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The Best Creamy Potato Soup: A Guide to Cozy Comfort Recipe

The Best Creamy Potato Soup: A Guide to Cozy Comfort Recipe

4.8 from 7 reviews

This classic creamy potato soup recipe offers a comforting and velvety dish perfect for chilly days. Made with tender russet potatoes, sautéed onions and garlic, and enriched with a smooth roux, broth, and cream, it delivers a rich, satisfying flavor. Topped with your choice of cheese, chives, bacon bits, or sour cream, this soup is both hearty and elegant—ideal for a cozy meal at home.

Ingredients

Scale

Vegetables

  • 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Base and Thickener

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Liquids

  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream

Seasonings

  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Optional: fresh thyme or rosemary for herbal note

Toppings (Optional)

  • Shredded cheese
  • Chopped chives
  • Bacon bits
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  1. Gather Your Ingredients: Prepare all ingredients by peeling and dicing potatoes, chopping onions, mincing garlic, and measuring butter, flour, broth, and milk or cream.
  2. Sauté Onion and Garlic: In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, cooking until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  3. Make the Roux: Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed onions and garlic. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste and form a smooth paste, creating the base for thickening the soup.
  4. Add Broth and Potatoes: Gradually whisk in the chicken or vegetable broth, ensuring no lumps form. Add the diced potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  5. Simmer Until Tender: Let the soup simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and fully cooked through.
  6. Blend the Soup: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth and creamy, or transfer in batches to a blender, then return to pot.
  7. Add Milk or Cream: Stir in the whole milk or heavy cream for richness and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper, and optional herbs like thyme or rosemary.
  8. Heat Through: Warm the soup gently over low heat without boiling to prevent curdling, ensuring it’s hot and well combined.
  9. Serve and Garnish: Ladle the creamy potato soup into bowls and garnish with optional toppings such as shredded cheese, chopped chives, bacon bits, or sour cream to enhance flavor and presentation.

Notes

  • Russet potatoes offer the best creamy texture due to high starch; Yukon Gold can be used for a buttery flavor.
  • For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
  • Adjust the creaminess by using milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream depending on your preference.
  • Be careful not to boil the soup after adding cream to prevent curdling.
  • Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
  • Add crisp bacon bits or shredded cheddar cheese as toppings for extra flavor.

Nutrition

Keywords: creamy potato soup, classic potato soup, comfort food soup, easy potato soup, homemade potato soup