There are few things more comforting than the scent of onions softening in butter on a drizzly Saturday afternoon. This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is my weekend project, a slow, deliberate process that fills the kitchen with warmth and promises a truly rewarding bowl of creamy, savoury goodness. It’s about taking your time, enjoying the aromas, and creating something deeply satisfying from simple ingredients.

Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 6 generous portions
• Difficulty: Easy (requires patience, not skill)

Why You’ll Love This Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• Deep, authentic flavour: By roasting the potatoes first, you unlock a nutty sweetness and fluffy texture that simmering alone can’t achieve.
• Customisable toppings bar: Everyone can build their own perfect bowl, making it ideal for a relaxed gathering or a family dinner.
• Genuinely filling: This soup is a meal in itself, thanks to the hearty potatoes, rich broth, and creamy finish. It keeps you satisfied for hours.
• Rewarding weekend cook: The process is meditative, from chopping the onions to watching the stock bubble. It’s cooking as a form of slowing down.
• Leftovers taste even better: The flavours meld and deepen overnight, making a second-day lunch a real treat.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

15 min prep  ·  60 min cook  ·  6 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1.5 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward work beautifully)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 60 g plain flour
• 1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
• 300 ml whole milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 150 g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 100 g sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh chives, snipped, for garnish

Tip: Floury potatoes are crucial here. Waxy varieties will leave you with a gluey, unpleasant texture. Scrub the skins well, as we’ll be using them for extra flavour and fibre.

How to Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup

1. Roast the potatoes: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Rub them with the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place them directly on the oven rack and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides through the centre with no resistance. The smell of baking potato skins will fill your kitchen with a promise of good things to come.
2. Sweat the vegetables: While the potatoes roast, melt the butter in a large stockpot over a medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and smells sweet, not burnt. The celery should have softened, offering a gentle, earthy aroma. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. Build the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. You’ll see the mixture turn into a pale, bubbling paste. This step is key — it cooks out the raw flour taste and ensures a silky, rather than gritty, soup. The sound of it sizzling gently is a good cue.
4. Whisk in the liquids: Pour in the stock a little at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition to prevent lumps. The mixture will thicken quickly at first. Once all the stock is incorporated, switch to a wooden spoon and add the milk. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer — you’ll see lazy bubbles breaking the surface — and cook for 5 minutes. It should look pale and slightly thickened.
5. Prepare the potatoes: Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthways. Scoop the fluffy flesh into a bowl. Chop the skins into small, 1cm pieces. The skins will add wonderful texture and a concentrated baked-potato flavour.
6. Combine and simmer: Add the potato flesh and chopped skins to the pot. Stir everything together. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will thicken further and the potato pieces will begin to break down, creating a wonderfully textured, creamy base. The colour will deepen to a warm, buttery yellow.
7. Finish with cream and cheese: Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the double cream, grated cheddar, and sour cream. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted and the soup is a smooth, cohesive whole. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. It should be rich, savoury, and deeply comforting.
8. Serve immediately: Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Top with a generous swirl of extra sour cream, a shower of snipped chives, and a final grating of cheddar. The contrast between the hot, creamy soup and the cool toppings is a joy.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Don’t skip the roasting: Baking the potatoes whole is non-negotiable. It concentrates their flavour and dries out the flesh, which allows the soup to become luxuriously creamy without needing excessive cream or flour. Steaming or boiling them will produce a watery, bland result.
• Season in layers: Add salt when you sweat the vegetables, when you add the stock, and again at the end. This builds complexity. Under-seasoned potato soup is a tragedy; it needs that salt to lift all the other flavours. I’ve been making this for over 7 years, and it never disappoints when I follow this rule.
• Control the texture: For a perfectly textured soup, don’t use an immersion blender unless you want a completely smooth puree. I prefer to leave the potato chunks and skins intact. If you do want a smoother soup, blend only half of it, then stir it back in for the best of both worlds.
• Adjust the thickness: Soups thicken as they sit. If your soup is too thick upon reheating, simply loosen it with a splash of extra stock or milk. If it’s too thin, simmer it uncovered for a few more minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavours.
• Make it ahead: This soup is a fantastic make-ahead meal. Prepare it completely, let it cool, and store it in the fridge for up to three days. The flavours meld beautifully. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a little milk to bring it back to the perfect consistency. I stumbled upon this combination by accident, and it’s been a hit ever since.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Large stockpot or Dutch oven
• Immersion blender (optional)
• Ladle
• Sharp knife and cutting board

What to Serve With Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• A crisp, simple Fresh Greek Salad Recipe provides a bright, acidic counterpoint to the rich soup.
• Buttered, crusty bread or a warm baguette is perfect for dipping.
• For a heartier meal, a side of Crispy Fried Fish Recipe Dinner turns this into a truly special weekend feast.

Still hungry for ideas? You might also love Creamy Potato Bean Soup Recipe, Simple Crock Pot Potato Soup Creamy from our sister kitchens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

A rich and creamy soup made with roasted floury potatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and crispy potato skins, finished with fresh chives for a comforting, hearty meal.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 550

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 kg floury potatoes Maris Piper or King Edward work beautifully
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 celery sticks diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 60 g plain flour
• 1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
• 300 ml whole milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 150 g mature cheddar cheese grated
• 100 g sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh chives snipped, for garnish

Method

 

1. Roast the potatoes: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Rub them with the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place them directly on the oven rack and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides through the centre with no resistance. The smell of baking potato skins will fill your kitchen with a promise of good things to come.
2. Sweat the vegetables: While the potatoes roast, melt the butter in a large stockpot over a medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and smells sweet, not burnt. The celery should have softened, offering a gentle, earthy aroma. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. Build the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. You'll see the mixture turn into a pale, bubbling paste. This step is key — it cooks out the raw flour taste and ensures a silky, rather than gritty, soup. The sound of it sizzling gently is a good cue.
4. Whisk in the liquids: Pour in the stock a little at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition to prevent lumps. The mixture will thicken quickly at first. Once all the stock is incorporated, switch to a wooden spoon and add the milk. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer — you'll see lazy bubbles breaking the surface — and cook for 5 minutes. It should look pale and slightly thickened.
5. Prepare the potatoes: Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthways. Scoop the fluffy flesh into a bowl. Chop the skins into small, 1cm pieces. The skins will add wonderful texture and a concentrated baked-potato flavour.
6. Combine and simmer: Add the potato flesh and chopped skins to the pot. Stir everything together. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will thicken further and the potato pieces will begin to break down, creating a wonderfully textured, creamy base. The colour will deepen to a warm, buttery yellow.
7. Finish with cream and cheese: Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the double cream, grated cheddar, and sour cream. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted and the soup is a smooth, cohesive whole. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. It should be rich, savoury, and deeply comforting.
8. Serve immediately: Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Top with a generous swirl of extra sour cream, a shower of snipped chives, and a final grating of cheddar. The contrast between the hot, creamy soup and the cool toppings is a joy.

Notes

For best results, use floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward. The roasted potato skins add texture and flavor. Adjust consistency with extra stock or milk if needed.

I hope this recipe becomes a cherished part of your weekend cooking rituals. It’s a soup that rewards patience and fills the home with the best kind of aroma. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how you got on — please share your thoughts and any twists you added in the comments below!