Pure comfort food, this creamy potato cheese soup is kicked up a notch with crumbled bacon to top it off. Simple ingredients include potatoes, extra sharp cheddar cheese, milk, onion, garlic, and broth.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and makes a great lunch. If you serve in small portions like the recipe directs, it’s a wonderful appetizer or side to a sandwich. I like to serve this potato cheese soup with a cool, crisp salad too!
Ingredients You Will Need
How to Make My Potato Cheddar Soup
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. Please scroll down to simply print out the instructions!
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
- Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 to 14 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Transfer 1 cup of the mixture to a blender or food processor; pureé until smooth.
- Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in milk; heat over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir one cup of the cheddar cheese into the soup until melted and heated through.
- Ladle soup into four bowls; top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
- Garnish with crumbled bacon and chopped chives.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Nutritional information does not include garnish
- Vegetable broth can be substituted for chicken broth
- If you prefer, you don’t have to peel the potatoes, just be sure to scrub them first
- We use sweet Vidalia onion, but any yellow or white onion will be fine
- Extra sharp cheddar gives the best flavor, you can also use white extra sharp
What to Serve with this Potato Cheese Soup
- For the ultimate cheesy lunch, serve as a side to my toasted cheddar ham sandwich.
- A great dipper for this soup is a couple of slices of my homemade Italian bread.
- You might try topping this creamy potato cheese soup with my ranch seasoned oyster crackers.
More Soup Recipes
- Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
- Corn Chowder
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Pasta Fagioli
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Be sure to check out all of my delicious soup recipes!
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Cheddar Cheese Potato Soup
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup chopped Vidalia onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 ¼ cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese , divided
- crumbled bacon and chopped chives for garnish, optional
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Nutritional information does not include garnish
- Vegetable broth can be substituted for chicken broth
- If you prefer, you don’t have to peel the potatoes, just be sure to scrub them first
- We use sweet Vidalia onion, but any yellow or white onion will be fine
- Extra sharp cheddar gives the best flavor, you can also use white extra sharp
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 to 14 minutes or until vegetables are tender.1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion, 2 cloves garlic, 4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, 14 oz chicken broth
- Transfer 1 cup of the mixture to a blender or food processor; pureé until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir in milk; heat over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper.1 cup milk, salt, pepper
- Stir 1 cup of the cheddar cheese into the soup until melted and heated through.
- Ladle soup into four bowls; top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
- Garnish with crumbled bacon and chopped chives.crumbled bacon and chopped chives
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post originally appeared here on Feb 19, 2012.
Amanda Davis
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Carolan says
Very tasty! I added some chunked ham at the beginning with the onion, used garlic powder since I didn’t have any fresh garlic or jarlic on hand. Used skim milk, and medium cheddar as that was what was already open. It was very good, worth saving the recipe for another time!
Rafa Solis says
Delicious soup. Made it with what I had so had mixed potatoes types, and instead of bacon I took two pork chops sliced very thinly, oregano parsley salt pepper and white pepper all around, then seared and cooked on each side with olive oil. tossed that in at the end with a quick stir and it was delicious.
Sherry says
This is super yummy. Easy to make a definite keeper.
CATHERINE says
Excellent , delicious soup!! Made this for a soup exchange and everyone loved it!! I started by cooking the garnish bacon in the pot and used some of that grease to brown the onions. Highly recommend this flavourful soup!
Debbie says
I would definitely make again. I would make it a little thicker. But it was great and my husband loved it too.
Kris says
This was super easy to make and came out really good! I love that the ingredients were simple, nothing too fancy. I did add an extra cup or so of potatoes (extra broth as well to balance). I tossed in some chopped cooked bacon at the end instead of just garnishing with it. My husband is really picky with his potato soups and he also said it was really good! Thank you!
Sara says
I’ve been looking for awhile for a good EASY potato cheese soup recipe. This is 100% THEE one! We followed the recipe pretty closely, only adding a bit more potatoes and therefore a bit more broth. We also used a potato masher instead of blending. I’m fairly picky and have tried several that were too much work or not very good. I can’t wait to add this to our regular meal rotations.
Amanda Davis says
That’s great to hear Sara, so glad you loved it!