Description

This Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe delivers a creamy, comforting classic made with tender gold potatoes, savory bacon, and a rich blend of chicken broth, milk, and cream. Enhanced by sautéed onions, garlic, and a hint of ancho chili powder, it’s a hearty, flavorful soup perfect for cozy meals. Topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives, and crispy bacon, it strikes a perfect balance between creamy and chunky textures.

Ingredients

Scale

Soup Base

6 strips uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces
3 Tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g)
2 ½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1 inch (about 6 large potatoes/1.15kg)
4 cups chicken broth (945ml)
2 cups milk (475ml)
⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml)
1 ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ – ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder

Finishing Touches

⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping (optional)
Chives, chopped for garnish (optional)
Additional sour cream and bacon for topping (optional)

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Instructions

Cook the bacon: Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Cook until crisp and browned, then remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
Sauté onions and garlic: Add butter and chopped onion to the pot with the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat until the onions are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add flour: Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the cooked onions and garlic. Stir continuously until the mixture is smooth and combined, using a whisk if needed to avoid lumps.
Add potatoes and liquids: Add the diced gold potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, ground pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir everything well to combine.
Cook the soup: Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
Puree half of the soup: Reduce heat to simmer. Carefully remove about half of the soup (approximately 5 cups) and puree it until smooth using a blender or immersion blender, then return the pureed soup to the pot. This creates a creamy yet chunky texture.
Finish the soup: Stir in the sour cream and reserved cooked bacon pieces. Allow the soup to simmer gently for 15 minutes to meld flavors.
Serve and garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional sour cream, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped chives as desired. Enjoy warm.

Notes

Start with a lower amount of salt and adjust later, as saltiness can vary with different broth brands.
If new to ancho chili powder, begin with ¼ teaspoon and increase after tasting to reach preferred spiciness.
For a completely creamy soup, puree all the soup in batches rather than only half.
An immersion blender is highly recommended for easy and safe blending directly in the pot.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup (about 240ml)
Calories: 320
Sugar: 3g
Sodium: 720mg
Fat: 20g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Unsaturated Fat: 8g
Trans Fat: 0.2g
Carbohydrates: 24g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 8g
Cholesterol: 60mg