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If there ever was a week for comfort food, last week was it. Loaded Baked Potato Soup checks the boxes: warm, hearty, and flavorful.

I made this soup recipe TWO times last week! We ate it on Monday, before the election, and again on Thursday as the results dragged on and on. My techniques for keeping anxiety in check involved exercise and fresh air as well as eating comforting food, drinking cocktails, and working my way through our huge bags of Halloween candy!

My kids love this soup recipe. Recently, we found out that one of my daughters has to eat gluten-free. It has been a learning curve in our kitchen, especially when baking with gluten-free flours. Some recipes, like this one, are an easy adjustment using gluten-free 1 to 1 flour replacement for thickening the soup. If you do not need to eat gluten-free, you can use regular flour.

I have tried a number of Loaded Baked Potato soup recipes and eventually combined different ingredient ratios and techniques finalizing this verison. Sometimes potato soup can be bland. The secret to the intense flavor is cooking the bacon in the soup pot. A little bacon grease goes a long way adding a smoky flavor to the soup.

This recipe isn’t as thick as some baked potato soups. I don’t care for “stand your spoon up” thick soups but prefer a bit of creamy broth with chunks of soft potato. Be sure not to cut the potatoes too large or it will increase cooking time. And, keep your half-inch diced potatoes a consistent size for consistent texture.

Before serving, taste test the soup and add more cheese or sour cream to your liking, just like you would with your own loaded baked potato!

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Gluten-free)

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  • Author: Caroline
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Warm, hearty, and delicious. This comfort food soup will become a winter staple. 

Ingredients

Scale

5 pieces of bacon

3 Tablespoons butter

1/3 cup 1 to 1 gluten-free flour

6 cups potatoes, diced in 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups of milk

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Optional Garnish: additional shredded cheese and chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  1. In the bottom of a stockpot or Dutch oven, cook bacon until extra crispy. 
  2. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel. Set aside.
  3. Discard all but approximately 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. 
  4. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat.
  5. Add the flour and whisk together, cooking for about 3 minutes.
  6. Whisk in milk and chicken broth, cooking over medium heat until slightly thickened. 
  7. Add diced potatoes and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft. About 20 minutes. It should not boil or it will stick to the bottom.
  8. While potatoes are cooking, chop the bacon into very small pieces. Some will be added back to the soup, and some reserved for garnish.
  9. When potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, stir in 1/2 of the bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
  10. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  
  11. Serve topped with additional shredded cheese, a sprinkling of bacon bits, and some chopped chives.

Notes

If you don’t need to eat gluten-free, use regular flour. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well. I prefer to shred my own block of cheese.