Creamy Bacon Potato Soup

By: Ellen Rate this post! Leave a comment

Posted: Jul 27, 2026

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Bacon Potato Soup is thick, creamy, and loaded with bacon flavor throughout. The bacon drippings cook the onions, the browned bits flavor the broth, and all the crispy pieces piled on top finish it off. One pot, and dinner is done!

A ladle lifts creamy potato bacon soup topped with shredded cheese, crispy bacon bits, and chopped green onions from a blue pot.

A woman in a white tank top smiles while holding a cocktail in a restaurant. The background features ornate wall designs and people sitting at tables.

Ellen’s Notes

This creamy and flavorful Bacon Potato Soup is the comforting dinner my family asks for often. I set out little bowls of bacon, shredded cheddar, and sliced green onions and let everybody build their own. It costs almost nothing to make and it stretches to feed a crowd.

The one warning I give everybody about bacon potato soup is to keep your hands off the salt shaker until the end. Between the bacon, the chicken broth, and the ranch seasoning, this pot brings plenty of salt on its own before you ever season it.

I salted early one time out of pure habit and we all needed a tall glass of water with every bite. Now I wait until the sour cream is stirred in and I have tasted a real spoonful. Nine times out of ten it barely needs anything.

Ingredients for potato and bacon soup recipe arranged on a cutting board and labeled: chopped potatoes, bacon, onion, garlic, ranch seasoning, flour, sour cream, chicken broth, and whole milk.

Key Ingredient Notes

Russet Potatoes: Do not substitute these. Russets are high starch and low moisture, which means they break down as they cook and thicken the soup naturally. Dice them to about 1 inch so they cook evenly.
Bacon: Use regular or thick cut bacon and chop it before it goes in the pot, not after. Chopped raw bacon renders faster and more evenly than strips. If bacon is the whole point for you, cook two extra strips just for the toppings.
Ranch Seasoning: The buttermilk and herb notes play beautifully against the smoky bacon and keep the soup from tasting flat. Three tablespoons of my homemade ranch seasoning, or one standard Hidden Valley 1 oz packet, is all you need. Do not swap this for ranch dressing!
Broth: I like to use Better Than Boullion (chicken flavor) or a good bone broth to help add depth to the soup.
Whole Milk: Two cups gives you real body without the heaviness of cream. Two percent works in a pinch but the soup will be noticeably thinner. You can also use half and half for a richer soup, though you may want to cut the sour cream back to 3/4 cup so it doesn’t get too heavy.
Sour Cream: Use full fat only, as light sour cream carries more water and stabilizers and is far more likely to separate. Plain full-fat greek yogurt will also work.

How To Make Bacon Potato Soup

See the recipe card for full ingredient list and directions below.

Step 1: Cook the Bacon, Onion, and Garlic

Fry the bacon until crispy, then remove it to a paper-towel-lined plate. Sauté the onion in the bacon grease until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

Crispy bacon pieces sizzling in hot grease, surrounded by bubbling foam as they cook in a pan.

Step 2: Build The Roux

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring the whole time, until it turns light golden. Pour in the broth slowly, while stirring, and scrape every browned bit off the bottom.

A white pot with browned bits and a scoop of flour on the bottom to be mixed into a roux.

Step 3: Cook the Potatoes

Bring soup to a simmer, add the potatoes, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until fork tender.

A blue pot filled with cooked potatoes in broth sits on a white surface, with a cutting board and a small bowl of salt nearby.

Step 4: Mash and Season

Mash about half the potatoes right in the pot. Stir in the milk and ranch seasoning, then simmer 10 minutes.

A blue pot filled with chunky potato soup sits on a white surface. A potato masher rests inside the pot.

Step 5: Finish and Serve

Take the pot off the burner and stir in the sour cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and top with the crispy bacon, cheddar, and green onions.

A pot of creamy potato and bacon soup topped with shredded cheese, bacon bits, and chopped green onions, placed on a marble counter next to a small bowl of toppings and a gold spoon.

📌 Ellen’s Recipe Tips

Do not drain the bacon grease. Every bit of that rendered fat is flavor, and it’s what the onions, garlic, and roux cook in!
Cook the flour a full two minutes. A rushed roux tastes chalky and raw. Wait for it to turn light golden and smell slightly nutty before any liquid goes in.
Scrape the bottom of the pot. Those stuck on brown bits left behind by the bacon and onion are pure savory flavor. The broth loosens them, so drag a wooden spoon across the bottom until the pot is clean.
Take the pot off the heat before the sour cream. This is the single most important step. Sour cream curdles at a simmer, and once it breaks you can’t bring it back.

A bowl of creamy bacon potato soup topped with shredded cheese, chopped bacon, and green onions sits on a wooden board. A spoon is lifting some soup from the bowl.

FAQ – Recipe Help

Can I use precooked bacon or bacon bits?

You can, but you lose the drippings that carry the flavor, and those drippings are doing most of the work here. If precooked bacon is what you have, crisp it in a tablespoon of butter or oil first so you at least get a flavored fat to cook the onions in.

Can I use turkey bacon?

Yes, though it renders very little fat, so plan on adding about three tablespoons of butter to cook the onions and the flour. A half teaspoon of smoked paprika helps replace some of the smoke you will be missing.

Can I use Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets?

You can, but I personally wouldn’t. Russets are starchier and break down to thicken the soup naturally. Yukons hold their shape, so you will end up with a thinner broth and firmer chunks. If Yukons are all you have, mash more of them and consider an extra tablespoon of flour.

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

No. Peeled gives you the silkiest, most classic texture. Leaving the skins on gives you a more rustic soup with a bit more bite. Just scrub them well if you go that route.

How do I know when the potatoes are done?

A fork or paring knife should slide into a cube with no resistance at all, usually 15 to 20 minutes at a simmer. If there is any snap, give it another few minutes. Undercooked potatoes will not mash properly and the soup will not thicken!

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes! Cook the bacon and onions on the stove first, that step really cannot be skipped, then transfer to the crock with the broth and potatoes and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Mash, then add the milk, ranch, and sour cream at the end with the heat off.

Can I prepare bacon potato soup in advance?

Yes! Cook the soup through the mashing step, stopping before the milk and ranch seasoning, and refrigerate that base for up to 2 days. On the day of, reheat it gently, stir in the milk and ranch, simmer 10 minutes, pull the pot off the heat, and finish with the sour cream.

Storing and Reheating

This Potato Bacon Soup keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, and I think it tastes even better on day two. Cool it to room temperature first, then move it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this one. Store any leftover bacon in a separate small container so it stays crisp.

Warm the soup gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often, and stop as soon as it is hot. Do not let it come to a boil or the dairy can separate on you. The microwave works for a single bowl if you go in 45 second bursts and stir between each one. It will thicken up considerably as it chills, so you may want to add a splash of milk or broth.