15 Easy Potato Soup to Try Tonight

A big pot of potato soup is the answer to a cold, grey evening — silky, filling, and built almost entirely from ingredients already sitting in the cupboard. These 15 versions cover every mood, from a 20-minute weeknight fix to a loaded, cheese-and-bacon showstopper for Sunday supper. Each one starts from the same reliable base of tender russet potatoes and a light roux, then branches off with a different technique or topping so there's always a new way to make it. Pick a favourite, or work through the whole list one soup at a time.

This is the one to learn first: crisp bacon, a soft onion-celery-carrot base, a quick flour roux, and diced russets simmered in chicken stock until fork-tender. Finishing with whole milk, double cream, and grated sharp cheddar gives it the rich, old-fashioned flavour most people picture when they think of potato soup. Mash roughly a third of the potatoes against the side of the pot before adding the dairy — it thickens the soup naturally without extra flour. Serve it with the reserved bacon scattered on top.

For a fuss-free version, skip the roux entirely and thicken the soup by mashing some of the cooked potatoes straight in the pot with a fork or masher. Swap the fresh vegetables for a single diced onion and rely on good chicken stock plus a splash of milk at the end for creaminess. It comes together in well under 30 minutes from chopping board to bowl, which makes it the version to reach for on a busy weeknight. A handful of pre-shredded cheddar stirred in at the end is all the garnish it needs.

Bulk this one up with 250 g (9 oz) of diced ham or cooked smoked sausage added along with the stock, so it simmers and infuses the broth with a smoky, savoury depth. Extra potatoes and a cup of frozen sweetcorn make it substantial enough to be the whole meal rather than a starter. Because the meat is already cooked, it just needs to heat through in the last 10 minutes of simmering. Ladle it into deep bowls with crusty bread for mopping.

Steep two sprigs of fresh thyme and a bay leaf in the stock while the potatoes simmer, then fish them out before blending — the herbs round out the flavour without turning the soup green or bitter. A pinch of ground nutmeg stirred in with the cream adds a warm, almost autumnal note that pairs beautifully with potatoes. This version leans on double cream rather than milk for extra richness. It's the one to make when you want the soup itself to feel like a blanket.

Blend this version fully smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand blender, once the potatoes are tender, rather than leaving any chunks. Use a higher ratio of cream to stock — about 300 ml (1¼ cups) double cream to 700 ml (3 cups) stock — for a soup silky enough to eat with a spoon and still coat the back of it. Blend before adding the cheese, then stir the cheddar in afterwards so it melts through evenly rather than clumping in the blender. Strain through a coarse sieve if you want restaurant-level silkiness.

Strip it back to five ingredients — potatoes, onion, stock, milk, and butter — with no bacon, cheese, or cream, and it's still genuinely delicious. This is the easiest version to make vegetarian or dairy-light: use vegetable stock and swap the milk for unsweetened oat milk if needed. Mash about half the potatoes for body, season generously with salt and black pepper, and finish with a knob of butter stirred through off the heat. It's proof that potato soup doesn't need a long ingredient list to taste like home.

Double the cheese here: stir in 200 g (7 oz) grated sharp cheddar plus 60 g (2 oz) cream cheese once the soup is off the heat, whisking until fully melted and smooth. The cream cheese adds a subtle tang and extra body that grated cheddar alone can't match. Add the cheese gradually over low heat rather than all at once, or the soup can turn grainy instead of silky. A final scatter of cheese on top, under the grill for two minutes, gives each bowl a bubbling, golden crust.

Let the slow cooker do the work: sauté the bacon and vegetables first, then tip everything except the dairy and cheese into the slow cooker with the potatoes and stock and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours, until the potatoes are meltingly soft. Stir in the milk, cream, and cheese only in the final 20 minutes so the dairy doesn't split over such a long cook. This is the version to start before leaving for work, so it's ready and thick by dinner. Mash some potatoes against the side of the slow cooker insert to thicken it before adding the dairy.

Use evaporated milk instead of cream — a 340 g (12 oz) tin diluted with a little water gives a rich, creamy result for a fraction of the price. Leave out the bacon and any specialty cheese, relying instead on a good stock cube, plenty of onion, and a generous pinch of smoked paprika for depth of flavour. Frozen diced onion and pre-peeled potatoes cut prep time and cost further without sacrificing much flavour. It's proof a genuinely good pot of soup can be made from a handful of storecupboard staples.

In an electric pressure cooker, sauté the bacon and vegetables using the sauté function, add the potatoes and stock, then cook on high pressure for 4 minutes with a quick release. Stir the milk, cream, and cheese in afterwards on the sauté setting so nothing curdles under pressure. The whole recipe, start to finish, takes about 30 minutes, which makes it the fastest route to a proper homemade potato soup on a weeknight. Keep the potato dice small and even so they cook through in the short pressure time.

Leave the skins on Yukon Gold or new potatoes and roughly chop rather than dice them for a chunkier, farmhouse-style soup. Mash only lightly with a potato masher once cooked, leaving plenty of texture rather than blending smooth. A splash of cider vinegar stirred in at the end brightens the richness and balances the earthy potato skins. This version is best finished with a swirl of crème fraîche rather than double cream.

Top every bowl the way you'd dress a loaded baked potato: crisp bacon bits, extra grated cheddar, a dollop of soured cream, and a scattering of sliced spring onions. The soup base itself stays close to the classic recipe, but keep it slightly thicker than usual so the toppings don't sink. Set the toppings out in small bowls so everyone can build their own bowl at the table. It's the version that disappears fastest at a family dinner.

Stir in 200 g (7 oz) frozen sweetcorn along with the potatoes for natural sweetness that kids tend to love, and go easy on the black pepper and any smoked or spiced elements. Blend it partially smooth so younger eaters aren't put off by chunky vegetables, while still leaving some potato texture for older kids and adults. This recipe scales up easily — double the batch and it freezes, without the dairy, for busy weeknights later in the month. Serve with a side of warm crusty rolls for dunking.

This is the everything-in version: bacon, a full roux, chicken stock, whole milk, double cream, sharp cheddar, and soured cream all in one pot, built in layers so every element gets to develop its flavour. Cook the roux a full minute longer than usual until it smells faintly toasty, which deepens the overall flavour of the finished soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning right at the end, after the cheese and soured cream go in, since both add their own saltiness. This is the recipe to make when you want to impress, not just feed, the table.

Everything happens in a single Dutch oven or large pot, with no separate pan for bacon or blending required, for the easiest clean-up of any version here. Skip the flour roux and thicken instead with a cornflour (cornstarch) slurry — 10 g (1 tbsp) cornflour whisked with 30 ml (2 tbsp) cold water, stirred in during the last five minutes of simmering. Cook the bacon first, remove it, then use the same pot for the vegetables, potatoes, and stock so all that flavour stays in the soup. Wipe the pot with kitchen paper between stages if it looks like it's about to scorch.

Choose starchy russet or Maris Piper potatoes rather than waxy varieties — they break down slightly as they cook, which naturally thickens the soup instead of leaving it thin and watery. Add cream, milk, or cheese only after the soup is off the boil, and warm it back through gently rather than boiling, since a hard boil is what causes dairy to split or turn grainy. Cut the potatoes into uniform 1.25 cm (½ inch) cubes so they all finish cooking at the same time. If the soup turns out thinner than you'd like, mash a few extra potatoes against the side of the pot rather than adding more flour.

Potato soup wants something crusty alongside it: a warm baguette, garlic bread, or thick slices of sourdough are all made for dunking and mopping up the last of the bowl. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts through the richness if you're serving it as a starter rather than the main event. For toppings, set out crispy bacon bits, extra grated cheddar, chopped chives or spring onions, and a pot of soured cream so everyone can finish their own bowl. A few croutons or crushed crackers scattered on top add a welcome bit of crunch.

Potato soup keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; let it cool to room temperature first before sealing and chilling. If you plan to freeze it, leave out the milk, cream, and cheese and stir them in fresh after reheating, since dairy can turn grainy and separate once frozen and thawed. Frozen without dairy, the soup base keeps for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, rather than in the microwave, to keep the texture smooth and prevent the dairy from curdling.