This 4 Ingredient Potato Soup Recipe is as easy as it gets! Creamy, cozy, and downright delicious—on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Just 10 minutes of hands-on time! It's naturally gluten-free, with a dairy-free option too. Load it up with bacon, cheese, and green onions for that baked potato vibe, or keep it simple for a classic, comforting bowl of goodness.
We’re all about potatoes recipes—especially budget-friendly ones! Whether it’s make-ahead, crispy, or even freezer-friendly, we can’t get enough of this root vegetable.
I have fond memories of my grandmother making this simple potato soup recipe when I was a teenager. Thanks, Grandma! 🥰 I have always been under the impression she got it from her mother, who was of German heritage, but wherever she got it, it's a classic!
She made the original recipe on the stovetop, but I made it work in the crockpot (affiliate) as well. This is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes for a cold day in the fall and winter months!
The crockpot is the perfect way to have more one pan dinner recipes on rotation! Fall Apart Roast in the crock pot is an easy recipe and the ultimate comfort food during the cooler weather. A true family favorite. If you love soup, be sure to check out the soup and chili page for even more delicious recipes.
Skip to:
Why this recipe is great
- With only 4 ingredients it's a great way to stretch your grocery budget.
- It’s an easy, homemade soup with only 15 minutes of prep time.
- It is made without flour so it is naturally gluten-free.
- You can substitute the milk and butter with dairy-free options if desired.
- It can be made in either a crockpot or a large pot (or Dutch oven) on the stovetop.
Potato soup recipe ingredients
- Potatoes: The best potatoes to use when making potato soup are russet potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes will work as well, but the texture will be different.
- Onion: Yellow onion is the best for this although white onion will work as well. Stay away from red onions because they will turn the soup a color that isn’t very attractive.
- Milk: Any milk you have on hand or half and half will work, although my favorites are 2% milk or whole milk.
- Butter: Adds richness to the soup. Don’t skip this ingredient.
How to make potato soup
This soup is as easy as it gets! Whether you're making it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, the method stays the same—simple and delicious every time.
Start by chopping the potatoes and yellow onions into even pieces. Smaller pieces mean faster cooking, but the key is keeping them uniform so everything cooks evenly..
Toss the potatoes and onions into your crockpot, an 8-quart saucepan, or even a big Dutch oven. Add the water, cover it up, and let it do its thing until everything is nice and soft. In the slow cooker, that’s about 6-8 hours on low.
Not sure if it’s ready? Grab a potato, smash it with a fork, and once it’s cool enough, take a bite. If it’s silky smooth with no lumps, you’re good to go for the next step.
Once the potatoes are super tender and practically falling apart, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and toss it. No need to keep it—you’re ready for the next step.
Now it’s time to bring in the flavor! Add the butter and pour in 1 cup of milk.
Time to blend! Grab your immersion blender and blend until it’s creamy and smooth. No immersion blender? No problem! You can use a countertop blender—just work in batches and be extra careful with the hot liquid. No soup explosions on our watch!
Add salt and pepper to taste, then it’s ready to serve! Keep it simple and enjoy as is, or load it up with your favorite toppings—because who doesn’t love a little extra flavor?
Note: If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to use a potato masher. The texture won't be exactly the same, but it will be a delicious bowl of soup.
Optional toppings
These are our favorite toppings, but it is also delicious served as is.
- Bacon: A couple strips of cooked bacon are all that is needed to really make this soup something special. Bake the bacon in the oven, microwave it, or fry it on the stove top while you prep the potatoes. Then when it is time to serve the bacon is ready.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is my favorite but any cheddar will do.
- Green onions: Just a quick slice and you have the perfect touch of freshness.
- Chives: A more mild version of scallions, if you have some on hand.
What to serve with potato soup
Dish up this creamy soup with:
- Chopped Salad
- Spinach Salad
- BELT sandwiches… it’s a BLT + a fried egg. This earns real mom points when I serve it with these.
- Homemade bread
How to store leftovers
Refrigerator: Let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. It’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days! When you're ready to enjoy, just reheat using the instructions below!
Freezer: We recently tested how to freeze potato soup, and as long as it’s smooth (no chunky bits), it freezes beautifully! The key is to reheat it slowly while stirring to keep that creamy texture.
Our go-to method for storing soups? These handy containers! Once frozen, just pop out the cubes and toss them in a freezer bag—way more space-saving and already portioned. You can also use a glass container, but be sure to thaw it completely before reheating.
Variations & Substitutions
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup: Use salty bacon (we love baking our bacon), cheddar cheese, chives and a dollop of sour cream for a fully loaded potato flavor.
- In our opinion the best potato soup recipe has minimal ingredients and is served with a smooth texture free of potato chunks. However, If you want more of a chunky soup remove half of the potato mixture. Blend the other half until smooth and add the chunky part back in.
- Use up leftover ham for a protein boost in this hearty soup.
- Play around with different seasoning. A little bit of thyme or even cajun seasoning would be a fun twist.
- For a lower calorie version use skim milk and skip the toppings.
- For a richer soup, use heavy cream in place of the milk.
- For a thinner soup, add more milk as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
- For a spicer version try adding in chili powder - regular, ancho chili powder, or chipotle chili powder - cayenne pepper or red hot chili flakes would work as well.
- For a dairy-free version substitute the butter and milk with your favorite dairy substitutes.
FAQs
Potato soup can be made a few hours in advance. However, it will thicken as it cools so be sure to have some extra milk on hand to thin as necessary.
The best way to heat this old-fashioned potato soup is on the stovetop, thinning with a little more milk as needed. However, the microwave works as well. Just be sure to stir the bowl often of the edges of the soup will over cook. Thin with milk to the consistency you prefer.
The best way to do this for a crowd is to have several slow cookers at your disposal. When serving a crowd I like to build in a little flex time by starting the slow cookers an hour or two earlier than usual. Once the soup has been blended, then the slow cookers can be set to “warm” for a couple hours. Stir the soup occasionally or it will form a skin on the side of the crock.
Note: A 6 qt. slow cooker should fit 1½ recipes and a double batch will fit in a 7 qt. slow cooker. It may take several more hours to cook a double recipe in 1 slow cooker.
The best potato for soup depends on the desired end product. For this soup we prefer a classic russet potato for it's starchiness which helps provide a realy creaminess. For this sausage and potato soup, Yukon golds are perfect because they aren't too starchy and the skin can stay on but still be tender.
Tips & tricks
- Test one of the larger potato pieces before blending. When you touch it with a fork it should break apart effortlessly. It should be super soft!
- Don’t turn on the immersion blender until you have put at least 1 cup of milk or the potatoes will become gummy.
- For a chunkier version, only blend half of the soup or blend until desired texture is reached
More potato recipes
For more delicious ways to use up a bag of potatoes:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Cozy 4 Ingredient Potato Soup Recipe (Simple & Easy!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb russet potatoes peeled, chopped, and rinsed (8-9 cups cup into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 onion chopped
- 5-6 cups water
- 6 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup milk may need an additional cup to reach desired consistency
- salt & pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- bacon cooked and crumbled
- cheddar cheese shredded
- green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Chop potatoes and onions. Add to slow cooker with water. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. (May take several more hours if doubling the recipe)3 lb russet potatoes, 1 onion, 5-6 cups water
- Once potatoes are falling apart, remove 1 cup of water. Add butter and milk, then carefully place immersion blender in the slow cooker and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can place contents in a blender until smooth. Add additional milk if necessary until desired consistency is reached.6 tablespoon butter, 1 cup milk
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or with toppings.salt & pepper, bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions
Stovetop
- Chop potatoes and onions. Add to large pot or dutch oven along with water. Cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are falling apart.3 lb russet potatoes, 1 onion, 5-6 cups water
- Once potatoes are falling apart, remove 1 cup of water. Add butter and 1 cup of milk, then carefully place immersion blender in the slow cooker and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can place contents in a blender until smooth. Add additional milk if necessary.6 tablespoon butter, 1 cup milk
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or with toppings.salt & pepper
- We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.
Video
Notes
- Test one of the larger potato pieces before blending. When you touch it with a fork it should break apart effortlessly. It should be super soft!
- Don’t turn on the immersion blender until you have put at least 1 cup of milk or the potatoes will become gummy.
- For a chunkier version, only blend half of the soup or blend until desired texture is reached.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Phyllis says
We just finished eating this soup I made today. The family gave me and the soup a 5 + star rating. It was great. I added bits of ham from left over frozen ham. I also kept some of the potatoes out before using the imersion blender so we had some small chunks and that went over real well.
Thanks for bringing this really good recipe into our lives. For sure a repeat.
Misty says
We're so glad you like it 🙂
Becky says
What size slow cooker are you supposed to use?
Misty says
Hi Becky! I suggest a 6 qt slow cooker or larger. Enjoy!
Crystal Altizer says
This is the easiest recipe I've used! Other variations it came out too thick or too thin, but this one is perfect! I did the stove top version. I topped with green onion, bacon crumbles and shredded cheese. I'm keeping this as my forever go to for potato soup! Thank you!
Danielle says
Yay! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know! It makes our day!
Sara says
I made this again but on the stovetop. So yummy. Thanks
Danielle says
You are so welcome! Thank you for letting us know!
Kris says
I accidentally put it all together at once will it b ok
Misty says
Hi Kris! I don't suggest cooking the milk and butter for that many hours. Hope you have a chance to make it again!
LB says
I needed a quick lunch for lent and this soup hit the spot. just follow the recipe!
Thank you,
Misty says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sara says
We love this soup! It turns out velvety smooth. Add the toppings and it’s perfect. Thanks!!!
Danielle says
Thank you so much for taking a minute to let us know. It really makes our day! Happy eating!
Mary says
I made this again, but in the instant pot. (I was in a hurry after vacation for something homemade). Because I cannot leave well enough alone, I also added half a bell pepper. I give my version a "meh+" rating. I instant potted for 8 mins & then got a phone call resulting in slow release so perhaps potatoes overdone? The original simple recipe is the ticket. It is also good with Tabasco/Texas Pete's added by the consumer. Otherwise, those original four pure ingredients make for a big "thank you" from your tummy. I think I'll stick with the original recipe posted here. Hubby agreed.
Danielle says
So happy to hear that you enjoy this soup so much! I haven't tried it in the Instant Pot because the stovetop is so fast, but maybe sometime I will try to perfect that method. Thanks again for taking the time to let us know.
Emily says
Delicious and easy! I boiled my potatoes in chicken broth instead of water. The butter was a game changer
Danielle says
Emily,
I am so happy to hear how you made this recipe your own! Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Mary says
Outstanding! I can't believe this is only four ingredients.It tastes hearty & healthy.
It is company-worthy.
Misty says
We're so glad you thought so! Thank you for taking the time to share.
Kenzie says
Good starter, but I had to add a bunch to make it 5 star worthy. Too basic as is.
Misty says
Yes, it's meant to be the perfect easy soup when you only want to use 4 ingredients. It's fantastic with added toppings. Thanks for giving it a try!
Sonia says
Can someone please explain why there is so much information for a recipe? I can never find the ingredients and directions. I get discouraged and then don’t even want to try the recipe. It seems to waste my time when having to search for it. I suggest if there needs to be that much information for a easy recipe. Put it at the bottom and not before.
Misty says
Hi Sonia! Thank you for sharing your feedback. We work really hard to ensure that our posts are thorough and detailed so that every reader question is addressed. However, if you would like to skip the content there is a "Jump to Recipe" button at the very top of the post. If you click that, it will take you straight to the recipe. Additionally, there is a "Skip To" section under the first photo in every one of our posts. This acts as a table of contents, so you can jump straight to the sections that interest you. I hope this helps in making our site easy for you to navigate!
Rae-Lynn says
At the top there is a “ jump to recipe “. Click on that and it will bring you right to the recipe
Amy says
Super simple recipe and a great jumping off point! I added carrots, garlic, thyme, smoked gouda, and bacon. I also used a masher to create a chunkier texture that I really enjoy. Thank you for sharing!
Danielle says
Thanks for letting us know how much you enjoyed it!
Laura says
Easy tasty recipe! Will be making regularly!
Misty says
Glad you enjoyed it!
JeniD says
Made this today on stovetop, used some heavy cream in addition to the milk as I had some. Also added a lil garlic powder. Used potato masher as don't own a immersion blender-loved the small chunks of potato!! My husband thought it was good as is, I thought it AH-maz-ing with suggested toppings! Sent a huge bowl to my extended family to share! They all loved it, too! Will definitely be making again!
Misty says
So glad you enjoyed it!