Grandmother’s Potato Soup Recipe
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My Grandmother’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 and Pepper – add salt and pepper to taste for seasoning.
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
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.
how much butter do u use in this soup
Karla, I use 4 tablespoons butter. It is the 4th ingredient in the recipe, just below milk. I hope you enjoy!
I made this recipe and it was just like my grandma would make it. Only thing I did differently is I added a bit more butter and in my measuring cup with the milk, I put about a teaspoon of corn starch. I mixed that in and added it to the pot. It made it just thick enough like I wanted. I also added some garlic powder because I love garlic lol
Thanks, Kelli. I love these recipes our grandmothers made, don’t you?
this is the only potato soup I make anymore. so good and so easy. love that you can make it with so few ingredients.
Thanks, Carrie. I love how simple this recipe is and always loved it when my grandmother made it for us.
The past two years, my husband has brought home smoked fish from his golf trip to Michigan’s upper peninsula. I make this recipe and add the shredded fish for a fish “chowder”. It’s amazing! This year I used a can of coconut milk + one cup of oat milk to avoid the dairy for him, and it was just as good.
Thanks for your tips, Marie. This fish chowder sounds amazing.
can you add instant mashed potatoes if you’re soup is not thick enough?
Marie, you could add instant potatoes to this soup if you want 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.
This soup is the best. Just like my German grandmother used to make. The scalded milk is the secret. Took me forever to figure that out,
I love that this soup is like your grandmother made, too, Kim.
Robyn,
Thank you for the recipe. I’m a bit confused though. I went to make it in my Instant Pot and noticed the recipe directions are different than stovetop cooking the soup.
Stovetop- boil potatoes then drain the water out before adding milk in.
Instantpot- boil potatoes, release pressure then turn to saute and add the milk in.
I want to be clear…”I don’t drain the water from the potatoes when using my Instant Pot?”
Won’t it be watery this way?
How does it thicken?
It’s just hard to imagine that the Milk will thicken just by heating it, no cornstarch, assisting, potato flakes at all?
Thank you for clearing this up for me☺
Thanks so much, CJ. You would drain any water remaining in the Instant Pot before adding the milk. I hope you enjoy the soup.
Saving to make. This is exactly how my late momma made hers. Sometimes, simple really is best. 😊 To this day, I am not a fan of all the toppings on my potato soup.
Rebecca, I have always loved this simple soup the way my Grandmother made hers.
perfect. my 92 year old father wanted this recipe. it tastes like his grandmother’s who raised him.
What would the adjustments be for cooking in a mini crockpot? (Like an individual one, I want to make it for my baby)
Shama, I haven’t made this soup in one of the mini slow cooker but you should be able to make it in one. Most mini slow cookers hold 1.5 quarts and will make about 2 servings. This potato soup recipe makes 8 servings. You would need to make 1/4 the recipe for 2 servings in the mini slow cooker. Add your potatoes and water to your slow cooker and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or 4-5 hours on High. Once your potatoes have cooked, remove from heat and drain. Add your milk and butter to the potatoes and cook on Low setting for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
This is my favorite potato soup recipe. Made it on this cold, dreary night and it hits the spot every time as written.
Simple and delicious !
Thank you, Cynthia. I’m happy you enjoy this soup. It is great on a cold night, isn’t it!