This 4 Ingredient Potato Soup recipe has been passed down through three generations from my Grandma's kitchen, earning its place as one of our most reliable and loved dinners (by kids, adults, and even picky eaters in our family)! It takes just 10 minutes of hands-on time, is incredibly budget-friendly, and works flawlessly in the slow cooker or on the stove.
Out of all our Potato Recipes, this soup is a reader favorite and one of the most visited on our site!
There is a reason this recipe has so many 5 star reviews! It's practically impossible to mess it up and it literally can't get easier.
Since my kids were little, this is the soup I'd pull from our One Pan Dinner Recipes when I needed a break from cooking, but still wanted a dinner that made the family happy.
Recipe Notes from Danielle & Misty
There's little you can do wrong with this recipe. We're not exaggerating when we say we've made it so many times that we've ironed out the little hiccups that are common when making potato soup (no grainy or gluey texture here!).
We've made this on the stove and in the slow cooker, plain and with variations, and with different varieties of potatoes. Let's just say the method we share below is the best of them all, and it's the only way we make it now.
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!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Crystal
Potato soup recipe ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients to make this soup! They are pretty basic, but there are a few tips that will help you ensure success.
- Potatoes: In our experience, the best potatoes for potato soup are russet potatoes. We have also used Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes, but the texture isn't quite the same and not our first choice.
- Yellow onion: Don't skip this or your soup will have no flavor. It's only 4 ingredients, so each one counts. My only suggestion is to avoid red onions, because they will turn the soup an unappetizing color. Yellow, sweet, or white onion are your best bet.
- Milk: Whole milk is my favorite option! The higher fat content makes the soup creamy without being too thick. Both 2% milk and half and half have worked as substitutes in a pinch.
- Butter: This is surprisingly important, more than just for great flavor. The fat in the butter coats the potatoes, which is one factor that helps the soup become creamy instead of gluey. It is *not* a good option to use a butter substitute, like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
How to make easy potato soup
This soup is as easy as it gets! Whether you're making it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, the simple method stays the same.
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 with a lid, 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? Scoop out 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. 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.
Use your immersion blender to blend until it's creamy and smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a countertop blender. You will need to work in batches, being careful with the hot liquid and blending on a medium speed where possible to avoid over-blending.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then it's ready to serve! You can keep it simple and enjoy as is, or load it up with your favorite toppings.
Stovetop instructions
You can make this recipe with exactly the same method on the stovetop. Simply cook the potatoes and onions in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until the potatoes are falling apart, then follow the same instructions to blend the soup. Full stovetop instructions are in the recipe card below.
What to serve with potato soup
You can keep this menu as simple as you want!
- BELT sandwiches… it's a BLT with a fried egg. This earns real mom points when I serve it with these.
- Chopped Salad
- Simple Dinner Roll
- Cheddar Biscuits
- 6 Ingredient Beer Bread (with honey!)
Topping ideas
You don't need anything complicated to make this soup sing. These are our favorite toppings!
- Bacon: The BEST, basically non-negotiable for our family. We like to bake bacon in the oven because it's practically mess-free, but you can also microwave it or fry it on the stove top until crispy.
- Sharp or medium cheddar cheese
- Green onions or chives
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.
- Check out our guide for How to Freeze Potato Soup if you have leftovers!
More recipes
Looking for other recipes? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Easy Potato Soup (4 Ingredients)
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 whole milk may need an additional cup to reach desired consistency
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Bacon cooked and crumbled
- Cheddar cheese shredded
- Green onions or chives 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 tbsp butter, 1 cup whole milk
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or with toppings.Kosher salt & pepper, Bacon, Cheddar cheese, Green onions or chives
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 tbsp butter, 1 cup whole milk
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or with toppings.Kosher salt & pepper
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
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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.
Nancy says
Potato Soup sounds excellent Could I replace half or all of the water with homemade chicken broth or stock? Going to try your White chicken chili and chocolate bundt cake next.
Danielle says
I haven't tried replacing the water with stock or broth, but you could certainly give it a try. If you do, please let us know how it turned out. Both of those recipes are family favorites! Happy eating!
dakota says
what if i don't want " mashed" potatoes... potato soup is meant to be chunky, so what if i just left them as chopped potatoes instead of blending them?
Danielle says
Well this isn't mashed potatoes because it is a much looser texture. It is a velvety smooth soup, but that is just personal preference. If you want it too be a little chunky there are two options: 1 - If using an immersion blender stop blending about halfway through. 2 - Place half of the cooked soup, milk, and butter into a standup blender and blend until smooth. Add that back in and stir thoroughly. If you do not blend at all, the soup will not have the correct texture. I hope that helps you get it the way you prefer. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Happy cooking!
James says
Texture according to who though? I grew up on chunky potato soup with ham chunks. Never blend it. It makes for a more hearty meal. Anyway, My opinion leave the potato's in chunks add ham then top with cheese and green onions and your good. Plus you have a nice broth left over that isn't polluted by mashed up potato's.
Danielle says
Of course each person should prepare their potato soup how they prefer it. In this recipe however, if you do not blend it at all you have potato chunks floating around in watery milk. Most chunky potato soup recipes use a thickener or other "base" ingredients to thicken the soup. This recipe uses the potatoes themselves to accomplish that task. That is what I was referring to. I wouldn't want someone to think that the water the potatoes cook in is meant to be eaten without blending any potato. But if someone likes it that way they should eat it just like that, but in good conscience I can't recommend that. I hope that clears that up and that you find a potato soup recipe you enjoy! Happy eating!
Aspen says
Sooooo easy, sooooo good! I always ruin my mashed potatoes, so this is the next best thing (especially with all the toppings you suggested) but way easier. And really good with BLTs. Thank you for this recipe! I even took this to a potluck dinner, and people there loved it!
Misty says
Glad you liked it!
Mary Ann Conway says
I'm a nervous cook...always need to do "exact" measurements. How much in "teaspoons" or partial teaspoons would you add to this recipe of salt ....and pepper....to get the "right" or average amount of flavor. Sorry to ask such a silly question but I'm sooo new to cooking and would appreciate your
Danielle says
It's ok to be a nervous cook. Just keep at it and your confidence will grow. To be honest I do not measure, rather I go by taste. I would say start with a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Then taste it. If it doesn't taste good add more. The golden rule to remember about seasoning your food is that you can always add but you can't take out. So add less than you think and slowly add more until it is where you want it. I hope that helps!
Sara says
Awesome!!! I just made this potato soup in the crockpot. I’ve made other potato soups and they were more complicated but this is just as good if not better. We’ll be loading on the goodies. Thank you!!!
Misty says
So glad you liked it! Simple is best with potato soup 🙂
Amanda says
This is so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I enjoy cooking in the crockpot and this was a big hit with my 4 kids.
Danielle says
That is the best compliment! We really appreciate you taking the time to let us know.
Jen says
I admit my initial confusion about how much water to add for cooking the potatoes, but reading the recap at the bottom of the scroll really helped. I enjoy "easy" options, and look forward to giving this one a try this month. Thanks!
Danielle says
So glad you found what you needed. Once you try it, we would love to hear how it turned out!
Michael Brodnik says
When do you add the bacon, cheese and green onions to the crockpot ?
Danielle says
The bacon, cheese, and green onion are toppings that are added to the bowl when serving. They are not added during the cooking process.
Phyllis says
Wow, just finished eating this soup and the family gave it a 100% A rating. Easy to make and so good. Thanks
Danielle says
Happy to hear how much you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking time to let us know!
Julie says
So freaking easy and so very yummy! I followed the recipe but did have to add a few spices to make it mine. I added a few tsp. of chicken bouillon powder, about a tsp. of onion powder, about tsp of garlic powder, and a teaspoon of dried parsley flakes. After bowling it up, I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to my bowl. The bacon, cheese, and green onion just took it to the next level of goodness. We had garlic bread on the side. Yummy, yummy, yummy!
Danielle says
So happy to hear you made it your own! We love to do that.
Jennifer meeks says
Do you have to mash the potatoes?
Misty says
Hi Jennifer! Definitely make sure to mash them some because that's where all the creaminess comes from. But if you want to leave a little bit of chunky texture in the soup that's fine!
kim says
How would you prepare this on stovetop?
Misty says
You would follow the same instructions, but simmer on the stovetop for 30-45 minutes, depending on how large your potato pieces are. You want them to be super soft. If you have a chance, I would love to hear how it turns out!
Theresa D. says
So delicious and easy, my picky eater loves it too!!!
Misty says
That's awesome! So glad you liked it.
Darcy says
I am always looking for easy recipes that don’t require a lot of ingredients. This one fit the bill perfectly. I like that you really don’t need very much cheese or bacon on the top. A little bit will do.
Phyllis Miller says
Oh man, this was really terrific soup! Got to share it with our family who has been sick and we are eating again for our second night and so excited. Good job Borrowed Bites. This is a definite do again meal.
Misty says
That's wonderful, so glad you got to share it with others. Thanks for the review!