It’s the time of year for cozy meals and easy soups, and this healthy potato soup fits right in. Made with simple, whole-food ingredients, it’s a feel-good meal that the whole family will love.
We have a lot of favorite soups, but it’s easy to pinpoint the more indulgent of them all: creamy potato soup.
While it’s not quite low-calorie, it is loaded with wholesome ingredients for a hearty and healthier potato soup.
Centered on the gut-soothing, collagen-rich benefits of homemade bone broth, this recipe is full of flavor and nutrition. And with such a silky smooth consistency, it’s also a great opportunity to add more onions and garlic than I otherwise might.
If you own an immersion blender, which I highly recommend, then this is easily a one-pot recipe. Just give the soup a few pulses of the blender, and you’ll see the consistency change.
However, if you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t worry— a regular blender does a great job. A little blending gives the soup a smooth texture, and leaving some chunks of potatoes keeps it rustic.
This hearty soup is so cozy during the cooler weather. It’s incredibly delicious on its own, but if you prefer, make this a loaded baked potato soup by topping generously with crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
My husband and I enjoy diced avocados, crisp bacon, and sometimes red pepper flakes to top ours. On occasion, I may even throw on a little fermented sauerkraut.
I usually serve this nourishing main course with a tossed salad and a crusty sourdough baguette, but you could also serve it with some toasty sourdough stromboli, a pan of salty sourdough garlic knots, or even ladled into some soft sourdough bread bowls.
If you’re not baking with sourdough yet, I want to help you learn how to make a sourdough starter and how to care for a sourdough starter. It’s rewarding, healthy, and overall really beneficial.
And while I love baking sourdough bread, you may be surprised to know that there are many sourdough recipes that aren’t bread.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious – Potato soup is rich and salty, and being a blended soup, it’s also thick and smooth. Kids and adults alike love this soup for its creamy texture and robust flavors.
Nourishing – This soup is packed with nutritious and wholesome ingredients. Bone broth adds more than just good flavor – it’s full of collagen, vitamins, and protein. Use quality potatoes for their antioxidants, and go for quality butter and cream for their healthy fats.
Simple – Simple ingredients and a no-fuss recipe make this soup ideal for a quick weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
Gold potatoes – I love to use gold or red potatoes because of their flavor, texture, and thinner skin. With these, no peeling is necessary. Russets also provide good taste and texture, but they should be peeled first because their skin is much firmer and more difficult to chew.
Chicken stock – While I love to make my own homemade bone broth, you can also buy chicken or vegetable stock from the store.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Immersion blender or blender
How to Make Healthy Potato Soup
Step 1: Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter, and once melted, add the diced onion and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.
Step 2: Stir the chopped potatoes and the chicken stock into the pot, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Step 3: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 4: Using an immersion blender, give the hot soup a few pulses for a creamy consistency. Alternatively, you can transfer about half of the potatoes into a blender with a cup or two of the broth from the pot. With the lid securely shut, blend on high until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the blended potatoes back into the pot along with the heavy cream. Stir until combined.
Step 6: Taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tips
- An immersion blender makes this recipe super easy, but a regular blender works fine. If you have neither, use a potato masher.
- You can also make this soup in the Instant Pot by adding all of the ingredients to the IP and setting it to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- You can leave the potato skins on to make this recipe even easier. Some potatoes work better with the peel than others. See FAQ below.
- This recipe easily doubles for lots of leftovers.
Recipe FAQs
Red potatoes, Yukon Gold, or Russet will work well for potato soup because they have a higher starch content and provide a nice texture. My favorites are red or gold potatoes for their flavor and texture.
No, you do not have to peel them, but some potatoes are better suited for leaving unpeeled than others. I like to use red or gold potatoes as the peels are very thin yet contain nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. On the other hand, Russet potatoes have a thick skin that can be chewy and firm, making the peels more noticeable in the soup. If this bothers you, just give them a quick peel! Keeping the skin on adds more nutritious power to this healthy recipe, and I also like the rustic look of potatoes with peels in my potato soup.
Most potato soups are thickened with flour or cornstarch, but this recipe uses more potatoes and a little less broth. This makes a thicker soup by utilizing the natural starches in the potatoes. Not adding flour to this recipe also means it is gluten-free. Another great way to supplement the substance and thicken the consistency is by adding cream cheese or sour cream towards the end when the heat is lowered.
Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop, adding a little extra broth or cream if the soup is too thick.
For longer storage, place the cooled potato soup in a freezer-safe storage container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To avoid a grainy texture from the frozen dairy, I do recommend leaving out the heavy cream if you plan to freeze the soup. Just thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop, adding cream at that time.
This recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth, the heavy cream for a dairy-free alternative like coconut milk, and choosing coconut or olive oil instead of butter. The flavor will be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.
More Delicious Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Easy Zuppa Toscana Soup
- The Best White Chicken Chili
- Easy Cheeseburger Soup
- Homemade Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Healthy Potato Soup Recipe
Delicious, hearty and healthy potato soup recipe. Loaded with healthy ingredients this filling soup is perfect for the cooler weather.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds gold potatoes, chopped into 1-2” pieces
- 6 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Herbs to garnish – optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter, and once melted, add the onion and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Stir the chopped potatoes and the chicken stock into the pot, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Using an immersion blender, give the hot soup a few pulses for a creamy consistency. Alternatively, you can transfer about half of the potatoes into a blender with a cup or two of the broth from the pot. With the lid securely shut, blend on high until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour the blended potatoes back into the pot along with the heavy cream. Stir until combined.
- Taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- An immersion blender makes this recipe super easy, but a regular blender works fine. If you have neither, use a potato masher.
- You can also make this soup in the Instant Pot by adding all of the ingredients to the IP and setting it to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- You can leave the potato skins on to make this recipe even easier. Some potatoes work better with the peel than others. See the FAQ section for more info!
- This recipe easily doubles for lots of leftovers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is one of most intelligent recipes I’ve come across, especially your use of bone broth.
About how many cups of diced potatoes equals 10 potatoes?
It can vary. 1 cup of diced potatoes is approximately 1.25 potatoes.
I love this soup. I make it all the time. The only difference is I add grated carrots and diced celery along with a little celery salt and pepper. I also us an immersion blender. Thanks Lisa great recipe.
Sounds delicious.
Mine turned out nothing like the photo! The flavor was good but the consistency was more like applesauce than soup. I have no idea what I did wrong. Topped with bacon and fresh green onion.
Hmm! That’s interesting. I have never gotten an applesauce consistency.
When I make potato soup, I like to add a couple sweet potatoes. I use my instant pot. They usually blend into the soup with very little to almost no pieces. It makes for a creamy texture. It also seems like you have a hint of cheese in the flavor. I use less cheese this way. I don’t know if it’s the flavor, texture, or the golden color they add to the soup.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Amie!
How many servings does this recipe make?
It will serve 6-8 people.
I’ve been replacing many of my recipes with yours as I find them. We love potato soup and this seems to be quite a bit healthier than our current recipe. I think I would still sauté finely chopped celery and carrots for even more nutritional power.
What a compliment! I’m glad you enjoy the recipes. I think sautéing them would add another lovely layer of flavor too.
Such an easy and delicious recipe! I cooked it in my Instant pot for 10 minutes. So yummy! Thanks!
Potato soup has been my favorite; I used to go to Panera just to get it on Mondays. Omgosh, I made this tonight and it was so good that I had two bowls. I accidentally pureed it a bit too much since I am a novice with the hand held blender, but it was still soooo delicious! Thank you once again for a wonderful recipe!