This hearty and comforting Old Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe is one of our go-to comfort food recipes. So easy to make with just a few ingredients, you can easily throw it together for weeknight dinners or a Sunday meal. Enjoy this creamy potato soup as is or add toppings like chopped bacon, cheese or sour cream.
Why You’ll Love This Old Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe
When we need an easy meal to warm us up on cold nights, we often turn to the Old Fashioned Potato Soup. This potato soup is easy to make and only requires a few ingredients, making it perfect for weeknight dinners and good enough for a Sunday meal.
- Easy To Make: Just a few ingredients and about 30 minutes is all you need to get this potato soup on the table.
- Make Ahead Recipe: This potato soup also reheats very well, so feel free to make it ahead of time and reheat it in the microwave for an easy meal.
- Customizable: Enjoy this soup as is, or customize it to your liking. Use vegetable broth and coconut or almond milk for a vegetarian recipe, or add crispy bacon and other baked potato friendly toppings.
- Affordable: This soup recipe is extremely affordable to make and it feeds a ton of people.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Potato Soup Recipe
Just eight ingredients (plus salt and pepper) is all you need to make this Old Fashioned Potato Soup.
- Potatoes: We like to use a white fleshed potato for this soup recipe. That can include russet, white potatoes, even Yukon Gold.
- Onions: Yellow onions work best for their sweet flavor.
- Celery: Celery adds a mild flavor and also a delicious crunch for texture.
- Butter: Butter of course adds flavor but also a creamy, rich texture.
- Chicken Broth: Traditionally Old Fashioned Potato Soup uses only milk, but we like to use half chicken broth for more flavor.
- Milk: Whole milk works best for a thicker soup with a creamier flavor.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves add a slight hint of herbal flavor that we think is important in this mildly flavored soup recipe.
- Fresh Thyme: Fresh thyme adds a lovely flavor to this soup, if you don’t like the flavor of thyme you can leave it out.
How To Make This Potato Soup Recipe
Like we’ve already mentioned, this potato soup is a a snap to put together. Just a few steps and about 30 minutes is all you need to get dinner on the table!
- STEP 1 – BOIL THE POTATOES: Peel and cut 5 pounds of white potatoes into large pieces. Boil in water for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.
- STEP 2 – COOK THE VEGETABLES: Add diced onion and celery to a soup pot with butter. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes until softened. Add two bay leaves and fresh thyme.
- STEP 3 – COMBINE THE INGREDIENTS AND SIMMER: Add the cooked potatoes to the pot with the onions and celery along with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then add the chicken broth, milk and butter. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and mash the soup (Do NOT blend!) leaving some pieces of potato for texture.
Tips For Success!
Although this Old Fashioned Potato Soup is easy to make, there are a few tips to making it taste the best!
- Don’t Blend The Soup: Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes into chunks, some larger than others. Blending the soup will result in a smooth, pureed soup that may still be delicious but not the feel that we’re going for in this recipe.
- Use Whole Milk: Using whole milk will add the best flavor and creamy, thick texture to this soup recipe. You can use reduced fat, but the soup won’t be as creamy or rich in flavor.
- Taste And Season: Don’t be afraid to add more salt, pepper and any other seasonings you like in this soup. Potatoes are bland and do require a good amount of seasoning.
- Use Fresh Herbs: Since this soup can potentially be bland in nature, adding fresh herbs like thyme will enhance the flavor greatly.
Variations On The Recipe
Traditionally, Old Fashioned Potato Soup recipes aren’t made with chicken broth. The potatoes are boiled and then simmered in milk, just milk. After making the soup both ways, we decided that we prefer the flavor that chicken broth adds to the soup, however, you can omit the chicken broth and use all milk.
Another swap out is using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and almond or coconut milk to make this soup recipe vegetarian.
Add more seasonings like garlic powder, paprika or cumin for a smoky, earthy feel. Instead of thyme you can use rosemary or oregano, or leave the fresh herbs out as again, it isn’t traditional to the recipe but it does add a delicious flavor.
What To Serve With Potato Soup
This soup recipe is hearty and filling, so there’s not much required on the side unless of course you want to add some more vegetables or some bread for dunking!
- We love this Escarole Salad paired with this soup because of it’s bitter greens and vinegary dressing. Another vegetable side idea could include this Air Fryer Asparagus or simple Steamed Broccoli.
- Since potatoes are actually a vegetable, you can skip the veggie sides and go right to some of this delicious Sweet Cornbread on the side. Our Pumpkin Cornbread also is delicious if you’re in the fall or winter months.
- Add some buttery, garlicky flavor with out Homemade Garlic Bread! The flavors of garlic and butter couldn’t go more perfectly with this soup.
Storing And Reheating
Store this soup in containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. There is chicken broth in this recipe, so we don’t like to go much longer than 4 days, however if you’re using vegetable stock or water you can go a day or two longer.
Reheating the soup is as easy as placing a bowl in the microwave. Of course, you can warm it up on the stove top, too, but the microwave is definitely the quickest method.
Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
We don’t recommend freezing soup with potatoes and/or dairy. The potatoes absorb the moisture from the soup and tend to become grainy when defrosted. Milk and cream based soup will also separate when they are defrosted, so it’s not recommended to freeze.
Looking For More Soup Recipes?
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Pasta Fazool
- Lentil Soup with Ham
- Navy Bean Soup
- Italian Broccoli Soup
- Creamy Turkey Rice Soup
Old Fashioned Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Old Fashioned Potato Soup is super hearty, creamy and comforting. Easy to make with just a few ingredients, this comfort food soup recipe will warm you up on chilly days.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds white potatoes peeled and diced large
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups whole milk (you can also use all milk but we like the flavor with chicken broth)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot and add water to just cover the tops of the potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat slightly. Cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes until the are fork tender. Drain and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon on the butter to the pot. Once melted, add the onions and celery and stir into the butter. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are softened, then add the bay leaves and thyme.
- Carefully add the cooked, diced potatoes to the pot and stir to combine with the vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth and milk, then add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Season with the salt and pepper, stir and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer the soup for 25 minutes, remove the bay leaves and then turn off the heat. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes leaving some larger and smaller pieces for texture.
Recipe Notes
Store this soup in containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. There is chicken broth in this recipe, so we don’t like to go much longer than 4 days, however if you’re using vegetable stock or water you can go a day or two longer.
Reheating the soup is as easy as placing a bowl in the microwave. Of course, you can warm it up on the stove top, too, but the microwave is definitely the quickest method.
We do not recommend freezing this soup.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
