This easy potato soup recipe is an old fashioned favorite -- just like Grandma used to make. Chunks of tender, buttery potato in a creamy, onion scented base will have the family waiting impatiently at the table, spoons in hand! Want to cut the fat? Be sure to read my notes!
I love serving this simple dinner with homemade cloverleaf rolls
Shopping List
It's amazing how a few simple ingredients can come together to make something so delicious, isn't it?
- Potatoes can be any kind. Sometimes I'll use Yukon gold or red potatoes and leave the skins on. Other times I use old fashioned russets - use what you have.
- Onions add a lot of flavor. I use Vidalias or other sweet yellow onion but use what you like. The purple onions do not work well unless you like pink soup.
- Milk adds nutrition and body to the broth. I use whole milk because that's what we drink but use what you have.
- Heavy cream really makes this rich and creamy BUT if you want to cut the fat I have a solution. Be sure to read the notes!
- Butter is in there for flavor and texture. Fat carries the flavor of a dish so you'll need at least a little of it for the best flavor.
- Salt and pepper the soup to your family's taste.
- Garlic powder adds a little extra burst of flavor. You can omit it if you want.
- Onion powder gives the onion a little more oomph. Feel free to omit.
- Parsley is used to give it some color. I chop it fine and sprinkle it on top.
Homemade Potato Soup Is Comfort Food 100%
This is the potato soup recipe I grew up with. It's the recipe my mom grew up with. I'll even bet you that my grandmother, who was born around 1890, grew up on it, too.
It's so simple that you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes! This homemade, creamy, cozy, comfort food will warm you up on the chilliest, dreariest day.
When I was small we lived in Pennsylvania for a time and potato soup was on the menu a lot in the wintertime.
Back then we played outside no matter what the weather was like -- and we'd play out there until the streetlights cast a warm, pinkish-orange glow on the snow that crunched under our boots and soaked through our mittens.
It didn't matter that we couldn't feel our fingers and our cheeks were numb, that our toes burned, or that our words were slurred because our faces were frozen. Outside meant freedom and friends and fun and we were determined to soak up every moment.
There is no better food memory I have than walking in the door (after carefully removing my boots and any snowy, wet outerwear) and smelling the aroma of this elixir wafting down from the kitchen. I'd run up the stairs as fast as my frozen legs would allow hoping that my grandmother's potato soup was as ready to eat as I was to eat it.
Recipe Variations
There aren't a lot of fancy ingredients in this old fashioned recipe but don't let that fool you into thinking that this isn't a dish full of flavor. It's simple comfort food, a foundational recipe that you can use as is or build on.
For example, at one time or another I've added one or more of the following:
- diced ham - add with the potatoes.
- crumbled cooked bacon - sprinkle on top
- chipotle - stir in chipotle powder or mashed chipotle just before serving.
- celery - saute and add to the soup with the potatoes.
- onion - saute and add to the soup with the potatoes
- cheese -either stir it in to the soup just before serving or serve the soup with cheese on top.
- sour cream - stir into the potato soup just before serving or put a dollop on top of the soup when serving.
- cream cheese - warm it in the microwave until it's soft and then stir into the soup.
- cooked ground beef - add with the potatoes
- cumin - mix into the broth
- clams - add with the potatoes
- jalapenos - saute and add with the potatoes
- garlic - saute and add with the potatoes
- cooked chicken - add with the potatoes
- leftover cooked vegetables - stir in just before serving
- chives - sprinkle on the soup just before serving
- butter - I like to serve it with a pat of butter melting on top
Cut the Fat
I prefer potato soup made with heavy cream but there are several ways to cut the fat in this recipe if you'd like to.
Try them all and see which one you like best.
- Use all whole milk instead of milk and cream
- Use half and half instead of heavy cream
- Adjust the amount of butter to your liking
- Use 2% or fat free milk, and double the potatoes. Blend about half the potatoes up in a blender with some of the hot milk. Pour it back into the pot. The blended potatoes will thicken the soup and make it creamy without the fat. You may even need to thin it out with a little more milk
- Use chicken stock for part of the liquid
Recipe FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
How do you make potato soup thicker?
You can add a cup or so of the soup to a blender and blend it smooth then add it back to the soup. That will thicken it up and you won't lose any creaminess or flavor.
Can you thicken potato soup with instant potatoes?
You sure can! Use about a teaspoon and a half of instant potato flakes and add it to the soup, stirring it in well. Wait a minute or two and repeat the process until you have the consistency you desire.
How do I make healthy potato soup?
You can substitute milk for all or part of the cream, adjust the amount of butter (or leave it out), and cut back on the salt, depending on your tastes and dietary needs. Blending some of the cooked potatoes with the milk helps to thicken it and make it creamy without flour or extra fat.
Will potato soup freeze well?
This potato soup recipe does not freeze well at all! I don't think any creamy soups do. Still it's so quick and easy to make there's really no need to freeze it.
How long will potato soup last in the fridge?
Potato soup is best if you eat it within 3 or 4 days.
More Comforting Soups
And... I'm drooling over this chicken and wild rice soup recipe from Deb at Bowl Me Over!
You May Need...
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You can use an immersion blender to easily blend the potatoes in this soup to your preferred consistency! I love mine for all kinds of quick tasks.
Old Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe
I promise this is the best potato soup ever invented. It's thickened by blending a cup or so in the blender and then adding it back into the soup pot.
It's a great way to give it more flavor and richness without the flour so the soup is lighter and more flavorful than most other recipes.
Add your favorite toppings - sour cream, bacon, chives - whatever you like. Personally I'm partial to just a pat of butter!
This is so good with a slice of this easy bacon fougasse bread or these cheese filled Khachapuri!
If you like this recipe please give it 5 stars!
Gramma's Easy Potato Soup Recipe
Print Add to CollectionEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes washed, , peeled if desired.
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon per serving
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, (whipping) cream or half and half
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, , optional
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or chives
Instructions
- Dice the potatoes to desired size.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the diced potatoes.
- Simmer until tender.
- Meanwhile, slowly cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of the butter.
- Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot.
- Add the cooked onion, butter, milk, and cream.
- Taste and add salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste.
- Serve in shallow bowls with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of parsley on top.
Notes
- Use all whole milk instead of milk and cream
- Use half and half instead of heavy cream
- Adjust the amount of butter to your liking
- Use 2% or fat free milk, and double the potatoes. Blend about half the potatoes up in a blender with some of the hot milk. Pour it back into the pot. The blended potatoes will thicken the soup and make it creamy without the fat. You may even need to thin it out with a little more milk
- Use chicken stock for part of the liquid
- diced ham - add with the potatoes.
- crumbled cooked bacon - sprinkle on top
- chipotle - stir in chipotle powder or mashed chipotle just before serving.
- celery - saute and add to the soup with the potatoes.
- onion - saute and add to the soup with the potatoes
- cheese -either stir it in to the soup just before serving or serve the soup with cheese on top.
- sour cream - stir into the potato soup just before serving or put a dollop on top of the soup when serving.
- cream cheese - warm it in the microwave until it's soft and then stir into the soup.
- cooked ground beef - add with the potatoes
- cumin - mix into the broth
- clams - add with the potatoes
- jalapenos - saute and add with the potatoes
- garlic - saute and add with the potatoes
- cooked chicken - add with the potatoes
- leftover cooked vegetables - stir in just before serving
- chives - sprinkle on the soup just before serving
- butter - I like to serve it with a pat of butter melting on top
Monica
Sounds tasty, easy to make I'll definitely try your recipe and see how it works, thanks for sharing Marye!
MARYE AUDET-WHITE
You're welcome. Let me know what you think
Teddy
Wondering if this soup can be frozen or not.
Marye Audet
No, it will separate.
john
Back to the basics of life=no refined food=natures best and at 75 still love the soup
Marye Audet
🙂 It's definitely yummy!
Mary Jane Voorhees
I'm looking forward to making this simple reciepe, however, you didn't mention the serving size. I need to make for at least 25 people.
Marye Audet
This makes about 6 cups. I'd probably quadruple this recipe? It depends a lot on serving sizes - we eat HUGE bowls of it.
Barbara | Creative Culinary
This is a bit freaky. My Grandma's potato soup is on the stove...chilly here and with the forecast of more snow it had to be done. SO similar but mine has some bacon and sauteed garlic but otherwise? Our Grandmas were pals? 🙂
Marye is so right though...so good, so comforting and I'll even eat it in the summer if I am yearning for some comfort food.