25 Comforting Ham and Potato Soup for the Whole Family

Ham and potato soup is the kind of meal that turns a fridge full of odds and ends into something the whole table fights over. It uses up leftover holiday ham, a bag of potatoes, and whatever vegetables are lingering in the crisper, so almost nothing goes to waste. Every version below starts from the same comforting base — tender potatoes, smoky ham, and a rich, creamy broth — then takes a different turn with cheese, spice, or a shortcut cooking method. Whichever one you pick, expect a thick, satisfying bowl that reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.

This is the base recipe every other version on this list is built from: butter-sautéed onion and celery, diced Yukon Gold potatoes, and a light flour roux that thickens the broth without any shortcuts. Whole milk keeps it rich but not heavy, and a handful of chopped ham stirred in at the end means it stays tender instead of turning rubbery. Stick with russet or Yukon Gold potatoes here — waxy new potatoes hold their shape but won't break down enough to give the soup body.

For the fastest route to dinner, swap raw potatoes for a 500 g (1 lb) bag of frozen diced hash browns, which cook through in under 10 minutes instead of 15-20. Skip the roux entirely and stir in 2 tablespoons of cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with cold water during the last few minutes to thicken. Pre-cooked, packaged diced ham cuts the prep down further, so the whole pot can be on the table in 20 minutes flat.

Bulk this one up with a diced carrot, a parsnip, and a cup of frozen peas or sweetcorn added in the last 5 minutes, turning a simple potato soup into something closer to a stew. Using a meaty ham hock or ham bone simmered in the stock for 20 minutes before you build the soup adds deep, smoky flavour you can't get from diced ham alone. Mash roughly a quarter of the potatoes against the side of the pot before serving to give the broth extra body without pureeing the whole batch.

Swap half the potatoes for 400 g (14 oz) of peeled, cubed butternut squash or sweet potato for a slightly sweet, golden-orange soup that feels right for cooler months. A pinch of smoked paprika and a bay leaf simmered in with the stock rounds out the flavour without overpowering the ham. Finish with a swirl of cream and a few sage leaves fried in butter for a restaurant-style garnish.

For the silkiest texture, blend one-third of the soup with a stick blender directly in the pot, then stir it back into the chunky remainder — this thickens the broth naturally without extra flour. Use full-fat evaporated milk instead of regular milk for a richer, more stable finish that won't split when reheated. Adding 60 g (2 oz) of cream cheese at the end takes it from creamy to genuinely luxurious.

Strip this back to potatoes, ham, onion, stock, and milk — no celery, carrot, or herbs required — for a version that's easy enough for a weeknight and forgiving for beginner cooks. Season generously with black pepper and a pinch of garlic powder to make up for the shorter ingredient list. It's an ideal base recipe to memorise, since every other variation here just builds on it.

Stir 150 g (1½ cups) of shredded sharp cheddar into the hot soup off the heat, a handful at a time, so it melts smoothly instead of turning grainy or stringy. Top each bowl the way you'd dress a loaded baked potato: extra cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon bits, and sliced spring onion. For the best melt, always add cold cheese to soup that's been taken off direct heat, not still at a rolling simmer.

Let this one simmer low and slow for an extra 15-20 minutes after the potatoes are tender, so the flavours deepen the way a Sunday roast leftovers soup should. A splash of dry white wine deglazing the pot before you add the stock lifts the richness without tasting boozy. Serve it in big bowls with crusty bread for dunking — this is the version to make when you have the whole afternoon.

This version leans on what's cheapest and most likely already in your kitchen: a leftover ham bone instead of pricier diced ham, tinned evaporated milk in place of fresh, and stock cubes instead of fresh stock. Bulk out servings with an extra 250 g (9 oz) of potatoes if the ham portion is small — potatoes are the cheapest ingredient in the pot and nobody will notice. It's a smart way to stretch a small amount of ham into dinner for a family of four.

Everything goes into a single large pot or Dutch oven with no separate roux-making step: sauté the vegetables, add stock and potatoes, simmer until tender, then stir in milk and ham right at the end. This cuts washing-up to one pot and a chopping board, and the whole thing is ready in about 35 minutes start to finish. It's the version to reach for on a Tuesday when energy for cooking is low but the craving for something warm isn't.

Cut the potatoes into large 3 cm chunks rather than small dice, and skip blending or mashing entirely so every spoonful has visible, hearty pieces of potato and ham. A coarser dice on the onion and celery matches the rustic texture, and a generous crack of black pepper finishes it simply. This is the closest version to an old-fashioned farmhouse soup, best served with a thick slice of buttered brown bread.

Fry 150 g (5 oz) of diced streaky bacon until crisp before you start the soup, then use the rendered bacon fat in place of half the butter for a smokier base flavour. Stir most of the crispy bacon into the pot and save a spoonful per bowl for garnish, along with extra cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. Together with the ham, this doubles down on smoky, salty flavour, so taste before adding extra salt.

Add the potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, stock, and ham straight to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are completely tender. Stir in the milk and any flour or cornflour slurry during the final 20-30 minutes so the dairy doesn't separate over the long cook. This hands-off method is the one to use for a busy day or when doubling the recipe to feed a crowd.

Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic directly in the Instant Pot using the sauté function, then add stock, potatoes, and ham and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes with a quick release. Stir in the milk or cream afterwards on the keep-warm setting so it doesn't scald or curdle under pressure. This method delivers all the depth of a slow-simmered soup in under 30 minutes total, including the time it takes to come to pressure.

Skip the butter-and-flour roux completely and rely on the starch from the potatoes themselves: simmer the diced potatoes a little longer, then mash about a third of them right in the pot to naturally thicken the broth. This keeps the soup gluten-free without any substitutions and tastes noticeably more potato-forward. It's a good option if you've run out of flour or want a lighter-textured soup.

Combine smoked bacon and smoked ham in the same pot for a soup with real depth, or use smoked paprika if you only have unsmoked ham on hand. Char the diced onion slightly longer than usual in the bacon fat, right to the edge of browning, to add another layer of smoky flavour to the base. A few drops of liquid smoke stirred in at the end is an easy way to boost the effect further if needed.

Double the garlic to 5-6 cloves and add both fresh thyme and a bay leaf to the simmering stock, fishing out the bay leaf before serving. A finishing handful of chopped fresh parsley and chives stirred in right before serving keeps the herb flavour bright rather than cooked-out. This version suits anyone who finds a plain potato soup a little flat, since the herbs lift every spoonful.

Add a full cup each of diced carrot, celery, and either green beans or cabbage, turning the soup into a near-complete meal in one bowl. Because the extra vegetables release more liquid as they cook, reduce the stock by about 120 ml (½ cup) so the soup doesn't turn thin. This is the version to make when you want to clear out the vegetable drawer without anyone noticing it's good for them.

Hollow out small round crusty loaves and ladle the hot soup straight into the bread, letting the inside soak up the broth as you eat. Keep this version on the thicker side — reduce the milk slightly or add an extra tablespoon of flour to the roux — so it doesn't seep through the bread too quickly. It's a fun, filling way to serve the soup for a casual dinner party or a cold-weather night in.

Stir in 300 g (about 2 cups) of sweetcorn kernels, fresh or frozen, along with the potatoes to shift this from a straight potato soup toward a corn chowder. Using half-and-half or a mix of milk and double cream in place of plain milk gives it the thicker, chowder-style consistency that pairs well with the corn's natural sweetness. Smoked ham works especially well here, echoing the classic ham and corn chowder pairing.

To make a batch that actually freezes well, leave out the milk and cream entirely and freeze the potato, ham, and stock base in portions for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently on the stove, and stir in the milk only at the very end, once the base is hot. This sidesteps the grainy, separated texture that dairy-based potato soups often get after freezing.

Blend shredded cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan — about 150 g (1½ cups) total — into the hot soup off the heat for a deeper, more complex cheese flavour than cheddar alone. Grate the cheese yourself rather than using pre-shredded bags, since the anti-caking coating on packaged cheese can make the soup grainy. A final scatter of extra Parmesan and cracked pepper on top finishes it like a proper cheese soup.

This is the go-to recipe for using up a spiral-cut Christmas or Easter ham: simmer the leftover ham bone in the stock for 20-30 minutes first to pull out every bit of flavour before building the soup around it. Diced leftover ham goes in during the last few minutes so it just warms through instead of drying out. It's an easy way to turn a holiday centrepiece into two or three more comforting dinners.

A single smoked ham hock, simmered for about 45 minutes in the stock before the vegetables go in, gives this version deep flavour for a fraction of the cost of diced deli ham. Once tender, pull the meat off the bone, shred it, and stir it back into the pot along with the potatoes. This is one of the most economical ways to make a big pot of soup — a single hock can flavour and feed a family of five or six.

For a smooth, velvety soup rather than a chunky one, blend the cooked potatoes, onion, celery, and stock fully with a stick blender before stirring the milk and diced ham back in. This version is especially good for picky younger eaters who prefer no visible vegetable pieces. Keep a little diced ham and a few croutons aside to scatter on top so each bowl still has some texture.

Cut the potatoes into evenly sized 1.5-2 cm cubes so every piece finishes cooking at the same time; a few oversized chunks will still be raw when the rest have gone soft. Hold off on salting until the soup has simmered for 10-15 minutes, since both ham and stock vary a lot in saltiness and it's easy to oversalt early on. Once the milk or cream goes in, keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil — boiling dairy-based soup risks curdling or splitting the broth. If the soup turns out thinner than you'd like, mash a few more potatoes against the side of the pot rather than adding extra flour, which can leave a raw, starchy taste.

Ladle the soup into deep bowls and top with a scatter of shredded cheddar, a few crispy bacon bits, and sliced spring onion for the classic loaded-potato finish. A side of crusty bread, garlic toast, or warm dinner rolls is almost non-negotiable for mopping up the broth. For a lighter meal, pair a smaller bowl with a simple green salad dressed in a sharp vinaigrette to cut through the richness.

Cool the soup to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often, and splash in a little extra milk or stock if it has thickened too much in the fridge. Freezing isn't ideal once the dairy is in, since both potatoes and milk can turn grainy or separate on thawing — if you want to freeze a batch, hold back the milk and ham, freeze the potato-and-stock base for up to 3 months, then stir in fresh dairy and ham after reheating.