Easy Baked Potato Soup

Loaded baked potato soup is the steakhouse appetizer reimagined as a full meal. The genius is starting with already-baked russet potatoes instead of raw, which means you get the dry, fluffy texture and concentrated potato flavor that boiling never delivers.

The soup base is a proper béchamel built from butter and flour cooked into a roux, then whisked smooth with seven cups of milk. This is what gives the soup its silky body without needing heavy cream. Take your time with the roux, cooking it for a full two minutes before adding milk eliminates any raw-flour taste.

All the loaded baked potato classics get layered in at the end. Sharp cheddar cheese for that signature melt, sour cream for tangy richness, bacon for smoky crunch, and green onions for a fresh, sharp lift. The combination is exactly what you want from the loaded potato experience, just in spoonable form.

Serve with extra bacon crumbled on top, more shredded cheddar, and a generous scattering of chopped chives or scallions for color and bite.

Pro Tips

• Bake the potatoes the day before, day-old baked potatoes have firmer texture that holds up better in the soup.
• Whisk the milk into the roux gradually, dumping it all at once causes lumps that won’t break up.
• Keep the heat at a gentle simmer once the cheese goes in, boiling causes the cheese to break and the soup to turn grainy.
• Pulse half the soup with an immersion blender for a thicker body while keeping some chunky texture.

Variations

• Add a cup of broccoli florets in the last 5 minutes for a broccoli-cheese-potato hybrid.
• Stir in a half teaspoon of smoked paprika for a deeper, more BBQ-leaning flavor.
• Use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a tangier, lighter version.