults but looked simple so the teenagers would eat it. So many requests for the recipe.
That is too awesome! Glad to hear that it went over well. It’s one of the most popular recipes on the site
I had a pile of potato’s and wanted to try something different. On a search I came across this recipie and it was wonderful even though I didn’t have bacon.
My 7 year old even loved it! If a little kid likes it, it must be good. Can’t wait to make it again with bacon. Thanks for the good recipie.
You Must. MUST. try it with the bacon!
Great soup just made a huge pot i added cheese and it was soooooo goood even on a hot august night!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you liked it! It’s one of the most popular recipes on the site, so I must have done something right with this one!
AMAZING, with idaho potatoes:) I also added carrots and peas. Made it colorful.
Those would be great additions as well. I’m glad you liked it!
Just wanted to say great soup!!!! I added more potato and onion and also carrots cut thick! My kids thought it was great and we have plenty of leftovers. Thx for posting this! I was just searching for a quick and easy recipe and was delighted when I came across yours!
Thanks! This has been the most popular recipe ever posted on CbsoP since day one and the love just keeps pouring in. Share and Enjoy!
My mom made this soup (Is making) and the smell is wonderful. YES!!!!!!! IT IS DONE!!!! IM gunna look on this site evry day now. I wonder wat u hav 4 choclate chip cookies?
this soup was hearty, filling, and so tasty. it was perfect for a chilly fall night of watching hockey. my fiance doesn’t like many things i make, but he’s requested more of this soup (i relayed your health warning).
I have made your recipe a couple of times now (with the addition of Kumara (sweet potato) and it is soooo delicious +++ I’m making it again tonight :)
I’m so happy you enjoy! This is hands-down the most popular recipe ever published here, and we make it twice a year ourselves
This is tenderloin, but can be made with either. Simply adjust cooking time (thermometer is strongly advised. Get the pork to at least 140 degrees.)
Looks yummy! I’m looking for a recipe for potato soup that is rich and hearty, but I need the calories to be alittle less. Any suggestions for cutting the half and half? Could I use half the amount of cream and use milk for the rest?
you can use regular or 2% milk, but will need to add cornstarch in a slurry to get the right texture. Another thought is to add yogurt (off the heat) when everything is done to help make the soup thick and creamy
Just tried your soup at it was great. I made it with the leftover drippings from our turkey instead of chicken broth, and sprinkled cheese on the top. My family loved it! Thanks
Thanks, Jerry, I always forget about cornstarch…and yogurt is another good idea.
I look forward to having potato soup this week!
I have put my own twist in this soup… i had left over roasted yellow , orange,red and green peppers chopped up … green beans as well …. turned into a great tasting soup..I have always saved my left over veggies for soup… it works out well… and i used the left over mashed potatoes to make this soup also… left overs are wonderful!!!!
Just made this tonight for dinner. I like finding recipes that dont have a ton of ingredients. This was perfect. I ended up having to add more chicken stock than called for but that was no big deal. I also think I’ll add more bacon next time. Thanks!
while shopping at safeway today they had potato and bacon soup on sale for 3.99 I started to purchase it but said I know I can find a great recipe and make this myself as I bought 10 lbs for thanksgiving. I always have a lotta bacon in the freezer. I just made this with green and red peppers, and celery – my gosh this is good. I love it and it is just right cause it is cold here tonight in Maryland. Thanks for a GREAT recipe!!!
I’m off to the store to grab some bacon. Strange how I found this recipe on a day when I have absolutely no bacon in the fridge. Strange day, indeed. Anyhow, I’ll be making this for dinner tonight as it looks absolutely delicious and will probably be sharing the recipe with other through my blog (with credit to you of course). I’ll be sure to add a link here and want to thank you for deciding what I’ll be having tonight. Cheers!
This recipe is definitely husband-approved. Luckily, by the time I was ready to serve it, nearly every dish in the house was dirty, so we ate out of coffee mugs. One mug was more than enough to be filling.
tons of leftovers!
I might try to freeze it… might just share with the neighbors!
It is definitely a serious bowl of soup. That’s why we only make it once or twice a year here. I’m glad that your husband liked it!
About how many servings would you say it makes? I need to feed 10 teenage girls before a basketball game.
As written this will make about 12 servings. It’s very, very rich, so smaller serving sizes are in order
Hey Jerry (or anyone else who’d know),
I’m hoping to make this soup soon but don’t have a blender or food processor at my disposal. Is it still possible to achieve the right texture? Should I just mash the potatoes more thoroughly, add more chicken stock, or what?
Thanks!
A food processor or blender is handy, but not at all necessary. Just grab a potato masher or a whisk and go at it!
Just got back from a week in Florida and am freezing here in Virginia….am grateful for this recipe and from all the comments I know it’s going to be fabulous…. wanted to comment to jaylene that she can add onion juice….where her husband hates onion, this must become a staple in her house….never heard of it? Brand name is Howard’s, doesn’t need refrigeration, 1 tsp. = 1/2 medium onion…..it’s not cheap but worth every penny. I get it here in Virginia at Farm Fresh. They are out of Danvers, MA. Thanks again for the recipe
Karen,
thanks for the tip on the onion juice! I’ll see if i can find a link for it/find it in my area to give it a try.
I am so excited about this recipe! I found a similar one on allrecipies.com and combined with some of Emeril’s ingredients and instructions i found online. While it was so so so so good, I would have liked the texture a bit smoother. The fam was asking for it days after it was gone, so I can’t wait to hear wat they say when I whip this one up!) I think I will add a tiny bit of Dill and stone ground dijon mustard plus a little frozen corn. Will let you know how it is!
Well I am making this for the 4th time in a month! I took it to work and it was such a hit, I got orders for a couple batches! The stone ground dijon, dill and Emerils Essence gave it a little snap. I added a 1/4 cup of sour cream and it cut down on the sweetness (probably from the extra corn and can of cream corn I added!). I used a bag of fingerling mixed potatoes – really fast and easy. I garnish with finely shredded colby and a extra bacon!
I am so excited to try this recipe! I have been craving potato soup lately and can’t wait for it to finish cooking! I’ve added celery to the recipe for more texture. I’ll let you know if this conquers my craving!
While I’ve tried a lot of bacon recipes in my day, I’ll have to admit that I’ve never made a potato and bacon soup. Sounds and looks absolutely gorgeous, though, and I’ve added it to my to-cook list. Thanks! :)
I added a little white wine to de-glaze the pot then threw a bundle of time and a bay leaf. Delish! Thank you for the inspiration !!!
I am trying this recipe tonight, I also like to add my own twist to things. So this will just be my canvas. I love to cook dumplins with my potato soup. They may not be too pretty, but they are delicious!
Love the recipe!!!! I dont have a lot of experience in the kitchen and this recipe was very easy to make. Thanks!!!!!
Jerry,
I had to make a potato soup for home economic yesterday and I LOVED IT! The aromas in the room made my mouth water! I could not wait to eat it! My family and I really enjoyed it!Thanks for sharing this recipe!
God Bless,
Hannah
Hannah,
I’m glad that you and your family enjoyed it. It’s one of our favorite recipes and I’ve been very pleased with all the love it’s goten over the years.
Have you done this soup with any herbs, dried or fresh, alone or in any mixture? I am going to be making this soup in the next couple days and can’t stand following recipes to the T. Witch herb/s would you recommend? Dried/fresh? and at what point would you add to the soup? I will be expanding the recipe because I will be serving around 15 very experienced self-professed food connoisseurs. In other words my X-LARGE no-it-all friends, who watch way to much FOOD NETWORK TV…………THANKS
Hey, I’m a 14 year old who was looking for a delicious potato soup to cook in my school. I’m about to try this dish and amaze my classmates. Thank you for the nice potato soup.
Good luck with the recipe! I hope it wows your classmates
Jerry, this looks and sounds SO good. I just love thick and hearty soups like this. Thank you so very much for taking the time to link this up at our soups & stews recipe party today!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
This was delicious! I just made it last night and added some chopped italian parsley at the end as well as for garnish. Turned out magnificent and was a homerun meal for my boyfriend and sister. Thank you for sharing!
-Holms
I’m glad it went over well! I think I’m going to be making this again myself this Sunday. It’s a massive hit here, too. I like the touch of fresh parsley at the end.
Fantastic! I made a double batch of this last night. It was a huge hit! My husband has been in the restaurant biz for many years and said that this was amazing and better than he had tasted in a very long time. Considering he does most of the cooking here at home – getting a cooking compliment from him was like getting a puppy at Christmas. Thanks again!
Jerry–
I don’t have any cream right now but have a couple cans of cream of celery soup. Could that be substituted or would it not turn out very thick? It looks delicious!
Jess
The condensed soup would drastically change the flavor and texture of the soup. I can’t say if it would be a good change or a bad one, honestly. If you do give it a shot, let us know how it went. Otherwise, just wait for a trip to the store and get some heavy cream or half-n-half
OMG i just made this it was THE BEST SOUP EVER!!!!i did add a little bit more bacon because bacon makes everything better :)
Jerry
i made your soup, it is wonderful!!!! When i served it, we added grated cheese to our bowls. This recipe is a keeper!!!! Thanks again.
Thank you so much for the recipe, me and my husband are enjoying this wonderful creamy potato soup right now and we are LOVING IT! I am not a really good cook but this was so easy and i did an excellent job following your guide…..THANK YOU :)
Just made this for dinner tonight, served with roasted vegetables and stuffed porkchops. My boyfriend loved it, which is what i was going for!
I have a large family to feed and some very picky eaters. This recipe was a hit with everyone and had them coming back for more! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!!
Added celery, carrots, and shrimp or chicken, have also added creamed corn or kernel corn. Love this as a base. Also cut the recipe in half for just 2 of us…thanks!
Sue,
So glad your family likes it!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been looking for a simple potato soup to try and this looked to be it. I made it today, and it was delicious. I am an habitual recipe “tweaker”, and will likely play around with this, but any personalizations will be minor as this is wonderful soup. Thanks again!
Best soup ever!! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m glad you liked it!
Jerry, you must have a wife that likes to clean up for you. I don’t, and I don’t need flat bacon but if I did I would use a bacon press. Much less to clean up. So anyway my lazy man’s way to make this soup:
Cut/slice bacon crosswise into 1/4 to 3/8″ strips. Put in stock pot and cook till translucent, add onion and cook till onion is translucent. Add garlic cook for a minute or so. Bacon will be crisp by now. Add potatoes ( I prefer white potatoes, russet are too mealy) and stock. Cook the rest like you do.
I made 1/2 recipe soup but used the full measure of potatoes. Took out half and made potato salad with them.
This is a good recipe, thanks
Actually, I have a houe full of boys that do a lot of the cleaning! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. It’s been one of the best ever posted here. We’re very proud of it.
Jerry recently posted..Lime Sherbet
I added Samuel Adams October fest and Sharp Amish Chedder! OMYUM! So Good! Perfect for a nice chilly fall evening in front of the fire watching our favorite Fall shows! Love this recipe! Definitely a new family tradition.
I have been looking for a good potato soup recipe and after reading through the comments, I think I may have found a winner. Making this tonight, can’t wait to try it!
This soup is awesome! Made it for the first time today and followed your recipe with no changes. I think I will add some shredded carrots and celery next time just to change it up (even though it doesn’t really need it). Thank you for sharing :)
This soup is delish! I usually end up cooking this on a snowy winter day, whole family loves it.
Yummy soup, but I tweaked it a couple nothces. The recipe says to take out have and put into processor…but then what to do with it? Instructions were vague so I left it all in the pot. I added a 1/2 bag of diced baby carrots to the onions when saute-ing. Was out of celery or would’ve added some too.
I made a cheese sauce and added it in after lightly hand mashing the potatoes right in the pot. Wanted the lumps! I used flour & butter, then added coffee creamer instead of just milk for the rue, and for the cheese I cubed seveal hunks of Velveeta, then added shredded sharp chedder and also Vermont White chedder. Soup was quite thick then so I added some more creamer, and some ground parsley flakes for color. Baked some crescent rolls while soup simmered, and it was OUTSTANDING! Like the old Cookers Restaraunt cheesy-potato soup, and the diced crispy bacon takes it over the top!
Rob,
Love the additions and the soup sounds pretty fabulous. I’m glad we could inspire you!
I got this recipe from my grandmother who grew up during the depression-era. This was a staple in her diet. A little bit of water, milk, onion, and of course potato. My modification is sauteed bacon and garlic added in there.. Very tasty, affordable, and revives me after a long days work.
Can’t go wrong with a lil’ potato soup. Lol. Good recipe glad to see it on here.
Loved the soup.
I, like all cooks, did a few ad libs. Kept the skin on the potatoes… sauteed shredded carrots with the onions, used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream and veggie broth (didn’t have any chicken stock)… Topped with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon.
Thanks for your recipe… Fireplace and a glass of wine.. Perfect!
Yes, this is the soup we have in Valhalla
Great pic that grabbed my attention! Delicious soup that satifies my taste buds and nourishes my soul! Thank you very much! I make 1/2 the recipe & eat it twice a week. Its even more awesome the next day! My little escape from work at lunchtime!
Kelly,
We’re so glad you like it! It’s one of our favorites, too.
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