Potato Soup Recipe – My Grandmother Verdie’s Potato Soup recipe makes an old-fashioned, easy, comforting soup recipe. Made with 5 ingredients and no heavy cream! Instant Pot instructions included.
Soup always makes one of my favorite meals. Like our favorite vegetable soup and chicken and dumplings, this is one of the soups that I grew up loving the most. Before there was such a thing as loading a potato soup with bacon, cheese, and onions, my Grandmother Verdie made her potato soup very simply – with potatoes, milk, butter, and salt and pepper. If my sister Wendy and I knew that Grandmother made this soup for supper, we’d beg to be able to eat supper with her. With one bite, it is so easy to understand why!
The Best Potato Soup Recipe
You could add all sorts of things to this soup if you’d like, but I recommend starting with this simple, basic recipe and go from there. Most times, we would rather stick with this version than add a lot of other ingredients, like leeks, onions, and whatnot.
Simple really is best most of the time, isn’t it?
How to Make The Best Potato Soup Recipe
To make Grandmother’s easy potato soup recipe, you’ll only need a few ingredients and to follow a few steps.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Potatoes – I prefer to use russets. You’ll need 2 pounds, about six medium. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes.
- Water – You will need enough fresh, clean water to cover the potatoes.
- Milk – I use whole milk in my potato soup. You can also use your favorite dairy-free milk substitute.
- Butter – the butter adds so much flavor to this soup.
- Salt – add salt to taste for seasoning.
- Pepper – add pepper to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep potatoes. begin by scrubbing your potatoes clean, peeling, and then cutting them into about 2-inch chunks. Place the potatoes into a large soup pot (I use my Dutch oven), cover it with clean water, and stir.
- Cook. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain away the water from the potatoes. Add your whole milk and butter to the potatoes and place back on medium heat. Allow the milk to bubble slightly around the edges of the soup pot, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Season. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Creamy Potato Soup Recipe Without Adding Flour
To customize the consistency and texture of this soup recipe, you can serve it as shown with tender chunks of potatoes or you can make a smooth and creamy soup by using an immersion blender in your soup pot until it reaches the consistency you prefer. No need to add flour or make a slurry with this simple trick! Naturally gluten-free! But really, the chunkiness is simply perfect and I definitely recommend that you give it a try!
If you like a smoother textured soup with all the trimmings (think sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions), you may want to check out my creamy Loaded Potato Soup Recipe as well.
Dairy-Free Potato Soup
To make this soup dairy-free, replace the milk and butter called for in the recipe with dairy-free substitutes. A delicious option for dairy-free milk for this soup is coconut milk. I prefer to use the canned version for the added creamy texture. For the butter, there is plant-based butter readily available. Use your favorites!
Can You Make Potato Soup Ahead?
Allow your soup to cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat and serve.
How to Make Potato Soup Recipe in the Instant Pot
This easy soup recipe is so easy to make in the Instant Pot.
- Rather than cooking in the Dutch oven, add the water, potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and turn the vent to seal it. Cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 10 minutes, then use the quick-release feature.
- Remove the lid to the Instant Pot and set the cook setting to saute. Stir in the milk and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and serve. If you prefer a smooth and loaded potato soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup and serve it with your favorite toppings.
Other Favorite Soup Recipes:
Here’s Grandmother’s Potato Soup Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (about 6 medium) Russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and chopped
- water
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cover potatoes with water in a large soup pot.
- Cook over medium heat until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
- Add milk and butter to the potatoes. Place back on medium heat and allow milk to bubble slightly around the edges of the soup pot, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and ladle into soup bowls.
- Serve with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Storage Tips
To store leftovers and make ahead. Allow your soup to cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat and serve.Recipe Variations
Dairy-Free Potato Soup: Replace the butter with plant-based butter and use your favorite milk substitute. Vegetarian Potato Soup: This recipe is vegetarian as written. Vegan Potato Soup: Use the replacements for dairy-free soup. Loaded Potato Soup: See my full recipe for Loaded Potato Soup for ingredient measurements and instructions.How to Make Potato Soup in the Instant Pot
Rather than cooking in the Dutch oven, add the water, potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and turn the vent to seal it. Cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 10 minutes, then use the quick-release feature. Remove the lid to the Instant Pot and set the cook setting to saute. Stir in the milk and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and serve. If you prefer a smooth and loaded potato soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup and serve it with your favorite toppings.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Orignally published 2011.
So easy and so good. My husband added more salt and pepper to his bowl. I added cheese to mine.
This is my favorite potato soup, simple perfection. It’s how my mom made it. I use most of the potato broth as well, then add whole milk to desired consistency.
Thanks, Shelley. My grandmother always made her soup this way. My family all loves it. I love to hear that your mother made it this way, too
This is exactly how my mother made it 60 years ago when I was just 10 years old. And of course before that.
I just love potatoes, just about anyway you want tomake them.
same here! but we added home made dumplings! tater and dumplings is soooo good!
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of milk? And use veggie stock in this recipe?
Doris, I haven’t use heavy whipping cream and veggie stock in this soup so I can’t tell you how it will turn out.
i use half and half, and chicken broth….delicious.
I made this soup but didn’t drain the water because it the flavor from the potato’s & celery. I used a cup and half of milk with cornstarch added to the milk and shook it really good. Added the milk and stirred until it thickened. This soup is really good I added some extra diced celery and a half stick more of butter. All I can say is “YUMMY”
This is almost how my grandmother taught me to make potato soup. I love it! I cook diced onion along with the potatoes. Drain about half of the water when done then add a can of evaporated milk. Add butter. Eat😉
Kathy, it’s amazing that so many of our grandmothers made a similar potato soup recipe, isn’t it?
This is the potato soup I grew up with. My mother made it for me and I made it for my kids and had just about forgotten about it until I saw this recipie. So now I make it for my grandkids. So simple, so delicious. I do add about 1/2 chopped onion and boil with the potatoes. Thank you.
Thanks, Kathryn. My grandmother always made this soup for us when I was growing up. We all loved it.
I made this tonight and it was easy and delicious! The only thing I did differently was added some chopped onion and lots of salt because I love salt. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Diana. So glad you loved the soup.
You state that there are only 5 minutes prep time to this recipe. Leaves me to wonder how fast can you peel and chop bite size pieces of pounds of potatoes? You must be super fast, a professional!
Marianne, prep time in a recipe considers that the chopping, measuring, etc. have been done and the ingredients are at the level described in the recipe ingredient list. Prep time just figures the time it takes to follow the steps in the recipe instructions. While it may take you 30 minutes to prep the ingredients, someone else may take 45 minutes or 20 minutes to prep.
I added avocado. so creamy and added nutrition.