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.
Phyllis Miller says
I made this recipe again and it was, as before, really good and really liked by the family. Yay
Danielle says
So glad you enjoyed it!
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!