Easy 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
This Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup recipe is so creamy and delicious! It’s made with only a few simple ingredients – potatoes, vegetable stock, cream, and butter – and is ready in under 30 minutes. It’s the perfect canvas for adding all your favorite toppings!
When the temperature drops outside, you want something warm and cozy for dinner. That’s why it’s SOUP SEASON! This creamy potato soup is perfect when you want an easy warming meal. It’s the best potato soup recipe for serving as a main course, or using as a side dish.
If you’re looking for more cozy and comforting soup and stew recipes, check out Homemade Vegetable Soup, 3 Ingredient Butternut Squash Soup, or Dutch Oven Chili.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Only 4 basic ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Keep it simple or add all your favorite toppings for a loaded potato soup.
- Great easy weeknight dinner since it’s easy and ready in under 30 minutes.
- Freezes well so you can store some servings for later.
- One pot meal means less dishes!
Equipment needed
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Buy Now → What are the best potatoes for potato soup?
The best potatoes for soup depend on the final texture you are going for.
Russet potatoes are starchy and have a mealy texture. These potatoes are best for blended or puréed potato soups. If you want a chunkier texture, I don’t recommend using russet potatoes since they will lose their shape and can become grainy when left in chunks.
Yukon gold potatoes are a great middle ground potato between waxy and starchy. They have a buttery texture that will hold its shape when cooked. This is a great option if you want a chunky potato soup. They also blend down well with an immersion blender resulting in a smooth and creamy soup.
I have made this soup with both russet and Yukon gold potatoes and they both worked well, but if you want a chunky soup, I would go with Yukon gold potatoes.
Can’t get enough potato recipes? Try Creamy Cajun Potato Salad or Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe was a fun recipe for me to develop! Normally my recipes use way more than four ingredients, so this recipe challenged me to pick the absolute best 4 ingredients. I tested it out with different versions of the four main ingredients, ultimately deciding that potatoes, vegetable broth, cream, and butter yielded the most tasty soup!
- Russet or Yukon gold potatoes – While both of these potatoes will yield a smooth and creamy soup when blended, Yukon gold potatoes are better for a chunky potato soup. Overall, Yukon gold potatoes are my top pick for a smooth and creamy or a chunky potato soup.
- Vegetable stock – The flavor of the vegetable broth will really shine through here, so make sure you are using a quality brand of vegetable stock or make your own. Homemade stock is always better than store bought and is pretty easy to make!
- Heavy whipping cream – Heavy cream adds to the thick and creamy texture of this soup. If you want to make it lighter, you can also substitute for half and half or milk. These alternate options will yield a slightly less thick soup.
- Unsalted butter – I wanted this soup to still be rich and savory despite being only four ingredients, so I added in a few tablespoons of butter.
- Optional toppings – To me the best part of potato soup is adding all the delicious toppings! Try shredded cheese, chives, green onions, bacon, diced red onions, croutons, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, or sour cream
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make potato soup from scratch
Making potato soup from scratch is much easier than you think!
STEP ONE: PREP. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into approximately 1.5 inch pieces.
PRO TIP: Cutting the potatoes into uniform pieces of similar size is important so they cook evenly.
STEP TWO: BOIL: Add potatoes and stock to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender.
STEP THREE: PURÉE: Purée the soup with an immersion blender or blender until smooth. You can also choose to leave in some potato pieces for a chunkier texture.
PRO TIP: As always, use caution when blending hot liquids! It is better to remove the soup from heat and let cool enough to handle.
STEP FOUR: SIMMER: Return the soup to a simmer and add in cream and stir. Simmer until the soup reaches the desired consistency. Do a final taste test and add salt and pepper as needed.
STEP THREE: SERVE: Serve warm with the option to add your favorite toppings like crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives.
Looking for another easy creamy soup recipe? Try 3 Ingredient Butternut Squash Soup or Cauliflower Leek Potato Soup!
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Expert Tips
My biggest tip for the best potato soup
Use a flavorful good quality vegetable stock. The soup has limited ingredients, so using a flavorful stock will ensure your final dish is also flavorful. Homemade vegetable stock is the best option!
- The best potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes are the best overall for potato soup, especially if you want to leave it with a chunkier texture.
- Cutting the potatoes – To ensure the potatoes all cook evenly, make sure to cut them into uniform pieces. Cutting the potatoes too small can lead to excess starch making the final texture gluey. To avoid this, cut the potatoes into 1 ½ inch chunks.
- Don’t burn yourself! As always, use caution when blending hot liquids! It is better to remove the soup from heat and let it cool enough to handle.
- Make a double batch. This potato soup freezes well, so make a double batch and freeze some portions to enjoy later. Boiling time may take an additional few minutes when making a double batch.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers: Store leftover potato soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Homemade potato soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
How to freeze: This soup freezes really well! Store in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to reheat: This soup reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of broth or milk to loosen up the cold soup. When reheating from frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Some of the soup may separate and become watery after defrosting, but once it is reheated, it becomes creamy again when you stir it.
Troubleshooting
- Potato soup is grainy – This can come from using Russet potatoes and leaving some potato chunks intact. Russet potatoes can become grainy when cooked. Grainy potato soup can also come from undercooked potatoes. Make sure your potatoes are cooked throughout and fork tender before puréeing the soup. Another reason for grainy potato soup is curdled dairy. Add milk products to the soup when it is at a low simmer. Adding milk when the soup is at a high temperature can cause it to curdle.
- Potato soup is bland – If you find your soup to be bland, first make sure it is well salted. Potatoes need a lot of salt to be properly seasoned. I recommend using a homemade vegetable stock for this soup to impart lots of delicious flavor into the broth. You can also add in additional seasonings and dried herbs like garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, or black pepper.
- Potato soup is gummy – Gummy potato soup is usually caused by one of two things: over-puréeing the soup or cutting the potatoes too small. Excessive puréeing of the potatoes can cause it to have a gluey texture. Cutting the potatoes too small before boiling can cause excess potato starch to leak out into the stock. Since we are not draining the boiling liquid, we don’t want this to happen. Cut the potatoes into uniform 1 ½ inch chunks for best results.
- Potato soup is too thin – Potato soup can become too runny if using skim milk. You can thicken it up by letting the soup simmer so it can reduce more.
- Potato soup is too thick – A thick potato soup can be easily fixed by adding milk or vegetable broth to thin it out.
Variations
- Make it vegan. Swap the heavy cream for coconut milk, and the butter for vegan butter.
- Add aromatics. If you don’t need this soup to only have 4 ingredients, sauté aromatics like yellow onion, carrots, celery, leeks, and/or garlic until soft and add them into the soup before puréeing.
- Extra flavor. After puréeing, stir in roasted garlic cloves or caramelized onions for extra savory flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can purée the soup in a regular blender. Allow the soup to cool enough to handle, and carefully transfer the soup to the blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency. You can also use a potato masher for a chunkier consistency.
Yes. This potato soup reheats and freezes well, so you can make it ahead of time if needed. Make it a day or 2 in advance and reheat when ready to serve, or freeze a batch for later use for up to 6 months.
If you want a smooth and creamy potato soup, it is best to peel the potatoes before boiling them. If you prefer a chunky and hearty soup, you can leave the skins on.
More soup recipes
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Easy 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Russet or Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces, see note below
- 4 cups vegetable stock use a good quality or homemade stock
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream can substitute for half and half or whole milk, see note below
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Optional toppings like shredded cheese, chives, green onions, bacon, diced red onions, or sour cream
Instructions
- PREP: Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them into approximately 1 inch pieces.
- BOIL: Add diced potatoes and stock to a large pot. If the broth doesn't cover the potatoes, add water or more stock until all potatoes are submerged. Bring up to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- PURÉE: Remove the pot from heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender. You can also transfer to a regular blender, but use caution with blending boiling hot liquids! Puree until smooth, or choose to leave in some potato pieces for a chunkier texture.
- SIMMER: Return pot to the stove over medium heat. Pour in cream and butter and stir. Simmer for another few minutes until the soup reaches the desired consistency. Do a final taste test and add salt and pepper as needed.
- SERVE: Serve warm with the option to add your favorite toppings like crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, croutons, and chives.
Notes
- The best potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes are the best overall for potato soup, especially if you want to leave it with a chunkier texture. Russets work well for a puréed potato soup.
- Cutting the potatoes – To ensure the potatoes all cook evenly, make sure to cut them into uniform pieces. Cutting the potatoes too small can lead to excess starch making the final texture gluey. To avoid this, cut the potatoes into 1 ½ inch chunks.
- Use good quality vegetable stock – There are limited ingredients, so most of the flavor will come from the broth. Homemade stock is best!
- Milk substitutions – If you want to make the soup lighter, substitute for half and half or milk. These alternate options will yield a slightly less thick soup.
- Make a double batch. This potato soup freezes well, so make a double batch and freeze some portions to enjoy later. Boiling time may take an additional few minutes when making a double batch.
- How to store leftovers: Store leftover potato soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Homemade potato soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- How to freeze: This soup freezes really well! Store in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- How to reheat: This soup reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of broth or milk to loosen up the cold soup. When reheating from frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Some of the soup may separate and become watery after defrosting, but once it is reheated, it becomes creamy again when you stir it.
Equipment
- Immersion blender or blender
Nutrition
About me
Hey good lookin’, what ya got cookin’? I’m Lauren and I love to teach you how to make the good stuff, from scratch! I use fresh quality ingredients to create impressive but approachable restaurant worthy recipes.
This soup was amazing, just what I was looking for!
Great recipe! So simply yet so tasty. I used canned coconut milk instead of half and half to make it vegan, and added salt, pepper, and cayenne. So good!