Light Loaded Potato Soup
Filed Under: Lunch | Savory | Videos

Light Loaded Potato Soup

  |  
October 16th, 2013
4.67 from 3 votes
4.67 from 3 votes

Back in 2010, during the early years of Handle the Heat, I posted a recipe for light loaded potato soup that became one of my most popular recipes to date. 

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook: 16 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: This soup tastes exactly like a loaded baked potato with the sour cream, green onion, cheddar, and bacon. So delish.
Texture: The soup is surprisingly thick and creamy for having no heavy cream (use 1% milk instead). I love the chunks of potatoes and you can’t beat the cheese and bacon on top.
Ease: Watch the video to see how simple this soup is!
Appearance: Love the texture and color the toppings add.
Pros: Simple, light, and flavorful. Perfect for a cool day.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? I’ve made this many times before.

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Light Loaded Potato Soup tastes JUST like a loaded baked potato and it's almost guilt free!

Back in 2010, during the early years of Handle the Heat, I posted a recipe for light loaded potato soup that became one of my most popular recipes to date. I’ve since changed the recipe up slightly to streamline the soup making process and I wanted to share it with you in the form of a video! I have to tell you, though, a lot of work and frustration went into creating everything for this post. Much to my dismay, something happened to the video and photo files I uploaded to my computer for this soup and I lost half of everything. I had to re-film parts of this video and re-shoot some pictures. Of course this all happened moments before my site went down. I ended up spending almost 45 minutes on the phone with my host trying to get the site back up and running at nearly midnight. No fun AT ALL. Thankfully I worked everything out and am here to share with you this recipe on time for my usual Wednesday video. Yay! Watch the video, I think it will inspire you to make this soup. It’s ultra rich, tasty, and comforting!

Light Loaded Potato Soup tastes JUST like a loaded baked potato and it's almost guilt free!

4.67 from 3 votes

How to make
Light Loaded Potato Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Back in 2010, during the early years of Handle the Heat, I posted a recipe for light loaded potato soup that became one of my most popular recipes to date. 

Ingredients

  • 4 (6-ounce) red potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 bacon slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the broth and the potatoes. Bring to a simmer. Cook the potatoes, covered, until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Combine the flour and the milk in a large measuring cup. Bring to a boil, stirring often, being careful to not let the milk boil over. Cook for 1 minute. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup using a potato masher. For a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to blend the soup. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
  3. Ladle the soup into four bowls and top with the bacon, cheese, and green onions.

Recipe Notes

I like to oven-fry my bacon on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet at 400°F for about 12 to 15 minutes, longer if using thick slice bacon.
Course : Soup
Cuisine : American
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Holly — May 5, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    I’ve made this a few times, but never have figured out the milk part. It calls for milk (halved) with flour and heated but the recipe doesn’t say when you add the milk

  2. #
    Sheila — April 26, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Super yummy and so easy! My daughter ate it and she’s so picky! I will make this again!

  3. #
    Gail — March 23, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    It is soooo easy and delicious. No adaptations required!

  4. #
    Katy — December 19, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    Ditto Erica, why is the milk divided? And divided into what?

  5. #
    hi — May 5, 2017 at 2:41 am

    what can i use fresh cream instead of sour cream and can i omit the bacon ?

  6. #
    Michelle — March 22, 2017 at 7:57 am

    Do you happen to know how many calories this is?

  7. #
    Erica — December 20, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    It says 2 cups of milk divided. Did I miss when to add the second cup of milk??

  8. #
    Ashley Black — December 9, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    So I’ve been watching alot of your videos on YouTube and decided to try this recipe at work. It was super easy and the kids loved it!! They even went for seconds! Thank you for sharing ^_^

  9. #
    Sue — September 21, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Just made this–turned out great! It was easy to prepare and I had all the ingredients on hand.

  10. #
    Kristen — January 27, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    This looks fantastic! I plan to make this. Will russet potatoes work fine? Or do I need red potatoes?

    • #
      Tessa — January 27, 2014 at 10:05 pm

      They should work just fine! Just make sure to cook until they’re tender.

  11. #
    Blake — January 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    YUM! This was my first time making Potato soup and lord its so good I burnt my mouth eating it haha!! SO glad I made this thank you 🙂

  12. #
    Alexandra — November 27, 2013 at 10:30 am

    making a pot right now! Except I always sautee the onions in the bacon fat instead of using oil. The flavour is AH-mazing and I just tell myself the calories in bacon fat are the same as the oil…. This soup rivals the local BBQ joint’s famous recipe!

  13. #
    Kathy E. — November 16, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    This is a fantastic recipe! I’ve made it twice in the past 2 weeks (the second time by request). It is easy enough to get on the table in 30 minutes from start to finish. I used skim milk and low-fat sour cream and cheese. It does tend to thicken up after being refrigerated, but a splash or two of milk helps to bring back the desired soup consistency. Super good!

  14. #
    Krista — November 4, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    I made this tonight for dinner with a few changes and it was SO delicious. I’ve never made nor eaten a potato soup and this one really set the bar high. I used unsweetened coconut milk beverage, 2% Fage Greek yogurt, turkey bacon, and shredded Mexican blend cheese. It truly was like eating a bowl of the best loaded mashed/baked potato.

  15. #
    The Foodarian — October 20, 2013 at 7:22 am

    I love potato soup (in fact potato anything, except chips!) but I always seem to make potato and leek soup, must try this soon, thanks.

  16. #
    T. — October 17, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Just curious why you decided to peel the potatoes. I’ve always left mine unpeeled. Just a personal preference?

  17. #
    [email protected] — October 17, 2013 at 7:22 am

    yum, yum….what better way to enjoy the Autumn cooler weather. This is going to be dinner today!

  18. #
    Joanne T Ferguson — October 16, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    G’day! Your soup looks very warm and welcoming Tessa, true!
    Is just brekkie here, but I could go for a bowl of this right now…great photos too!
    Cheers! Joanne

  19. #
    sally @ sallys baking addiction — October 16, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    You are adorable. I simply loved watching you make this soup! It looks amazing. I love potato soup, but have never had the “loaded” kind. Seriously must try one chilly evening!

    • #
      Tessa — October 16, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Thank you so much Sally!!

  20. #
    Samantha — October 16, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    I’ve made the original recipe of this soup probably 50 times or more over the past 3 years. Maybe even more. It’s a staple recipe for me, and I’m so happy to see that you’ve further simplified it. I have always hated having to scoop boiling hot potato out of the skins… I think peeling and cubing them will go so much faster and won’t burn my hands! Thanks for this update – it’s much appreciated!

    • #
      Tessa — October 16, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      I hated that too!! Glad I could help a fellow potato soup lover out 🙂

  21. #
    Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious — October 16, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    I just recently posted a potato soup but your lightened version will definitely help keep my skinny jeans fitting!

    • #
      Tessa — October 16, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      Great minds 😉

  22. #
    Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction — October 16, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    There isn’t much better than a loaded baked potato soup! Love that you lightened it up!

  23. #
    Gerry @ Foodness Gracious — October 16, 2013 at 9:12 am

    Really, who doesn’t like potato soup? I love it and as my workout times wind down 😉 a light version could be just what I need!!

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