This copycat Outback loaded baked potato soup recipe is comforting and delicious! Loaded with tender potatoes, bacon, and cheese in a velvety broth. Easily whip this soup up in one pot and serve topped with crispy bacon and warm crusty bread! Just like the restaurant version, this is loaded with cheesy, salty flavor that the whole family will love.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
Recipe: Baked Potato Soup (Outback Copycat)
Ready In: 40 minutes
Serves: 6 servings
Staple Ingredients: yellow potatoes, Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, bacon, cream, vegetable broth.
What Makes It Special: Bring a restaurant favorite home to your own kitchen, easily customize this version to your liking! This soup comes together in one-pot and doesn’t require any special equipment or ingredients. Adjust the spice level and thickness as desired and load up with all your favorite toppings.
This soup is perfect during fall or winter, tender potatoes and salty bacon combined in a cheesy broth make this a warm and heaty meal. Cozy up with other favorites like my white lasagna soup (slow cooker fav!), my pumpkin turkey chili, or this cheesy cauliflower chowder.
Find my other Soup Recipes here for more recipe inspiration! Serve this soup with a simple lettuce salad or some warm garlic knots.
This at home recipe is great for outback steakhouse fans, as you can make this easy soup in the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the price! I love mine topped with crispy bacon and a little dollop of sour cream, chopped chives or green onions, extra shredded cheese, or crispy onion straws make great toppings too.
Perfect Pairing: Everyday Blend
This recipe pairs perfectly with my Everyday Blend. It’s balanced with garlic, onion, and warm herbs that bring out the best in simple ingredients. Use it on chicken, veggies, or even eggs to take your everyday cooking up a notch.
Key Soup Ingredients
- Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil can all be substitutes. Unsalted butter works as well.
- Bacon: any kind of bacon will work for this recipe, it adds a bit of texture and salt to the soup, it also pairs well with the mild potatoes. Cook up some extra bacon bits for a topping if desired.
- Onion: red onion, white onion, or yellow onion can work in the recipe, omit onion if you prefer. Shallots are also a good option.
- Garlic: use as much garlic as you want! I like fresh garlic minced fine but jarred garlic or garlic paste will also work if needed.
- Vegetable Broth: any broth or stock of choice can used. Beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth, or use homemade stock or bone broth. In a pinch use water and chicken bouillon powder.
- Fresh Potatoes: I like to use yellow potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes for the recipe. Russet potatoes can get a bit more mushy but they are an option. Peel potatoes or leave the skin on, that is a personal preference.
- Heavy cream: heavy whipping cream, whole milk, 2% milk, or a non-dairy milk will all work to add a touch of creaminess to this soup.
- Sour cream: this adds even more richness to the broth, Greek yogurt can work as well. Sour cream is a good topping as well, the coolness adds a nice touch.
- Cheese: shredded cheddar cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese are my two favorites in this dish. Pepper jack cheese or Colby jack are other good options, I like the shred my own cheese, I find it melts into my soup easier without getting clumpy.
How To Make Potato Soup
Let’s talk a little about how to make this Loaded Potato Soup Recipe (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Sauté bacon, onion and garlic. Season.
- Add in potatoes and stock, cover, and simmer.
- Once potatoes are tender, add in cream, sour cream, and cheese. Combine.
- Once cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!
- Start by prepping your fresh ingredients. Dice bacon, cube potatoes, diced onion and garlic. If shredding your cheese by hand, do this now!
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once warm, add in diced bacon, sauté until bacon starts to get crispy. At this point, reserve some bacon if you’d like to use it as a garnish. If there is an excess amount of bacon grease, remove it from the pan.
- To the pan add in diced onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
- To the pot add in the diced potatoes and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for 25-30 minutes over medium heat or until potatoes are fork tender. If desired, use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes pieces to create a thicker soup.
- Add in cream, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Heat, stirring often until cheese is melted and the broth is thick. Serve topped with extra chopped bacon, sour cream, and cheese.
Video Tutorial
Cheesy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 7-8 slices Uncooked bacon, diced
- 1 medium Yellow or white onion, finely diced
- 3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 5-6 small Yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
- 32 oz. Vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 cup Heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chives, bacon, and shredded cheese , for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once warm, add in bacon. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until crispy, reserve some bacon for topping if desired. Add in minced garlic and onion. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes until tender and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.2 tbsp Olive oil, 7-8 slices Uncooked bacon, 1 medium Yellow or white onion, 3-4 cloves Garlic, 2 tsp Kosher salt , Fresh cracked black pepper
- Keeping the heat on medium-high, add in the potatoes, and vegetable stock, Stir to combine and cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. If desired, gently mash some of the potatoes in the soup to create a thicker texture, I recommend doing this!5-6 small Yellow potatoes, 32 oz. Vegetable broth
- Once potatoes are cooked, add in heavy cream, Greek yogurt, and shredded cheese. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with bacon crumbles, extra Greek yogurt or sour cream, and fresh chives.1 1/4 cup Heavy cream or milk , 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream , 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese, Chives, bacon, and shredded cheese
- Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Use starchy potatoes: small yellow potatoes or Russets work best for that smooth texture that naturally thickens. Potatoes do not have to be peeled.
- Seasoning: this soup has a lot of flavor from the bacon, garlic, and cheese. I keep the seasoning simple with salt and pepper, but you can add in garlic powder, onion powder, a touch of chili powder or paprika.
- Make it lighter: Swap the heavy cream for 2% milk or extra Greek yogurt for a lighter version that’s still rich.
Nutrition
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Storage & Reheating
Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. The soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If it thickens too much while chilling, whisk in a splash of broth or milk when reheating to loosen.
To reheat, warm over medium-low heat, stirring often until hot. If you prefer the microwave, heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each to prevent scorching.
For longer storage, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight when desired!
Recipe FAQs
Made with bacon, onions, garlic, potatoes, cream, cheese, and sour cream. This soup is simple and flavorful, it can easily be customized with additional ingredients.
Leftover baked potato soup can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Or store leftovers in the freezer for 1 month.
Baked potato soup goes great with a light lettuce salad like this easy BLT Salad Recipe or Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad! A crusty sourdough or ciabatta are great for dipping or try these Garlic Knots.
If your soup is too thin, you can let is simmer longer to see if that helps it thicken. Adding extra shredded cheese or mashing the cooked potatoes can also help. If neither of these work, a slurry can be made with cornstarch and water and stirred into the soup.
Bacon bits, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, chives, crispy hash browns, fresh cracked black pepper. and sour cream or Greek yogurt are all great toppings ideas.
Helpful Tools I Recommend
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- Le Creuset 5 1/2-Qt. Dutch Oven – enamel cast iron is great for even heat and this pot is large enough so nothing boils over. My go to pot for soups, stews, chilis, roasts, and more! I have had my collection of Le Creuset for years and it is still in great condition!
- Wooden Spoons – perfect for sautéing and mixing, and great for not scratching your pans. Remember to deep clean your wooden utensils once a month!
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing your final dish on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Cheers!
-Rachel
This soup is excellent! The only change I would make is to reduce the salt to less than one teaspoon. I will definitely make this many times. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Colleen, thank you for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!