Old-Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe

This Old-Fashioned Potato Soup recipe is the simple potato soup I grew up with. To this day, I still think it’s the best. It’s a humble homemade soup with just 4 ingredients (plus salt and pepper), but it’s truly one of my favorite things to eat on a chilly day when I’m craving a bowl of something comforting. {And if you love a hearty homemade soup, check out my recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Soup, too}.

Back when I was a kid, my dad often made this potato soup for lunch or dinner on a cold day. While my mom was the main cook in our house, my dad had his specialties, and this easy potato soup was one of them. I’m pretty sure this comforting recipe was passed down from my grandma, officially making it a family tradition in our house.

And back in Grandma’s days, this was how potato soup was made – plain and unfussy. You wouldn’t have found loaded potato soup with lots of bacon, sour cream, and cheese on Grandma’s table. (Not that there is anything wrong with that kind of soup – I never did meet a potato soup I didn’t like!)

This recipe is a bit thinner in consistency than the typical potato soup, thickened only by the milk and starch from the potatoes (making it naturally gluten-free.) Despite its simplicity, however, this soup is packed with flavor. If you love the taste of butter, onions, and potatoes, you’ll love this soup. Of course, you can always add in some shredded cheese or crumbled bacon for even more flavor, but the basic recipe with a generous sprinkle of ground black pepper is how I prefer it.

Ingredients you’ll need for this Simple Potato Soup Recipe:

You only need a few basic ingredients:

Potatoes – Potatoes are the star of the show here so you’ll need to use the right potatoes. For this recipe, You’ll want potatoes with a good amount of starch to thicken the soup properly. Regular russet potatoes or other baking types of potatoes work best. You can also use gold potatoes, but avoid red potatoes because they don’t have enough starch.

Onions – I like to use yellow or sweet yellow onions (like Vidalia) for the best flavor.

Butter – Just good old butter is my preference. To make a vegan or plant-based potato soup, substitute vegetable oil for butter or use your favorite plant butter.

Milk – I use whole milk for this recipe, but you could add some heavy cream or half-and-half if you want to make it extra creamy if you prefer. You can also use low-fat milk, but it will result in a thinner and less creamy soup. Also, the risk of curdling is higher with lower-fat milk, so you will need to be mindful to simmer the soup gently on low heat to prevent this. If you want vegan or plant-based soup, use your favorite non-dairy milk.

Optional Ingredients:

This simple potato soup is so delicious as is that I typically don’t add any extras. But here are my suggestions for optional ingredients to add:

Celery – If you love celery, try frying sliced celery with the onions.

Stock or broth – For extra flavor, you can boil the potatoes in chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth. 

Bacon – Top with bacon bits or crumbled cooked bacon to make this more of a “loaded” potato soup.

Sour Cream – A dollop of sour cream will make the soup creamier.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese – If you love cheese with your potato soup, go ahead and add a generous sprinkling of shredded cheddar. 

Green Onions – Top with chopped fresh green onions or chives for a pop of fresh green flavor.

Tips for making this Simple Old-Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe:

1. Use a large pot or a Dutch oven. You want a generously sized pot with a heavy bottom to avoid boiling the milk over or burning it. I use a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven similar to this one by Amazon Basics {aff link}
2. For the best flavor, add a few pinches of salt to the water you boil the potatoes in. Also, add just enough water to cover the potatoes when boiling them. When draining the potatoes, reserve the cooking water. You can use it later to thin the soup if necessary.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the onions in the butter until they are soft and golden around the edges. This will sweeten the onions and really bring out the onion flavor. Do this over medium heat and keep an eye on the temperature to avoid burning the butter.
4. When heating the milk, be sure to do it very gently, just until it bubbles around the edges. Don’t boil it or you risk curdling the milk.
5. I like to mash up about half of the potatoes with a potato masher. That way the soup is thick and creamy, but still has some chunks of potatoes. If you prefer a smoother soup, use an immersion blender {aff link} to blend up more (or all) of the potatoes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. If you don’t like a lot of salt, start with a bit less than the recipe calls for. I recommend using a generous amount of ground black pepper.
7. This potato soup is good for lunch or supper year-round, so don’t wait to make it!

Serving Suggestions for Old Fashioned Potato Soup:

1. I like to serve my potato soup with some fresh bread. For homemade bread options, try my Cheddar Rosemary Beer Bread, Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls, or Maple Corn Muffins. 

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This Simple Old-Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe is one of those classic homemade soups you’ll want to keep on repeat. I hope you try it and If you do, I hope you love it.  And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram so you don’t miss a post. 

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