Awesome Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon 8 Servings

When you need real comfort food—the kind that wraps you up like a warm blanket on a chilly evening—nothing beats a perfect bowl of soup. And I mean *perfect*. Forget those thin, watery versions you get sometimes. Today, we’re nailing the ultimate, hearty, Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese, and yes, we’re making it thick and creamy enough to rival any fancy restaurant.

I recall the first time I decided to experiment with a loaded baked potato soup recipe. It began as a casual evening craving for comfort food, and I wanted to create something that didn’t derail my ketogenic journey. As I meticulously calculated macros and adjusted ingredient ratios, I felt a thrill reminiscent of my lab days at Johns Hopkins.

By the end of the night, my kitchen was filled with the savory aroma of bacon and melted cheese, and that first spoonful was a delicious victory. It was a reminder that satisfying cravings while staying aligned with nutritional goals is not just possible but incredibly rewarding. Trust me, this precision makes all the difference. If you’re looking to make foolproof dinner ideas every time, check out this guide on making dinner ideas foolproof.

Achieving Restaurant Style Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

We aren’t settling for thin soup today. The goal here is that decadent, velvety mouthfeel you expect when paying good money for a bowl out on the town. Achieving those perfect thick creamy soups really comes down to how we handle the starch from those beautiful potatoes and the way we emulsify the dairy fats.

We want depth of flavor, too. That means properly rendering the bacon fat and building that flavor foundation right from the start. If you want to dive deeper into ingredient management and temperatures for maximizing flavor in your cooking, take a look at my guide on ultimate dinner ideas guide. It really helps set the stage for recipes like this one, and sometimes I even reference other great soup recipes just to compare notes on texture!

Essential Equipment for Perfect Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

You need the right tools to get that smooth, high-end texture we are aiming for. Don’t try to skip these, or you’ll end up with chunkier results than you want for this specific style of soup.

• Dutch Oven: This is non-negotiable for the first stage. We need a heavy, wide pot to properly render the bacon and sauté the onions without burning them. It holds heat perfectly for simmering the potatoes evenly.
• Immersion Blender: This is the game-changer! It lets you achieve that beautiful, uniformly smooth texture right in the pot. If you transfer hot soup to a standard blender, you risk catastrophe, so the immersion blender is all about safety and precision here.

Ingredients for Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

Gathering your ingredients is half the battle, especially when aiming for quality here. If you’re looking to streamline your grocery list, I sometimes plan using my guide on 5 ingredient dinner ideas that never fail to keep things simple yet powerful.

Soup Base Ingredients Breakdown

The core of this soup relies on proper ratios to get that rich, heavy body. We start with 6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces, which we’ll render for fat—don’t lose that flavor! For the aromatics, we need 1 medium yellow onion, chopped, and 3 large garlic cloves, minced. The thickener is crucial: you’ll need 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour mixed into the fat.

For the potatoes, we use 2.5 lbs of gold potatoes. Remember my notes: they must be peeled and diced into pieces no larger than one inch for even cooking time. For the liquids that create the richness, grab 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of milk, and 2/3 cup of heavy cream. Finally, we mix 2/3 cup of sour cream directly into the soup for that classic tangy body. Seasoning-wise, make sure you have 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, and a little kick with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ancho chili powder.

Creating the Ultimate Bacon Cheddar Topping

This is where we move from a great soup to an actual feast! These ingredients stay separate until serving so they stay crisp and fresh. You’ll want 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, some fresh chives for color and sharpness, additional sour cream for dolloping, and of course, more of that crispy bacon we cooked first.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

This process moves fast once you get going, so have everything prepped! Speed is key to locking in that restaurant flavor profile. If you want to move through this process even faster next time, check out tips for quick dinner ideas, but trust me, this soup is worth the slight extra effort.

Building the Flavor Base and Cooking Potatoes

First things first: cook those 6 strips of bacon in your Dutch Oven over medium heat until they’re nicely crisp. Scoop those bacon bits out and save them—we need that rendered fat! Toss in your chopped onion and cook it in the bacon drippings until it softens up, about three to five minutes. Immediately add the minced garlic and cook until you can really smell it—that’s usually just 30 seconds, don’t let it burn!

Now, sprinkle in the flour and stir vigorously to create a smooth paste, or roux. This thickens everything later! Add in your diced gold potatoes, the chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and all those seasonings, including the salt and pepper. Stir everything really well so it’s combined, then crank the heat up until it hits a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce it immediately to a simmer and let those potatoes cook until they’re super tender, which takes about 10 minutes.

Achieving the Creamy Texture in Your Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

This blending step is critical for getting that luxurious feel. You need to remove about five cups of the soup—that’s roughly half—and blend it until totally smooth. If you have that immersion blender handy, just use it right in the pot, which I highly recommend for safety and less cleanup. If you use a regular blender, be careful; vent that lid!

Once you’ve got your smooth pureed portion, pour it back into the pot with the remaining chunkier bits. Now is the time to stir in the 2/3 cup of sour cream and those reserved crispy bacon pieces. Give it a good mix, then let the whole thing simmer gently for 15 more minutes. This final simmer lets all those creamy flavors really marry together before you load it up with toppings!

Expert Tips for Perfect Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

When we’re dealing with savory dishes that rely on precise seasoning, like this soup, I always treat the initial measurements as guides, not gospel. You’ve got to taste as you go! My number one tip here is regarding salt. Always start with less salt than the recipe calls for. Why? Because different brands of chicken broth can be wildly different in sodium content, and we don’t want to overshoot that target early on.

Next, let’s talk about that ancho chili powder. It adds depth, not just heat. If you’re new to it, start with just a quarter teaspoon. Taste it during the final simmer. If you feel it needs that smoky earthiness, go ahead and add that extra quarter teaspoon. I learned this the hard way—a little goes a long way!

Also, remember that second blending step? If you really want that silky, totally smooth consistency—think super high-end dining—don’t just blend half. Puree *all* of the soup in batches. Use your immersion blender aggressively, or do several loads in your stand blender. This completely eliminates any starch chunks and turns it into one of those truly luxurious, thick creamy soups. For more foundational cooking science, my tips on making dinner ideas foolproof might inspire your next tweak!

Variations on Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

Now that we have the blueprint for that perfect, rich bowl, let’s talk about making it your very own creation. Cooking is all about adaptation, right? Since we’ve used flour for that golden roux, I know some folks might be avoiding it, especially if they are tracking macros strictly. If you need an alternative thickener that keeps things low-carb, you can skip the flour entirely! Instead, reserve about a cup of the broth, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum until it dissolves smoothly, and stir that mixture back into the simmering soup near the very end. It thickens marvelously without changing the flavor profile.

When it comes to cheese, the recipe calls for cheddar, and that’s classic, but don’t stop there! Try swapping half of the cheddar for smoked Gouda—wow, talk about an incredible flavor boost for something already this good. Or, maybe you want a little hit of sharpness? A sharp white cheddar mixed in will give you a tangier result.

For herbs, I usually stick to simple, fresh chives on top, but if you’re feeling adventurous, mix in some finely chopped fresh dill right at the end with the sour cream. It gives the soup a surprisingly bright, almost fresh lift that cuts through all that richness. I always encourage people to play around with their spice blends too; a little dried thyme simmered with the potatoes adds incredible aromatic depth. Digging around my recipe archives, I’ve got loads of ideas over at my main recipe index if you need inspiration for your next culinary adventure!

Storing and Reheating Your Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

One of the best things about making a big batch of this soup is having leftovers! It tastes even better the next day when all those savory bacon and cheese notes have really settled in. You definitely want to store this correctly so you don’t compromise that beautiful texture we worked so hard for.

When it comes to storage, pop any leftovers into airtight containers. I usually aim for individual or two-person portions so reheating is fast. It keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator for about three to four days. Be sure to chill it down quickly after serving; don’t let it sit on the counter for hours!

Now, here’s the key part: reheating. When this soup cools down, especially with all that cream and starch, it gets *very* thick. I mean, it’ll barely move in the pot! Don’t panic when you see it. It hasn’t gone bad; it’s just relaxing.

To bring it back to life, always reheat it slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat. You absolutely must thin it out with a little extra liquid. I usually start by stirring in a splash of milk or chicken broth—maybe just a quarter cup at a time—until you reach that perfect, spoonable consistency again. Keep stirring gently until it’s heated all the way through, but don’t let it come to a rolling boil once you add the dairy back in, or it might start to separate on you.

If you plan on freezing it—which is great for months down the line—I suggest freezing it before you add the sour cream and cheddar toppings. Just freeze the base soup, and then when you reheat a portion, whisk in the sour cream and any fresh toppings you want at the very end. This keeps the final product tasting fresh and creamy every time!

Frequently Asked Questions About Baked Potato Soup

I get so many questions about adjusting my favorite recipes, and that’s totally fair, right? Cooking is about making things work for *your* kitchen. I pulled together some of the most common things folks ask when they are tackling these classic, comforting bowls of baked potato soup.

If you’ve got even more burning questions about making meals that everyone requests, I’ve got a few ideas in my guide on recipes everyone asks for that might give you a boost!

Can I make this a vegetarian Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese?

Absolutely, yes! We rely on that rendered bacon fat to build a ton of savory flavor right at the start, so we need a good replacement if we skip the pork. You can easily substitute the chicken broth with a really high-quality vegetable broth. To mimic that deep, smoky note, sauté your onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil first, and when you add your spices, throw in about a half teaspoon of smoked paprika or even a tiny dash of liquid smoke.

It gives you that deep, complex background flavor that bacon usually provides, making your vegetarian version taste much more like a proper, hearty, restaurant style recipe.

How do I ensure my soup is truly thick creamy soups consistency?

This is all about managing starch and how you blend. Remember that step where we sprinkled the flour over the cooked onions and fat? That’s our roux, and it’s the non-negotiable first step for true thickness. It absorbs liquid and prevents your soup from being watery.

Once the potatoes are cooked, the blending step seals the deal. If you blend about half the soup completely smooth, you incorporate all that potato starch evenly without being chunky. If you accidentally add too much milk or broth early on and it looks a little thin—don’t sweat it! Just simmer it uncovered for five extra minutes, or whip up a slurry using just one teaspoon of cornstarch or xanthan gum mixed with cold water before stirring it into the gently simmering soup base. That will tighten it right up!

Does this taste exactly like what I get at a local diner?

It comes really close, honestly! The key to those satisfying restaurant style recipes is often a high fat content and proper layering of flavor, which we’ve done here by using butter, bacon fat, heavy cream, AND sour cream. Most diners use a combination of heavy cream and a few specific stabilizers, but our reliance on Yukon Golds, the roux, and the triple dairy hit gets us right there. The big difference is that you know exactly what’s in yours!

Nutritional Data for Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

For those of you tracking macros closely—and I know many of you are, maintaining that healthy balance is key to successful cooking—having accurate nutritional estimates is just as important as nailing the seasoning. I always run my finalized recipes through a tracker to ensure the yield aligns with what we expect, especially when dealing with rich ingredients like cream and bacon.

Please keep in mind that these figures are robust estimations based on the ingredient quantities listed. Sodium can fluctuate wildly depending on your specific chicken broth or the brand of bacon you use. For reference, if you need a great framework for keeping track of your intake over time, check out my resource on how to track keto progress.

Here is the breakdown for one serving (this recipe yields 8 bowls total):

• Calories: 521
• Fat: 32g
• Carbohydrates: 47g
• Protein: 12g

It’s vital to look at the ratios here. While we have 47 grams of carbs, remember that a significant portion comes from the gold potatoes themselves, which provide fiber (5g) and important minerals like Potassium (1176mg). We are aiming for density and satisfaction, and understanding these core numbers lets you build the rest of your day around this incredible meal!

Share Your Experience Making Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

Honestly, seeing how you all adapt and enjoy this soup is my favorite part of sharing these recipes. It truly feels collaborative when I hear back from you!

Once you’ve whipped up a batch of this incredible baked potato soup, I really want to know what you thought. Did you manage to get that super smooth texture we talked about? Did the ancho chili powder give you the warmth you were hoping for?

Please leave a star rating right here below the recipe card—it helps other home cooks know this recipe is a winner. And when you leave a comment, tell me all about your garnishes! Did you stick to the classics, or did you experiment with a totally unique bacon cheddar topping combination? I love seeing photos of your final bowls!

If you have any specific questions about substitutions, timing, or anything else that popped up while you were cooking, drop those in the comments too. I always follow up with everyone who reaches out. You can also reach out through my direct contact form if you have something more private to share, available over at my contact page.

Happy eating, everyone! Enjoy that rich, comforting bowl.