Load this creamy baked potato soup up with all the toppings! This rich and creamy potato soup recipe is the perfect quick and easy dinner for a cold winter night.

The Instant Pot obsession continues over here. I have truly gone from 0 to 100 on this thing since buying it over a year ago. With holiday activities in full swing plus snowy weather on the rise, there’s nothing like something warm, comforting, and low maintenance for dinner. This Baked Potato Soup is all of those things. The soup is creamy and rich - even though it just uses a bit of sour cream for creaminess - and calls for just a few basic ingredients. With the Instant Pot it can be done in a matter of minutes, but it’s great in the slow cooker too (scroll down for those instructions)! And if you're looking for a twist on this classic, be sure to check out Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup.

Baked Potato Soup Ingredients

Russet Potatoes - For a creamy potato soup, Russet potatoes are your best bet. Russet potatoes are high in starch and lower in moisture than many other potato varieties. Their texture after boiling works well in a soup that will be blended until smooth. (Note: If you want a soup with potato chunks new red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes will hold their shape better.)
Stock - Any type of stock will work, but this soup has so few ingredients that the flavor of the stock will stand out. Chicken stock is what I usually have on-hand, and I like the subtle savory chicken flavor it lends the soup. A vegetable stock works well too and is a more mild flavor choice.
Sour Cream - This baked potato soup doesn’t need any heavy cream to get a nice smooth texture, but it does benefit from a bit of sour cream blended in at the end of cooking. The sour cream gives it tangy flavor and richness. You’ll want some extra to dollop on top of the soup too!
Salt and Pepper - Even though the recipe includes some salt and pepper, this soup should be seasoned again after it’s cooked. A little extra will bring out the potato flavor, but you can only know how much to add by tasting it at the end.

How to Make Baked Potato Soup

Peel and cube potatoes - There’s no need to be super precise with the size of the cubed potatoes. Big, uneven chunks are ok.
Soak potatoes - Russet potatoes will turn brown if exposed to air for too long, which can make the soup look brown or gray. To prevent this, soak the potatoes in water immediately after peeling and cubing them. OR, better yet, just pour the stock into the slow cooker or pressure cooker and add the potatoes directly into the stock as you cube them.
Pressure cook / slow cook - Combine potatoes, stock, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a pressure cooker (I have a 6 quart Instant Pot) or slow cooker. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes or slow cook on low for 6 to 8 hrs (high for 3 to 4 hrs).
Blend - Add sour cream and blend until smooth using an immersion blender or standing blender.
Season - Taste and add some additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve with toppings on the side!

The best thing about baked potato soup is that it’s a blank slate for all the toppings! Here are some good ones:

Toppings for Baked Potato Soup

Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Chives / green onions
Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Black olives
Steamed broccoli florets
Chopped Tomatoes
Salsa

Make-Ahead Baked Potato Soup Bar

This is a great make-ahead lunch or dinner. Prep all of toppings, set them in bowls, and refrigerate them until it’s time to serve. I like to heat the soup up on the stovetop and set the toppings in the middle of the dining room table so everyone can top their soup as they like. My kids love this!

Note: Baked potato soup can be made ahead of time. However, because of the high starch content, the soup will thicken as it sits in the fridge. To fix this, just add some additional stock as you reheat it.

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