This Cheesy Potato Soup is the perfect combination of hearty and cheesy, and it’s made completely on the stovetop. Enjoy!
The Ultimate Creamy Soup
You better believe it! This cheesy potato soup truly is the ultimate creamy soup 😀 It brings everything you love about a cheese-based soup with the hearty qualities of a potato soup.
Why cheddar cheese? We use cheddar cheese in this cheesy potato soup because it melts easily and gives the soup a thick and creamy texture! Also, the flavor of cheddar cheese is absolutely made to go with potatoes.
Oh so creamy: Another way we added creaminess to this cheesy potato soup is by adding potatoes, whole milk and cream cheese! The starchy potatoes add a delicious creamy texture that only potatoes know how to do.
Ingredients You Need
There are exactly 12 ingredients in the cheesy potato soup. Here is everything you’ll need:
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth
- Yukon gold potatoes
- Whole milk
- Cream cheese, softened
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cornstarch
- Olive oil
don’t have shredded cheese?
Don’t have shredded cheese, but have a block of cheese? Check out our post on how to grate cheese WITHOUT a cheese grater!
How to Make Cheesy Potato Soup
There are so many ways to make cheesy potato soup. However, there are a few steps this cheesy potato soup recipe requires. Get ready to:
- cook the vegetables
- cream the soup
- add cheese
- and blend!
This cheesy potato soup recipe makes all of those steps super easy. Let’s walk through it:
Sauté Sauté Sauté
Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion. Sauté until the onion is tender, and then add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute.
Make a Roux
Next add the butter and stir until it has melted. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.
Cook Potatoes
Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Stir to combine and season with another pinch of salt. Bring the soup to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
Gotta Love a Chunky Soup: Turn off the heat and remove 3 cups of soup and potatoes to a bowl and set them aside to add back to the soup later.
Add Milk & Cream Cheese
Add the whole milk and cream cheese to the soup. If you cut the cream cheese into cubes, it will incorporate more smoothly into the soup!
Blend, Blend, Blend
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth. Once the soup is smooth, place it over medium heat again.
Time for Cheddar
Combine the shredded cheddar cheese and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the cheese to the soup, stirring constantly until the cheese has fully melted.
Season & Enjoy!
Add the reserved potatoes back to the dutch oven and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and ENJOY.
Toppings for Cheesy Potato Soup
This cheesy potato soup is oh so yummy on its own, but who doesn’t love a topping or two. We recommend:
- Bacon bits
- Chopped chives or green onion
- Shredded cheese (can’t go wrong with more cheese!)
- Go ahead and dip a soft pretzel in this delicious soup!
Cheesy Potato Soup FAQs
Can I use a different cheese in this cheesy potato soup?
You sure can! We use cheddar cheese because the flavor pairs so nicely with taters and it melts so well! If you are short on cheddar cheese use any of the following cheeses (or a mixture) in place of cheddar cheese. Just be sure you shred it first.
- Gruyere
- Fontina
- White cheddar
- Parmesan
Why is my cheesy potato soup curdling?
Sometimes cheesy potato soup will curdle because the soup has gotten too hot too quickly. The proteins have tightened in the cheese because of the sudden change in heat.
To avoid this, we removed the broth from the heat and slowly whisked in the milk so that the liquid isn’t scorching hot, but still warm enough to melt the cheese.
How to Store Cheesy Potato Soup
Store this cheesy potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When Reheating Cheesy Potato Soup: we recommend reheating just like it’s cooked — LOW AND SLOW! Reheat on the stovetop on low, stirring frequently. This will help prevent any separating or uneven reheating. You may need to add broth when reheating if your soup is too thick. Start with a tablespoon and increase from there.
Freezing Cheesy Potato Soup: because cheese has a difficult time with drastic temperature changes, we do NOT recommend freezing this soup.
Cheesy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced (~½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 8 oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion. Season with a pinch of kosher salt (about ¼ teaspoon) and saute until the onion is tender– about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute.
- Next add the butter and stir until it has melted. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until the mixture begins to bubble– about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Stir to combine and season with another pinch of salt. Bring the soup to a boil and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Turn off the heat and remove 3 cups of soup (and potatoes) to a bowl and set them aside.
- Add the whole milk and cream cheese to the soup. If you cut the cream cheese into cubes, it will incorporate more smoothly into the soup!
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the soup is smooth, place it over medium heat again.
- Combine the shredded cheddar cheese and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the cheese to the soup, stirring constantly until the cheese has fully melted.
- Add the reserved potatoes back to the dutch oven and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If the soup becomes too thick, thin it with additional chicken stock.
